New awning over the entertainment area

In the last week the awning has been installed to provide a cover to the entertainment area. I have learned that this is considered a fixed awning, as compared to a retractable one. And it is an awning as a pergola is a freestanding one.

Ignore the fact that there is no fence as this is still a work in progress as we wait on final quotes.


The clear light panels are located between the two windows that look onto this area, being the master and a spare room. This meets Council guidelines for passive solar access. As you can see it is very light and airy under here. I think this is the result of selecting white for the colourbond panels and the two supporting posts. This works well with the windows and screens. My Mum says that although it doesn't reduce the light in her room when the blinds are open it cuts out the glare that comes through around the edges when they are closed. This is good for her as she does shift work at a hospital and needs to be able to sleep at odd times.

Kitchen complete

Because there should have originally been the door from the garage this left a large gap between the pantry and the fridge. Also there was no microwave cavity provided and increasingly I have become aware of the popularity and usefulness of deep drawers, so the leftover space has been filled with additional cupboards. This definitely makes the kitchen feel finished.


At the moment the power outlet is directly behind the fridge and this means the fridge sits out a little further than I would like. The double cupboard above the fridge has a gap behind it to allow for ventilation, so in time I'll look at having the power outlet put up higher.


I also been asked to provide a closer shot of the cupboard handles. Ignore the colour of the cupboards as the flash has bounced off them looking very white. These are the kitchen handles. They are mounted vertically except for on the drawers. When you choose handles it is a good idea to grip the display board and see if you are comfortable with the space, unless of course you are choosing knobs.


The bathroom vanities have a similar style, but are clearly rounder and have the black feature rings either end. This ties in with the charcoal floor tiles and one of the glass tiles in the feature strips.


Although not an attractive shot of my dog, this is T-R's demonstration of how much she misses me by wedging into the closest spot she can without being on my lap.

Concreting done!

So with everything in place they contacted the bottom half of the house... well not really, just plastic to protect everything.


The finish product out front is the half/half plain concrete and swirled coloured section. A long time ago I was told this is how Camden Council wants it, and recently found out that it's their policy in case they do works out front all the will do is lay plain concrete, so it's up to you if you want to foot the bill to have the whole thing re-sprayed as the new and old will always look different.


Out the back is a lighter colour with a 10" tile effect. This is when only part of the pattern was removed.


The side has a pad for the shed which will sit under the eaves.


And a laundry step so we can get in and out now!


The formwork was done previously and they came back today at 6.30am and had the job done by 2pm.

Wardrobe pics and other updates

First the wardrobes - this shows the fit out.

As you can see, removing the shelf created damage.


With the bulkhead, it obstructs the top 30cm or so, so the wardrobe man set it up with a narrow top shelf and angled the tops of the inserts so on a step ladder you can squeeze in and get to the top.

Then with the sliding doors done the way they are, on the 1.5m built-ins it means on the half with the shelves/drawers and full length hanging, it is really a waste to have the full length hanging. BUT you can't have the drawers next to the wall as you wouldn't be able to open them. So that's why if I did it again I just wouldn't have the builder do built-ins and just ask for the end wall.

This is one spare room.



And this is the other. The last room is currently being set up as a study and ironing space, but still in progress.


And this is the first night that T-R stayed over. As there is no fence or gates she had to stay indoors overnight. But she whinged being locked in the garage, so I kept her in the hall outside my room and this is where she stayed all night so that I almost fell over her. I miss her but she has to stay at my Nanna's until the yard is done.

11.12.10 Driveway beginning

Well after lamenting the other day, at about 11am the concrete contractor turned up and said he tried to ring but neither I nor my Mum answered our phones and here he is to start the excavation and installing the formwork. Excellent, great to see you, feel free.

He and his son finished about 6pm having completed the formwork for the driveway, front steps and entertainment area and having laid some gravel over which the reinforced steel and concrete will go.

Camden Council will be contacted on Monday to organise the inspection they need to conduct to approve the road crossing, that is to say the point where the driveway meets the gutter. I am still yet to learn why this is needed, so if anyone has any understanding about it feel free to leave a comment about it.

Fingers crossed, if he can organise for the inspection to occur by Wednesday or Thursday he can organise for the concrete to be delivered the day after as it will take two days to complete laying the concrete. Therefore by Sunday it should be finished all going to plan.

Weather for the week, however:

WIND RAIN HUMID MIN MAX

SUN		Afternoon Clouds. Warm.	5 km/h N	-	45%	16	28
MON		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	18 km/h ESE	-	51%	16	26
TUE		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	13 km/h E	-	62%	18	25
WED		Early Fog Followed by Sun. Warm.	16 km/h NNE	-	48%	17	29
THU		A Few Thunderstorms. Mostly Cloudy. Warm. Humid.	5 km/h E	5mm (53%)	78%	20	30
FRI		A Few Showers. Morning Clouds. Mild.	10 km/h S	2mm (42%)	89%	19	25
SAT		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	16 km/h SE	-	51%	17	26

...so I am inclined to think it is more reliable to believe the concreting begins Friday and finishes Saturday (or Saturday then Sunday).

15 sleeps to Christmas

Well it looks like Christmas won't be at my house this year. With all the rain the concreting is still yet to happen, and for some reason the contractor doesn't rely on weather forecasts, so Tuesday and Wednesday just gone were good, he was able to finish the jobs he had oustanding, but then he says I'll come Thursday, to which I say it's going to rain in the morning and clear up as the day goes on. He calls my Mum Thursday morning and says he can't start it because of the rain??? My Mum said she doesn't care - it just has to be done in time for Christmas.

The skylight has been a massive improvement to the internal toilet and a number of times people (including myself) have commented they were about to turn the light off in the toilet when coming out, but then rememebered it isn't on, haha.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT have the builder install built-in robes if you plan to have them fitted out. The fit out was done earlier this week but because of the way the shelf is installed, by removing it trashed the wall. This will now have to be patched and painted sometime in the future. When I put the pictures up over the weekend you'll realise what a waste the builder's effort is. If I were to do it again all I'd ask for is the external wall - as I think this is nicer than a retro-fit by the wardrobe company. I would say no doors, no tracks, no shelf, no rail - just a L shaped wall or the walk-in cavity and door. This way you have all the space to the ceiling to play with and all the space from wall to wall.

Waiting on a costing from a landscaper as the drainage really needs to be fixed otherwise the yards will continue to flood, regardless. What he wanted was for the concreter to do his stuff and he'd take over from then, but I've got a feeling they will have to work on the site together. The landscaper needs to get the drainage done before the fences go in, so my promise to my dog that she'd move in for Christmas looks like it has gone out the window.

Other than that I potted a michelia into pot and its sitting out the front on the portico. I plan to prune it into a sort of conical shape and it will hopefully obscure the view of the outdoor GPO that the builder put to high up the wall.

A glass skirt fell out of a light fitting last night and it appears that the flared part cracked at the waistband and then it sat on the globe which caused some plastic of the socket to warp and the skirt, globe and spring that holds it all together just fell to the ground.

The kitchen add-on should happen next week, which will mean things can go to their final homes. The whirly-bird that went in seems like it is doing the right thing, generally the house is moderate at all times, but the walk-in-robe in the master and the garage are permanently stiffling so so vents are going to be installed in the ceiling to allow the hot air to escape.

The solar electricity is not yet booked in for installation as the demand has meant there is an under-supply of units.

The air-con is booked for January as a neighbour asked what the delay is, the slab outside that the external unit sits on, and he suggested having the external unit fitted on brackets to the wall... Thanks for that, I have no idea why the company didn't suggest it.

So the to-do list is: concreting, air-con, landscaping, fencing, grass, clothesline, shed, solar, and finish setting up the study.

The Great Flood

Last week, I can't remember which day, but I was driving home from work and I thought "ow what a great sky, I am sure it is going to look awesome from the portico". So I called my Mum and asked her to grab the camera, as my one in the mobile is broken (see below).

I hit the Oran Park/Gregory Hills intersection on Cowpasture Road and it is raining. I call home and ask about the rain. My Mum says it's pouring and she wants to show me something when I get out of the car.

I get home and OMG:

The sky was lovely.


But because the block out the back sits higher, the rain rushed down to my backyard and down the sides of the house. It also came from the side neighbours backyard as her landscaping isn't complete yet but because of the way Allworth excavated my block, it just...


Pooled around the house. The water tank is on the back wall.


And at worst it was above my ankles. I'm wearing my gumboots, which come up to my knees.


My Mum reported this to a Mirvac SS the next day, and he said he is going to look into it.

Christmas tree and ceiling lights

After salvaging the tree from my Grandmother's house, despite still being November, it was decided to put it up instead of it staying in the box and cluttering the garage, which still isn't empty.

It sits in the loungeroom in the corner where the lamp was in a previous pic.


The light fittings came from Bunnings as a DIY product because I couldn't be bothered with downlights. Maybe in future it might bug me but right now I'm happy with these. There are 2, 3, and 4 light bars around the common areas of the house. If you pick something similar, look at how the lamp and shade go together as this has a spring inside that, when the lamp is clicked in place, holds the skirt - massive pain, so I am hoping the globes don't blow out quickly.

Lounge and Family Room

Lounge:

The glass in the tv unit is going to have a film put on it to make it opaque, really its just storage.



There is still a coffee table and lamp tables to come.


Family room:

Same deal for the glass as above.


The mirror is yet to be hung. And something has to be figured out for the tall cane vase. Where the white box is- the fish tank will go on that stand.

Bedrooms

My bedroom.


My Mum's bedroom (I think she had lighting envy, lol).


Mind you we both have so many quilt cover sets, so who knows what next month will bring.

Blinds, screens, bins and antenna.

The flyscreens, screen doors and blinds are from Wynstan Narellan. They were prepared to give a quote many weeks ago based on the window schedule with no hassle compared to some others. Pricing I think is pretty much on par as it depends on the quality of the selections.

The laundry door and sliding door is a diamond grill known as Bev. The front door is Crim-safe, so it is nothing other than a frame and mesh. I'm impressed that the laundry door is hung the way it is as the internal door swings onto a wall, but the backyard is to the right in the pic, so there is no struggling with laundry, unlike the internal garage door.


The bins were a welcome addition. This required completing a form for Camden Council and taking it with the interim occupancy certificate in for submission. And they were dropped of two days later.


The antenna came from Dragon One in Campbelltown. I find it funny that it gets the south coast channels. Also going to have points installed in the bedrooms with the tv's mounted on the walls or from the ceiling as appropriate.

How to get rid of packing boxes for free

Off Richardson Road, Spring Farm, there is a facility called the Macarthur Resource Recovery Centre, otherwise known as Jack's Gully. Like a normal tip there is a fee, but if you have seperated recycling you can dispose of it for free. I got rid of a third of the boxes that were used to move in with, but it was raining and so I didn't get to read the full sign properly. From what I read though this includes plastics, paint tins, gas bottles, etc but not foam or building materials.

Also they sell mulch, so this is useful to know.

I'm going back and hopefully will get better info, but they are open every day until 4pm, during the week opening at 6am and 8am on the weekend, closed on public holidays and the like.

I figure if there is one in the Macarthur district there are others out there, so google it.

Moved In, after removalist problems.

Over the last three days, my Mum and I moved in and things have happened to complete the house. One of my best friends was lovely and came and stayed with us from Friday night and returned home yesterday, as she lives a few hours away. One of my Mum's brothers and his wife also came and helped with some flat pack stuff and unpacking on Saturday morning.

The floors were finished last week with the carpet installed due to a traffic accident at Moorebank holding up the Lockwood team, so the carpet was installed on Thursday morning.

New furniture and beds were delivered on Thursday and Friday, and most of the flat pack stuff was assembled by myself and my best friend over the weekend, well except for the glass disaply cabinet from Ikea, which will stay in its box pending the spot it will be sitting in being emptied after all the boxes being removed. I love having a cordless power drill as this made assembly easier where a screwdriver was needed. The one I bought was under $40 from Bunnings, took 5 hours to charge, as per the instructions, and was a ripper.

Without changing the ongoing challenges, Saturday was the day a removalist was booked for 12pm to collect and transport all our stuff from the old place to the new. They called to say they were running late and would arrive at 3pm. They called again to reschedule for Sunday 9am.

Twenty past 9, no show. I called and they said they were having problems contacting the guys on the road. 10am, still no removalists, so I tried to call again - but they blocked my call!!! My friend tried from her mobile, tried from the house phone, got my Mum to try, and all to no avail. Just a message saying "the number you are calling is unavailble - please try again later". Thanks Telstra lady.

So I jumped online and contacted a few different companies, who said they don't work Sunday's or were booked. About half a dozen later I contacted A2A Removals, advertised as available 7 days, two men and a truck up to 10 tonne. They were FANTASTIC - eager to have the work, booked me in straight away, charged $65 per hour plus a fuel surcharge for Spring Farm, and in total was $325 cash in hand for just over 3 hours work. I would absolutely recommend them as they took great care, were happy to move everything I asked no matter shape and size, and made every effort to put things exactly where I wanted them after. Call them on 9789 2688.

Appliances installed Monday morning, and that went smoothly. I am very impressed with the alarm system, which I can switch on and off with the same remote for the garage doors.

After a weekend of rain, the yard is a mud pit so this morning I ducked off to Bunnings and grabbed some 300 x 300 pavers for $3.54 each and dropped them a step apart, making a path from the kerb to the front door. The guys from Wynstan arrived and I left them with my Mum installing the screens and blinds.

Pictures to come as the phone and net aren't in until Thursday. No TV until tomorrow as there is no reception. Waiting to hear about the driveway as the application is with Council. Still negotiating with the neighbours about fencing as I want all 3 sides done at the one time, but two neighbours are still works in progress, so this means negotiating with Mirvac too, but as a whole heaps of homes are within months of completion I am aiming to get a lot of the street on-side for one fencer and have it all done at once.

First weekend

The tiling didn't start the weekend just gone as planned, but looks like it is going ahead today. I went out with my Mum and we took some stuff over, mainly cleaning products, toilet paper, and tea and coffee supplies so when the tradies are there they can use the facilities and maybe clean-up after themselves.

The toilet is hysterical. The fan comes on with the light and is fairly loud but with the door shut sounds like you are in a wind tunnel, or maybe even the sound a toilet on a plane or train sounds like when you flush - Welcome to flight SF2570 to Darwin, this is your Captain speaking. We are expecting a smooth flight with some occasional rain. Please sit back, relax and enjoy your time with us... hahaha.

Note to all - never have a door from the garage swing into the house which blocks the end of the hall to the living space or kitchen because it will irritate you no end as you have to open, enter, close and move forward. I am thinking if it would open out into the garage would be awesome but even hung to the opoosite side would be better.

Also not happy as I have a hatch with an antenna fitted to the roof and it gets caught going in and out under the roller door and swings something shocking so I hear it banging on the roof. I am wondering if this can be classified as a defect because no way a 4WD fits under.

The mud is atrocious after the rain and I have tracked much into the garage, but we couldn't find any loose fibro on people's rubbish piles, so I hope the tiler has a better time of it today. I'd say he should park in the garage but I don't know the van would make it.

KEYS!

Just to prove it here is a pic of the keys and garage remote. The keys are for the window, sliding door, front and rear door handles, and front and rear door mortice locks. Once the screens are installed there will be one more key to carry around.

Also they provided 4 remotes as there are two doors with separate mechanisms and each came with a spare. Awesome.


Tiling for the floors will be done on Saturday, thanks Lockwood, and they will let that set on Sunday and finish off by installing the carpet on Monday.

I am hoping to have the valuation inspection done Tuesday or Wednesday so that the remaining loan can be released and then I can organise the concreting, fencing and landscaping.

The security fence is still up but will be gone next week.

HANDOVER - you won't believe it

Like clockwork, handover has unexpectedly happened on D-day, 15 weeks to the dot.

I received a call from the SS who said he could be there in half an hour to give me the keys and remotes. But as I work in Parramatta I asked if my Mum could go instead as I know she can get there. Not a problem.

My Mum calls me back and says "you won't believe it!" and lo and behold SS is two streets away building a knockdown new home. So he arranges to go to my Mum when he is finished and within 5 minutes there he is on the front porch!

So frantically I have signed up for house and contents insurance through CommInsure online and am waiting to find out when Lockwood's can start the tiles and carpet.

I'M SO EXCITED, AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT.

I'M ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL AND I THINK I LIKE IT!!!

CBA comes through for quick handover!

I received a call not long ago and was told by the Mortgage Officer that because the original home loan was for the house with floors that the remaining funds can't be released.

The good news is that the valuer recommended that because of what has gone on with the contract and that I have already sent through the invoices for the carpet and tiles, blinds and screens, and the solar electricity, that those funds and the final payment to Allworth be issued and that a final valuation inspection be completed after the floors go in. THANK YOU MR VALUER!!!

I am so grateful and lucky because potentially had the invoice for the floors not already been submitted the final payment would have been postponed until I had done so. But this means the final payment will be made by direct deposit and because Allworth holds their account with the CBA the funds will be through within 24 hours and at the earliest 9am tomorrow morning!

All round I am learning that anything essential not included in the contract be organised and locked in as early as possible particularly if it involves anything to do with your Council or the issuing of the occupation certificate.

The driveway and entertainment area need council approval before they can go ahead. This can take up to two weeks at Camden Council. But I rang and asked and I can have a 5.5m wide driveway so it will accommodate two cars in the drive, so this is good news.

The interim occupation certificate requires the landscaping done within 60 days.

I'm thinking there is nothing else, but this remains to be seen.

So I have sent an email to Allworth, as it is after business hours, and asked for arrangements to be made so handover happens by the end of this week and the fencing to be unlocked ASAP thereafter and removed by Monday. Fingers crossed!

House pre-clean and PCI today

On Monday I went out and these are the pics I took:

The port-a-loo is gone and all outdoor painting is complete.


The pile of rubbish was still there, and in the top right you see the free microwave.


The outside drains have covers.


And this is the mains earthing with warning tag that some idiot painted brown so I had to get close to read it...


and the meter box inside.


Today was PCI and everything looks good.

The rubbish is gone but the fences will come down before handover of the keys.


This is the ensuite, which I normally take photos of from outside.


This is the internal main toilet. A solar tube will be installed because as you can see it is fairly dark in there without the light on. I have opted for the internal light fixture for the tube, so the bayonet wiring will be re-routed to a light fitted inside the tube and this will reduce the number of the holes in the ceiling and reduce the clutter.


This is one smoke detector with the dust cover on. The back-up batteries need to be replaced annually.


And the alarm panel near the front door still has its protective cover on.


Annually the termi-mesh must be inspected as part of a regular pest inspection, this can be through any provider but it must be logged on a sticker inside the meter box to keep the warranty up for insurance. Also the water filter in the kitchen must be replaced and the filter in the water tank cleaned. The SS advised to put it in the calendar, same time each year and do it all on the one weekend.

But because MB made contact with the bank too late the valuation inspection was conducted in the afternoon after the PCI and the payment won't be issued until that report goes in.

Looks like handover will be the middle of next week.