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.

Paint and Powerpoints!

Well the house is coming together, hopefully in time to be handed over on Wednesday. The panel above the roller doors has been painted.


The front door has been painted and the mortice lock installed. Inside the painting of the walls, ceilings, trims and doors has been finished and the door handles are on. The powerpoints and light fittings are in.


The meter box has been painted, although it has a dusty handprint on it.


The eaves and downpipes have been painted. The security alarm and the hot water system installed.


And the rainwater tap sign has been put up.


I met the other neighbour today, and saw that the people in Number 15 have moved in. So it looks like I'm going to be the fourth household moved in.

PCI moved to Wednesday

Due to changes on Allworth people's schedules PCI has been pushed back a couple of days.

This apparently is a good thing because my Mum went to the site to meet with a concreting contractor for me to get a quote for the driveway and enertainment area and she says the eaves and downpipes still aren't painted. Looking through the windows she couldn't see taps or powerpoints, only doors handles.

The weather has improved today, but looks like late showers and this deterioration continues tomorrow to pick up on the weekend with mild days forecasted until Tuesday. So, maybe painting will be finished early next week. I know weather predictions aren't 100% but the mind wonders why on a weekly basis it isn't used to at least get a sense of the way things are going.

Thanks to everyone's kind thoughts as a response to my last post, still very excited though as PCI still comes 1 day earlier than originally anticipated way back sixteen-odd weeks ago.

Painting continues

First night back at TAFE for this term and class was cancelled. So after I had dinner I went for a drive to check progress. It appears painting is finished in most rooms, except for the open plan great room and kitchen. The high gloss on the trims and doors also looks done as the doors were leaning against walls throughout the house. The front and laundry doors are also painted, but the eaves and the downpipes have not yet started. By the look of it, if the weather goes well tomorrow they could finish it.

WIND RAIN HUMID MIN MAX

TUE		Light Rain Early. Mostly Sunny. Mild.	16 km/h NNE	1mm (30%)	58%	15	23
WED		Afternoon Clouds. Warm.	12 km/h NNE	-	48%	14	25
THU		Mostly Cloudy. Mild.	15 km/h N	-	59%	16	24
FRI		Heavy Rain Early. Morning Clouds. Mild.	18 km/h N	9mm (83%)	90%	11	24
SAT		Mostly Sunny. Cool.	23 km/h W	-	34%	6	16
SUN		Mostly Sunny. Mild. Crisp.	16 km/h W	-	36%	7	19
MON		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	11 km/h SW	-	34%	8	20

Hmm, maybe Wednesday?

1 week out - Painting not finished

With about one week to go on the basis of the conversation during the week I'm happy to say painting inside has commenced, but not yet finished :o(

I think they are working from the rear to the front as the lounge looks like it is ready for its second coat...


but the main bedroom looks done, except for the skirting boards. That's my Mum and Me in the reflection.


I noticed the backdoor's frame has been done but I forgot to go back around and check the front. The eaves are not yet done at all and nor are the downpipes. The downpipes get to be painted because they are PVC in order to be connected to the rainwater tank as the guttering companies haven't progressed to making round downpipes. Dumb huh?


Well taking another look at the budget some things will be prioritized and others left for later. I was walking around today looking at the level changes in the block and I've come to a bit of a conclusion...

The drop edge beam is ridiculously low! So having paid money to have dirt carted away I am hoping that the excavation from the driveway will be able to be used to raise the level in this photo to cover the bottom row of bricks...


and this will run along the wall to this point, being the bottom row of bricks here. Then a sleeper will be used here to create a step for the next two rows, filled in behind and around to the higher part and the backyard will continue at this height.


Generally this will need to happen all the way around although on the other side because the front yard under the window will be retained and raised that side will all sit at the higher level. Then across the back fence and 1.5m deep raised garden bed will be created by retaining the area in front of the back fenceline as the back neighbour sits higher again, though only by about 2-3 sleepers high.

A drawing might be developed and scanned if I get a chance this week.

Also ordered the blinds, flyscreens and screen doors during the day from Wynstan's at Narellan. Have gone for a vertical throughout with a sewn-in weight and then a 25mm venetian in the bathroom and ensuite. Oddly however as I stood peering through the window at the house into the ensuite I decided to go for a venetian in a pebble brown colour to match the vanity. I thought looking into the ensuite that it would be bland to go with white as the wall tiles are full height and that the window covering could be more of a feature. In the main bathroom it is a long sash window so I think it's going to work out nice. Well for better or worse it is ordered now.

The plan is that because the screen doors and flyscreens are going to be powdercoated to match Colorbond Surfmist (closest thing to Trend Anodic off-white) this takes 3-4 weeks for delivery, which puts it in the first week of November. All going to plan if the keys are handed over on 25 October that week will be the concreting of the driveway and entertainment area and the carpet and tiles going in. Then looking to move in or at least move across that weekend.

Remains to be seen, haha.

Flooring issues resolved

I had a lovely long discussion with the Acting General Manager yesterday afternoon, which was an excellent demonstration by senior Allworth mangement to identify customer service problems and focus on moving forward rather than apportioning blame.

It gave me an opportunity to raise a nubmer of issues particularly relating to communication and some poor incidents where the team could have made an effort to be more approachable and resolve matters early. The Acting GM did clearly indicate that he was concerned about word-of-mouth damaging their reputation, for which no one can blame him, and so I greatly appreciate him giving me the time to simply put it to someone who can do something about it, but even if he doesn't I at least felt someone has had the decency to listen to what I have said.

In summary:

• the work by the company is covered by the builders insurance for seven years, if work is completed by the owner before handover this can void the warranty or lead to a dispute about liability, and it is a risk they are not willing to take.
• to change the contract now would involve a variation to contract, which may impact on eligibility for FHOG, and be pointless as it would push out completion needlessly.
• the contractors can not be controlled or policed but they can be asked to refrain from smoking inside and collecting their butts before leaving.
• a schedule is avaliable but not set in stone and the SS should be able to say what is coming up in the near future.
• the company does not have a policy about regular contact between the SS and the client, but SS should be available or return calls and the CM should be prepared to take a message and communicate it to the SS if the client cannot get onto the SS.
• any leftover bricks or damaged bricks do not belong to the client, but the client can negotiate to collect those bricks and put them out of the way as this will also save the company some money on tip fees.
• the build is tracked on a computer system and events are checked off as they are completed, but if an event is not checked off in time a trigger may be activated and generate a notice that does not apply.
• the site should be left clean of rubbish and recently run over by a bobcat - it will not be as perfect as landscaping but should reasonably level out any variation around the site.

He also managed to negotiate a further discount on the floor tiles and carpet with Lockwood, so I appreciate the assistance all round (quote frankly if they've covered part of the bill it wouldn't surprise me but at least either way he has tried to make ammends).

As painting is scheduled to start today a drive out tonight will soothe my frayed nerves, and because the screen doors and blinds guy from Wynstan has a cancellation today he is going to go and see if he can measure up.

See I wasn't being unreasonable at all.

Kitchen N Bathroom photos!

Haha! Today I went to meet a landscaper for a quote and I found guys working there prepping the walls for painting and tiling that should start this week.

So after doing the rounds with the landscaper he went on his merry way and I went inside. I said "hi" to the tradies and started taking photos. So without further adieu:

The kitchen, standing in the far corner of the family room:


A section of the benchtop:



The drawers showing the handles:


The main bathroom vanity and bath:


The water tank, it's the colour Dune same as the fascia: