We're in!

As I'm sure you all know, moving is no easy task! Our move was especially complicated as our timber floors weren't ready for shoes (trying to explain to removalists that they can’t walk beyond the protective matting was impossible! I hope the scuff marks come out…), and we have no storage other than the vanities and kitchen. Our solution…move everything in to the garage! We are far from settled, however despite the chaos, we do have some pretty photos to show:

Our kitchen! - We hope to purchase some bar stools this weekend

The kitchen - waiting on blinds to be installed

Kitchen - We will eventually buy a nice, big stainless steel fridge (that's an expense for after the wedding!)

The media room - still needs blinds and a rug (and the projector!). This is also a sneak peak of our carpet. I will post more photos of it later.

Our dining room table and chairs (recently purchased from Ikea) - still waiting on feature cabinetry in-between the pylons, as well as blinds and a bar, which we will be (eventually) having installed in the niche behind the table. The table is extendable, though we only have six chairs at the moment.

When we have a bit more time (and hopefully some proper internet) I will post more photos.

The house still has some issues, but Fairmont are working through fixing them and overall we’re loving the house and location.

Still to go:

-       Our blinds have been ordered and will go up in a few weeks.

-       Mick’s father will be installing our laundry cabinetry (if it arrives in time) next week and helping Mick get started on the hard landscaping

-       We had the house measured for security screens and fly screens today and are awaiting the quote

-       Mick’s friend is finishing off the data-cabling and is bringing another friend (they are all data electricians) to install our TV antenna and hook up our projector this Sunday

- Unpacking, unpacking and more unpacking! (oh, and have I mentioned the washing that comes with unpacking..? *sigh*) 

Keys at Last!

Poor Mick has been off sick the last couple of days, but at least it meant he was able to collect our keys yesterday afternoon. Yippee!

The house isn't without it's issues (for one, the gas cooktop isn't connected and we don't have the second garage/alarm clicker or alarm pin...), but at least we finally have a house!

The timber flooring is scheduled to be sanded and polished Monday-Tuesday. We also hope to book in the carpet installers for the following Friday and removalists Saturday-week.

More photos and updates to come...

Hand Over Postponed

So our house isn't ready, and to make matters worse we're currently battling with the A/C manufacturer who don't want to honour our warranty because they've suddenly decided that they don't like the placement of the exchange unit as it differs to the original plans council approved (council have since approved of the new location in their inspections). The installer wrote a very strongly worded email on the subject, to which we replied in kind. One excerpt I will share with you from my email which I feel actually sums up a lot of issues we have encountered while building, is this:

"Ultimately this matter should have been weighed against building standards/regulations, council requirements and manufacturer recommendations by the professionals we have paid (and who have been licenced) to make such decisions."

We are not the experts, and when we are told that the installer has suggested we can move the unit, we take it on good faith that they know what they are talking about and won't turn around six months later and try to get out of giving us a warranty.

Anyway, I spoke to Fairmont, and they are currently working with the A/C installer to come up with a compromise that will enable us to have a full warranty, but it should never have got to this point. I will not be recommending this A/C installer to anybody, nor will we ever use them again.

Other points holding up handover are the paint and electrics. The painter should be in tomorrow and the sparkys on Friday, however we're not confident the house will actually be ready Friday. The glazing issue, which has been going on since August last year, is still not fully resolved. Fairmont is waiting for the glazier to provide the replacement panes for Bed 1 and the Laundry (Bed 1's wardrobe pane is currently opaque but should be clear and vice-versa for the laundry window). 

Another issue is the gap between the front pylon and driveway. It looks horrible and is one of the first things you see when visiting the house. We are unable to, at such short notice, get the right size tile - though because of the front fascia tile, they would never perfectly line up anyway. For the sake of symmetry, and so that it doesn't stand out immediately to the eye, we have asked that the grout line up and be centered again:

As always, we will keep you posted.

PCI

We powered through our thirteen page checklist during our PCI today and spotted some issues, but all still seems on track for hand-over Wednesday. Here are some pics:

Kitchen appliances will be installed at hand-over to minimise risk of theft (I probably should have moved Mick's jacket...)

I LOVE my bookshelf

Fridge space, wine rack and pantry

Our microwave space, complete with shelf

Powder room

Feature niche in hallway

The wider step is much more usable (raised platform to be carpeted)

Ensuite toilet

Our shiny ensuite

Ta da! Like our TV room feature wall colour? Worth the effort we feel.

TV room window

View of our master bedroom from the TV room

Main bathroom - glad we chromed the waste pipe

Bath, niche and skylight

 

View from the bath (yep, I hopped in!). How's the serenity...

Our fancy tap

Main bathroom

Towel rails in main bathroom

View from Bed 3

Some galahs monkeying around out the front . Good to know our cockatiels will have company during the day.

We have to compile our list of defects, pass it on to the builder and hope for keys next week!

Could That be the Sound of Keys Jangling..?

It has been a while between updates as things have been moving at a snail's pace. However there is light at the end of this long tunnel. We have our tentative completion inspection set for tomorrow and hand-over scheduled for Wednesday.

Here are some photos and brief updates:

So, here she is in all her glory. Do you like the new windows?

Balcony privacy screen

Plaster still to be cleaned from the tapware

Our bath

Towel rails in the main bathroom

Heated towel rail in the ensuite (hopefully it will be hard-wired)

Some walls aren't square

We had one of the small stairs in the media room filled...

...and we widened the other.

Our driveway when it was first poured

Don't let this post fool you, we have a massive list of (mostly) small things that need to be fixed for hand-over to happen. But we are quietly confident, so we have scheduled our timber floors to be sanded and polished next Thursday and Friday and the carpet installed the Friday after that. We hope to spend the long weekend moving some items in ourselves ahead of the big move on the 15th. Let the fun and games begin!