Queensland Spotted Gum Hardwood Floor, Poly Gloss Finsih

I wish I was writing this post under different circumstances. We must have done something to insult the universe because we are being seriously punished at the moment. I will write a longer post next regarding this but it is with utter dismay and with the heaviest of hearts that I say that our stunning Spotted Gum flooring has been destroyed. It has all happened in the last 2 days and we are still in the process of going through it all but a brand new, yet defective dishwasher has slowly leaked water under our flooring for the past 2 weeks (unbeknownst to us). It has completely destroyed the floor, which will all need to be ripped up. It flooded through 2 rooms into the study and saturated the carpet there. Fischer and Paykel had their head guy come out and they found a broken pipe inside. We are completely devastated and its going to be a long journey to get back to where we are now. Our painter just finished filling and painting the skirting boards last week and we were finally ready to set all our furniture out. Instead we will soon need to begin packing again. 

Here is the flooring prior to this week (we only had 1 week of them). It turned out better than we had imagined and we could not have been happier with the final result. It was stunning.

Harwood timber flooring - QLD Spotted Gum 80 x 14mm select/standard mix
We deleted flooring in our Carlisle contract (to entry, hall, meals, kitchen and lounge) and then had our own company install the floors.

Flooring Timeline

• 31st October - Handover - got keys
• 3rd November - Flooring laid - took 1 week to lay
• We moved into the house (partly) on 7th November - floors were not sanded or polished
• Flooring then sat to allow them to acclimatise to the temperature and ensure minimal movement (as they came from Queensland) - nearly 2 weeks
• 19th November - we moved out and floors were sanded and polished. After polishing we couldn't move back for an extra 3 days to allow time for it to dry and set (also highly toxic)
• We moved back into the house on the 24th November
• (See now why I haven't had many posts!!!)
• We have been in the house just over 2 weeks....

Flooring Process

• Concrete scraped and cleaned
• Protective plastic laid
• 12mm layer of ply - screwed to the slab (what appeared to be 1000 screws!)
• QLD Spotted Gum timber glued and secret nailed
• Sanded and polished with 3 coats of solvent poly gloss finish

Protective Plastic Goes Down

 

Ply is Laid

 

 

 

Timber Gets Delivered!! It was soooo exciting seeing the timber. It gave us a good idea of the colour and what the end result would look like (this photo is in the garage under fluorescent lights).We were so excited by the colour variation and the feature to the timber. Timber really is an absolutely beautiful product.

 

More Natural Light

 

Here we Go!!! Goose bumps when we saw the first parts down!

 

The Next Night

So much completed in a day! These photos are under light at night time

 

While the floorers laid the floors during the night. I went back to the house at night and painted all the skirting boards! Enamel paint fumes in a garage send you a little crazy after a while!!

*Because our flooring was laid after hand-over and did not want quad on the floor under any circumstances, we had Carlisle leave the skirting boards off to all of the ground floor. They left us all the skirting boards in the packets and the paint to paint them. It was a bit painful at the time to try and get them done but the end result was worth it all. To avoid quad around the kitchen the floorer used caulking. Its a timber matched silicone that fills in the small gap needed to allow for movement.

 

Finished laying in the kitchen and lounge

*This is not yet sanded or polished

 

Close Up

It has those beautiful browns, reds, and ash colours

 

More Photos - not yet sanded or polished

 

Variation of Colour is Amazing!!

 

 

 

HERE IT IS - QLD SPOTTED GUM WITH POLY GLOSS: FINISHED!!!

Looking down the hall

 

So happy with the colour match of the timber staircase; Walnut

 

 

Entry to Study and Theatre carpets - Cat3 Takarra Ridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curtain Choices

We have 22 windows and doors in total and 18 of these will be furnished (no furnishing to ensuite highlight window, kitchen and butlers splashback windows or front doors).

We have recently had quotes for these and another one tomorrow. We knew it wouldn't come cheap and there have been a few surprises. We are lucky enough to have a friend of my husbands doing the roller blinds which make up the majority of the blinds. This has halved the cost (compared to in store pricing) and we are able to get a higher quality blind for much less. We have decided to do duel roller blinds - which we have never had before so in total there are 30 roller blinds - crazy!

Here are our the blinds we are hoping to get.

  Duel roller blinds - white                          Operating on the same bracket

 

Sheer Curtains for Master Bedroom and Study

White sheer material we have chosen and design - Black rod and black eyelets

Black Padded Pelmet (with white roller blind)

Black pelmet above doors (similar to our black doors)

and in bedroom 

 Black Pelmet Colour Choices

We have chosen Warrick - Saturno Ebony - the darker centre material)

Plantation shutters like this for theatre -in white

White plantation for bathroom and ensuite

Flooring Booked

There still seems so long to go before we move in, but we are now making decisions about curtains and getting the ball rolling for our hardwood flooring and fencing to be done after handover. 
Our SS informed us a few weeks ago that our completion date should be about 5/6 weeks away. We have been keeping in contact with our flooring company and they have measured and ordered all our flooring and we have now booked this in for 29th September (but may need to change if things are slower)!!

FLOORING
We are having Hardwood QLD Spotted Gum flooring - select grade 80 x 14mm (narrow) with gloss finish (polyurethane). We looked at both NSW and QLD Spotted Gum and decided we liked the QLD a little better. It seems to have more variation of colour and has more brownish/chocolatey tones compared to the NSW, which is much lighter. Our flooring company will also do the skirting boards to all the ground floor - after the timber is laid . The flooring will run through the entry and hall into the kitchen, lounge and dining. Carpet and Tiles to wet areas are all being done through Carlisle Homes.

Ground Floor

Here is a photo of their work

QLD Hardwood Spotted Gum (post handover)

Other Colour Selections for Ground Flooring

Crystal Super White Porcelain Tiles 

300 x 600 - (to laundry, powder room and ensuite)

Takarra Ridge 520 Carpet (Cat 3) - 

(to master bedroom, study and theatre)

Stacker Doors Update

If you have read my previous posts you will know that;
1) we accidentally had our meal stacker doors opening the wrong way;
2) they were uplifted in the wind and smashed to smithereens;
3) our SS in a legend; and
4) the new doors were being ordered.

Well, I said that I would believe it when I saw it AND........................................... here they are!!!!
Our new sliding stacker doors opening the correct way!!! Excited beyond belief!

Also note that the doors have been put in the garage (as opposed to the mud) and the doors have been placed on timber!!

Destructive Winds Cause Shock, Horror and then a Slight Twist of Fate..

If you were anywhere, well practically in Victoria, this week you will know how wild, woolly and extremely windy it was. The early part of the week had a weather forecast that included damaging gale force winds with squalls..... Why? Why? Why? Just when the house had been wrapped. The first night of winds, I envisaged the entire wrapping ripped to shreds and lifted to the high heavens. Driving past the next day, I was surprised to see it all intact! The wrappers have done an amazing job! Over the entire week, there was one small section that had a tear - on the corner of the house which was quickly secured. However......... we had a call from our SS on Monday to say that during the afternoon, while he was at the house, a mini twister (his words!!!) hit the house. Our 4.5m double glazed stacker doors were ripped from the frame and came smashing down. Two (out of three) doors were smashed and the door frame was twisted as a result. The double whammy was that the plaster had been delivered that morning and placed in front of these doors - they then came smashing down on top of all the cornice and the plaster. The afternoon and evening then included torrential rain, which came pouring in on top of the already damaged plaster/cornice. 

However, in a slight twist of fate, the doors that were damaged were the meal doors that were going to be reversed (hopefully) as we had made an error with the direction of them opening (see previous posts). Unbelievable. I had actually driven past during the windy afternoon and seen all the workers moving the door. I sent a text to my husband in pure excitement to say that they were in fact changing them over (our SS was going to try - but we weren't 100% sure it was even possible). It was only after the phone call later on that I realised they were obviously moving the doors in the aftermath of the damage from the winds. When we saw the doors that evening, we could see there was no way any of them could be salvaged. We thought the frame and one of the doors may be reused but they were really damaged. Such a waste. Our SS informed us that they would have to reorder new doors and the back would be boarded up until then (due to plaster work starting. The cornice was also unusable and the plaster had to be sorted through. Certainly a disaster week for him. We got confirmation on Friday that the new doors would arrive on 4th July and they would be sliding the way we wanted!!!!!!!! We were ecstatic! So lucky that it happened to those doors and not the lounge. Unbelievable stroke of luck really.

The Aftermath (frame looks better than it is)

Shattered Glass

Surveying the Damage (that night - mind the flash)

Boarded Up to Keep the Weather Out 

The Frame

The action started early today. As I headed off to work there were cars aplenty at the block and returning after 5pm it was no different! Turning the corner and seeing the timber standing tall is something to remember. I cannot believe how much has been completed in one day. Unbelievable! It was great to watch about 7 builders working like ants to construct our home. Thank you to those unknown individuals for building our dream home. A small wave and a nod as we drive by doesn't really sum up our gratitude for what is being constructed. Loving the build process!!

Busy Little Builders!

 From the Front - Master Windows to the Left and Front Doors

From the Backyard - Looking at Lounge 

Back view of Lounge and Meals 

Side View! - Left to Right - Lounge, Theatre, Ensuite and Master 

Front View Looking through the Front Door

Garage yet to be constructed on Right 

The next phase of photos are shocking photography as we hung around till dark when the builders slipped away and then snuck in for a closer look, apologies.

Kitchen Splashback Window (excited!!!) 

Kitchen and Butlers (cheeky ratbag!) 

Master Bedroom 

Lounge Doors with Handsome! 

Theatre Windows (capturing the sunset) 

In the Hallway!