This Blog is Not Finished!!!

I'm here and alive and well! So is the house!! We moved in, then we moved out again while the floor was being sanded and polished and we moved back in again this week!! This is a very short update of the things that have been happening so far. Over the weekend, I plan to go crazy with the camera and update properly with photos and more information. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO WHEN YOU GET THE KEYS!!!! We have barely been able to draw breath let alone sit down and type a post!!

Exciting things that have happened since we got the keys!

• Our amazing Queensland Spotted Gum hardwood floors were laid (they remained unsanded/polished for 2 weeks to adjust to humidity levels etc.)
• Floors were sanded and polished!!!!
• We built all our retaining walls (this had to be done before our boundary fences could be put up) and when I say we built, I actually mean my husband and his band of 'brothers'!!
• Boundary fences are finished (just finished yesterday)
• I've sealed the grout on the porcelain tiles (has an impressive 15 year protection from stains etc). I wouldn't actually call this exciting more painful!!
• We painted all our ground floor skirting boards (whilst we were camping.....) and these have all now been put on. They were left off due to flooring being done post-handover
• Half of the double roller blinds have been installed (upstairs) - we had to wait till the floor was finished for downstairs, these are being done today - including our black fabric pelmets
• Victory came yesterday and installed sheer curtains to master and study and plantation shutters to both bathrooms and theatre. These are absolutely stunning! LOVE, love, love them!
• NBN is connected
• Half of our scratched doors and frames have been replaced - yes half, see below......
• Appliances were installed (eeek see below) 
• We had the Theatre painted - Dulux Raku, feature wall in bedroom - Dulux Stepney and the fire hob and bulkhead - Dulux Raku
• Drive way and other areas in the backyard were excavated yesterday ready for concrete! Good bye muddy mess! When I left today they were not there so not sure when it is being poured. The weather has not been very kind again
• Our side wing fence is up - looks great and after spending over a month at friends, our beautiful dog can finally come home (finished yesterday)
• Holes have been dug ready for the decking to begin in the backyard - sometime this century!
• Our reverse-cycle air conditioners were installed - post-handover (not through Carlisle Homes)
• It's been all about deliveries, deliveries, deliveries and workman everywhere!! Glad the blinds are on now!!
• Front door tinting is happening in the coming days (light tint from Tint Master) 

Frustrations and ongoing dilemmas!

• Telephone is not working - going round in circles with Telstra, NBN and Argus Technologies - should get a better answer by the end of today... Should....
• Half of our windows and doors were replaced. Absolute incompetence by our SS. This has been a big issue through the build and it somewhat escalated last week when A & L showed up with half of the works - they were completely unaware of the other half - even though it was on our completion of works list to be done post-handover our SS only fulfilled some of it. A lot of angry calls were made as well as emails, discussions with managers of all.. It will all be done and has been ordered but now our floors are done we are not happy with it!! Lots more detail to come about this.....
• Of the 6 appliances we had installed (fire place, ovens x2, cooktop, range, hot water service) only 2 were correct, not damaged, not defective..... The ovens were perfect. More to come on this - most of this has been rectified but still some issues!
• 2 areas of the kitchen vinyl wrap was damaged by the installers of the range and the window people post-handover - this is going to be fixed
• Still waiting for our one and only timber infill to be painted the correct colour. It was painted white, instead of Woodland Grey as it should have been. Such a minor thing in the scheme of things now but frustrating all the same
• When we collected our keys our SS put wrong door handles in two rooms (doors and WIR) - still waiting for this to be done

Looking forward to doing some major updating of things in detail in the coming days. First to come has to be the floors - stay tuned!

Deluxe Staircase Stained Walnut

Our staircase has had it's staining done!! They are not yet finished. The risers still need further coats of white paint (Dulux Lexicon Quarter) - stairs are stained in 'Cabot's Walnut Stain'(We're not sure if the staining/lacquer is finished yet). There are parts that still need a tidy up. They look really different! I was kind of used to the way they looked in their raw state! It's great to see the colour and with the doors in the same stain, they are tying in really nicely. We had a look at a photo of our flooring that will go down after handover (QLD Spotted Gum) and we think the colours in the timber will match well. Just hoping that they both do each other justice in their own right! 

Stained in Walnut - and lovely and dusty...

Not the worlds best photography - only had my phone

Halfway - Looking Down

Stainless Steel Balusters with Double Handrail

Matching Front Doors - Stained in Rich Walnut

Similar Colour of Flooring (hopefully) - QLD Spotted Gum

Hog Bristle Half Render

It has definitely been a monumental day today. Our coloured render has started!! I've said before that I have been a little nervous about our colour choices on the facade. They were one area that we weren't 100% sure about when we went through our colour selection and took on the guidance of the colour consultant. Render sample look so different to colour swatches too. So I have been looking at our colour swatches lately with a hit of hesitation. So whcen I went past today and saw the colour I was so excited! It's great! We wanted a nice sandy colour without being too white and it's just that. The main render is Dulux Hog Bristle Half. Our second render colour is Dulux Bedbox - which will be part of the small piers and beam - they have done a minor part of this colour today too and it's great to see them together. Feeling so happy and proud of our baby; Nelson!!! Facade colours are a HUGE choice - it's not something you can hide and its not a cheap option to change either. 

Render - Dulux Hog Bristle Half

The render on the small beam under the portico is

- Dulux Bedbox

Dulux Bedbox render on the beams (far pier will also be this colour render - brick pier will be tiles)

Close up of colours together - (not finished)

Garage hasn't been done yet! - It will also be Dulux Hog Bristle Half

Side of House

Looking Forward to Tomorrow!

Garage door was also painted - Hog Bristle Half 

We had this door extended to 920mm so you could get through with a wheelbarrow a little more comfortably without skinning your knuckles!!

Alfresco Beams Painted - Dulux Hog Bristle Half

It's amazing how much more 'finished' this area feels, being painted.  

Metre Box Painted - Woodland Grey

(Not sure why they don't just supply the metre cox in the colourbond colour you pick - it will no doubt chip a bit being a metal opening door - every build seems to be the same - standard Jasper when delivered)

Drainage Pipes Painted - Woodland Grey

Didn't expect these to be done - nice touch Carlisle!!

Sneak Peak at the Stairs!!!

There will definitely be more photos to come when I can sneak in - (tomorrow!!) 

Bath Must be In!!

I wasn't sure I was looking in the right house at first as the kitchen bench actually looked a little clean - I had to do a double take - what a special day today is!!! 

Balcony Tiles, Deluxe Staircase Staining and More Jobs Off the List!

It was great to get into the house yesterday and see that not only was the balcony tiled, but it had also been grouted! 

Tile - Lifestyle Charcoal Textured 400 x 400 (standard)

Grout - Charred Ash (should be darker looking than it appears but it hasn't been cleaned yet)

Paining works continued yesterday (and again today). The painters were adding silicone along the weatherboards and doing some other exterior paint touch ups. The front doors had their second coat of stain and we are so excited to know that the stain on the stairs has started!!!!!

Front Doors - Cabots Rich Walnut

Stairs Cleaned and Ready For Staining Today

Staining Began on the Staircase Handrail Yesterday

More Tiling Works

Now that the spa bath has been installed, the tiles on the wall (back left) and the front (centre) tile have been completed - they haven't been grouted yet 

With the window in the shower finally in, the tiles were able to be finished 

An extra row of tiles has also been added to the bathroom shower - we think this is due to the height of the showerhead

Theatre Room Reveals Replaced

One was replaced last week and the remaining ones have since been done - yay!

The ensuite bath tap has the incorrect tap so when we go in yesterday and went upstairs it was interesting to see that the bath tap is different, but also wrong!!

Incorrect Tap!

The painters have been using one of the back taps and it is now constantly dripping - note to self! 

Need to check the height of our timber flooring as this part of the wall looks like it might need fixing as it will still be exposed

Portable Scaffold Delivery

We assume this is in readiness for rendering the facade and the tiles 

Facade Tiles

Eco Alabaster Grigio Lappato  

3 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back.

At the moment if feels like we are taking a few steps forward, only to find other things that need to be done or followed up that takes us backwards! Last week was a really quiet week. Most of what our SS told us would be done, wasn't and things that have been done have either only half been done or are now affecting other things that need to be done.

Termite Protection is now Complete! 

Tick that one off the list!

On Friday the plumbers were there connecting all the downpipes to the drainage points. This is great, except that the downpipes on the facade and sides have yet to have the coloured render applied....... The downpipes were lengthened earlier in the week and they thoughtfully only tacked the brackets onto these areas as it was obvious they would need to be taken off. A week goes by (without renderers) and they need to connect them into the pipework below and now they seem somewhat permanent... Wonder what will happen here (they will be coming off!!!) 

It's great to have the downpipes on so that the rain isn't pooling around the sides of the house. They were put on just in time for the warm weather!

Lots of pipes and unknown drainage points!

This one is out the front and has a different capping to the others - sure to find out more during the week.

This point looks like drainage to clear off excess surface water. It is oh so close to where the concrete for the driveway will be. Maybe you concrete it in to the area to help runoff? 

You can see it's position on the edge of the crossover

The painters were there today. When we went past they were staining the trim (architrave) of the front doors. We thought the stairs may also have been done (as our SS said it may be done last week). The front door architraves were done, but not the actual doors, the alfreco ceiling was painted, but not the small eves at the side of the alfresco, the garage wall that was re-plastered was painted, but not the walls inside that had been patched..... 2 steps forward, 1 step back..... 

Alfresco Ceiling

Garage Wall Painted

Garage Eave Painted

Upstairs Bath Delivered (sitting in the study here)

Tapware on Ensuite Spa Bath

except it's the wrong spout.... (It actually hasn't been connected properly so we think they are aware this is the wrong one.  

I took this photo today because I absolutely love these doors! Sometimes you don't want to lose sight of the amazing things by getting bogged down in the things that no doubt will work themselves out in the end! Looking forward to many dinner parties looking through these babies!!