Like a tonne of bricks

...or two.  This morning we were at the house moving bricks, as per my previous post.  Hard work, but worth it if we can get the front garden excavated this week. 

Peeking through the windows we could see that the painters haven't been back, but the dented down pipe has been replaced.  The flyscreen on the laundry door that needs replacing has been removed, but no new one is in its place.  Otherwise it's really hard to say if anything has changed.

I said that we wouldn't have any new photos until handover, but it turns out I lied.  I took the camera along thoday and snapped a few photos.

Facade

Portico

Front door painted

PCI

Yesterday we finally had our Practical Completion Inspection (PCI).  It went reasonably well; our private inspector also attended and found no major problems.  I have made a separate post which details the progress since the last time we were in the house here.

The inspector's list of defaults (summarised):

• Concrete floor of the garage dirty (paint stains, blobs of mortar and plaster etc)
• No draught weather seals to the front door
• Door handles on the bi-fold doors scratched and acid stained
• Outer edge of the timber door sill between the garage and house was chipped
• East side of the capping at the top of the rendered column at the front porch was not fully painted
• Paint on the aluminium in-fill above the bi-fold doors was scratched
• Paint on the glass panels of the front door
• Down pipe on the south-east corner is dented
• Surplus mortar on the brick sills on the west side of the house
• Holes around waste pipes in the ensuite vanity were not completely covered
• Gap between laundry trough cabinet has not been caulked
• Dents in laminate of laundry cabinet
• Laundry cabinet doors not flush
• Sliding wardrobe doors not fitted
• Mark in vanity shelf in ensuite
• Joins in largest pantry shelf not flush
• Interface between toilet and floor tiles in the ensuite has not been caulked
• Painting: general paint touch ups required

Additional things that we spotted:

• Missing power point for alarm box
• Alarm keypad in the wrong place
• Missing roller bolt from front door*
• Missing solar panel
• Kitchen drawers out of alignment
• Bedroom wardrobe door runner needs replacing (this is why the inspector had cause to note that the wardrobe door was not fitted)
• Lots of paint touch ups
• Meter box wrong colour

All of the above are going to be addressed.  Estimated handover is next Wednesday, the 24th of October!  The site supervisor expects that everything will be done by Monday except for the bifold door hande (which will need to be replaced) as the manufacturer's maintenance department is typically a bit slow.

*We were pretty keen on the roller bolt for the front door; basically we wanted something to hold the door shut if we just run out to the letterbox without having to lock the door, as there is no latch (just a pull handle and a deadbolt).  We pushed for it at contract, and were told that we were definitely getting something to that effect, but it was written into the contract for our peace of mind.  At the time we were skeptical that the person we were dealing with really understood what we meant or what was involved, but as long as it was in the contract we were happy.  Of course, there is no roller bolt on the door, but as it is written in the contract they need to work something out for us.

Part two of what we wanted for the door was a hydraulic closer, as it is a very heavy door and we have little fingers in the house.  We were told that although the door supplier does make one for our door, it was not an option with Porter Davis.  We resigned ourselves to adding something after handover, which won't look as nice as the integrated option (and we'll have to organise it ourselves) but will have the same effect.    What does this have to do with PCI?

Our supervisor says that a roller bolt isn't a good option for us, as it will need a large striker plate that will extend past the edge of the door.  However, a hydraulic closer may provide the resistence we are after for the door.  So the supervisor is going to look in to our options in that regard.

General update

Yesterday we did our PCI inspection.  I was writing a PCI post and added this general update about what has changed, but the post was getting a bit unweildy, so I have split the two.  The PCI post is here.

Since the last time we were inside the house was a few weeks ago, we saw a few new things while we were there.  Of course, defects not withstanding, the house is now "complete" so most outstanding matters have been attended to.  I didn't take any pictures yesterday, so probably won't have any picture updates until handover.

Kitchen

I saw for the first time (and Robert for the first time not through a window) the kitchen splashback, and the lights under the overhead cabinets in the kitchen.  With those lights on the splashback looks decidedly grey (as opposed to the brownish tone that it actually is) which I think is a bit of shame, but Robert tells me only I can see a difference.  Besides, it's not like it looks terrible.

Bathrooms

The missing tile in the bathroom has been replaced, and the bath has been fixed in position.  The shower drain "grilles" have also been fitted (they're not really grilles though, I just don't know what they're called).

Roof

The part of the roof that needed repairing has been repaired.

Front Door (and a little about the bi-folds)

The front door has been painted; apparently the painter was only in yesterday morning and the paint was still a bit wet, which is why there was still paint on the glass that will be cleaned.  Apparently the painter was cringing as he painted our beautiful door; paint over stain is not a popular option for this range.  I'm not sure if I've explained it before, but I'll take a minute here to talk about it here.

The look we have gone for in the house is reasonably modern, but neutral.  Our last house had a lot of timber features and while it looked great for the most part, maintenance was an issue.  We were therefore happy enough that aluminium windows and external sliding doors were standard, and decided to go with aluminium bifold doors as well.  The doors would match our windows, and also the sliding door from the rumpus room to the alfresco (if we had gone timber then I would have wanted that door to match so we would have had to upgrade that door).  We like the bifolds not so much for the look, but for the effect they have when open, so for that reason we didn't mind that the aluminium doors, on their own, don't necessarily look as good as timber.  The consistency through the house and the reduced maintenance was benefit enough for us.  We certainly got the impression at the office that it was an uncommon choice, and our Site Supervisor yesterday commented that he had never done a house with aluminium bifolds before.

So, when it came to the front door, it was looking like being the only timber feature of the house.  It is a beautiful door, but as with the bifolds it wasn't going to suit the house or our tastes.  Moreover, much of the striking-ness (??) of this door is in its size, which it doesn't lose by being painted.  We decided to paint the door, and it is still a wonderful, grand feature.

Preparation for after handover

The company we are using for our blinds have confirmed that our blinds are currently being made and should be ready this week; hopefully we can arrange installation as soon as possible after we are in.  We have bought our lights for the front pillars, and have decided on a feature pendant for the bedroom.  We still need to decide on light fittings for the rest of the rooms that don't have down lights.

Standing on the outstide, looking in...

Yesterday evening Robert went to check out the house, hoping to see that some painting had been done.  According to the site supervisor, the painters were supposed to come last week (while he was on leave) to do the external painting, but they hadn't shown up.  When he returned from leave on Monday and found out he organised for them to come on Tuesday.

Usually I'm wielding a camera, but all Robert had with him was his phone.  He was in a hurry and we're still locked out, so hopefully the photos below show the progress adequately.

Paint

As hoped, the painters had been and done most of the external painting.  The front door hasn't been painted yet, but otherwise it appears to all be done (although not without faults).

Painting

Paint - Render, Cladding & Eaves

Paint - Eaves

Paint - Alfresco Roof and Beams

 

Doors

The front door handle has been fitted, as well as the metal strip above the bifolds, so they meet the dricks (or at least it looks like they do).  The final door, the rear garage door, has also been painted and hung.

Door handle

Bifolds

Rear garage door

 

Inside

There's not much we know about inside.  We can see that the splashback has been installed, and the lights under the overhead cabinets in the kitchen (which were presumably waiting for the splashback) have been fitted.

Kitchen (through the bifolds)

Meter Box

The meter box has been changed from the ugly building one.  I wasn't there, so I can't be sure it isn't a trick of the light in the photo, but I think it is the wrong colour.  It should be Colourbon Jasper (same as the down pipes) but it looks to me like Woodland Gray (same as the roof and garage door).

Meter Box

PCI is booked in for Monday afternoon, which just happens to be mine and Robert's birthday. Everything is crossed for a handover late next week!

Nothing to see here (updated 5 hours later)

The title pretty much says it all!  For the first time since construction started, we didn't visit the block this weekend.  Robert was out there late last week to get a second quote on the alfresco screens, and found that for the first time, the house was completely locked up.  I guess it had to happen eventually!

However Robert was able to see a couple of changes.  Most notably, the splashback has been installed and all the windows and doors have flyscreens, with the exception of the bifolds and the front door.  The bifolds won't have a screen (they don't come under the BAL definition requiring one) but the front door is supposed to have one.  Although in truth, we don't care if they don't put one on the front door!

While we don't know what is left to do inside, we do know that (as of Thursday) the external painting is yet to be started.  Such a shame given the beautiful weather last week and the forecast rain for this week.

The tiles have been cleaned, presumably in preparation for PCI, which is scheduled for this Wednesday.  We are having some troubles booking our independent inspector, but hopefully we are able to sort that out and go ahead this week!

UPDATE 2pm

Robert has spoken to our site supervisor, who says that the house won't be ready for PCI on Wednesday.  A shame, but it does mean that we can go ahead with our usual inspector on Monday.

The supervisor also mentioned that the front door is going to be replaced with a fire-resistent version (we noticed a 'spare' door had been delivered a few weeks ago, but figured it was a mistake).  This means that we don't have to have an ugly flyscreen door covering our feature entrance door!  It's a great win for us!

Our first meeting with the Site Supervisor

Last Friday we had our first meeting with our site supervisor (SS), at the house.  I'm a bit concerned I've left this update too long as I don't really remember the details, but the crux of it was that we are very happy with the site supervisor and the meeting renewed our waning confidence in the process.  A great outcome for everyone.

The SS was friendly, professional and helpful.  We had a few concerns to raise with him, and he patiently went through all the issues.  Most were 'standard' things that will be fixed up in time, but we weren't to know and he was never condescending.  Some of the things we were assured were:

• The roofer will be back to do a pre-handover service and will fix the piece of raised colorbond.
• The window supplier will provide matching aluminum strips to be fitted above the windows and doors that have a gap between the window and the brickwork.
• The missing plaster in the garage will be fixed up before painting.

The SS told us that we will be finished in October, but says he can give a better estimate once the tiling has started.  We'd be happy with October, but happier still with September!

The week's progress seemed slow again, but there were a few new bits and pieces for us to see.

Bathrooms

Ensuite Shower

Bathroom Shower

The shower bases are in in the bathroom and ensuite.

Internal doors

Pantry Door

All the internal doors have been hung.  The picture above shows the pantry door, which was the most interesting of the doors.  We had chosen the Balmoral 2 doors for all internal doors except the pantry, which was to be a flush panel door, but a Balmoral 2 has been delivered and hung.  We spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it and have decided to stick with the 'wrong' door.  At least it will match all the other doors!

Architraves

 

Living/dining architraves and skirting

The architrave saga continues.  Despite calling the site supervisor at 8am Monday morning about the mistake, the carpenters didn't get word that they were using the wrong architraves/skirting until they had completed the architraves and were well underway with the skirting.  The correct materials have been delivered, and the SS tells us it should all be fixed up by the end of this week.

Front door

 

Front door (external)

Front door (internal)

Our front door has been hung and it looks great.  The wrong deadbolt has been put on it (it should be square), but apparently that is an easy fix.  The door is yet to be painted, but we are very happy with the look - we've been hanging out to see it hung and it didn't disappoint!

Kitchen

We heard from our building coordinator that our kitchen was scheduled to arrive during the week, and that fixing stage should be finished by next Wednesday, so we were pretty excited to head out to the site yesterday.

Kitchen

The kitchen cabinets have been installed, and they look great.  We had such a small kitchen in our last house that we won't know what to do with all this storage space!  There should be a bulkhead above the overhead cabinets which isn't in yet.  We thought perhaps that this would happen later, but the cornice has been fitted all the way around, which seems a little odd.  We will check with the site supervisor next week what is going on with that.

Kitchen

Kitchen

Pot drawers

Island bench

 

We were pleased to see that the overhead cupboards had a spring-loaded opening mechanism.  We had opted for no handles on these cabinets, and were told that it meant that the door would extend a little lower than the cabinet to provide something to grip on to to, but the push in gadget is great (something we probably would have done if wee weren't told it would cost extra!).

Overhead cabinets

We are very happy with how the kitchen is looking.  We noticed that one of the pot drawers is slightly out of alignment, but otherwise it is great.

Pot drawers out of alignment

 

Bathrooms

The bathroom vanities have also been installed.

Ensuite (double) vanity

Bathroom vanity

 

 Laundry 

The laundry cabinets have been installed.

Laundry cabinets

The laundry cupboard now has doors.

Laundry cupboard

 

Doors 

 

Internal

Some of the internal doors have been hung; the theatre and ensuite, as well as the master bedroom double doors.

Theatre door

Master bedroom doors

The sliding doors for the bedroom wardrobes have been delivered.

Wardrobe doors

 

Front door

The (beautiful!) front door has been delivered.

Front door

 

Cornice and architraves

The cornice has been fixed throughout the house.

Rumpus room (cornice)

Door and window architraves have been started.

Theatre architraves

Laundry window archtraves

 

Alfresco

The alfresco ceiling has been plastered.

Alfresco ceiling

 

Fence

The fence posts for the west side fence are up.  If the weather had been kind the whole fence may have been complete by now, but the weather has been most unkind.

Fence posts

 

Heating and cooling

The air conditioning unit has been installed.

Air conditioner

Looking like a house - inside and out!

On Saturday we made out weekly trek out to the site, and were pleasantly surprised with the progress. 

Plaster

Since Robert visited on Monday the plaster has almost been finished.  With the frame covered, it feels like a house inside for the first time.

Master bedroom

Study

Living room

Dining

Kitchen

Ensuite shower

Garage

Exterior

The only obvious change to the exterior between Monday and Saturday was a big one - render!  It is unpainted, but it has made a bit difference to the look of the facade.

Exterior

Render

Front Door

We love our front door size.  You can only get a sense of how big is with a person in it.  I can't wait to see the real door in the frame.

Front Door

Almost at lock-up

Last week we got word that we were pretty close to lock-up, so we were keen to get out to the site on the weekend.

Bricks

Bricklaying is pretty close to done.  It looks like all there is left to do are the pillars on the portico.  The quality of the brickwork looks great, and we are glad that the site supervisor recommended the raked mortar to us.  It is interesting to see the difference in workmanship between the areas that will be rendered and the rest of the house.

Front

Rear

Rear

Rear

East

West

Portico

Heating and Cooling

Heating unit are in.

Cooling

Heating unit

Gas

Gas has been plumbed to the kitchen and alfresco.

Alfresco pillar with gas

 

Electrical

The electrical has been roughed in.

Electrical

Front Door

Much to our delight the front door frame has been fitted.  We were concerned because by our calculations the frame was going to be a little to big for the cavity (about 6mm).  We weren't sure whether the frame size out be different to the standard or whether they would make it fit somehow, but either way it is in and it looks fantastic.  There is a temporary door on at the moment, but the size is exactly what we are after.  The door is a 2340 x 1200mm pivot door and will hopefully be a the feature of the entrance.

Front door

Front door

Front door

Defects

We noticed a bent window frame on the west side.  The we mentioned it to the site supervisor who said it was pretty common and would be fixed later.

Bent window frame