Thursday 31st March 2011
Yesterday I met the building supervisor onsite and performed the 'Practical Completion Inspection'. This is where you go through the house, inside and out, to inspect for things that need to be fixed or corrected. The builders make a list of these things that need attention and need to go about fixing them before I go and perform a final inspection and then sign off on the house as being completed.
Site clean up has been done.
After getting some advice from friends who have built, I checked for the following things:
1. Power points work
2. Doors open and close properly
3. Walls don't have cracks
I know I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things. I was eyeing off the edges of the vinyl where it meets the wall to make sure there weren't any bits that were too short or too long. I checked the tiling and the grout.
We ran the showers and taps to check for cold and hot water. I turned on the laundry tap, unaware that air can be trapped in the pipes if the taps have just been installed and never used. I had water blast all over me but in the warm weather it dried up very quickly.
There are some things that the builder needs to attend to.
There are some scratches to the panels underneath the island. Several of the panels will need to be replaced. We were both down on our knees scratching at the marks to check if they were just remnants of glue or if they were indeed scratches.
The painters missed the top side of the exterior of the ensuite window. They also painted the doors to the garage in the wrong colour so they will need to redo those in the correct colour.
The chips to the rendering at the front of the house have been patched up and painted over. The various chips on the walls throughout the house have all been patched up.
The building supervisor explained the solar hot water system to me and I asked alot of questions. I asked him to show me the mains power, gas and water lines in case I need to shut them off. He was very thorough and patient to explain things to me.
The garage door was booked in to be installed yesterday but something came up and so hopefully they will be able to get out there to install it today. The termite treatment should also be booked in for today. The cleaning crew will also be in to do a clean and polish things up, but I will still have to go through and do a more thorough job afterwards.
So...hopefully in ten days (or less) they will get back to me to go out and inspect the repairs and then I can sign off on the house. After that, I hope Keystart will be quick to get out there to inspect the house, make sure all the minimum requirements are met and then make the third (and final) progress payment to the builders. I will also have to arrange to pay the outstanding balance that I incurred with all the variations and extra costs involved.
Then...I'll get the keys and I can finally crack open that bottle of Moet I've been saving up.
Saturday 19th March 2011
So, fences.
A fence erected between two properties is referred to as a 'dividing fence' and there are local laws that govern the installation and maintainence of a dividing fence. Click here to find the Government of Western Australia's guide to Dividing Fences.
Essentially, the owners of the properties on either side need to come to an agreement over the type of fence to be erected, the materials the fence will consist of, and the cost of the fence. There are, however, some complications but you can read about it in the guide.
My neighbours on the left moved into their home a few months ago and they were quick to get the fencing organised between our houses. We both happily agreed on Colorbond in a cream colour and it was installed in no time at all. It cost much less than I had anticipated, largely because my neighbour's garage and part of their home are built up to the border of their lot, so we agreed that it would be pointless to erect a fence right against their wall. By doing this, we saved money by just erecting the fence where there was no wall between us. Of course, the problem with this is that I must respect the brick wall that is their home and if I wanted to say, drill a hole or attach something to their wall, it would be by discussion and agreement from them.
My neighbours on the right are on a corner block, so I anticipated that they would want a more sturdier fence to protect their home and for added security. They are considering limestone to surround their house and would like to continue this wall along the boundary between our two houses. I have thought this over for a few months and while I have no qualms about the dividing fence being limestone, it will be quite costly compared to Colorbond so I had to consult my budget. I have offered to contribute the cost of a standard Colorbond fence (half of the total cost) and if my neighbours wish to proceed with the limestone wall, they will have to agree to cover the rest of the cost.
For anyone who is interested in getting a quote for Colorbond fencing, I can recommend a very good friend whom I have known for over ten years and his contact information is as follows:
This is not an image of his business card...I just got bored and thought I'd play around in MS Paint!
From earlier discussions with my neighbour, I think any fence facing the road may be of solid constitution to a maximum height of 0.75m. Above this height, the fence needs to have 75% transparency. This I need to confirm with the local council. I also think I will have to submit plans for any proposed wall I want to construct on my property for council approval.
For the front and rear of my block, I would love to build my own rendered brick wall. I need to contact the council to confirm what height I can build the wall up to before I start looking at the cost.
The following are examples of the design I would like.
The wall would be rendered brick and the horizontal slats would be either aluminium or wood. I do hope that I can try this on my own (with the help of some very good friends of course!). Not only will it save me money to do it myself, but it would be such an awesome accomplishment!
Tuesday 15th March 2011
I drove past the house yesterday. I thought the tradies had gone home for the day, until I heard a rumbling sound and noticed a huge plume of sand wafting from the rear of the house. Someone was there at work with his bobcat to clear and level out the alfresco area at the back of the house in preparation for paving!
Sunday 13th March 2011
I popped over to the house with a friend's dad so that he could quote on security screens for me. I was horrified to find that my laundry door was left wide open and the tradesmen had already gone home for the day. On the bright side, I was able to take some photos and measurements inside.
The kitchen sink has been installed.
The basic house plan included a one and a 3/4 quarter bowl sink but I opted for a double bowl sink. I love large sinks. The bigger and deeper, the better! I hand wash so a small sink would be useless to me when it comes to washing large pots and baking dishes/trays. I always knew that when I had a home of my own I'd have to have lots of sink space. This particular Radiant sink also has a chopping board accessory that fits over one sink to save space when preparing meals. I have emailed the Radiant website and hope to hear from them soon as to where I can get my hands on one of these and for how much.
The stove, oven and rangehood have been installed and my kitchen is really starting to take shape. I can imagine all the dinners I will be cooking in my kitchen. Stirring a pot of soup over the stove, then turning around to pick up a glass of wine from the island bench to sip, then chatting with friends sitting on bar stools on the other side of the island. Yay, can't wait!
I had initially selected some glass tiles for the splashback above the stove but at prestart I was told it would cost an approximate $2000 extra. Needless to say, I decided to not go with that choice. At the prestart co-ordinator's suggestion, I opted to just have the tilers put in a row of basic white tiles along the top of the benchtop. This will meet with Keystart's minimum requirements to pass the final inspection and the plan is to later remove this row of tiles and then put in whatever splashback I have decided on. My heart is set on the glass splashback because it is a continuous sheet of glass so it will be easier to clean as it is a smooth surface. My only concern is how much it will cost.
The grout inbetween the tiles in the bathroom and laundry have been done. I think they are probably applying the sealant to the tiles now. The basins and toilets have also been installed.
The lights look like they are in a strange position as they all poke out from near the corners of the rooms. This is so that they fit in with the arrangement when I have other holes in the ceiling cut out for other lights as I intend to install a series of downlights in each room. For now, each light has a little upside down bowl shaped fitting, minus the globe.
The tile splashback above the laundry sink is done and the taps are in for the washing machine.
The concrete floor in the garage has been poored.
I have so much to do in preparation for the house being ready! The time really has snuck up on me! I think at the top of my list are installing security doors and screens, painting the internal walls, and organising the glass splashback that I want for the kitchen.
It was too late to call the office to get someone to come out and lock the house up so I had to close the door behind me and pray for the best.
