Turf Time

The hardest and most time consuming task was moving all the soil and turf. We only had weekends and an hour when we got home from work, but then once it was done it was well worth it. Putting the turf down in the backyard was fun lol.

Then the Front

Luckily the front yard was pretty level so we just had to add the top soil and dig out the garden beds. We decided that we would get the letterbox bricking done professionally (best decision ever) but we bagged and painted it ourselves. We bought the letter box insert from bunnings.

Once we had all the top soil in and level it was turf time. We went with a buffalo grass as the leaf is a bit thicker but it’s great for our area where we have salt in the soil and we get the heat and frost, so we needed something tough but soft under foot.

While the boys where laying the truf the women ( mum and I) did what we do best and went shopping.... That’s plant shopping and we got all our plants from the local nursery “Turtle’s” then we started planting.

Backyard Make Over

Honestly we had NO idea what the garden would entail and of course we only had the 3 months to complete it so that we could claim our rebate. Ironically those 3 months happened to be the most extreme weather. It was either the hottest days of summer or torrential rain and no matter what the day looked like, when we had a spare moment something was happening.

Once the fences went in all of a sudden we saw just how much fill we needed to get the backyard level. My dad said that we would need 20 tons of back fill and naturally we thought he was crazy but we put 10 tons of back fill in and then another 10 tons of top soil.

Before we spread the top soil, we discovered that land naturally slopes because when our neighbours watered their lawn, it would flood one corner of our yard. We then laid 15 metres of agg pipe that ended up looking like an art work to try and keep the water away from the house.

That is what the backyard looked like when we after hand over, the next step was to put the fences in so that we had some privacy. Our neighbour suggested Easy clip fencing they were a colourbond fence frame and then wood panels that you can slide in and out. They were great when we were landscaping and last much longer than the traditional lap & cap fence. It is my option that they are also tidier than the normal fence.

We completed our landscaping in accordance with our landscape plan so we were able to get our rebate YAY. We still have a lot that we would like to do to the backyard as funds become available, but at this stage we have a cute place to entertain and lots of room for our puppy Joey to run and play.

So here are some before and after photos. We are both really proud of how far it’s come as we did all the landscaping ourselves with the help of some keen family members.

Big Update

We haven’t updated for months, not because we haven’t done anything... quite the opposite. We've just been so busy. We have finally finished our landscaping, got blinds, tied the knot and been on an amazing honeymoon.

So this is our first post as Mr and Mrs Andre’ Yay well here goes.............

Meet our landscape Crew

My Dad

My Mum

The Cutest couple around Damian and Anna

My Step dad and new husband

Garry

Best Christmas present ever. We moved in!

Finally - an update! Its all happened so quickly and we havent had a moment to edit the blog. But here goes...

We did our PCI on the 14th and completed handover the same day! We hired a private building inspector (howard ryan - recommended!) who picked up on a few things here and there, but nothing major, all cosmetic. There were still a few items waiting to be ticked off at that stage but it was easier for us to do the handover on the same day.

So. since the last update, the following has happened:

Bathroom mirrors installed, appliances done (GAS!), a few paint touch ups, aircon control panel (finally) and our home theatre bracket was installed as well.

We were thrilled to see that gas appliances were installed. We accidently signed off on having electric. I enquired about it a few months after when I noticed, but they said it was too late as it had all been ordered. However, much to our suprise, we got gas afterall!

We had our driveway completed yesterday and it looks fanstastic. Internet is installed (very fast!) and our side fence went in last week as well. So at least we have a tiny bit of privacy!

Next big ticket items we need to complete:

- Get blinds! (we have a quote so far)

- Finish unpacking boxes (80% done)

- Complete the fencing (33% done)

- Start on the landscaping (ahhh!)

- Purchase a bit more furnature

- Complete the home theatre

A few notes about the build process.

We had absolutely no idea about building, we came into it complete novices. However now we feel a bit like experts!

The hardest part was getting through and signing off on all the documents, with the bank and with the builder.

I have followed many blogs and found that everyone does have a difference experience, but overall ours was actually enjoyable. Sure you get the odd hickup here and there, but I must admit that McDonald Jones were a pleasure to deal with. We cannot fault them, they produced our house three and a half months earlier than required.

It must be difficult for them as they are completely at mercy to the trades people they contract to perform the work, but they must be doing something right, and when something does go wrong they strive to correct it as quickly and painlessly as possible. Would I build again with them? absolutely.

There is still so much to be done on the house itself. We are just so proud to own our very own home, building better than buying? you bet!

Now there is still some pictures I have to post up of the final product, when I get time to take a few snaps I'll post them up. Until then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Photo updates

We have a few more photos of the progress that happened this week. First and foremost our carpets are done. They look so good, and we are very happy with our emergency re-selection. Probably more-so than the original choice.

The shower screens also finally appeared. Last but not least, we have shelving throughout the house, in the wardrobes, pantry and storage cupboards.

Above: picture of our splashback

Above: completed walk-in wardrobe

Above: Ensuite shower screen

Above: Wardrobe complete.

Camera doesnt seem to capture the paint properly in this photo..

Nearing the end

So we are nearing the end of this part of our construction journey. Last weekend we saw all the tiles laid and completed. They still had not been cleaned, but they look fantastic. On monday the aircon went in and the splashback was installed in the kitchen. The splashback is much darker than we remember but still looks good. There is a 900 mil run-off down the sides and look a bit odd, we just thought it would be on the back wall not the sides. The paint has been touched up and should be in top shape.

On friday this week the carpet is due to be installed, the shower screens should have gone in and all other little things completed. We cant wait to see the finished result!

We have an official inspection of the house on the 14th of December, with an anticipated handover of on the 16th or 17th. The only thing that can stop us is the bank! - we have given them all the documentation they require, which includes the final progress payment request, letter stating that the final payment needs to be a cheque, and a copy of our house insurance. The next step is that they will aranage a valuator to visit the property. Once that is done a cheque will be requested and we should be able to pick that up from our local branch.

We will not get the keys until the cheque is handed over, so we are holding thumbs that the bank will be able to process this quickly.

We have also organised our own independant inspector to join us for the pre-handover walkthrough. We hope he will find nothing wrong, but we would like a trained eye to look over everything and make sure it is all OK.

Anna and I are both really excited, we are in the process of packing our things and making plans for the move!

Wired!

We did our usual rounds on the weekend and found that all our power point, lights and general electrics were mostly completed. This follows a hickup we had earlier in the week. Apparently the carpet we picked in February was unavailable, and the order in ETA was the end of January. Being only weeks off completion, that was not an option. So me made the journey to lockwood carpets at Moorebank and reselected 3 possible choices, to ensure that one would definitely be in stock!

Our experience at lockwood was.... colourful to say the least. Never the less we have a carpet ordered and it will be installed late next week. However, which carpet, is still a mystery.

The home theatre pre-wiring went in, and we had an addition of a tv aerial on our roof. All the doors have been fitted with handles. The lights have been installed with their standard fitting, so once we move in, we will get our own electrician to change them over to downlights and save $$$

Painted! - painting is complete

We took our regular saturday morning drive out to the house, hoping to catch a tradesman at work so we could gain entry and poke around. Lucky for us, we found several painters hard at work. By the time we had arrived, at least 80% of the paintwork was done. Apparently they started on Thursday. The internal walls are painted in Taubmans Pebble Bay, and the skirting are Crisp White. They also painted the eaves, drain pipes, front, laundry and internal doors, exterior cladding and the front feature wall. The kitchen benchtops are in, along with the benchtops in the bathrooms. The wet area tiling is all done and looks fantastic, cant wait to see the rest of the flooring complete. By sunday all the painting was completed.

Our builder has told us that they will have us in before christmas, a good 3 months early!

I had expected the front feature wall to be a dark red, but the colour is actually much ligher than expected (more than the photo shows).

Sometimes that small colour chart you have to choose from yeilds unexpected results!

We celebrated today by purchasing a lovely new leather lounge suite that should be available as soon as we move in.

Next: the bathroom fitting go in on thursday. After that the remaining items are the electricals, internal door handles, aircon, tiling and carpets for the bedrooms.

Below: Garage painted

Above: En-suite tiles

Below: Bathroom tiles

Below: before the front feature was completed.

Tiling and Progress

We received a call on friday afternoon advising that we should be onsite saturday morning to review our tile selections, and make sure everything is correct.

After a slight delay (the tiler was an hour late), we got to see the tiles we selected so long ago. While we were waiting the bricklayers were out again to put bricks under the front and laundry doors. We took full advantage of our free pass inside the house, looking at all the work that had progressed while we were locked out. The bathroom cupboards are in, skirtings and window frames are done.

Whose coming for dinner? We're at lockup!

We snuck out on Saturday night to take a look after hearing some gossip that they were installing the kitchen on Saturday morning. We found all the doors and windows firmly sealed. Using my trusty hand-powered torch provided by Landcom, we peered in and found the makings of a kitchen! - We also have a garage door which looks amazing, things are really rolling along quickly, and we are hoping that the "in before christmas" dream is a possibility.

The internal doors are coming along nicely, and they seem to be at least 70% done from what we could see.

Sunday morning rolls on, and after a few early morning purchases (new dining room table, a light fitting and some bar stools) - we snapped some shots of our house in the light. We managed to get one good picture of the kitchen through the dining room window.

The drain pipes have finally attached, we also have a front door, and we promise that both wont be aqua blue, when the house is done...

On a side note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA.

:-)

Walls, ceilings and tiles.

Progress on the insides! Today we visited the house to find that about 70% of the gyprocking completed and all of the insulation. The ceilings are all done as well! - The rooms are staring to take shape, and some appear bigger than expected. On the outside, the bricks have been cleaned and look fantastic. We are really happy with our colours - Cant wait to see the feature wall at the front completed.

On Friday, I got a call informing us that the tiles we selected for our bathrooms are no longer available. So today we headed off to ColourTile in wentworthville, who supply the tiles to McDonald Jones. The actual selection was a lot greater than McDonald jones offered at their selection centre. The salesman seemed to praise McDonald Jones, which is always a good thing.

Above: shot of me and the cleaned bricks. The box on the wall seems to be the telstra lead-lin for the house, although there seems to be more than just a phone line? foxtel perhaps?. After the fibre optic fiasco, we ended up getting copper in our street with a hope of fibre in the future. I figure the developers opted to save money by waiting for the NBN rollout rather than doing it themselves.

Above: Our bedroom with walk-in wardrobes for Anna (right) and me (left). On a side note, I'm planning to a lock and key on my side, haha.

Above: A picture of the main room, the wall at the end is the kitchen, middle - dining room, and the bit you cant see will be a lounge area.