Frame stage complete

The roof trusses are on! The brickies have started on the entrance, door frame in, and the side if the house. Still no windows on site and with the weather due to rain all week it is not looking good. (i was just thinking 'but I haven't heard any rain yet, they nay get a day today' when sure enough it started!) Again the rain in that flooring makes ne more then a little worried about the condition of our floors and under floor insulation... Only time will tell I guess.

Floor and Frame!!

Things have really taken a big leap for us this week with the Floor, under-floor Insulation and Wall Frame going up! This is such an exciting stage as it is the first look at the feel of the flow of the house and the size of the rooms! As we have never seen a display house of this plan it has been a real leap of faith for us to build this house from just the plans.

We  were ecstatic at the views from our windows, facing southwest  around to Northwest - the view of the weather moving over Melbourne and the Baw Baw Ranges to the North is going to be such a plus!

The size of the living and the family rooms was a really pleasant surprise, we had anticipated smaller living areas that we actually have.  There is a lot to plan in terms of decking, paths and driveway, eeeeep! I sense the bills will just keep floading in!

 Fig 1: Looking from the corner of the kitchen you can see the Bedrooms, Bathroom and Toilet.

 Fig 2: Garage, gotta love the dry access!

Fig 3: Main Bedroom from the front of the house, on the left is our front door. 

Fig 4: You can see the Fence line where the neighbour's garage is to be built, our side yard!

Fig 5: Our Living Room and Dining - the kitchen starts on the very left!

There was some water build up on the insulation under the floor, once the roof is on this will have an opportunity to really dry out before the floor coverings go on!  I have some concerns about the yellow-tongue will all the rain we have had (with another 30mm expected overnight) about the state of the flooring before the floors go on.  I guess a really good inspection to ensure all the joins are even before allowing tiles to go on and a good clean beforethe carpets go on will be in order.

The finish still seems such a long way off!

Assuming another week for the roof, a weeks windows... they would go in over a day you would thing (but they are not on site as yet), 2 weeks for the bricks (plus wet weather) I would hope to see Lock up by the end of July we would hope!

Then it always seems to slow right down, with sparkies and plumbers, plasterers and painters, tilers and fitters, cabinet makers and carpenters. We had originally hoped for a May finish, then a July, then a September. I am now calling October!  We have now not had a place to call our own for 17 months, October will have seen us living with the parents for 20 months... the kids have shared a room and hubby's parents have given up half their house for us: it is time!

Joists and Bearers!

Well we are slowly getting there! They had to knock a layer of bricks off for some reason... who knows why, I am guessing it has to do with tying the brickwork into the carpentry, but honestly i have not idea really.  We are excited that we get a better idea of our view now and the underneath of the house is starting to feel like a room!

An the delays just keep coming!

Well after 2 weeks hold up we should be back on track next week!  Although with the weather the way it has been it would have been little use even if the delays hadn't happened.

The variation for the fact that the house is actually 400mm higher than the initial plans indicated have been approved by the council and signed by us!

The carpenters should be there next week and the frame should be up by the end of the week, weather permitting! :)

Base Stage Complete

We finally go to second base!

Naturally the bill comes in the SECOND the stage is finished! Hopefully this means things will begin to speed up ever so slightly. With tomorrow being the first day of winter (thanks for pointing that out Master 10!) we are... now how does the song go... 'Wishing and hoping and praying' that the holds out until we get through the next stage.

                                           Base Stage complete: the Yellow tongue and beams
                                           have arrived.


Wood has arrived for the floors and we are hoping to have that complete by the end of next week!

More pictures to come after we have visited on the weekend! Current pictures courtesy of my sister-in-law who lives around the corner!

Base Station

We ended up choosing a whole new brick from another manufacturer, Boral came to the rescue and provided bricks within 3 days of ordering!  But WHY OH WHY is it RAINING SO MUCH?!?!??!? The quagmire that was our block leaves anyone who walks on it an inch taller with red mud stuck to their shoes.  Will be investing in gumboots for the kids in the next few weeks!

                                                   Our new brick choice: Kurrajong, from the
                                                   Horizon Riverside Range.

 We are extremely happy with the alternative choices we were offered from the builder!

The height is far higher than we had first expected, we are ecstatic at the height we will have under the house, it is a full size ceiling meaning we can utilise the space under the house as both a rumpus and storage!!

                                            There is a full height door to the under house space!

Our view is going to be fantastic, we will be able to not only watch the sunsets every night, but see the glow of Melbourne in the distance and watch all the crazy storms roll over the hills and even a peek around the corner to the Baw Baw ranges.

To top it all off, I will be able to see my sister's house from my kitchen window! Talk about handy :)

We are equally pleased to discover the garage is not going to be as far down the hill as we had first expected due to the build up, the driveway costs have just reduced considerably from our first estimations.

                                           The Garage

We are expecting to have stumps in by the end of next week and I am hoping the garage slab too!

Once the stumps are in, the floor will go on and then the builder will be asking us for money! BLAH, but then there will be frame and roof and at least then the weather will not matter quite so much!

We are getting excited about the prospect of finally moving into our own home. We moved in with my inlaws 16 months ago and truly I have forgotten what is like to have my own place.

I will keep you posted!

Brick Delays

Everything was looking like smooth sailing... until the bricks didn't arrive... then they didn't arrive a week later... or a week later or 2 weeks after that...

Bricks were due to arrive February 21st and now, April 24th, we are hoping the NEW BRICKS we have chosen from Boral are due any day now!  Turns out Austral had kiln issues and the wait on the bricks of our choice is indefinite.

We have now chosen Boral bricks - Kurrajong.  We are extremely happy with this choice!