Moved in

We have now moved into our new home and loving it! The appliances are now installed and so is the air conditioning, which we have been using during these hot days, it works really well.

We are noticing how big the rooms are, including the kitchen and huge walk in pantry. We also have lots of storage which is great. With the higher ceilings I can't reach the top cupboards of the kitchen, laundry and my walk in robe. So I'll have to get a few step ladders.

Just a couple of pics of the kitchen

 

 

 

Our screen doors and flyscreen doors were installed today as well. The frame of the front door and balcony door are in a wood like aluminium to match the timber door. The match is pretty good and blends in well with the timber door frame.

We are also having a few electrical problems, from time to time our existing fridge keeps triggering the safety switch and shutting off one of the power circuits. We think it is taking a bit longer for the gasses to settle or some wiring in the fridge may have not travelled well with the move. Anyway our new fridge is due to be delivered tomorrow.  We are also having electrical problems with our washing machine as well, which also triggers the safety switche. So we are waiting for a service technician to contact us back. The joys of moving!



House nearly finished

We are now heading into our last fortnight until expected practical completion. Most of the work inside is now done with only a few items remaining.

This week our tiles were laid again for the 2nd time. Thankfully this time they are the one colour. The kitchen splashback has also been installed.

A visit to the house today and the cleaners were there giving the house its first good clean. Managed to get a few pics.

Kitchen splashback installed - it is antique white. The lower cupboards are moss grey and the upper cupboards in white. The casearstone is osprey, which ties in the white and moss grey quite well.

 

Kitchen after a clean with tiles laid (tiles not yet cleaned).

 

I am looking for some green accessories to go in the kitchen to brighten it up a bit. I saw this same colour scheme in a Wisdom display home that we based our kitchen colours on, so I am keen to replicate that and get some green items.

I have looked at lots of stores in Sydney and online in Australia but I have not found anything I really like so far. The only ones I have found are only sold in the USA and unfortunately the cost of postage was extreme. However a relative is going over in May, so maybe they can get them for me (fingers crossed).

Here is a pic of the green storage jar. With our kitchen colour scheme, I think many other colours will go well, so when I no longer want green I can change accessories to another colour over the years to come.

Bathroom ensuite with downlights above the sink

 

 

Main bathroom

 







 

Main floor tile laid (before cleaning)

 

 

 

Our downlights downstairs. We will get some installed ourselves upstairs

 

The majority of work has been completed inside the house with only a few items that we can see that need to be completed

 

* Painting and touchup to be completed

* Sealing around benchtops/ caesarstone/ tiles in bathrooms

* Ducted air conditioning vents & air con installed

* Trim around window to fill the gaps to the bricks

* powerpoint & light covers

* stainless steel cutlery draw

 

I am sure there are a few other things to be done that we have not noticed yet.

 

Most of the major work now will be outside and if all goes well we will have pracical completion in two weeks time, weather permitting. Outside items to be completed before practical completion are:

 

* Landing with two steps to be built at the laundry door

* Four steps built to the front porch

* Completion of downpipes and connection to the water tank

 

Before hand over:

* Driveway

* Pathway up one side of the house

 

Just hope the rain holds up and does not disrupt the outdoor works too much.

 

All going well, we should have the keys in approx 4 weeks time.

 

Then we can start work on the pool and landscaping.





More progress and new tile selected

Received a phone call this week from the tile supplier Di Lorenzo advising us the main floor tile we had selected last year, in April 2012, had been delivered to them from the tile supplier and they found it had a design fault through the lot of them and could not be used. Pretty happy that Di Lorenzo have quality control processes in place that picked this up. Hate to imagine the drama's if the floor tile had been laid, then had to be ripped up again.

So went off today to pick another tile. As our original main floor tile had been selected to go with the kitchen, laundry and downstairs bathroom, we tried to get as close to this so everything matched, as the original tile in a smaller size, which had no design fault, have already been laid in the laundry and powder room.

Anyway, we managed to find one we liked in the standard range, a little darker than what we had selected previously. They have them in stock, so hopefully they'll process the order asap and they'll get delivered soon. Hopefully the SS can schedule the tiler in soon too.

Each week more progress at the house. Met with our blinds supplier today on site and while there I took a few snaps of work done of the last week or so. It is all coming along quite well.

Our front door has been stained in mahogany.

So too has the balcony door

Kitchen caesarstone, sink and tap installed. Caesarstone is Osprey

Caesarstone groves for drainage have been added

My walk in robe has been completed with shelving and hanging rails. Lots of room.

 

 

Shower set which we love





Our lovely loo

 

Hand basin and taps

Our internal doors. Most have been painted now in Taubmans "Big White". On the little paint square you get from bunnings shows the colour as off white. However now it is painted on the walls and doors, it looks white. Still looks good, but I might have chosen a different caesarstone colour on the basins and kitchen if I know it would be so white.

 

Door handles

 

Stained staircase

Stained home theatre doors

Walk in store room shelving

We also decided on what blinds to have in our house, after thinking about it for 3 months or so, chaning our minds many times on what to have. We obtained 3 quotes, changed our mind again as to what we wanted, then decided finally on shutters for most of the home. So they have now been ordered and hopefully they'll be ready close to the time when we move in.

We are also getting verticals for the laundry and garage, and block out roller blinds for our 3 door stacker. Here is a pic of the shutters we have ordered, in white.

More bits and pieces

Another week and more bits and pieces are completed. Managed to get some pics on the phone, sorry the quality is not great. Will update with better pics when I can get in the house with the camera.

A first coat of the house has been done.....everything looks white! Eventually the walls will be painted in an offwhite colour, called "Big White".

The shower screens have been installed, as well as the shower & taps.

 

Bath installed. It is quite deep.

 

Caesarstone benchtops and basins. Caesarstone is Ocean Foam.

 





Loos have also been installed. A pic of the powder room

 



Walk in robe dresser and shelf set

 

The kitchen caesarstone benchtops have also been installed. The colour is Osprey if you can see any of it under the coverings

 





Painters have started

There was no work at the house yesterday, understandable as it was 46c! A cooler day today and we found the painters have started. Only some of the ceilings have been done, so not really much to photograph yet.

A walk around the house and we found the tiler had also grouted the tiles.........they look sooo much better.

A couple more pics. Here are our home theatre doors, finally remembered to take a photo. The timber will be stained in a clear stain.

Our pull out bin in the kitchen.

 

A wider shot of our kitchen......a walk through today and it feels huge, as does the walk in pantry. 

 

Our ensuite bathroom with tiles grouted. Liking them more now. Not sure what is happening with the lower tiles just above the vanity, I guess the tilers will be back to finish it off when they do the main floor tiles.

 

Main bathroom

 

Laundry cabinets.....even with them installed the laundry still feels spacious

Kitchen goes in

A quick trip by DH to the house today and found the kitchen people were at the house installing the kitchen and walk in pantry shelving. Kitchen cupboards are Polyurethane Moss Grey and the upper cupboards in White.

Managed to get a few pics on the phone

Along the left wall is the fridge cavity, then our tall cupboard, next a space for double wall oven with cupboards above and below, then walk in pantry door

 

Dishwasher will go in the space on the left

 

Exaust will go between the upper cupboards.

 

Microwave space in the upper cupboard on the left

 

 Walk in pantry shelving





Kitchen guys will be back tomorrow installing the laundry and bathroom cabinets. So hopefully some more pics tomorrow.

The carpenter & now another guy helping have finished the doors and moved onto the trims around the windows and skirtings.........its a big job, but they are doing a great job getting it all done.