Week 24 – WOOHOO, news at last!

YAY!!!!!  I’ve just received the invoice for our last progress payment for the house and information on our  inspection!  AT LAST!  Inspection should be either end of next week or early the following week and once that’s done we should be looking at settlement a week later.  WOOHOO…that means that we could actually be in for Christmas which would be WONDERFUL!  Have sent the bills off to our bank who told us we then have to wait 10 business days before getting our payment….but that still could get us in time for Christmas….now to hope the the guys laying the floors and carpet can do it by Christmas for us!  Oh so exciting….just about jumping around the living room doing cartwheels (restaining myself but only just…oh and the little matter that I can’t do cartwheels!)

Week 24 – Still Waiting!

Ho Hum, another week gone and still not a date for our inspection!!!  We are still inching closer with little things still being done.  The doors – front and laundry have been replaced, all electrical work is finished and the underside of the balcony is also done.  Our bath is sitting in the top room so they are obviously fixing the tap problem there.  Painting/staining and site clean up are pretty much it now.  Hopefully next week we will have our inspection date and then I’ve got more information to go by for move in dates etc.

Week 23 – Waiting….Waiting (I’m not a patient person!)

Well it’s been another HARD week!   Monday night found out that it’s approx. 2 weeks away before we can do our inspection and then we need to allow another 3 weeks for all the paper work and bank stuff to get done and then that takes us till Christmas week before we get the keys!  Then we need to be able to get the floors carpeted and the floor boards laid.  The likely hood of  us being in for Christmas is not good unfortunately.  But how does that saying go…all good things happen to those that wait?  Mmmmm, I’m waiting (just not so patiently!)

So what has been done this week…glass splash back is in the kitchen and looks good, the garage roller doors front and back have both been installed, The wooden infills above the doors have been done, the floor is down on the balcony and the shower head has been removed to be replaced!  So things have been happening!  From what I can see the things still to be done are the touch up painting and staining of the doors and  balcony floor, clearing and cleaning up the site and some plumbing and electrical work still to be done.  Hopefully next week will be better news and we’ll have a date to do our inspection.

Week 22 – Final Fit outs happening

Oh man, I’m hating this and loving it at the same time!  It’s inching along so damn slowly (hating), but each time something is done we are another step closer (loving)!

Well, since last week, we have the mirrors up, the shower screen’s installed and the framing for the balcony is done.  Sitting in the hallway is the decking for the balcony along with three new doors, two for the front and one for the laundry and this time they will be stained as per our request!!

Spoke to our building supervisor on Monday and he tells us early next week we should be right to go through our inspection…which means the house will be for all intent and purpose finished!  So then we go through it with a fine tooth comb to check for defects and they then get 5 days to fix it.  From then it is a 2 – 3 week wait until settlement.  YAY

Week 21 – Creeping, creeping….

They are certainly getting a move on with more things done in the house this past week.  We now have shelves in the cupboards, door handles on, bath in, taps in, roof on under the alfresco and garage.  In fact from what I can see the things to be done now are; shower screens, floor in the balcony, the glass splash back in the kitchen, the garage roller doors and a few repairs to the painting.  Not much at all!  Photos;

My Pantry now has shelves....I LOVE my pantry (how sad am I!)

Walk in Robes...all fitted out now.

Ensuite vanity complete with sinks and tapware

Week 20 – Creeping up on the finish line!

This is SO hard now, we have a house that for all intent and purpose looks finished!  But still little things to do and finish!  The major thing finished this week were the garage and alfresco roof’s were tiled…now they have to put the plasterboard underneath them and then that’s finished.  Not a huge amount has happened inside the house, but there have been workers at the site most days, so something has been happening…just not sure what!  Some photos;

Garage roof finished!

 

Ensuite shower - tiles complete, screen next

Powder room sink and tiles

Kitchen...just needs the glass splash back now and all will be finished.

Week 19 – Nearing the Finish line!

We can start to see the finish line now…the tiling is now complete as of today, the handles on all the doors have been fitted (and look fabulous!), the guttering on the alfresco and garage have been completed, the scaffolding is up for the roof tilers to  come in and do the tiles, the tiles have arrived, the electricians have fitted all the casings and connected all the lights and switches and the heating and cooling vents are in.

Things still to be done;  Shower screens to be installed, glass splash back in kitchen, mirrors in bathroom and ensuite, shelves in cupboards, toilets installed, shower heads and taps to be installed, tiles to be laid on the alfresco and garage, floor to be laid and stained on the balcony, back of front door to be stripped and stained like they should have done in the first place! and I think that covers it!  Wow, when you put it in a list like that, it’s bugger all to be done now!

No photos today as I’ve not been able to get in to take them!  Hopefully we will have a walk through with the site supervisor next week and I can get some photos!

Week 17 – Painting almost complete

They’ve been painting since Wednesday last week and today I was able to pop in and have a look.  It’s looking great.  It’s so nice to see the colours that we picked some 18months ago are finally coming together and that they look good!

Feature wall colour meeting the family room.

Feature Wall, photo taken from upstairs.

The carpenters were back this week to finish off the roof of the garage.  They’ve also cleaned up the bricks.  Looking good!

Garage roof complete, bricks cleaned.

Week 8 – Bricking has begun!

Bricking began last Friday…woohoo!  I was surprised how much they were able to get done in one day;

One day's worth of work

We went down and had a bit of a look on Saturday…checked out where the alfresco area will be;

The alfresco area

Went back on Monday and they were particularly busy today!   3/4 of the first floor is done!  Well the site co-ordinater did say that they would be starting the second floor bricking next Monday…they might actually make that deadline!

After second day of bricking

The other side of the house!

More work done today

Missing Masterchef ? – Bring back the Mystery Box!

We loved Masterchef!  It was great to sit down as a family and watch the program, I was slightly surprised at Cayden’s interest in the show.  Some Cyber friends from www.SimpleSavings.com.au have got together and have brought back the mystery box.  Our rules are slightly easier and we don’t get eliminated (which is always good!)  So tonight we had a mystery box challenge from these ingredients;

Mince
Bacon
Egg or 2 minute noodles
Eggs
Tinned tomatoes
Mandarins
Coconut milk
Cous cous
Cabbage

Store Basics
These items are available for you to use;
Flour, water, butter, oil, sugar, salt, pepper, two only herbs/spices of your choice, onion and garlic.

I decided to make a meatloaf,  with tomato sauce and served with salad (as the family doesn’t really like cous cous!) and for dessert we had coconut cake with a mandarin syrup.

Meatloaf with tomato sauce & salad

Coconut cake with Mandarin Syrup