New Years

So I went for a quiet wander around the house, today. More has been done! While the office is closed between Christmas and New Years, evidently at least the brickies are still working. Our exterior window sills are (mostly) in now. They look good!

Also had a good think about the hallway and I have emailed Andrew to see if the wall can be moved. I know it's going to be a pain in the behind, but it's just too narrow and I think it will be much nicer if it is broadened.

Also started seriously thinking about the garden. It's going to need a LOT of work - but I am eager to get on to it ASAP as that will really blend the house into its surrounds, I feel. Have a few books I am flicking through for inspiration, but I am after a cool lush feel out the front and not entirely decided for the back yet.

And that leads to the other things I need to be thinking about:

• Curtains
• Paths
• Fencing
• Driveway
• More light fittings
• Furniture!

Christmas

So today I had a few hours to myself. The kids were at daycare, the cleaner was at our place, and I had finished the bookwork and done the posting.

So I dropped by the house.

It was quiet. No-one there. In fact all was boarded up. But there was still one way in - so I took a wander around the house - enjoying seeing it at yet another time of day!

So far I am so pleased with how it's going. It's coming together so well! I love each of the rooms and spaces. In fact, so far, the only thing I would change is the width in one section of the hallway. Not a big thing, but with the benefit of hindsight I would have done it a little differently. Not bad in the grand scheme of things!

It is a really peaceful home. Quiet. Heavens knows if it will stay that way after we move in, but I can only hope!

Wandering around the garden/compacted earth I can see we'll have a LOT to do there. But that's kind of exciting, too ;) It will be nice to be able to make our own decisions about outdoor spaces and vistas.

So here we are - a few days before Christmas with the prospect of a lovely new home in 2012! Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year to all :)

Lights

So I have been a little stuck on lighting. While I have found a light I like for the front, and a couple of porch lights, that's pretty much as far as I've come. Until this evening!

I have been pondering 3 lights to overhang our quite large kitchen bench. It has really been annoying me. And then I found these:

It was love at first sight :) I can see 3 of these being just the thing above my kitchen bench, much like this:

 

Of course, surfing around the same site, I found the perfect side lights for our bedroom, too!

Pics post

Well it has been a few days, and I know I promised pics, so today I stopped by the site when I had my lovely mother in law with me (she stayed in the car with the kids). I was pleasantly pleased to see inside has been fully plastered! The floors have been swept and it is really starting to look like a home.  So, without any further ado, here are the pics - I will walk you through them...

The front. Almost all bricking has been done, now, except the exterior window sills.

 

The feature surround into my sitting room and sitting room
from another angle. If you look carefully you can see where
our gas fireplace will go.

 

These are of our bedroom and ensuite. Looking in from the
double doorway, standing in a corner looking towards the ensuite,
directly facing the ensuite and then looking towards the WIR.
The opening above the spa is for internal plantation shutters.

 

Almost deserving of a post all on their own - Oscar
and Adelaide's wardrobes. As you can see - they have
a double robe each. FINALLY a place for toys and clothes to live!

 

Mum's study nook. Larger than expected but that's not a bad thing ;)

 

The back family / meals / kitchen area. This space is
HUGE! Now it is in, I can really see how it's all coming together!

 

Standing at the back door looking backwards and forwards.
As you can see, bricking is almost complete, now, excepting the sills.

Plastered

So this afternoon I drove past the house and it looked oddly dark inside. In fact it wasn't until I looked down our hallway that I realised it was dark because we had plaster!

Sadly the kids were asleep in the car - so I could not get out and have a look around - but the bit I could see looked great :D Can't wait to go and have a good look around tomorrow sometime :)

Also went out to look at bathroom fittings today. MAN are they expensive! I priced up what we'd need in my preferred style. $2.5k later.... WOW!!! So might have another look online and see what I can see...

I suppose lighting is the next thing I really need to look at now. I still need to buy:

• 2 x Lights for our bedroom (on either side of the bed)
• 2 x Lights for the alfresco
• 3 x Lights for above the kitchen bench
• 3 x Spotlights (if I can find something I like)
• 1 x Light for between the mirrors in our bathroom

Other than that just waiting to chat with the supervisor about my ducts. Hopefully it's not a big fix.

Can't wait to go and look around tomorrow. Needless to say, photos will soon follow!

Ducts

Not that I am an anal retent... but I am an anal retent ;)

On a visit to the site this afternoon, I noticed the positioning of some of the ceiling aircon vents. Not. Happy. Jan!

I realise it's a relatively minor thing - but it makes sense, to me, to plan where you are sitting / eating / cooking / sleeping when planning heating and cooling ducts.

For instance - in my current home there is a cooling duct right above the kitchen bench. It blows baking paper / cling film / patty cases etc. around - which means in summer if you cook you also cook! And in the new home the cooling duct currently positioned right behind where you would put a couch would mean a constant cold draft on the back of the neck.

Now while the ceiling ducts in the new place seem to be in the right rooms, they are JUST in the rooms in a few cases. E.g. Master bedroom has the cooling duct above the doorway. Helpful (NOT!!!). So I have emailed my (no doubt by now) long suffering site supervisor to ask to discuss this as I really want 2 or 3 of them moved prior to plastering.

Other than that all coming along well. Bricking is nearly finished (in fact - thought I might take some cakes down to our lone brickie tomorrow for doing such a lovely job now he is nearly done). Plastering starts tomorrow, apparently.

Steel girder for above the french doors has arrived, as have the french doors. So it's front doors and sidelights then lockup!

Will try and get to the bathroom supplies store this week sometime to buy the bathroom accessories (shelves / towel holders etc.). Also need to revist lights...

Tables and chairs and datacoms

So I knew I wanted a rustic table for the new meals area. Something the kids can paste at, draw on, put drinks on, eat without a place-mat etc. without me FREAKING out! Originally I had planned to have mismatched chairs, as I love that look - but so many of the chairs I liked needed work. I don't have time to do necessary upkeep on me - a CHAIR stands NO chance :P

I want a big table, preferably which can extend even longer for those big dinner parties and XMAS, so I have bought some rustic chairs and an extension table for the new meals area. The chairs are quite basic but I like the simplicity! It's that lack of fuss I really wanted for the area.

We will have eight of these chairs around this table.

Of course, I am yet to explain to Sean that his 'clean out the garage' crusade is about to take a major backward step. Here's hoping that hearing less of me talk about the perfect kitchen table will outweigh having to help lug it up the hill and a few months of garage annoyance...

Met with the datacoms technician on-site today to arrange patch panels, phonelines, aerial coax and powerpoints. A fruitful meeting! I was concerned that they did not have much of an idea of what we wanted. They still think some of our ideas are barking - but on the plus side it is all happening as requested and they also had some very helpful input we've been able to take on board, too.

Next drama is when to install our fireplace. The installer won't put it in until lockup, yet it needs to be installed before plastering. But plastering is starting on Friday and we're still not locked up.... Will deal with that drama tomorrow!!!

Hot and cold

Well actually I mean heating and cooling.

I went for a wander on site today - and it really is all happening.

The rough wiring is in - as is the ducted heating and cooling. Oh - and the wall insulation (sound and heat) is in now, too. Bricking is ongoing - they are 3/4 up the wall at the back and starting around to the right hand side of the house. And my french doors are there waiting to be installed.

Monday sees the exterior telecoms trench being dug (underground wiring) and then Wednesday we have the datacoms fit out ahead of the plasterer arriving on-site on Friday 9th.

It's all happening!

Well the last few days have seen a hive of activity. Firstly on Sunday we went and bought the light for the front entry. We ended up going with the 3 lamp model in chrome. I think it's going to look good in the space :)

Then yesterday had several conversations with the cabinetmaker. He's tweaked the plans a little in the kitchen to ensure the microwave is not too high up and as such impractical. He's also going to add locks to the top draw and cupboard in the study nook. This will be so helpful at keeping Oscar and Adelaide out of my work things!

Then this morning the electrician rang with a few questions about the electrical fit out. Just as well he did as I had some quite particular ideas on where I wanted lightswitches height wise - and also whereabouts on the wall I wanted the TV powerpoints etc. So I popped over to the site and went through it with him.

A few nice surprises while I was there - firstly the bricking of the alfresco is done and the brickies are now working on across the back of the house. Standing in the alfresco I realised the ceiling in there is quite high - so I'll be able to do some sort of outdoor feature light there (if I can find what I am after!). Was also pleased to see how well the space and light seems to be working. The more work they do the more I can see it all coming together.

Was a little annoyed to see that the Origin electricity contractors have dumped concrete on our neighbour's front lawn and splashed his fence with concrete when they re-concreted near the electrical pit. Will head on over there tonight and clean it up if they haven't before then. Actually that reminds me - I think the phone people need to dig up that area, too? Better ring and ask them.

 

In this last shot you can just see our evaporative cooler which is the latest addition to the build!

Lighting

So I knew I would know what I wanted when I saw it. And I did!

Went for a wander around the local lighting shops today. Surprisingly not an exciting mission. Lighting really leaves me a little cold. I find I don't like 90% of the things in the store - and have real trouble visualising the remainder in-situ. However - off Sean and I went with the hope the right thing would present itself.

And it did!

We had more lights to select than I initially realised. 1 for the bathroom, 2 for porch, 2 for alfresco, 1 for entryway, 3 for the kitchen and 3 spotlights.

So at the first place we found a single pendant design we quite liked. Plain, simple, understated. But we thought it might be too small for the entry space. However it also came in 3, 5 and 9 light styles which the attendant showed us in the catalogue. To be honest I don't think photos do them justice (so were not too enthused) however lo and behold - at the next store we went to they had the larger versions in stock and we really liked them!

So now we need to decide which one. I suspect the area will 'need' the larger 5 lamp style - whereas Sean thinks the 3 lamp style will be the right thing. Thankfully the lighting shop will allow us to leave cash, take both, and return the light we don't need. So here they are.

 

We'll be going for the brushed chrome colour and it would hang with very little chain.

We also found some undereave style lights for the front porch. Very plain and simple - as I don't want those to be a feature.  Am not sure about the others, yet. The bathroom one will depend on how close together the mirrors are (although I saw a darling little light which would be perfect if it fits) and with the overbench lighting I am still undecided. But at least 2 are now purchased, and another decided.

Cicadas

So far a lot of the blog has been about physical progress with the build - but Parkview is not being built by bricks alone. The new house is a symbol of cementing ourselves within the local community.

Because we lived there, the neighbours already know us. And if they didn't, the 2 or 3 drive pasts/visits a day to the site recently would be enough to serve as an introduction!! So when I popped by just before dusk today to survey the day's progress, I wasn't surprised to say a quick hello and to show one of our neighbours through the site.

It's looking magnificent! The rubbish has been removed from the front of the site so now it's just bare dirt. So while the gable is not finished, nor the front door in, you can get a sense of how the home 'sits' within the street. And I have to say I am really pleased!

The low pitch and dark colour of the roof makes it an unassuming home. Visually it recedes rather than dominates which is what I wanted. While it doesn't try to claim 'I have always been here' it doesn't stand out as a new addition. In fact I think that combined with my lovely tree out the front it already looks partly 'settled' - and that's with the right hand side still sporting bright blue insulation!

Standing out the front listening to the cicadas this evening, I can already well imagine how it's going to look when the garden is complete. And I am pleased :)

New things today? Well bricking is ongoing - and today some additional framing has been done. Things like framing in the bathubs (which are now on site) and framing my dropped ceiling feature in the kitchen.

This, however, has made me realise I really need to pull my finger out and start selecting light fittings! We're going downlights throughout except in the entryway, 3 pendants above the kitchen island bench, outdoor lights and a light in the bathroom. So guess what I am doing tomorrow??

Any thoughts on a light to go in my entryway? I don't want a chandelliar or something too modern or something too retro or something too dominating but I still want it to be a feature. Not hard to please, am I?? I do know I want it to be some sort of pendant :P Hit me with your ideas, please :)

Telecomms

So I got an email today letting us know that we need to book the roughing in of phone lines and data cabling ASAP as plastering is happening in a fortnight! Major excitement!!!!! I drove past today and noticed the front door frame is in although the sidelights and door are not yet in place. Bricking is ongoing, although the right side of the place has not been done yet.

Sean rang and discussed the telecoms and we've emailed off the electrical plan to the contractors with the relevant details. Sounds like next week and the week after it's going to be a hive of activity! Am looking forward to heading over there on the weekend to see where they're up to.

Suddenly it's all seeming very real and I can see us moving into our new home. My mother in law has loaned me a book on 'small gardens' which I am now poring over with interest. Small is a generous way to describe what we're going to have - but I have seen huge gardens which are ugly and a waste and tiny pockets which are pleasant and inviting spaces - so I am trying to remember that in some cases size really does not matter ;)

Site Supervisor - Andrew

So I was spinning past this afternoon to take some photos of the house and there was Andrew our site supervisor! Was nice to meet him in the flesh :)

He was able to bring me up to date on progress - including telling me the electrics will be going in next week!! So it really is all happening.

Had a good think about the coffee machine and have decided not to go inbuilt. Basically all except the stupidly expensive (apparently) do only mediocre coffee - and also apparently they are prone to breaking down a lot? So on the advice of our friend (a coffee aficionado) Sean has decided he wants a top quality freestanding machine instead. Fine by me - saves me coming up with another spot for the microwave!!

However I have gone ahead and ordered the additional powerpoints and changes to the front pillars. I keep thinking SURELY I can't find anything else to change/add and then I do. Better stop soon - all these extras will start to get very expensive!

Was happy to see they've almost finished bricking the front left of the house, today. The entire left hand side is done, too (and I've not popped out the back to see how far they've got back there).

In the meantime here are the latest shots of the front. Note the lovely double hung windows also now in place!

More bricks

So we went for a looksie around the house today! Our front windows were in which was such a treat to see :)

Bricking is ongoing. They have started at the front left (outside the Master bedroom) and are working their way back around the house. Part of the alfresco is done and is looking really good. Because we have a double story house on our north side (and very close to the margin) the alfresco is not the lightest space. Originally there were to be solar panels above the alfresco, but these were moved above the ensuite and 2nd bedroom. This leaves the way clear for skylights into the alfresco at a later stage if I think they're necessary. I am leaning towards it at the moment, but it's not something which needs to be done immediately - I'll see how much light comes in at different times of the day/seasons etc.

We did have a small hiccup in that the builders forgot to put a steel beam above the back windows (2 fixed panels, french doors and then another 2 fixed panels) to support the bricks above. They rang to see how I felt about a timber feature above that section instead. I would have loved to oblige them, especially as they have been brilliant about accommodating my little changes, but it really would have looked crappy. As though someone had forgotten to put in a beam, in fact! So they are going to fix that up.

A few other changes I need to make (it's amazing how many things you think about once you're actually underway). My lovely friend Donna pointed out a sink right in the middle of my island bench gives me less unbroken bench space to work with. Happily the builder has managed to move the sink to the left hand end of the bench without any additional expense (although they do need to raise the kickers on the unit by 1cm to accommodate running the pipes to the existing waste position). Tomorrow I'll need to ring and discuss a few other small things - specifically:

1.) Whether we can plumb a coffee machine above the wall oven and if so where my microwave can instead go
2.) Adding some double powerpoints in the WIR near the upper shelf to allow things to be charged without little hands grabbing them
3.) Looking at an outdoor powerpoint near the front porch for a laptop/outdoor lights at XMAS etc.
4.) Getting a few extra noggins put in so toilet roll holders / towel rails / wall mounted TVs can be really securely mounted
5.) Chat about my front pillars. I think they are thinking just brick and then render without a 'border' in between. I think that will look crappy, so need to check out the art of the possible with them.

That's all I can think of, for now, although I am sure there was something else which will, no doubt, come to me at some later point!

It's still early days, but so far the vision is coming together well. The red brick and charcoal while not a ground-shaking colour scheme nonetheless look good together and seems to 'sit' well within the street. I am hoping the gable colours (dune and dune half-strength) look as good.

Can't wait to see the gable fronts. With the builders aiming for lockup by Christmas I guess I may not be waiting too long :)

Front Door

So I was feeling a little flat this week. Somehow in the back and forth I had forgotten which front entry door/sidelights I'd approved. And when I saw the side lights / door frame on site I hated them :(

I remembered considering the style with two wide glass sidelights but I thought I'd opted for wooden and glass strip sidelights instead. But I could not remember and the kids have stashed the final colour selection notes somewhere.

So I emailed the builder and I HAD ordered the wooden and glass sidelights - and what had been delivered to the site was in error.

It would not have been the end of the world had we had the others - but I really like the front door set I chose and so I am pleased that it turns out I DID sign off on them.

So here's what we chose (but with clear glass sidelights)! Won't be here for a few weeks yet.

Not much movement at the house today, other than bricking of the front pillars is complete. Looks a little rough at the moment, but the top part are to be rendered. Will try and spin past to take photos tomorrow.

Bricks!

Admittedly not many, but the bottom of the pillars were done on Friday. Went inside and had a good look around today. It was wonderfully cool inside under the tiled roof.

Some of my lovely windows are on site ready to be installed on Monday. I think there might be a problem with my front door sidelights - need to check this with the builder though.

Took our neighbours through for a grand tour, today. It's nice that they are so excited for us also!

The street has quite a reputation locally for 'lighting up' at Christmas. An activity I suspect Oscar and Sean may wish to participate in once we're in the house. One particular night early in December is when it all happens - the whole street wanders up and down and chats and looks. We got our 'invite' today. Think we might rig a couple of spotlights up to the meter box, shove a plastic santa on the porch, bring over the BBQ and join in!

Roof Part 3

So I drove past on the way back from doing the shopping and getting Oscar's hair cut and they were finishing the roof / putting the ridge caps on. It looks great! AND I saw a batch of windows on site :D

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about what makes a beautiful home. While obviously a good design helps, it really is the finishes and furnishings which make the difference in my opinion. The humblest home can look awesome with clever furnishings, colour and art. And even the most palatial home can look insipid and uninspiring or just meh.

The problem is no guts no glory. It's easy to play it safe with colour and art - but the result seems so insipid. But then there's convincing the husband that a lime green wall or a piece of art which takes up and entire wall is what's required ;)

Still have only the vaguest ideas of how I want to decorate this home. And those ideas change on a daily basis. Need to start another scrapbook!

Roof Part 2

So today our roof tiles went on! It makes the house look HUGE! Probably because other than the house it's a bare block with no trees - so all you see is house going back back back. Once we have had a chance to landscape it should sit a little better in its environment.

However I am happy with the colour and profile we selected and the way it looks on the roof.

I think the windows should be on site soon. Hopefully tomorrow? I know they'd hoped to be bricking by today or tomorrow but a couple of wet days has pushed things back. I think the windows will make it look a bit more finished and give me an idea of how it's going to look when it's done.

So far am pleased with the way things are going. There's progress most days. Our site supervisor Andrew seems nice. Likes to communicate via email (which suits me) so that's good! He's prepared me that this stage of the build goes FAST but that the fit out seems to take an age. So expect to be reading for a while here yet, all :-)

Roof Part 1

Seeing the roof waterproofed made a huge difference - it's really starting to look like a house, now!

It also looks so DARK now there's a roof - but I have been assured that's normal :)

I love my new porch! You can see, here, the spot where the rain chain is going to hang. Now to chose a style!

It's an ill wind which blows no good!

Well after looking at the plans, I realised WHY there is a downpipe where there is. Where else is the right hand side of the front gable to drain?!? DOH! It's so obvious now I think about it! But that doesn't solve the fugly downpipe dilemma. Until I remembered rain chains.

Rain chains were traditionally used on Japanese homes and temples. Usually made of copper, the chains ranged from plain looped copper rings to ornate flower or cup shaped vessels. Water either runs down the chain or spills from one cup to the next. At the bottom it would discharge into a vessel/rain barrel, onto gravel or (more recently) into a stormwater port.

 

The Art Nouveau interest in all things Japanese saw rain chains utilised elsewhere in the world - a trend continued through to modernist buildings (where a plain chain was often used).

So? I am planning to have a gorgeous cup style rain chain near the front door spilling into a stormwater port hidden in a little garden. I can already imagine the gorgeous sound of the water spilling from one cup into the next - and I think it will be a perfect feature for the front of our home.

I'd always thought I'd like one somewhere - and it seems that this is the perfect spot. Now to decide on a style! I like the look of this one (remembering over time it will develop a lovely verdigris patina).

Annoyed

So now I am cross. Not at anyone but myself. Checking out the guttering, and look where one of the downpipes is set to go.

Needless to say I have rung the builder to see what can be done!! It is on the plans, and silly me never picked it up :(  Wonder how much it is going to cost to fix?? I can't have it looking like that :(

In positive news, our tiles have arrived on site!

Gutted! Or do I mean Guttered?

And yesterday went past and my gutters were going on. I was surprised - I thought windows would be next?

I wanted timber fascia on the gables - however not to be as we're too close to the nature reserve and hence in a fire zone. So metal fascia all around it is. I think it looks good, though :)

As you can see, we also have bricks on site. Can't wait for them to start going up!

Have realised there really is not that long until we move. So am de-cluttering here as much as possible before we go.

Plumbed and Bricks

Dropped by the house today. 4 pallets of bricks on-site and the plumbers, too.

They said they've plumbed the solar panels to go above the 2nd bedroom rather than the alfresco. Suits me (am thinking of putting skylights in the alfresco later if natural light is not abundant). I checked, and while the toilets had been plumbed to run off the water tank the washing machine had not. Emailed my building contact to get that sorted :)

Also happy to see my missing window has been added!

A bit more framing done (fireplace suround, marking the slab where the ceiling air con, manhole, air return unit etc. are going to sit.). Can't wait to see some bricks put up. I think windows are next, though?

2 years

So it was 2 years yesterday that we bought 'Parkview'. My baby was one and just toddling. My new baby was not even on her way!

Oh how far we have come in two years. We have survived some very challenging circumstances, have had the joy of our precious daughter joining our family, have found direction and a new way forward - and now have the prospect of our new home to look forward to.

Home has long been important to me. Probably because we moved so often when I was a child. In fact this experience made me pretty fixed in some of my house design ideas. For example it was not conceivable, to me, that the kids rooms have any differences. I wanted same size, same storage even same window aspect. I always felt I got the raw end of the deal rooms wise (the room in blue not pink, the room with no wardrobe, the room with bright orange curtains etc.) so I was determined the kids would have identical rooms! To the millimeter.

I also wanted a sitting room. Perhaps not used all that often, but there to be quietly enjoyed. I really need a clean quiet space to just sit - and that's what I plan for that room.

I have a vision of what I want my home to look like, and how I want it to feel. I am so excited that this dream is on its way to becoming reality <3

Here's our new home - with the porch and roof trusses!

Framed

While sitting in a conference today I was so excited to receive a text from Sean to tell me we'd been framed!!!! So, of course, on the way home we spun by to take a look :)

It is so exciting to 'see' my rooms come together. It is (mostly) as I'd imagined, although there are a few surprises.

My hallway is narrower than I'd thought (good - I was worried I'd wasted too much space on it). WIR is just huge. I am unsure I will ever have enough clothes to fill it. Second bedroom looks quite small - but on comparing it to our current second bedroom I realised it is larger than many bedrooms and an ample size for a spare room.

My back living area is huge. It's going to be a lovely space to enjoy! And my study nook is a lot larger than I anticipated. Lots of space to spread out!

Only one error I noticed - one window appears to have been omitted. I have emailed them and will call tomorrow to follow up. Might go around there tomorrow with the plans to make sure all is as it should be.

 Sitting Room

Master

Ensuite and WIR

Adelaide's Room

Oscar's Room

Double Robe in Oscar's Room

Living Room / Kitchen / Meals

Site Supervisor checking things out

Slabbed!

A lot has been happening the last few days. Went past for a drive today and saw what I'd been waiting for. A slab!!

Of course, now it's there I am second guessing myself and wondering whether we chose the right position etc. Will head there over the weekend to clean up the builder's rubbish (they leave so much takeaway food rubbish on site) and also to take the plans and a measuring tape to make sure it's where it's supposed to be.

Plumbing

So Thursday was meant to see our slab being poured. However heavy rain and hail has delayed this. Is good to see the plumbing has gone in on the block though. Makes me realise just how huge the house is (and how miniscule our garden is going to be...). Maybe my love of massive rooms was a bit OTT??

I must admit now I see it on the block I am concerned. I do hope it's not too big? The driveway area concerns me, too. I will really need to think about how to landscape it so it is not a huge wasted and ugly space. Decisions decisions...

Waiting to meet our site supervisor. In the interim a small boy is keeping a close eye on proceedings ;)