Hat Trick!

It's done! The roof is finished and the internals are now underway with the plumbing and inital electrical works pretty much done by the looks of it. I'll let the photo's do the talking.

Also, I sorted out with the telecom fella's to upgrade the setup going into the house so that it was more like what I wanted to do after the house was finished. Apparently it's cheaper to do it whilst it's being built (I thought climbing in ceilings was fun though?!). So intead of the original 2 data points at the TV's and a phone point, now there will be 1 data point to each bedroom, 1 to the TV's in the Living and Home Theatre rooms each and one in the Dining where the phone point was originally, plus a wireless router in the Garage. And to top it all off, it was all done in conduit, so double points shouldn't be too hard to upgrade to later if I so desire!

Time for an update

Well a small update folks. I sent off another progress payment thingo today, and as soon as I had, I got a phone call from HBC saying they know I'm pretty on top of it but that they'd sent on out (to which I replied it was already done again ). Anyways, they had also had a phonecall from my cabinet maker saying that the benchtop selection I'd made for the kitchen was having problems at the manufacturing level and that they wouldn't be able to warrant it if they released it in the state it was coming out in, so allowed me to reselect another colour, which I did 15 minutes later. Have changed from the Peral Silver to Satin Silver. Slightly less metallic look, but still a shiny, straighter pattern on it (which will match the floors better in my opinion!).

To also make the day a little better, I'd seen the plumbers at the house earlier in passing, but stopped in and had a chat with them on the way back here, and found them looking at the shower head attachement in my ensuite. Perfect timing! I'd thought about this a cppl of weeks ago at work, wondering if it would be too close to the wall (which it was where they had it positioned), and they too were considering calling the office to ask if they could move it out some more (500mm instead of 300mm from the wall). Pretty much just said, "Do it!" It was the first one they'd ever done too, so was a small learning curve for them. Once again, one of those things you don't normally see in a HBC house.

The Top Hat (see Roof) should be going on tomorrow and I imagine the electrical might be done by then too. FULL STEAM AHEAD!!!!

Pic's of the roof framework for ya's!

 And a pic of the cool wine glasses I picked up in Augusta;

Brickworks Finished

So today they officially finished doing the brickwork. There's a small exception in that they still have to put a couple of bricks around the support bar under one of the front windows which needed to be welded together yesterday. Also, the timber and beams have been delivered for the roof and that is set to start on the 5th of July (next Tuesday) which is good because I go back to work tomorrow and get back the Thursday (July 7th) so won't be missing much while I'm away.
It's also probs a good thing cos the weather here is pretty miserable atm with a nice storm coming through this morning (which I slept through!) so hopefully it'll clear up by then.

Here's some more pic's of the place!

Front wall

 Note - you can see the spot that needs to be finished off here

 Completed Garage

 Home Theatre room

Main Bedroom

 Kitchen/Dining/Family area

 Bathroom

 Bed 2

 Bed 3

 Bed 4

 Alfresco, Dining & Garage entrance

 Front view with roof timbers

Also, I ordered myself a dishwasher yesterday from Appliances Online. It's a Smeg SA8211X2 which I got on sale at 47.55% off RRP (gotta love June sales!). To make it better, it's getting delivered for only $38 which aint bad for a non-metro area. Also picked up a piece of wall decor from BBQ's Galore to go on the wall in the Alfresco which should add a little bit of bling to the place. A couple of weeks ago when I was in Augusta, I also got my hands on a set of wine glasses which are made by hand from recycled glass bottles/jars/etc in Swaziland, Africa by one of the local tribes. Even though I'm not a wine drinker, they'll look great in a glass cupboard somewhere (they're not a standard wine glass look - it's a pretty funky design). Always like buying stuff with a good story behind it. And just to show how on top of things I am at present, I got an e-mail yesterday requesting the next builders payment which I faxed off straight away to the bank. I had confirmation by txt this morning before getting a phone call from HBC saying that the brickwork was officially finished and that they were sending the next payment request. Lifes good right now!

Build it up, build it up, build it higher...

Dropped past a little while ago and the brickie is back with 2 apprentices this time and I must say I'm super impressed with their work thus far. He's doing a sterling job speed and quality wise. Couldn't be happier.

The walls have reached roof hieght on 2 sides and they've started on the garage too. Coming along quite nicely.

 

Also, how's this for being on top of things. Had the e-mail come through yesterday requesting the next payment to the builder be made so jumped right on it, and then when I got the phone call today saying they'd finished bricking and needed the next payment, I'd already received a txt from the bank saying it had been done. Am I reliable or what?! 

Also also, I picked myself up a dishwasher yesterday. First appliance I've bought online. It's a Smeg SA8211X2 and whilst I can't find any reviews, I'm quietly confident that I've got a good deal. What with 47.55% off the normal RRP (gotta love June sales!). Also, it's delivered to my house for only $38! Not bad for a non-metro area. Got myslef some wall decor from BBQ's Galore which will go on the Alfresco wall when I move in. Should look quite the piece I reckon.  I also picked up some funky wine glasses (even though I'm not a wine drinker) in Augusta week before last which are hand made in Swaziland (Africa) by a local tribe who use recycled glass bottles, jars, etc which I thought was quite cool. Don't mind spending a little extra to support something like that.

Reaching Skywards

So I'm back in town after another weeks hard work in the mines, and I was quite delighted to see that the brickies have started working on my walls. They haven't gotten too far along yet, but the first course is down with Termimesh applied and they've made a start on the wall running from the living room around the back and side to the 2nd bedroom. Pics...naturally.

 

I am definitely happy with the colour brick I've chosen. My only concern is that the roof etc may all look too similar but it's a bit late for that so not gonna bother worrying about it. The feature colour will definitely brighten things up anyway!

Leave My Castle Alone!!!

So I just read this provoking little piece on the net - http://www.news.com.au/money/tax-time/higher-tax-call-for-mcmansion-dwellers/story-fn8qmzek-1226068683960 - about taxing people who own energy guzzling McMansions. There are 2 things that really get my blood boiling on this topic.


Firstly - WHO THE HELL CAME UP WITH THE WORD McMansion???!!!! Honestly people, it's just lame!


Secondly - I'm all for energy efficiency and trying to reduce our carbon footprint through stricter building standards and product ratings etc, but I should still be able to build a house to be what I want it to be and to have what I want in it! As long as I'm not interferring with the neighbours, my home IS my castle and I shouldn't be penalised for it. As long as I can afford to make the repayments and pay the bills (especially the power bill!) then I shouldn't be penalised for having 3, 4 or even 5 TV's in the different rooms of my house.
     What happened to Australia being the lucky country? It sure doesn't feel lucky when people start suggesting that AVERAGE people get taxed for living too comfortably. Once upon a time the big aussie dream was to have the quarter acre with double brick home, but I reckon thats evolved. People aren't so interested in the size of the block anymore, as the usability of their home! Bigger homes on smaller blocks will use more power but also save space and reduce water consumption (smaller gardens & yards), and I think it should be up to the energy sector to be smart enough to broaden their power sources with cleaner options (especially in WA where there is no choice in who provides your power). Market competitiveness is the biggest driver of technology and the onus should be on energy providers to do the work. Even if that means higher energy costs, at least it's fair to everyone then. The more you use, the more you pay. Simple as that. If you can't afford it, don't use it. We've done our part in building greener homes with cheaper running tech inside, so don't burden us with the insult of not being able to do what we want with our castles!


Rant over.

Partay Time!

Hi folks. Time for a bit of an update. Now I'll keep it all in order and not skip the good bit to the better bit.

I had my slab party on Sunday just gone. Woot Woot! Nothing too speccy though. Invited a few friends and the folks and sis around for fish n chips (my shout) and a beer (or OJ for the non-drinkers amongst our group). A cppl of pics showing the festivities

Eating lunch in the "Dining Room"

The mob helping me celebrate
 

And then a mate had the clever idea that we all sign a different room in the house. Another mate called dibs on the Ensuite Dunny so that every time I was doing my business I'd think of him. We then agreed it'd be better if we all signed one spot to make it easier to get a single photo instead of scattered ones. So we all signed where the toilet will eventually sit! (Note: Mandatory lewd grafitti and inappropriate writings!)

I also checked out the new basin to replace the old standard model thats been discontinued late last week, and the only real difference is the back now has corners instead of being rounded in shape. I think I can live with that.


Now, I wasn't expecting anything else to happen until Monday next week, except the bricks being delivered sometime. Dad however sent me a txt msg this morning (I've flown back to work now) saying that the bricks had been delivered and that the brickies had rocked up just as he was leaving! I also had a call from one of the girls as HBC checking that my mortar colour was indeed the standrad cream and not a grey colour to match the 2 course, light grey Provincial Calais bricks I've selected. Apparently my Site Manager was checking up on the colour as he thought it was a bit odd, but when you look at a picture of it, the cream gives the brick work a nice bold border. Good to know they're on the ball though.

So they should start putting the walls up today (weather permitting - we've had a fair bit of rain lately) which is a little sooner than expected, but I'm not going to complain. They seem to know what they're doing so far, and if the other 3 houses in the street are anything to go by, mine should fly along like they have! Will be good to see the progress when I'm home next Thursday!