NKOTB - 24 days and counting

I thought that it was probably about time for another house update (although I suspect if you know me in real life you would have heard enough bitching and moaning to last a lifetime).

So the build flow goes like this:

1. Start building with #1 site supervisor
2. House seems to be moving VERY quickly - everybody is telling us that we'll be in by Christmas
3. Some weird things start happening - scaffolding comes down before bricking is finished, house is painted before some plastering is finished, house is half tiled and left for ages
4. #1 site supervisor gets sacked, apparently due to the half assed job on our house (structurally we're fine but everything has been done ass about face (you think???)
5. #2 site supervisor starts. It's just before Christmas and the house is at a standstill with no work being done what-so-ever.
6. #3 site supervisor starts. He tells us that it will take at least to Christmas to get the house to where it should be.
7. We find out that no work is being done as the site was shut down by WorkSafe or something similar. There is two weeks where no work is done.
8. We are given dates for tradies and are told that we still should be in by contract date (21.03.12)
9. Tradies never turn up on arranged dates or if they do they only work for 30ish minutes.
10. Carpenters get sacked for not turning up for job.
11. #4 site supervisor starts. He seems to be more senior than anyone we're seen and his sole job is to get our house completed.

So this is where we are at now. There are 24 days to the end of contract date. I don't think the house will be ready.

Most current pic of the front of the house. Looks so far away still.

New Kids on the block - Locked out :(

On one hand it's really friggin annoying that we can no longer get into the house, but on the other at least the place is finally locked up properly. If we can't get in, neither can anyone else then.

A photo a day - How to settle a debate Brodrick style.

What do you do when you're arguing over furniture placement?

Why you draw to scale and make little scale furniture cut outs to trial and error positioning.

Well if you're anal like me, that's what you do.

A photo a day - That was a close call

Kyoto Facade

When Brian and I where deciding on house plans, we where having trouble picking the facade. One that we quite liked on paper was the Kyoto.

It had the attraction of a large balcony, but we where a bit iffy on the overall finish. The main problem was that there where no double story houses on display with that facade. Some single stories that looked okayish, but without the balcony we couldn't really get the idea so we dropped that facade.

Mossman Facade

We realised just recently that in the William's Landing estate that there are a few Oxfords with the Kyoto facade. So we did a bit of sneaky cam action (as you do), and here is the result. While this one looks okay, I don't love it and am so glad we went with the the Mossman.

New Kids on the block - And we're moving along quickly now we're nearing the end

In the space of two days we've had all the tap wear and sinks and toilets go in and the majority of the electrical finishings have been done. I was surprised to see some sort of light shades upstairs. I was expecting naked bulbs as we're putting in our own lighting upstairs.

New kids on the block - Feeling hot, hot, hot

And today we have the fit out done for the heater. Great day for it in 35 degree heat.

New Kids on the block - And the bricking is back on the agenda

After the mother of all screw-ups, we not only have the scaffolding back up again but the plumber has been out and finished off the downpipes.

Theoretically only eight weeks left until the house is ready now. Hopefully it flies.

New Kids on the block - Rub a dub, dub

And we have shower screens. The color of the tiles are growing on me now I can see them with the screens.

New Kids on the block - The best room in the house

07.01.12 - all the shelving and rails where installed in the cupboards today

Yes it's dark and hard to see but this is our store room. Floor to ceiling shelving. Drool.

After our last house having pretty much no storage at all (we didn't even have a linen cupboard) this is just going to be awesome.

New Kids on the block - Scaffolding :)

 Scaffolding delivered this morning - the house is going to look very different soon.

New Kids on the block - Bricks, bricks and more bricks

YAY! All the bricks have arrived.

New Kids on the block - To brick or not to brick, that is the question

23.06.11 -Bottom story wrapped and ready to be bricked. YAY!!!
24.06.11 -Two week hold up on bricks :( Nothing can be done now until the bricks arrive. BOO!!!

09.07.11 - We have some bricks. They appear to be the ones that go under the render. At least they're bricks.

New Kids on the block - the roof, the roof, the roof is...

...on.

Windows and doors installed and roof trusses go up. It's really starting to look like a house now.

New Kids on the block - Looky at what I found this morning

Windows and sliding doors delivered this morning. The look kind of greenish on the truck. They'd better not be.

New Kids on the block - Man these framers can move

Frame is up for the second floor, just no roof.

New Kids on the block - Put it in a frame

First floor frame is up. To anyone concerned about the short time frame, as long as no weight bearing structures go up it's fine.

New Kids on the block - Slabby, slab, slab

I can haz slab. It's all done and looks great (if you can see it through the dark haze since it was taken on dodgy phone cam)

New Kids on the block - I get my shovel and I dig, dig, dig

The electricity box went in on 06.06.11




Then this morning there is a digger busily digging away. I'm assuming they're getting ready to lay the pipes.

New Kids on the block - In the beginning

 
After a mighty big hiccup with the bank last week, we're back on board again. Official start date is 31.05.11, but I think we'll be a few days behind now.

New Kids on the block - Gee, do you think we're building with Simonds

 So much for running a few days behind, today we have a fence with Simonds netting right across the front of the block and a portaloo too.  And we're off.