Trying to keep the interest alive ;-)

With the lull in building works, I have vaguely thought about some interior decorating although I am leaving most of that to my gorgeous friend, AJ, from http://www.redomyspace.com.au/

I have been wondering for a while what to do with the large vertical wall area left by the walkin pantry in the kitchen near the cooktop run. See the plan below.

Whilst away in the summer holidays, I found this wall hanging that I love. Sounds like what we are trying to achieve in our family. I would love to find a way to add in 'We do Jesus'. So I am thinking that the kitchen/family/meals area will incorporate this red colour into the decor.

I also contacted a local landscape design company today with the hopes of getting the ball rolling on the gardens. My hope is to do the bare minimum initially and then add more in stages as money allows. I have sent them a copy of our landscape plan, designed by another company, as a starting point.

In preparation for our site start appointment

After weeks of waiting, 2 days before our site start appointment, we received our final variation documents and construction drawings yesterday. Many thanks to Lucinda for her assistance in going through the reams of paper, double checking, triple checking. I am not sure how she pulled up but I had motion sickness from the constant head movements and focusing in fine print.

Firstly for those yet to get to this stage of the journey, be warned. I found the final admin variation list one of the most confusing documents ever. This is our contract document and rather than registering our final decision on selections, it has recorded every single addition and deletion over the last 9 months. For example, there is a mention of our front door about 10 times over the pages of the contract, leaving me wondering if the correct doors will indeed be ordered! Surely, it would make everyones job easier if the contract was a true reflection of the final state of play - less chance of oversights, happier clients, happier site supervisors, happier CSAs??

There were a few errors, some minor, one fairly major.

* We had flyscreens and a security door for the laundry in the colour document that shouldn't have been there. I was very tempted to overlook that mistake but I am too honest!
* We had the wrong package for some door furniture and wrong code for all our kitchen/vanity/laundry handles.
* A possible incorrect handle for the pantry door.
* Possibly incorrect taps for vanity basins in all bathrooms - to be clarified tomorrow.
* A missing towel rail that we paid extra for
* The tender has architraves at 75mm but our colour document has our selected ones at 67mm. Do we choose smaller ones or is that a mistake?
* I have noted that one aircon vent is right up near a cornice rather than more in the centre of the room - that would really bug me.
* The biggie - for our cellar under the stairs, the tender presenter squared off the area that adjoins the media room which was part of the price as well as gyprocking, tiling and a door. This was signed off on the tender variation in handwriting. I wasn't too worried that it wasn't on the contract plans as neither were all the changes to our kitchen. I was told it all comes through in the final drawings. Move forward to yesterday and it didn't come through. I look back to the more official typed up variation 1 and I had signed it off without them adding on the 'squared off' bit. I emailed EBH today explaining the situation and owning my mistake in signing it off when it was not correct. If we were going to be penalised for making a change now, I would have left it. I received a PCV this afternoon requesting the change to the construction drawings with NO CHARGE! Very happy buildee and a happy Brad (more wine storage!)
* In adding the plans to my blog, I have also just noticed that the stacker doors to the family room are opening the wrong way on this plan. Correct elsewhere though......

Welcome to my blog! Never blogged before but I thought it would be an easy way to keep friends and family up to date with where we are up to with the house building and also an easy way to log activity for our records.

I might start with our plans which are all finalised. Our design is roughly based on the Newport 40 but we have added a rumpus (pool table room/bar) at the back which meant moving the kitchen. We have also redesigned the whole top floor to give me my all important bath in the ensuite.