Sunday 10 November 2013

Flooring Finished & Garage door in

Carpet
Another granular update, with the second part of the flooring installed, the carpet (to all rooms) of the house. It looks like the carpet will be fun to clean / has a microfiber look to it (sample looked different, but all good!). We look forward to being able to see the carpet inside the house and feel the underlay (Cat 2, had hoped to stretch for cat3, but that didn't happen).

The glass for the showers has also been installed (mirrors had been done previously). However no photo of those at current, but we all know what shower screens look like ;)

Automatic garage door
Our Garage door has also been installed, with the automatic door opener. The garage door is of a wood like finish (to comply with covenants).


We are still waiting on the cladding and panels to be installed in the eaves/porch - which is allowing for birds to make their home in our open roof, not a particular preference for our new home!

Inspection is only a few weeks over, then handover soon after that. Exciting times!

Carpet and garage door for reference, from color selection:


9 comments:

  1. Hi J & M. Nice home! Does the Garage door wood like finish an upgrade? how much you paid?

    Thanks and I'm enjoying reading your blog.

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  2. Hi Hubert, it is indeed an upgrade (Covenant compliance). Currently don't have an electronic copy of a document with the value, but it was both an upgrade color/look wise and upgrade to make it slimline. I'm assuming it was around $500-$1000. Will have to see if I can dig up paper work some time.

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  3. Hi J & M.
    Loving this blog and your new house. We are building the Winslow33 too. Think we have even picked the same carpets, Just wondering how you are finding the dark brown? not too hard to keep clean? And was the Cat2 underlay enough?
    Any other tips/hints or thoughts on the house after living in it now?
    Thanks

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  4. Hi Bre,
    Thanks and good choice on house design ;)

    We find the color to be ok, however a few notes: when vacuumed it will leave streaks (light and dark depending on the way the carpet 'folds' (no big deal to us) and it's a fairly low profile carpet. Lighter colored fluff shows up easier, but that's to be expected on dark carpet. I would recommend a good vacuum to thorough clean the carpets - we invested in one and found that made a big difference in the cleanliness.

    We only got cat2 underlay (partner didn't have long term planning or vision!) - I would suggest cat3 for the greater density at the same thickness. Its about 500 per category upgrade ballpark and not something you want to do post build.

    Tips - Lots of power points, then more power points. My thoughts are to prioritize what is cheaper/easier to get done at build stage (and be prepared for costs) vs what you want done afterwoods (& related cost savings / retrofitting/destruction, etc). Allow a good budget + some extra for upgrades & changes, so you can get what you want without being to far stretched with budgets.

    All comes down to personal choice, budget and what kind of solution you want from the build product (house).

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  5. Hi J & M

    Soon our construction will commence with Carlisle. I enjoyed going through your blog and to see how exhausting to go through all the stages. I would like to know how it all went with fixing all the issues you had identified before the handover? Was it completed to your satisfaction or was it rushed?

    Thanks
    Menaka

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    1. Hi Menaka,

      It was very involved but something to keep on top of, as its your investment and product.

      The vast majority of items were fixed that were identified on the inspection, however two items they did not fix as they were within 'tolerance', using a technicality to get out of resolving them. This is still far better than most experiences people have had.

      All other marks/minor defects were resolved as per the list made and signed. Definitely take your time with the inspection, all inspections are rushed by all builders to save money, however as mentioned its your product that you want done right. Some items are also hard to argue at 3 months, as they may be deemed wear and tear or owner inflicted.

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    2. Thank you for the prompt response. Do you recommend the independent inspector used by you? Was there a massive input from him or did you personally identified most of the defects by your selves?

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    3. Your welcome - I understand how important building a house is and trying to get it as right as possible.

      We found them to be good (everyone has their own opinion though - feel free to check homeone.com.au forums for more information on inspectors)

      They gave us a written (emailed) report and looked at things from a building code/technical aspect - they know the spacing/tolerances/materials and how they should be used/look - we don't know the building code, tricks or what to look for on a technical level - we can only look at physical aesthetics that we can see.

      We sent this report onto the builder for action/written reply of resolution or an explanation as to why the item was not actioned. Written in email is king and make sure you require a response - verbal means nothing when it comes to building.

      Some inspections were done on their own/some had one of us onsite. All inspections need to be notified/approved time by the building site supervisor, etc.

      Such an example, is that behind all the basins/sinks, they were not corked (sealed) - meaning water would freely run into the storage below if spilled, the inspector specifically had tools and the knowledge to look for those.

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  6. I am considering to go ahead with New Home Inspections for independent inspections. Hopefully they will be able to identify the technical side of things and do a good job.Thanks for your advice on the emails. I tend to have most of the things in writing because it easier that way to refer back.

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