Wow, some exciting developments have been going on in here. Been a while since I've checked in. We've been in our new home for 7 weeks now - how time flies! I've just done a blog post if anyone wants to see how our backyard / decking / retaining is progressing: http://karry327.blogspot.com/2011/09/i...

I am not a plumber but my guess is that the s bend leaking, the water in the s bend acts a barrier to stop sewer smells coming though. Maybe try to pour water down the waste then after the level has settled (allow a couple of minutes) make the water level. Once the smell returns check the water leve...

Funnily enough the cost of the retaining wall was only $990 and the fence was $750. The retaining wall is currently doing it's job but it's not the ideal sized timber and it's also not termite protected (apparently something was sprayed on it after it was erected which doesn't help for the bits unde...

Thank you everyone, your advice has been very helpful! From what I can ascertain, we're not responsible for either cost however we'll do the neighbourly thing and give him half for the fence. All I need now is some literature confirming that "whoever alters the land level is responsible for ret...

Our neighbour behind us has just given us a quote for the fence and retaining wall he had erected just over a year ago on 7/8/10. We put a 10% deposit on our land in March 2010 and settled on the land in December 2010. At no point did this neighbour ever speak to us about fencing etc and as far as w...

Hi everyone, We moved in a few weeks ago on 15th July!!! :z: We're all unpacked and hubby's been hard at work landscaping. For an update with pics, see our blog ::smile:: http://karry327.blogspot.com/2011/08/resting-on-our-laurels.html I hope everyone elses builds are going well.

I used some sugar soap in the shower yesterday on some reasonably baked on soap scum and it worked really well!!

Yes, we did our PCI a week or so ago. At the time, a fair bit still needed to be done, for example we didn't even have carpets at the time. We're yet to do our final walk through and sign off on the PCI check list. We really only have 2 options. Sign off now and hope he delivers on the 'verbal' agre...

Our house is almost finished being built by a well known, reputable builder. It's been a great experience the whole way pretty much and we're 7 weeks ahead of schedule! I know, unheard of. There are only a handful of items yet to have ready before we would technically be ready to sign off: Clean som...

:z: Great news Kopite!!

Yes, the neighbours are meant to be notified however we noticed in our area the documents were only sent to neighbours who had already moved in! Quite annoying it wasn't sent to all involved - wouldn't have been that hard to obtain contact details. Oh and you can get an idea of what they're building...

Look at the threads on rendering blueboard and flexible renders/textured paint finishes.

Maybe do a search on hanging gardens, might be something on homeone too. Wife did a piece on hanging gardens on her blog - check below in signature

Standard tiling for us (building a modified Saville) was just skirting tiles, you can upgrade to tile to the ceiling or nominate a height, basically there charge you per m2.

Happycamper you are completely correct, but it gets worse. Last year I went to a rental house that had caught fire, after extinguishing the blaze it appeared there was no smoke detector installed. It has been a requirement by law that smoke detectors be supplied by landlords for some years in NSW no...

In most (all?) states it is a requirement to have hardwired smoke alarms in new constructions. They have to meet the specified Australian Standards and have a battery back-up. The battery back-up is a must as numerous house fires occur during black-outs from people using candles, different cooking a...

Karry327 I love your blog!! It's so informative! Did you get prices for all your upgrades/extras while you were at HOG or afterwards? I didn't think that laminate was an option with Di Lorenzo? We had enquired about laminate flooring and was directed to the hardwood boards and told it'll cost about...

Sounds like all is going well for everyone except for additional piering costs which is unfortunate ::sad:: We're almost finished our end which is exciting. ::party:: We had our PCI last Wednesday (prematurely seeing that still a bit needed to be done) however it means this week and next should be a...

Make sure you have WORKING smoke alarms. I believe there has not been any fatalities in house fires in NSW for at least 10 years in homes where there was a working smoke alarm. Also make sure your insurance will cover the cost of a new house, demolition of the old place and rent for 12 months.