Jessica SA! After 2 long years....... We have fences :)

Hi All,

I thought it is my time to start a blog now. So a little bit about myself, My name is Jessica and I am 22 years old. I am engaged and getting married next year!

We have bought a block of land at the Settlement Golden grove. Our experience so far with building has been mixed but now it has been good. We orignally had signed everything with another builder but they kept on adding endless costs so now we are going through Fairmont. So far they have been great! We have been told that our house is going to start in about 3-5 weeks which is sooooo exciting

We have chosen the Ashbourne which is on Display at Blakeview and we have made some rooms bigger, hall way wider and we have changed the layout of the kitchen a bit.

Well we upgraded and added alot but the selections are

Wardrobes in the ensuite fully done
Ensuite and Main Bathroom - 30x60 white tiles and brown porcelain floors (both the same)
we have chosen a wood grainish for the cupboards for the ensuite and we are getting stone for the bench tops.
Basins - square
Taps - LOVE these Jovian dorf range. We have that range throughout the house
Kitchen - Overhead cupboars are a metallic goldish/beige colour and the bottom cupboard are the glossy woodgrainish finish (the same as the ensuite and main bathroom)
Laundry - all cupboards and benchtops
Roof tiles- Ebony shingle
Bricks- PGH cafe latte


Overall theme we are going for is beige white and brown then we are adding red through accessories

Our slab was poured on Feb 13th. Here are some pics

They have cleared the Block!
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/Picture174.jpg

Trenches done
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/Picture175.jpg

Plastic over it
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00419.jpg

Slab freshly poured
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00425.jpg

Slab with lovely marks over it
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00738.jpg

Slab and bricks
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00950.jpg

Bricks
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00952.jpg

Hi Jessica,

Congratulations. It must feel great after your false start with the other builder. You had guts to walk and get what you want elsewhere. I hope all goes well with you and look forward to hearing how you go.

WE WANT PICCIES! they're highly valued on this forum.

Blessings to you

Hi Robinred,

Yeh trust me it was I know a few people had issues regarding pricing but it was stressing me out so much and we had to bite the bullet seeing as the FHOG was going to run out. When we decided to go with Fairmonts they actually called up that night saying oh $&#* we stuffed up and what you said was correct. But we decided to go with Fairmonts and we are over the moon with our decision. If they do as good job of our than what they have done with our slab (private site inspector said one of the best slabs he has has seen regarding variations

Signed Dechellis 22/11/2008
Cancelled 12/09/2009
Signed with Fairmont 15/09/2009
HIA contract signed 27/09/2009
Footings variation
Selection meeting with Direct Interiors 9/12/2009
Kitchen 19/12/2009
Final Selection 23/12/2009
Trenches 8/02/2010
reo bar 11/02/2010
Slab 13/02/2010
Bricks Delivered 16/03/2010
Frames Delivered 22/03/2010
Portaloo on block 1/04/2010

Pictures to come
Kitchen
Glass splashback
wine rack
pot draws
pantry doors in senosan
hanging and shelves in WIR
Overhead cupboard in Senosan (high gloss in beige gold)
Below cupboard in Shannon Oak high sheen
Shannon Oak to laundry
Shannon Oak to ensuite and main bathroom
Soft close

I am going to scan through a copy of our floorplan as we made a couple of adjustments to the original floorplan. But here are pics of the display

Front of the house (portico rendered which will be paperpark and the rest bricked, caffe late  and roof will be tiled
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010633-1.jpg

Front entrance
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010614.jpg

Entrance
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010617.jpg

Lounge
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010615.jpg

Dining
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010616.jpg

Our Bedroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010630.jpg

Ensuite
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010631.jpg

Main Bathroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010622.jpg

Bath in the Main Bathroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010623.jpg

Shower in the Main bathroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010624.jpg

Study, we have made the room bigger so it will be used as a study and a bedroom if we have 3 kids
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010625.jpg

Bedroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010626.jpg

Other bedroom



Dining area
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/P1010616.jpg

Home Entertainment Theatre


Home Entertainment Theatre


Laundry


Kitchen (changes the layout and very different selection choices, hopefully can post pics soon

Goodluck with it all Jessie - I look forward to watching your progress.

Thanks Hopefully can add pics of our selections soon

I like the facade of the house...very smart.
(and a way smart fence at the side! pillars!!)
Your home is going to look lovely....if these are anything to go by. Do you think you will
copy?

hurry with the plans!! I love plans....

good luck and all the best, so exciting for you
nicky

Oh Jess,

It looks so beautiful. I'm glad it's working out so great. You deserve it.

That theatre room is to die for! Mum and I were in raptures when we saw the display home. I'm interested to see what changes you've made.

Hi Jess,

They are coming any minute now

Thanks Robinred, you deserve it too. I hope everything is sorted!

Sooooo.....

Display home floor plan



Our plan



Soooooo the changes

We made the entrance wider and forgot to add increased the height of the ceiling of the entrance with a blukhead. So below our lovely chandelier

First of all the Main bedroom we made the ensuite bigger, so in turn made the wir bigger. We have it full decked out. The long bit is all mine and short bit is Troys hahahaha i joke. But I love it we got soooo much put in there

Coming from the garage we have changed that, as we wanted a walk in pantry so from the entrance you will see the wall jutting out and we will put a mirror or something on that bit. Would love to have a fire there but not sure if that would be possible..... then either side benches where we may put vases or something there.....

the kitchen is very different.... See pics for what we are going for... different shade of laminate ours is a bit darker. We are also going for the dark mirror that they have with stone benchtops (see below for our selections)

Photo is shocking will try and get a better one


We have added the alfresco.... your next question could be why didnt we want to extend it further, we wanted that area open to put our bbq instead of having it all under roof.

Bedroom 3 is quite small so we made that bigger

You're also using the stopsol grey (black mirror) splashbacks? We have ordered that for ours - should look STUNNING! I'm hoping that we're only 6-8 weeks from handover, so hopefully we will have the splashback in soon and can put up some nice pics for you to demonstrate what you're having =)

I love the changes that you have made to your plan. Very clever redesign of the kitchen - the pantry is awesome AND adds interest to the lounge behind it by sectioning that wall. It will look awesome with a nice mirror or something in there. Lots of prep space on your kitchen benches too =) Well done! Nice amount of storage in the laundry, too.

Great work on replacing the laundry sliding door - I'm amazed that so many companies insist on putting them into laundries with either a trough or washing machine up along side it wasting the window space anyways! Seems very little point when a glass hinged door and/ord a window would suffice and perform better (and require less cleaning of tracks!).

For someone so young you have really got things figured out nicely. It takes most people YEARS of living in and cleaning their own houses to figure out that type of usability and design efficiency. Yay you =)

I hope that it all happens really quickly for you. Ours feels like it's really dragging on at the moment!

Sooooo here is the exciting bits

Front of the house, at the moment we are having caffe latte bricks and paperbark render on the portico. If it doesnt looks right we will render the front of the house afterwards. we were torn and we were set on full render until I saw a house on Clinker CCT and they only had the portico rendered and loved it
Caffe Latte Tiles, can't remember the mortar I will have to look up my notes and white sand over it
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/caffelatte.jpg

Roof tiles. Ebony shingle
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/rooftiles.jpg

Porcelain tiles, but we are having 60x60. This is my parents carpet, we are having brown but quite a bit darker
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00986.jpg

Chandelier for the front entrance, as we have a raised ceiling
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/chandelier.jpg

The bathroom selections, we have gone very simple and I am going to add red and dark brown by our lovely towels that we have already brought. Me organised.... never So this is the ensuite and Main bathroom
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/DSC00988.jpg

We have paid a deposit on the couch from Nick Scali, one three seater and one two seater. That is to go into the lounge. Still need to find a right couch for the Home Ent. Troy keeps on choosing hideous stuff coz he says its comfortable.....yes I am all for comfortable but it has to be aestetically pleasing as well So.... I think we will wait for that til we move in.

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/austin.jpg

Loved this table since forever.
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/pronto.jpg

Chairs that we will get
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/Phillip.jpg

Our lamps, got about 6 or 8 I think
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/lamps.jpg

Kitchen
This is the look we are going for
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/kitchen.jpg

We chose Shannon Oak, we wanted something a bit darker
http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz164/jessie87_2010/shannonoak.jpg

Stone that we are going for in the Kitchen and Main Bathroom and Ensuite


Sinks, 2 in the Ensuite and one in the Main Bathroom


Now I know many people may not get EXCITED about taps..... But I am. Loved em, gotta have em, Troy tried and talked me out of them coz of $$$$$ but as I said gotta have em The range is throughout the whole house




So overall, we are going quite nuetral but we will add red to accessories, like towels, cushions and we have the most awesome old fashion modern kettle. ooooh I will have to pst that as well and awesome red cookie jars.

Ok.... you may think I am CRAZY

Yes it is absolutely adorable I love the mirror and will add sooo much to the kitchen. It will really finish it off I hope yours is going well. I have been reading on your progress

Yeh.... I have to admit Troy my fiance helped me alot with it and he has been WONDERFUL. He truly is great and I am soooooo lucky to have him. We will use the kitchen bench on the other side as a breakfast bar as well. So when we have kiddies while I am getting things organised they can have breakfast

Yes exactly and we are going to put our doggy door there eventually

Thanks. We went to alot of people about the floor plan in the short amount of time. Coz I am still living with my parents and him living with his it is good to see peoples opinions and what they would change about there house so we have tried to think of everything. I am sure once we get in we would like to change a few things but we think we have got it pretty much what we wanted

oh all we see is frames and bricks. Nathaniel who is building south with Fairmonts had his slab laid three days before and they are already bricking. We dont even have a frame up. Oh well.... the longer they take the more money it is saving us.... I try and keep on telling that to myself but gosh its hard....

nice design and nice changes...