Monaco after handover ~ Fairmont Homes ~ Front yard

Well, I’ve gained a lot from reading everyone else’s home threads. Now, it seems I’m pretty close to the start of my own build so I thought I’d start sharing the experience (and of course, plenty of pics) in my own thread.

DH and I bought a small 1960s home on a flat, rectangular 700sqm block about 4 years ago. We found we were quite limited in the range of display homes we could choose as our block is quite narrow (15.8m wide). One of the first display homes we went through was the Monaco. It seemed to tick all the boxes – narrow design, lots of storage, 4 bedrooms, home theatre, etc. It took us about 9 months to finally sign up to build the Monaco. This is our first build so we didn’t want to rush into it. Here is a timeline of events:
13/09/10 – Signed contract
03/12/10 – Selections with Direct Interiors
09/12/10 – Kitchen selections
06/01/11 – Council approval
28/02/11-04/03/11 – Demolition
10/03/11 – Site pegged - stormwater pipe (easement) discovered
04/04/11 – Stormwater pipe removed
19/04/11 – Slab poured
30/05/11 – 06/06/11 – Frame erected
21/06/11 – 22-06/11 – Roof
29/06/11 – Windows
04/07/11 – 21/07/11 – Bricks
28/07/11 – Gyprock installed
15/08/11 – Lockup
26/08/11 – 27/08/11 – Kitchen installed
06/09/11 – 16/09/11 – Tiling
21/09/11 – Cornices installed
21/09/11 – 23/09/11 – Eaves installed
23/09/11 – Shower screensand bathroom accessories installed
27/09/11 – Plumbing
28/09/11 – 17/10/11 – Painting
21/10/11 – PCI
27/10/11 – Handover

Below is the plan. It’s basically the same design as the original but we’ve made a lot of the rooms larger and changed the front elevation:
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