Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - scraped, now waiting on p 141Nov 26, 2012 9:25 am What a beautiful morning it is, perfect weather for a pour, fingers crossed. Earlier this year we were driving through Robertson and I saw the biggest wombat I have ever seen in my life. It was on the edge of the road at the T intersection opposite the pie shop and dead as a doornail, car that hit it would have been a mess. My son was in Tassy last week and sent me this photo he took while hiking on Cradle Mountain. Not the best quality but hopefully you can zoom in for a close up and see how “small” he is! http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s507/grumblebum54/IMG_1502.jpg Regards, Grumbles Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - scraped, now waiting on p 142Nov 26, 2012 10:18 am Grumbles, sadly the only wombats I have seen in the wild are upside down, legs straight up on the roadside. I get quite sad about it so my fiance says they are 'just sleeping'. That's a beautiful photo of the wombat. My fiance was in Tasmania too last week in Port Sorell. No wombat sightings though he did keep an eye out apparently. There is a mange problem within all/most populations of wombats, that coupled with their loss of habitat, they aren't doing so well. I think if you own a property with a wombat burrow, you can call in an expert and they fit a little spray device above the entrance. It detects them coming and going and lets out a mist so they are treated for the mange. I hope people try to protect them. Anyway, enough of my conservation rant. Yay for fine weather Kelbelle! Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - scraped, now waiting on p 143Nov 26, 2012 8:44 pm Kelbelle & Grumbles, a question regarding B's tile range. I have quite a particular look for the kitchen and bathroom tiles. How did you find the selection they offer? Are they quite flexible for you to go outside what their range or did you find they had more than enough choice anyway so no need to? Thank you in advance! Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 144Nov 27, 2012 5:44 pm Despite the somewhat gloomy day, we were greeted with a very welcome sight this morning! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My FIL went out and watched - they were done within 3 hours! Luckily, since the rain started a few hours later. It is holding up really well though Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I was all ready for it to look small, maybe I was overly prepared, but it looks BIG to me! Yay!!!! Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 145Nov 27, 2012 5:52 pm Sorry SH, missed your question in my excitement!! I found there was a good choice of tiles, the tile lady basically said what price range we could choose from and let us sort out what we wanted If we had wanted tiles outside the range (which we did for the feature tile, except she said we could have it as part of standard - winning!), we would just be paying the extra between the prices. I found B really good that way, because they don't get huge discounts for buying huge amounts, changes away from standard weren't unreasonably priced. Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 146Nov 27, 2012 6:40 pm CONGRATS on your slab!!! Sorry I can't put in any smilies as I am on my phone We were worried with the weather as well, but stayed clear until just recently Yours is a great sized slab, it looks big in the photo Modified Fernside 38 Rawson Homes Blog: http://www.thehousethatmatandjenbuilt.blogspot.com Build Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60501 Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 147Nov 28, 2012 10:15 am Congratulations on your slab Kelbelle or conSLABulations more like it!! So exciting to see things progressing!! Looks large to me too! Thank you also for the tile information, it was really helpful. D is away so I couldn't ask him but chatted to the other office. I called the tile supplier and listed the tiles I was hoping for and she could get them in so yay! We just paid for a tender from B so excitement all round! Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 148Nov 28, 2012 10:18 am Love a new slab, lookin' good!! http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s507/grumblebum54/laurelamphardy.gif Regards, Grumbles Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 149Nov 28, 2012 11:07 am SH-Good news re the tiles but have you already checked out the tile shop in case they have something similar or better? I also found their tile selection to be adequate but I still had to pay them an extra $824. I had extra tiles in the laundry and the area outside the loo, and in the bathroom and ensuite I got them to fill some of the gaps. I had chrome corner guards put around both shower recesses and along the bath and spa, and in the shower recesses and above the three vanities I had mosaic tiles laid. I also deleted the soap holders in both showers. What design is the tender for? Regards, Grumbles Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - SLABBED! 150Nov 28, 2012 11:54 am Grumbles, thank you for all the tile information, again really helpful and put my mind at ease! Haven't been to the tile shop so that's the next port of call. As you say, they may have something already or even better. I'm just glad that if they don't have what I'm after, they can order in the ones I like as a back up. The house design is... The Namarra haha but altered beyond all recognition. They had already altered it a lot from the plan on the website but to get the kitchen right, it will take more moving around. I stumbled across your plan the other day and your kitchen is very similar to what I had hoped with the butler pantry. If it takes too much changing around (and too much cost) to get it right, our back up is the Saltwater, which you (thankfully) pointed out to me. B have already said they would be happy to do the Saltwater also and will play around with the facade to get that cottage feel. Whatever the house, it's going to be a Barrington! waiting, waiting, waiting 151Jan 09, 2013 12:35 pm Hi all, hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and New Year!
I had to stay away for a while, otherwise SH I might have seriously dissuaded you (or anyone else) from ever building! After numerous promises of this week, next week, before xmas, early Jan, we have... NOTHING DONE! Part of the frame has been sitting on site since early Dec but that's it. Apparently it is the framing company's fault, but I live by the motto of "don't make excuses, make good!" so I am sooo frustrated. We were told when signing contracts that an Easter completion date would be reached easily, now I am just praying that something starts happening soon because we HAVE to be in by early June. On a brighter note, we went light shopping before xmas: We have two of these going above the kitchen island (I know groups of three look better, but these are larger than I expected and the island isn't that long) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ and these go above the dining table and living area Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We also took advantage of the after xmas sales to stock up on lots of linens and towels, as well as 2 new Stanley Rogers baguette cutlery sets. I absolutely cannot wait to get in our house and unpack all the goodies we have been saving up - we have gifts from our 2011 wedding that went straight into storage and things we have been picking up along the way, it is going to be like Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one! SH - have you got your tender yet? Hoping it is everything you were wanting! Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - waiting, waiting, waiting 152Jan 14, 2013 7:56 pm I lost your thread. I'm sorry to hear that things have been slow for you. We are also slow at the moment and the house has been sitting untouched since 13th December. We have been promised that things will happen and they haven't. Bricklayers were supposed to start last Monday and we didn't have bricks until Tuesday and that was the only activity all week, Keeping fingers crossed that things will start moving for you this week Modified Fernside 38 Rawson Homes Blog: http://www.thehousethatmatandjenbuilt.blogspot.com Build Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60501 Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - waiting, waiting, waiting 153Jan 24, 2013 1:39 pm Hi Kelbelle, I have been away from the forums too and didn't see this until today. I'm really sorry to hear progress has been slow, has anything happened since the 9th? Exciting about all your goodies to go into your house. I love those pendants, they would suit a range of different design schemes. I took a break from the house hunting over the break. We received our tender and we were really happy with it but we held back as we felt we wanted to explore a few other options first and I wasn't 100% sold on the block at the time as I still hope for larger land. It's been a bit all over the place as we fell in love with a block in Jervis Bay but after much back and forth, it didn't pan out and in hindsight, the commute would have been really hard. We have been house hunting around The Southern Highlands to get an idea of existing houses and we have also been looking at the inner suburbs of Sydney. I thought this process would be much more exciting than it is. It can be quite draining and disheartening, especially the houses (semis/terraces) in the inner suburbs are so tiny, with no yard to speak of and they really don't feel like value for money when you see the asking price. I don't want to sound negative, I'm hopeful and looking forward to one day finding something that works for both my fiance and I. Re: Our Southern Highlands Build - waiting, waiting, waiting 154Feb 07, 2013 11:26 am Any progress Kelbelle? Hopefully your build is well on its way now... Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 155Feb 22, 2013 8:23 pm So I have had to stop visiting the forum - our build has gone nowhere and seeing everyone's progress just makes me sad, or worse: frustrated when I see people talk about how slow their build is - we have only JUST reached bricks and while the ONE brickie is working hard, it will still be weeks until he is finished AND he tells us he has another job he has to go to next week so he won't be at our build. We are completely devastated, we have lost all excitement for our build and all faith in our builders - we keep getting "updates" that are the same as the week before, or for things the SS told us would be done weeks before. We honestly wish there was some way we could pull out and get it finished with another builder (The Allworth house across the road started 6 weeks after us and it has a roof and bricks finished and they have still had a large number of days with no builders on site, so we would happily go with them!). We have bub #1 on the way (due beginning of Aug!) and where we are living is really not suitable for pregnancy! We have been looking into other rentals, but they all want at least a 6 month, if not 12, lease, which would have been alright if we had done it a few months ago, however that was when our builder was telling us we would be in by April, and when we spoke to our SS in January he assured us June would be too easy - now with the way it is going we will be lucky to get in before the baby is born! Sorry for the majorly sad attitude, I hope things are going better for everyone else! Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 156Feb 23, 2013 9:21 am Have just come across your story, very interesting read. Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. You don't need the added worry of a slow build and figuring out what to do after June. Maybe writing an email to the office manager, construction manager or even the owner of the building company would help speed things up? So frustrating watching other builds speeds past you, I feel for you. Hang in there, it will be worth it in the end. On a brighter note, CONGRATS ON THE GORGEOUS BUN IN YOUR OVEN something happy to concentrate on. Lastly I looooove those lights. May I ask where you got them from? I've not seen them here in WA or on the web. They look sensational. Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 157Feb 28, 2013 7:13 pm Thanks for the well-wishes serialbuilder! We are very excited and everything seems to be going well. The lights were from Beacon lighting here: http://www.beaconlighting.com.au/lighti ... shade.html and here: http://www.beaconlighting.com.au/lighti ... shade.html And they do ship Australia wide! They are bigger in real life than we expected - they are advertised as 1Lt, but the beaker is 380mm high with a bottom diameter of 17cm. Exactly what we wanted though We have written two letters now to the office manager, which are always answered with apologies and explanations but the delays are still happening. Unfortunately, they do not seem to be able to get the tradies that are needed. We received our update saying the bricklayer would be at the house all week and WE had to update them with "um, no, he has to go to another job this week!". So in two weeks of "bricks being laid" updates, we have had 3 days of actual bricklaying, which equals 1/3 height of half the front of the house and 1/2 height of a (shorter) side wall. Oh well, at least they can't claim rain days for a pretty wet week! Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 158Feb 28, 2013 9:05 pm Kelbelle I am sorry that you have been let down by your builders. We are having a slow build as well, but seems that we are quicker than you. We had a large team of brickies working on our house and they managed to do the whole bottom floor in 3 days and then they kept going AWOL. They started on 22nd January and finished on Tuesday. So a total of 36 days they were there, but only turned up 15 of those. Some of those days they were only there for a few hours as soon as there was a sprinkle they abandoned site. I have found that having people working on your house in the day dramatically changes your mood and if they are there I am happy, but when they are not and it is a perfectly sunny day it puts me in a bad mood. Rawson has not put in any rain delays and if they try I will not accept any. There has been so many days where they could have worked and they haven't, so if the weather is bad when they want to work then it is their tough luck. Congrats oops your pregnancy. Hoping that it is a pretty uneventful 7 months pregnancy wise for you. Modified Fernside 38 Rawson Homes Blog: http://www.thehousethatmatandjenbuilt.blogspot.com Build Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60501 Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 159Mar 11, 2013 5:12 pm Jen1977 Rawson has not put in any rain delays and if they try I will not accept any. There has been so many days where they could have worked and they haven't, so if the weather is bad when they want to work then it is their tough luck. Haha! Jen, this just made my day. I love this attitude I have been following your lead and tracking what is happening on site every day, the BOM weather readings and what day number we are up to, so I will be using this argument too if it gets to the end of our contract. Only 5 months of pregnancy left to go, I'm just praying with everything I've got that we will be in before the bub is born! Our brickie has told us he will be finished by next Monday (which in 18 days of "bricking" will be a total of 12 days on site, so that is not a bad ratio compared to Jens!) and the SS told him the roofers would be there on Wednesday so while I know I shouldn't be getting my hopes up, we may not have weeks of inactivity between trades this time! Jen1977 I have found that having people working on your house in the day dramatically changes your mood and if they are there I am happy, but when they are not and it is a perfectly sunny day it puts me in a bad mood. I know this feeling! Re: Our SH build - will we ever have a house? 160Mar 13, 2013 6:26 pm Hi Kelbelle, congratulations on your pregnancy! That's wonderful news. Sounds like things are still travelling slowly for you with the build. Hope you have managed to sort out the rental issues. Would you still recommend your builder despite the delays? Thank you for visiting my thread and well wishes on our recent land purchase. We just settled last Friday so it's finally ours. It's the same block we made an offer on way back but had to give it up due to bank approval delays. We were lucky to buy it as it was a race to exchange between 3 other parties. Can't change my user name now! Milton is stunning. There is a gorgeous restaurant we went to a few weekends ago called St Isodores. I know we won't be neighbours anymore! I still love The Southern Highlands but the beach won us over in the end Hello everyone, I have a question regarding moving a chandelier after it has been mounted. The chandelier in question is quite large, measuring 4 meters… 0 72342 Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 7 17628 of course there are legal avenues. You've already mentioned it. Sue them. I find it odd that lawyers wouldnt be willing to take on the case, given CCT evidence and… 1 23787 |