Custom Design 5 Acres Northern NSW - Tiling & Benchtop

Thanks BB7, AKB & cat_dunc.

The bricks are PGH Homestead blend. These are 1/3 cadman, 1/3 Blackett and 1/3 endeavour. We are really happy with them. They really suit the style if the house. I was keen for a dark brick with white mortar, but wasn't allowed. In hindsight, this was the better option. I think these will hold better with time in the area we are in.

It's also good most of the houses in the area are rendered. So it makes our a little different.

Also really happy with the basalt roof.

It's all looking amazing! Congrats, it's galloping along.

Thanks lmille. Any update on your place? Settling in well? Any landscaping etc done? I must go for a drive past soon.

We have a couple of little trees in but not a whole lot of progress. Our driveway is now finished, they poured the crossover this morning and only now will we get our occupancy certificate. But we love living up here on the hill.

Another couple of weeks have passed since I last posted, and we have continued to proceed well. Bricks are now fully completed, and the plasterboards on both the walls and ceiling are also completed. This was completed by the builder's boys, and then the plasterer arrived towards to the end of the week to complete the plastering and cornices etc.

A few photos

Brick Pillars completed. Really happy with the how these have turned out. We originally were talking about rendering these pillars but the budget ran out. In hindsight, I'm pleased they were plain brick.


Front of the house, and the portico.


Brickwork under neath the front door. Very well done, very tidy.


Plaster up in family room.


Main bedroom


The long hallway. Going to get fit walking from one end to the other on a regular basis.

I had a mini meltdown through the week. TO be expected I guess, and surprising there hasn't been more so far. This was about paint colour. Paint has been the 1 thing we have really struggled with overall. Never quite able to find anything we were really happy with. Walking through the house, looking at the grey plaster, which looked drab and cold, I got really scared that the pait we had chosen (a grey colour) would be similar to the plasterboards. Cue a 'discussion' and we decided to contact an interior designer client I've been dealing with.

That was quite confronting. Opening our ideas to an expert, potentially for criticism. But is was really good. She had some excellent ideas, really practical, and little things that will make a real difference. Anyway, she confirmed our thoughts with the paint, which although I felt better when I got the smaple to the house, I still think we can chose better. SO she is going to come back to us with some alternatives that will be warmer.

Better post this as it's getting long.

So turned up on Friday to see the plaster progress, and what do we find.....


Locked out!!! Such a bitter sweet moment. It's good to see progress, and know the exciting bits are just around the corner, but so frustrating to not be able to get in.


My front door. Yay!


Up close. We ordered clear glass, which I think it is, but it's not until you are right up close that you can see in. Really like it.

But we got some bad (?) news on Friday. The tiler was booked for about 20 Oct. He has just told our builder he is going on holidays a week later for 2 weeks. Bugger. So apparently he won't start until he gets back, nearly mid nov. With the tiling estimated to take 3 weeks, and then painting and finishing off to happen, we have now been told we won't get in before Christmas.

So I'm really disappointed about that. He has given us the option to find another tiler, but this is the tiler the builder has used for many many years, and he has an excellent reputation around town. So unfortunately, we don't really have an option but to wait. Christmas would have been a really good time to have time off and move without having to stress about work etc.

Oh well. These things happen.

Lovely. I'm sure we are probably due for some more photos.

I have been really slack in updating this. I've been reading everyone's progress, but just haven't taken the time to update myself.

We have had reasonable progress over the last nearly 2 months. Due to the delay in the tiler, things really seemed to slow down.

Not long after lockup, we had our kitchen installed:


We are really happy with how it has turned out.


The island bench.

Oven installed already

We had some problems with our rangehood. We wanted an undermount rangehood and picked one out. We didn't realise the rangehoods come in a variety of sizes (depths). Anyway the builder ordered the one we'd picked, and provided it to the kitchen maker.

We got a phone call to say that the rangehood doesn't fit with the cupboards, and what would we like to do??? To say we were annoyed is an understatement. THis rangehood was selected very early on and we would have expected between the builder and the kitchen maker that one would have said there was a problem. So we have had to select (and pay for!) another rangehood, as the original rangehood was a 'special order'. Anyway the kitchen maker has said he may be able to use the rangehood somewhere else, or we may try to sell it on ebay or something. Just struggle to understand how it happened in the first place.

We also got the idea from someone on here to add ends to the island bench. Not waterfall ends, but the same as the cabinets. This has made such a difference, at a fraction of the cost of waterfall ends.

Other progress made around the time of the kitchen being installed:


Plaster finished living/family room


Doors on (from one of the bedrooms looking into the lounge room)


Bath installed.


The vanities and laundry cupboards in our shed. Apparently these don't get installed until after the wet area floor tiling is completed. We kept going tothe house to see if they had been installed and finally asked when they would be installed, to be told not until after the tiling. Funny how different builders do things differently.

After the long weekend in October, our wardrobe doors were installed.


And the left over bricks were moved from all over the site and stacked nicely behind our shed


We then had to rechoose some of our door hardware. For our laundry and extrenal garage door (both on western side of house), we'd chosen a deadlock that could also be used just as a lock. So only needed a door handle. We had originally chosen the same door furniture as through the rest of the house. However, these were 'internal' and we needed external. Sometimes I wish we were given more direction from the builder to prevent have to rechoose many things. Anyway, got that sorted out.

Mid October things have really slowed down. It's pretty obvious they were really ready for the tiler around now. So now bit and pieces of jobs are being done. I think mostly so it seems things are still progressing while we are waiting for the tiler.


Start of the build in robes for the kids. We went with 1/3 shelves, 1/3 full hanging and 1/3 1/2 hanging and shelves at the bottom.


Waterproofing commenced in the wet areas. The waterproofing is done by the builder, and the whole area of the wet area is waterproofed. He is really thorough.


More waterproofing in the ensuite


Ensuite shower.


Tiles have been delivered. THese are the 600x600 floor tiles that are going through all our living area.

Now not sure where I am up to.

Thats right, the storm water and all the plumbing happened next. We have 10 downpipes around the house. We find that amazing, as the house we are currently in had 2 (and then we put in 1 extra), and it's not a small house. But to have 10 is incredible.

So the outside of our house was a mess for a few days. All dug up with lots of trenches.


Trench

Across the front of the house


Near the shed. The drainage for our shed wasn't actually included, however the plumber has added a pipe from the downpipes at the shed to the drain. Which we were really pleased with.


Now all the trenches are filled back in. Took 2 days to dig it all up, put in the pipes and fill it all in. It's all now connected to the septic system. Now we just need to wait for the tank to be installed.

Again not a lot happening. We are have been waiting for the tiler to start.

While waiting we have had to make a final decision on the carpet. This has been one of the more difficult decisions to make. After some assistance from our interior designer friend, we have decided on:


Redbook carpet, can't remember the colour. This will be in the living area where the kids TV and such will be.


For the lounge room, and the bedrooms. This is a darker, warmer greige colour.


Roller door is on. Evening haze extra wide.

Closer up.


Whoops, a slightly leaky pipe. All fixed after a quick call to the plumber.

And finally, the tiler has started. He started mid November after his holiday to Bali (how annoying). We had been told was due back into town from Bali on the Tuesday, ad would be starting on the Wednesday. Yeah right we thought. We thought maybe on the Thursday he's come out for a look, think about what he was going to do, then start the next week. But no, we ducked out for a look late morning on the Wednesday and he was well underway.


Ensuite shower started


The new rangehood after the previous one was the wrong size. It's a concealed rangehood and I really like it.


Built in desk in the study nook. The drawers are wrong, they should be 3 even drawers, not 2 and a filing drawer. I was going ot leave it, but decided to ask the cabinet maker to check his records (he's very laid back). Sure enough he realised they are wrong and will fix them. Pleased I said something, as it was annoying me.


Part of our WIR fitout. THis is the wall that backs onto the ensuite. THe door is in the middle, so we have a bank of shelves and double hanging on either side of the door.

The other side of our WIR. This side backs up against our bedroom, and has single hanging in the middle, with a wide bank of shelves a either end. I think it is easily x2 as big as our current WIR.


More tiling in the ensuite, We are only having the shower tiled in here, then a skirting tile all around the floor. We couldn't afford to do all tiling in here.


Main bathroom. We decided to go half way up the walls with the tiling in here. Partly for kid splashes, partly as this is what guests will see (rather than the ensuite).

THe bath. THese are the floor tiles that will go up and over the bath, and up the wall level to the white tiles.

Hi m sass
I just found your thread and wanted to say hi, your house looks amazing I really like the choices you have made.

Tiling has progressed well over the last week or so


Dark tiles up the wall


White tiles grouted in ensuite


Floor tiling started in bathroom area.


Coming out to the toilet/vanity area.


Laundry floor tiling

Our builder doesn't put in the vanities in until after the floor tiling is completed int he bathrooms and laundry. These are expected to go in next week sometime, probably Tuesday or Wednesday. Looking forward to seeing these and how they work with the tiles and everything.

And just for fun, below is our front door 'lock'. It is a couple of bits of timber that butts up against the opposite wall to the door. I think it is very clever.

Thanks Topharin. It's coming together slowly but we are happy with it.

Nice to know I'm not totally talking to myself!!!

Went up for a look last week and found......


Kitchen benchtops!!!! These are Quantum Quartz Tornado. Originally we were tossing up between Tornado and Mocha. When we had to re-choose our tiles to a more grey colour, we then chose the Tornado.


Undermount sink


Bench along back wall.


Island bench


Corner.

It really changes colour depending on the light, from a real grey to more of a brown/mocha colour. I was concerned when we first saw it they they had put in the wrong colour, but after double checking with the sample was reassured.

The next step is to choose a splashback.