Update

Just posting some picture of the currant progress .

One more payment to go and it will all be done ✅

The skirting boards had to get taken off so they could put the flooring down. 😳

I do have a very ugly speed bump aka control joint for expansion though. Today I learned if from the front door to the other side of the house is 20m or more you have to have them. Will measure Monday as its hurting me just looking at it .

The kitchen bench had a chip so they’re in the process of repairing it so one side isn’t on.

Apart from that everything looks great .

Have no idea what I will do with the backyard though.

Looking good Tajana.

Not long now before PCI. Backyard is a blank canvas - good luck with what you decide. Nice size

Is that a Ceres freestanding bath in the ensuite? Great size bathroom, everything is huge!

How long did it take for the electrical and plumbing fit out? We believe ours will be next week.

Good luck with the run to hand over.

Paul

Hi Paul

Thank you

Yes it is the Ceres , I wasn’t really fond of the one that’s attached to the wall.

Would you have anyone that does retaining walls , cement ones for a decent price by any chance ? Also do you have any other options that I could do with my speed bump?
I’m afraid my daughter will trip over and break her nose .

We went with the Ceres as well. Was actually cheaper than the one against the wall but we opted for a floor mount spout so all up was another $100. Will look much better though.

Our neighbours to be had their landscaping done recently and they did a great job for a good price. Included was a cement sleeper retaining wall but they also do timber. Ausbuild's price for timber wall was much more. I will drop past and take some photos of their work and get the company details for you

Is your downstairs flooring timber planks or timber look tiles? There are possible options for both but you will not be able to avoid the break in the pattern - you will still have a straight line across the floor instead of the staggered run of the planks. The people who sold you the product should warn people about this possibility so you then make an informed decision about the purchase.

We went with 600 x 600 rectified porcelain tiles (stone look and semi gloss) which allows for a thin grout joint. But we were told we require expansion joints every 5 metres. The grout is light grey so they should be able to match the expansion joint to the grout. Still waiting for this to happen so will see.

Cheers, Paul

Yes please , thank you. I will need a big cement retaining wall with some stairs on the side I think , to break it into 2 part as the back is pretty high. Or maybe 3 parts if 2 are not possible.

They’re laminate planks . I had no idea and no one told me anything , if they did I would have gone with something else instead.

The bathtub look great I think, you won’t be disappointed.
As for the tiles , I doubt you will be able to see anything at all. It’s not a massive line in your hallway haha

Hi Tajana,

I'll get to our block tomorrow and take a photo of the neighbours wall. Will send you the details then.

As far as your floor goes, you may be able to see if they can replace your speed hump with a H-Trim from this company (if it fits your floor thickness). Click the following link and scroll down to H-Trim.
http://www.premiumfloors.com.au/accessories/trims/

The H-Trim has a lower profile than your speed hump...but I think it will need to be installed before the skirtings go back on. Here is a photo of what it looks like.

Thank you so much. Much appreciated .
I have to go and meet the painter on Monday for the front door and the alfresco door so will check the measurements from front door to the end of the house . Is the regulation 20m or 13m would you know , or If its 20m there has to be a bump in the middle? Would you know?

Otherwise I will send them photos of that and see if They can give me other options

Hi Tajana,

The neighbours used Kris Terraform Landscapes. Their mobile number is 0477 777 537.

Here is a photo of the retaining wall they did for the neighbours. They also did the turf and a timber wall in the back yard.

That is fantastic . Thank you so much Paul .

Tajana,
Great photos!
We are about to sign contracts and are thinking of a very similar colour scheme as your kitchen. The bathroom, oddly was the opposite with black bench top. But I really like the white bench there with the white vanities.

Any thoughts or choices you would have liked to have made differently with this build?
cheers

Hi MaralynManson,

Awesome name 🙌🏼 May I add Marilyns (long hard road .... Book is fab).

Are you building with Ausbuild ? And are you building the same house ? I have a few things regarding the house plan lol .
As for the kitchen i wish I moved the dishwasher into the butlers pantry , as it’s under the bench ATM and I wish I added the rubbish bin draws.

As for the colours I am happy with, but I haven’t moved in just though.

Hi Tajana, house looks great. May i know what ceiling height do you have on each floor? Thanks

Hi Melbournevic,

Thank you.

So upstairs is standard 2.4m I think but the downstairs is 2740mm. Initially I didn’t want to spend the extra $9749 to upgrade upstairs but now I wish I did.
I will need to take better photos when I get the keys as the iPhoneX camera is not very good.

OMG good idea with the dishwasher! Darn it

Thanks Tajana, it actually looks really good. We are in the process of finalising our drawings and we opted for 2.7m to ground and 2.59 to upstairs but due to building envelope requirement we need to either choose to have 2.7m to ground and 2.4m to upper floor, or 2.59m on each floor. I think 2.7m to ground is much better as we spend most of the days here plus visitors stay mostly at the ground floor. Does 2.4m feeling okay when you visited the property?

Haha, yea the book was amusing. It changed somewhat after he sacked his ghost writer and took over.

We're building with Dale Alcock. It's a custom plan from our own design. My wife is always on about getting rubbish bin drawers. Had better make sure she gets them.

Melbournevic :

I would do the same 2.7 and 2.4 upstairs if those were my options, downstairs looks great , just a shame that the photos make it look small.

It’s a little more cosier upstairs but not claustrophobic if that makes sense.
I will send a photo of what I have taken upstairs and hopefully it gives you some idea .

OMG good idea with the dishwasher! Darn it /quote]


I know , I thought the same thing. More storage, easier to clean !! Have you started your build yet ?

MaralynManson:

Happy Wife - Happy Life!!!! You must post the plan up. The only thing I can add to the plan is to have a big window looking out to the backyard if you already don’t.
I have doors on the left hand side and 2 small windows on the right hand side but it completely blocks the backyard , so I wish I did that differently . If only I wasn’t thinking about where to put the tv.

Thanks Tajana, very helpful and really appreciate the photos. We'll go with 2.7 and 2.4 if they won't allow 2.59 to upper due to building envelope. I love the stairs by the way and the colour combinations in your home. Looks very elegant.