Bryan & Petersen Build in Ballarat (VIC)
Page 4 of 8
You’re so lucky having great trades, it will definitely pay off
Thanks gogo65 from what we've seen so far all the trades have showed they take at least some pride in their work. From speaking to most of them it sounds like they've all pretty much worked mostly just for our builder over a long period (10-20 years), so I guess that helps to develop a good working relationship between the parties.
Having said that, we have still had some frustrations along the way. I'm mostly talking about getting pricing on certain upgrades, particularly after contract. The builder we have are good in that they actually don't charge for variations, but it seems like some suppliers just take forever to get pricing info back at times.
In terms of quality we've really only had issues with one supplier to date, but I won't comment too much on that yet as we're currently in discussions and hoping for a positive outcome. We know our builder do have a focus on quality and also have a fair amount of leverage I assume due to the volume of business they provide.
Here is a random pic from the other day showing the sunlight coming in late in the day to our living area. We are facing north to that back end (slightly tilted to west....8 deg?) and even with goop on the glass that area is already quite bright and warm on those sunnier days.
Having said that, we have still had some frustrations along the way. I'm mostly talking about getting pricing on certain upgrades, particularly after contract. The builder we have are good in that they actually don't charge for variations, but it seems like some suppliers just take forever to get pricing info back at times.
In terms of quality we've really only had issues with one supplier to date, but I won't comment too much on that yet as we're currently in discussions and hoping for a positive outcome. We know our builder do have a focus on quality and also have a fair amount of leverage I assume due to the volume of business they provide.
Here is a random pic from the other day showing the sunlight coming in late in the day to our living area. We are facing north to that back end (slightly tilted to west....8 deg?) and even with goop on the glass that area is already quite bright and warm on those sunnier days.
Shower Bases Screeded, Bricking Started & Water Damage!
We've had a few different trades onsite this past week, including our SS & plasterer to inspect some water damage following the big downpour in Ballarat late last week. Builder was good in that they agreed to pull down plaster/insulation in the effected areas, and also hired us a diesel blower heater we ran for a few days afterwards.
I know this was a freak rain event, but personally I am not a fan of 'reverse building'. Our builder have just a couple of select bricking teams that they trust so I understand why they sometimes build using this method. Sounds like we were extremely unlucky in that some water managed to get through the wall wrap...we think via the tiny staple holes?. We have since painstakingly taped over all staples and penetrations just in case.
Anyhow the shower base screed was put in yesterday and not that I am an expert but it looked very neat. If you look closely you can also see the small cutout made on the cement sheet to inspect for water damage (Luckily none in ensuite though).
Below are some pics of the bricking that as of yesterday had the termite barrier installed and ready for the brickies to keep going now.
The brickie was nice and not only is doing us a great deal on Brighton Lite mortar (he reckons it will suit our light bricks better) he also offered us some different mortar finishes at no extra cost. The one of the right side is a form of raked, but we decided to stick with standard roller (bricks on left side of image).
My understanding is rolled finish is better longer term because it not only is pressed harder into the joint but also handles water runoff better than most of other finishes.
To finish off below are some pics of the main areas we had to remove plasterboard & insulation before drying out. All good now and insulation is now back in ready for new plaster to be installed. Cornice also going up Friday we think.
We've had a few different trades onsite this past week, including our SS & plasterer to inspect some water damage following the big downpour in Ballarat late last week. Builder was good in that they agreed to pull down plaster/insulation in the effected areas, and also hired us a diesel blower heater we ran for a few days afterwards.
I know this was a freak rain event, but personally I am not a fan of 'reverse building'. Our builder have just a couple of select bricking teams that they trust so I understand why they sometimes build using this method. Sounds like we were extremely unlucky in that some water managed to get through the wall wrap...we think via the tiny staple holes?. We have since painstakingly taped over all staples and penetrations just in case.
Anyhow the shower base screed was put in yesterday and not that I am an expert but it looked very neat. If you look closely you can also see the small cutout made on the cement sheet to inspect for water damage (Luckily none in ensuite though).
Below are some pics of the bricking that as of yesterday had the termite barrier installed and ready for the brickies to keep going now.
The brickie was nice and not only is doing us a great deal on Brighton Lite mortar (he reckons it will suit our light bricks better) he also offered us some different mortar finishes at no extra cost. The one of the right side is a form of raked, but we decided to stick with standard roller (bricks on left side of image).
My understanding is rolled finish is better longer term because it not only is pressed harder into the joint but also handles water runoff better than most of other finishes.
To finish off below are some pics of the main areas we had to remove plasterboard & insulation before drying out. All good now and insulation is now back in ready for new plaster to be installed. Cornice also going up Friday we think.
MORE BRICKING THIS WEEK....WE HOPE!
Our brickie crew have been pulled onto a couple of other jobs unfortunately this past week or so...and of course the weather was pretty good for most of it. They are hoping to come back to our job tomorrow......and if anyone from B&P is reading this post please....please now just leave them on our site until they're finished! Frustrated is an understatement, when our wall wrap has already 'let go' once.
Since that big downpour a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I have spent days literally taping every single hole (incl. all staples) on the entire house as we suspect it was the staple holes that caused the original issue.
Anyhow not much progress has been made since my last post. A few minor things such as:
I think the next week or so will involve:
We still are waiting for the window/door company to do something about our sliding door. We don't believe some of the frame 'joins' are acceptable in terms of air infiltration and aesthetics. (A few photos on page 2 I think of my build thread). Our Site Supervisor (SS) appears to agree with us, so hopefully the builder goes into support us on this one.
Anyhow after helping the delivery guy unload all the doors and archs this afternoon, I took a few photos to post up....
Our brickie crew have been pulled onto a couple of other jobs unfortunately this past week or so...and of course the weather was pretty good for most of it. They are hoping to come back to our job tomorrow......and if anyone from B&P is reading this post please....please now just leave them on our site until they're finished! Frustrated is an understatement, when our wall wrap has already 'let go' once.
Since that big downpour a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I have spent days literally taping every single hole (incl. all staples) on the entire house as we suspect it was the staple holes that caused the original issue.
Anyhow not much progress has been made since my last post. A few minor things such as:
- Plaster re-hung and fixed where we removed it due to water damage
- 75mm 'Cove' cornice cut and ready to install
- Termite guard installed (red stuff) under the DPC (black stuff) over lower brick course
- A few more bricks layed (grrrr)
- Waterproofing started today
- Architraves and doors delivered today
I think the next week or so will involve:
- Cornice to be installed maybe tomorrow
- Waterproofing should also be completed tomorrow
- Fixing crew (our same chippies who did our frame) will arrive mid week to start internal archs, skirts and doors etc
- Brickies will hopefully get cracking
We still are waiting for the window/door company to do something about our sliding door. We don't believe some of the frame 'joins' are acceptable in terms of air infiltration and aesthetics. (A few photos on page 2 I think of my build thread). Our Site Supervisor (SS) appears to agree with us, so hopefully the builder goes into support us on this one.
Anyhow after helping the delivery guy unload all the doors and archs this afternoon, I took a few photos to post up....
CORNICE COMPLETED
Went onsite early to seal up the tears in the wall wrap caused when the plumbers removed the hot water service recess box. We had a few trades there today including brickies, plasterers and water proofing person. Later in the day cabinetry people arrived onsite to start measuring up now that the plaster is finished.
I think the fixing carpenters will be onsite Thursday to begin the architraves, skirts, hanging doors etc. When I spoke to them at framing stage, they said I have about a 3-4 hour 'window' to get my sealant completed on the window reveal<>frame gaps. I agreed not to do this prior so they can possibly shift the windows slightly if needed. So I need to be there between the window adjustment and installation of the architraves.
Once this window sealing is completed then I think the jobs I wanted to do on the house myself are pretty much completed. Most of this has been around insulation, weather proofing and air sealing. We also ran some of our own network cabling & a few other odd jobs.
In terms of air tightness it will be tempting to pay for a proper blower door test. From speaking to our energy rater, our builder's main two display houses all tested around 6 (Air Changes per Hour @50kpa). My understanding is many typical volume built houses can be anywhere from 12-20 ACH?
We are hoping to somewhere closer to 3-4 ACH based on the additional sealing work on windows, doors, wall wrap and bottom plates etc. Realistically you probably don't want to go too low on the ACH reading, as you possibly then need to consider mechanical ventilation systems.
Anyhow here are some pics taken onsite today...
Went onsite early to seal up the tears in the wall wrap caused when the plumbers removed the hot water service recess box. We had a few trades there today including brickies, plasterers and water proofing person. Later in the day cabinetry people arrived onsite to start measuring up now that the plaster is finished.
I think the fixing carpenters will be onsite Thursday to begin the architraves, skirts, hanging doors etc. When I spoke to them at framing stage, they said I have about a 3-4 hour 'window' to get my sealant completed on the window reveal<>frame gaps. I agreed not to do this prior so they can possibly shift the windows slightly if needed. So I need to be there between the window adjustment and installation of the architraves.
Once this window sealing is completed then I think the jobs I wanted to do on the house myself are pretty much completed. Most of this has been around insulation, weather proofing and air sealing. We also ran some of our own network cabling & a few other odd jobs.
In terms of air tightness it will be tempting to pay for a proper blower door test. From speaking to our energy rater, our builder's main two display houses all tested around 6 (Air Changes per Hour @50kpa). My understanding is many typical volume built houses can be anywhere from 12-20 ACH?
We are hoping to somewhere closer to 3-4 ACH based on the additional sealing work on windows, doors, wall wrap and bottom plates etc. Realistically you probably don't want to go too low on the ACH reading, as you possibly then need to consider mechanical ventilation systems.
Anyhow here are some pics taken onsite today...
darb74, a blower door test would be amazing, the results on your house especially would be so interesting. If I ever get the chance to build again, I would downsize after the kids are gone and build to passivhaus standard!
BRICKS, CARPENTRY FIX COMPLETED.....READY FOR PAINTING
We've had a few trades onsite most days this past couple of weeks, including:
For our architraves and skirting boards we have gone with 67mm 'Half Splayed' for archs and 92mm 'Half Splayed' for the skirting boards.
Cornice is all 75mm standard 'Cove'.
We have also gone in and finalised the cabinetry for the rest of the house, including kitchen and pantry. We are sticking with laminate benchtops (just couldn't justify the high cost of stone on offer unfortunately) - 40mm thick for the island and 32mm for the rest of the benchtops. Square edged benchtops as my wife doesn't like the rounded profiles which is fair enough.
Cabinetry Colours:
The overhead cupboards are all 'no handles', so have a lower overhang. We've re-arranged the layout to some degree for the kitchen and pantry from our original plans. I'll show plenty of photos once it's installed. I think we are spending an additional $2k for the extra bits n pieces.
We have had our 'expensive' WIN21 internal door installed, that will allow us to zone off the main living area. This will be stained the same as our entry door (Intergrain 'Silver Fir'):
OK....so the next minor issue we discovered was the slight height difference between the internal doors and windows. My idea to the chippy was to install a trimmer above the internal door architrave so they matched.....he wasn't too keen to be honest. But once the wife agreed it was a done deal!.....
Now a couple of miscellaneous robe/linen fit-out pics:
Next are some external shots of the completed brickwork. One thing which has become evident is the lighter bricks really absorb the moisture when it rains....so we do get some colour difference happening. ** Also used Brighton Lite mortar cement, but until it fully dries you can't really notice it to be honest....
Random shot of shower in main bathroom...1000mm high nib wall, small tiled recess and a fairly basic 900 x 900mm shower with tile base:
And finally I couldn't not post a photo of some additional sealing work we did. This is just to make sure any internal penetrations (in this example split system aircon pipes) are properly sealed up:
We've had a few trades onsite most days this past couple of weeks, including:
- Bricking completed
- Carpentry 'fix' done (archs, skirts & doors hung etc)
- Robes, linen closets fitted out
- Eave linings done
- Holes cut for heating vents
- Site cleaned (mostly outside removing broken bricks etc)
- Painters currently onsite prepping for a start mid next week on the paint
For our architraves and skirting boards we have gone with 67mm 'Half Splayed' for archs and 92mm 'Half Splayed' for the skirting boards.
Cornice is all 75mm standard 'Cove'.
We have also gone in and finalised the cabinetry for the rest of the house, including kitchen and pantry. We are sticking with laminate benchtops (just couldn't justify the high cost of stone on offer unfortunately) - 40mm thick for the island and 32mm for the rest of the benchtops. Square edged benchtops as my wife doesn't like the rounded profiles which is fair enough.
Cabinetry Colours:
- Benchtops: Polytec 'Blanco Marquina' Matt
- Lower cupboards: Polytec 'Stone Grey' Matt
- Overhead cupboards: Polytec 'Polar White' Matt
- Bathrooms lower cupboards: Polytec 'Prime Oak' Woodmatt
- Bathroom vanity tops: Polytec 'Stone Henge' Matt
- Laundry: Polytec 'Stone Henge' benchtop with Polar White cupboards
The overhead cupboards are all 'no handles', so have a lower overhang. We've re-arranged the layout to some degree for the kitchen and pantry from our original plans. I'll show plenty of photos once it's installed. I think we are spending an additional $2k for the extra bits n pieces.
We have had our 'expensive' WIN21 internal door installed, that will allow us to zone off the main living area. This will be stained the same as our entry door (Intergrain 'Silver Fir'):
OK....so the next minor issue we discovered was the slight height difference between the internal doors and windows. My idea to the chippy was to install a trimmer above the internal door architrave so they matched.....he wasn't too keen to be honest. But once the wife agreed it was a done deal!.....
Now a couple of miscellaneous robe/linen fit-out pics:
Next are some external shots of the completed brickwork. One thing which has become evident is the lighter bricks really absorb the moisture when it rains....so we do get some colour difference happening. ** Also used Brighton Lite mortar cement, but until it fully dries you can't really notice it to be honest....
Random shot of shower in main bathroom...1000mm high nib wall, small tiled recess and a fairly basic 900 x 900mm shower with tile base:
And finally I couldn't not post a photo of some additional sealing work we did. This is just to make sure any internal penetrations (in this example split system aircon pipes) are properly sealed up:
How did your study turn out? It looked a little small on the plans so I am interested to hear it the dimensions worked out okay in real life. Are you happy with the size? Does it get much natural light?
Hi Amilelka the study width is 1800mm and 5370mm long. We had actually max'd out that section of house and we had literally hit our 2m side setback limit to the boundary. But like you I was a bit unsure how it would work out.
Prior to signing off on the plans, I did measure my proposed desk depth and then when sitting in an office chair worked out if the 1100mm of so was enough to comfortably get in and out. It seemed ok from the measurements anyhow.
Here is the most recent pic I have of the study (below). The window is 850mm wide x 1460mm high....but with the semi-commercial awning framing there is less actual glass than I first imagined.
But being a study I don't actually mind if the natural light isn't too much. Without having installed the 700mm deep desk as yet it is still hard to know how the space will be. But the desk itself will be over 3.5m long and with a 600mm set of drawers in the centre, it will comfortably seat two people side-by-side.
The other advantage of the smaller size for me, is that with a few days typically working from home.....if I want to just run a small panel heater (with all walls insulated) it should be efficient to maintain a comfortable temp.
Anyhow I will let you know once the cabinetry is installed how it is looking.
Prior to signing off on the plans, I did measure my proposed desk depth and then when sitting in an office chair worked out if the 1100mm of so was enough to comfortably get in and out. It seemed ok from the measurements anyhow.
Here is the most recent pic I have of the study (below). The window is 850mm wide x 1460mm high....but with the semi-commercial awning framing there is less actual glass than I first imagined.
But being a study I don't actually mind if the natural light isn't too much. Without having installed the 700mm deep desk as yet it is still hard to know how the space will be. But the desk itself will be over 3.5m long and with a 600mm set of drawers in the centre, it will comfortably seat two people side-by-side.
The other advantage of the smaller size for me, is that with a few days typically working from home.....if I want to just run a small panel heater (with all walls insulated) it should be efficient to maintain a comfortable temp.
Anyhow I will let you know once the cabinetry is installed how it is looking.
That actually looks quite okay. Once it's painted a light colour it will look even more spacious. I guess its probably more useful to have a lot of bench space than floor space.
PAINT COLOURS
After talking to our painter Friday about colours we went and checked out his own build (currently being painted). He had originally chosen Dulux 'Half Silver Tea Set' I think, then switched now to Resene 'Black White'. So it was a good chance to compare two off white type colours. The Silver Tea Set appeared to throw a faint purple/violet hue, whereas the black white was very neutral. In the well lit areas it was barely noticeably to be honest, but varied over the house. We definitely liked this particular colour.
Here is a photo of the Resene 'Black White' wall colour:
We are now leaning towards a slightly darker tone and going with Resene 'Double Black White'. Here are some sample images taken from a Resene website:
Because our flooring and some furniture is a timber colour, we think the grey-white colour scheme should work ok. We also have to mindful of balancing the wall colour over the whole house, with the north facing living areas through to the darker south and east bedrooms etc.
Here is the same house from above with Double Black White in the bathroom:
Choosing paint colours for us has been challenging and we've changed our minds a few times already. But after seeing an actual house with this Black White we are confident going double will be ok for us. Originally we were actually considering going a grey, so at least this Double Black White shouldn't be too dark, but still some contrast off the half black white trims/doors.
If anyone has any pics of these Black White colours feel free to show them! or any other white/greys for that matter.
After talking to our painter Friday about colours we went and checked out his own build (currently being painted). He had originally chosen Dulux 'Half Silver Tea Set' I think, then switched now to Resene 'Black White'. So it was a good chance to compare two off white type colours. The Silver Tea Set appeared to throw a faint purple/violet hue, whereas the black white was very neutral. In the well lit areas it was barely noticeably to be honest, but varied over the house. We definitely liked this particular colour.
Here is a photo of the Resene 'Black White' wall colour:
We are now leaning towards a slightly darker tone and going with Resene 'Double Black White'. Here are some sample images taken from a Resene website:
Because our flooring and some furniture is a timber colour, we think the grey-white colour scheme should work ok. We also have to mindful of balancing the wall colour over the whole house, with the north facing living areas through to the darker south and east bedrooms etc.
Here is the same house from above with Double Black White in the bathroom:
Choosing paint colours for us has been challenging and we've changed our minds a few times already. But after seeing an actual house with this Black White we are confident going double will be ok for us. Originally we were actually considering going a grey, so at least this Double Black White shouldn't be too dark, but still some contrast off the half black white trims/doors.
If anyone has any pics of these Black White colours feel free to show them! or any other white/greys for that matter.
PAINTING UNDERWAY....
So in the end we slightly altered our paint selections. We were wanting a light grey on the walls and some decent contrast to the trims/doors so we went with:
Picking off small colour samples is tough, and we hadn't seen these colours in the flesh so it's all a bit of guess to be honest. Although I did spend some time in Paint Shop Pro analysing the RGB values and decided that both these 'whites' should be fairly neutral.
My wife has chosen Polytec 'Polar White' for kitchen cabinetry so we are trying to avoid anything too 'yellow'. For the trims we were tossing up between Lexicon Quarter, Vivid White or the SMQ. The SMQ is probably a bit darker that I imagined, so maybe one of the other two whites might have been better. But overall we're reasonably happy with how it is looking (unfinished still).
One thing that complicates the colour choices is part of our house has heaps of natural light (main living) but the remainder is relatively dark. Supposedly if you choose 'cooler' colours in those darker areas it can look a bit cold & 'clinical'. But then in the well lit areas the warmer colours come off yellow.
Snowy Mountains and White Exchange are supposedly the most neutral of Dulux 'Whites', and although Casper White is described as 'slightly warm' I certainly can't see any yellow or pink in either colour as yet.
There is a lot of glancing light coming from the main living along the hallway, so I guess any imperfections will show up fairly clearly? I assume that is why we have plaster skimmed along the hallways walls?
EXTERNAL PICS
Now that the temp fencing has been removed it is easier to get some pics of the externals.
We have had all our permanent downpipes installed, with several 'risers' setup for aircon and yard drainage down the track.
Anyhow our external colours are:
So in the end we slightly altered our paint selections. We were wanting a light grey on the walls and some decent contrast to the trims/doors so we went with:
- Dulux Casper White (Full Strength) for walls
- Dulux Snowy Mountains Quarter (SMQ) for architraves, skirts and doors
- Standard 'Builder's' ceiling white for ceiling & cornice
Picking off small colour samples is tough, and we hadn't seen these colours in the flesh so it's all a bit of guess to be honest. Although I did spend some time in Paint Shop Pro analysing the RGB values and decided that both these 'whites' should be fairly neutral.
My wife has chosen Polytec 'Polar White' for kitchen cabinetry so we are trying to avoid anything too 'yellow'. For the trims we were tossing up between Lexicon Quarter, Vivid White or the SMQ. The SMQ is probably a bit darker that I imagined, so maybe one of the other two whites might have been better. But overall we're reasonably happy with how it is looking (unfinished still).
One thing that complicates the colour choices is part of our house has heaps of natural light (main living) but the remainder is relatively dark. Supposedly if you choose 'cooler' colours in those darker areas it can look a bit cold & 'clinical'. But then in the well lit areas the warmer colours come off yellow.
Snowy Mountains and White Exchange are supposedly the most neutral of Dulux 'Whites', and although Casper White is described as 'slightly warm' I certainly can't see any yellow or pink in either colour as yet.
There is a lot of glancing light coming from the main living along the hallway, so I guess any imperfections will show up fairly clearly? I assume that is why we have plaster skimmed along the hallways walls?
EXTERNAL PICS
Now that the temp fencing has been removed it is easier to get some pics of the externals.
We have had all our permanent downpipes installed, with several 'risers' setup for aircon and yard drainage down the track.
Anyhow our external colours are:
- Bricks: Selkirk 'Dawnbreak'
- Roof/gutter: Colorbond 'Wallaby'
- Fascia/downpipes: Colorbond 'SurfMist'
- Windows/Doors: SurfMist
PAINTING COMPLETED
Our painter messaged me late Friday to say he had just finished 'glossing the skirts', and we were free to wander in a take a look over the weekend. Nice young guy actually, and he asked me later if I didn't mind if he took his partner through next week (they are currently building too) because when she dropped his lunch off one day she supposedly commented that she liked the wall colour. So with all 3 coats on he wanted to see if "Casper White" was her preference for their own house.
The actual paint finish is generally really good, but we do have a problem with the hallway wall. This appears to be a plaster problem though, so will speak to builder about it next week.
Anyhow here are some pics (Casper White walls, Snowy Mountains Quarter trims/doors and standard ceiling white):
WINDOW ISSUES
This is the 2nd window that has leaked through the frame. In addition to our sliding door problems, we will just add this one to the list of problems with this part of the build. Not the builder's fault directly, but hoping they push hard to ensure this is all sorted.
Ironically we actually went with their supposed 'premium' supplier for windows & doors, so it's disappointing considering the extra money involved.
Anyhow we will give them all a good opportunity to rectify all the issues before we carry on too much!
Our painter messaged me late Friday to say he had just finished 'glossing the skirts', and we were free to wander in a take a look over the weekend. Nice young guy actually, and he asked me later if I didn't mind if he took his partner through next week (they are currently building too) because when she dropped his lunch off one day she supposedly commented that she liked the wall colour. So with all 3 coats on he wanted to see if "Casper White" was her preference for their own house.
The actual paint finish is generally really good, but we do have a problem with the hallway wall. This appears to be a plaster problem though, so will speak to builder about it next week.
Anyhow here are some pics (Casper White walls, Snowy Mountains Quarter trims/doors and standard ceiling white):
WINDOW ISSUES
This is the 2nd window that has leaked through the frame. In addition to our sliding door problems, we will just add this one to the list of problems with this part of the build. Not the builder's fault directly, but hoping they push hard to ensure this is all sorted.
Ironically we actually went with their supposed 'premium' supplier for windows & doors, so it's disappointing considering the extra money involved.
Anyhow we will give them all a good opportunity to rectify all the issues before we carry on too much!
Your paint colour has come up really well, great choice!
Your paint colour has come up really well, great choice!
Thanks Amilelka, we wanted a light grey with white trims (but not too stark) and fairly happy with the colours. The Casper White is definitely dark enough now with 3 coats, but with only one coat I was worried it was too light!
We are glad though we chose some warmer colours for flooring ('Tope Oak' vinyl planks and darker brown/grey carpet) as we have Stone Grey and white in the kitchen. So will be good to warm the grey and whites up a bit.
KITCHEN SETUP STARTED
The cabinetry team have started yesterday with our kitchen and pantry setup. We have kept costs down here and stuck with basic laminate benchtops as the engineered stone quotes were several thousand and we decided we would use that money in other areas of the build.
The colours/styles we've selected are:
KITCHEN & WIP
Right side of WIP has our fridge/freezer space and 'my' idea for a 'pantry within a pantry'! I think the cabinet maker thought it was weird but with a window in the WIP (& also not wanting to bend down to lower cupboards all the time) I figured keeping our main food in this tall closed shelving would work pretty well for us...
The cabinetry team have started yesterday with our kitchen and pantry setup. We have kept costs down here and stuck with basic laminate benchtops as the engineered stone quotes were several thousand and we decided we would use that money in other areas of the build.
The colours/styles we've selected are:
KITCHEN & WIP
- Benchtops: Polytec 'Blanco Marquina' (with 'square' edge....wanted ABS but don't do it any longer)
- Bottom cabinets: Polytec 'Stone Grey' (ABS edging)
- Overhead Cabinets: Polytec 'Polar White' (ABS Edging)
Right side of WIP has our fridge/freezer space and 'my' idea for a 'pantry within a pantry'! I think the cabinet maker thought it was weird but with a window in the WIP (& also not wanting to bend down to lower cupboards all the time) I figured keeping our main food in this tall closed shelving would work pretty well for us...
Coming along nicely!
KITCHEN INSTALLED
The cabinetry team have been back and installed the bathroom & ensuite vanities, and also finished off the laundry and kitchen.
ENSUITE:
BATHROOM VANITY:
KITCHEN:
LAUNDRY:
The cabinetry team have been back and installed the bathroom & ensuite vanities, and also finished off the laundry and kitchen.
ENSUITE:
- Benchtop: Polytec 'Stonehenge' Matt
- Cabinet: Polytec 'Prime Oak' Woodmatt
BATHROOM VANITY:
- Same colours as ensuite (above)
KITCHEN:
- Benchtop: Polytec 'Blanco Marquina' Matt
- Lower cabinets: Polytec 'Stone Grey' Matt
- Overhead cabinets: Polytec 'Polar White' Matt
LAUNDRY:
- Benchtop: Polytec 'Stonehenge' Matt
- Cabinets: Polytec 'Polar White' Matt
TILES & FLOORING SELECTIONS
We think we have our final tile choices worked out for the bathrooms. We can go through pretty much any tile supplier with our vouchers but our builder does 'direct' clients to three(3) main local outlets. We have chosen National Tiles here in Ballarat as they have a decent range with good prices.
We are also getting our vinyl planks for the main livings areas, entry/hallways etc from the same shop (Solomon's flooring are part of the same National Tiles business here).
Originally we were thinking just one tile colour for walls and floor, but because we both liked this particular grey 'cement' look tile for the floor, it probably was too dark for the walls so have chosen something lighter for the walls.
Here is the floor tile for the bathrooms (against the Polytec Prime Oak cabinet):
The splashback tile in the pic below we've picked mostly for how it looks on the shower wall, and because it is only a small height above the benchtop we're thinking it will still be ok there. Possibly should go with more contrast, maybe white tiles for the splashback but we'll make the final call on Monday when we go back in to sign up.
VINYL PLANKS
We tossed up between tiles or planks for our main living areas, and in the end vinyl planks won out mostly because of:
National Tiles have their own Korean made brand of planks named 'Vale'. They have both 3mm and 5mm options and we have gone with the sturdier 5mm planks.
Our colour choice is from the following and we are going with 'Tope Oak':
Now we have been give a sample to try in the house and we're not 100% sure it is actually Tope Oak....it looks more like the darker 'Spotted Gum' to be honest. Anyhow even if we did this one it isn't too bad, but I think we would both like it a bit lighter
We think we have our final tile choices worked out for the bathrooms. We can go through pretty much any tile supplier with our vouchers but our builder does 'direct' clients to three(3) main local outlets. We have chosen National Tiles here in Ballarat as they have a decent range with good prices.
We are also getting our vinyl planks for the main livings areas, entry/hallways etc from the same shop (Solomon's flooring are part of the same National Tiles business here).
Originally we were thinking just one tile colour for walls and floor, but because we both liked this particular grey 'cement' look tile for the floor, it probably was too dark for the walls so have chosen something lighter for the walls.
Here is the floor tile for the bathrooms (against the Polytec Prime Oak cabinet):
The splashback tile in the pic below we've picked mostly for how it looks on the shower wall, and because it is only a small height above the benchtop we're thinking it will still be ok there. Possibly should go with more contrast, maybe white tiles for the splashback but we'll make the final call on Monday when we go back in to sign up.
VINYL PLANKS
We tossed up between tiles or planks for our main living areas, and in the end vinyl planks won out mostly because of:
- Less cold on the feet
- Softer under foot
- Supposedly easier to replace one section if there is an issue
- Cheaper overall than timber look tiles (this was our original plan)
- Waterproof
National Tiles have their own Korean made brand of planks named 'Vale'. They have both 3mm and 5mm options and we have gone with the sturdier 5mm planks.
Our colour choice is from the following and we are going with 'Tope Oak':
Now we have been give a sample to try in the house and we're not 100% sure it is actually Tope Oak....it looks more like the darker 'Spotted Gum' to be honest. Anyhow even if we did this one it isn't too bad, but I think we would both like it a bit lighter
VINYL PLANK FLOORING
We grabbed some more colour samples of the National Tiles 'Vale' vinyl planks today and dropped around the house to see how they looked in the main living area.
Our original choice (Tope Oak) is the darkest, but now we're thinking we might go with the slightly lighter option of 'Honey Oak'. The really light one is 'Blonde Oak', but we think it doesn't provide enough contrast to the kitchen etc.
So here are the four colours we looked at:
We noticed the plasterer's had been in to put up our final bits of cornice in the kitchen and pantry areas:
I was finishing off some perimeter insulation, so figured I may as well take some photos of the roof area:
We grabbed some more colour samples of the National Tiles 'Vale' vinyl planks today and dropped around the house to see how they looked in the main living area.
Our original choice (Tope Oak) is the darkest, but now we're thinking we might go with the slightly lighter option of 'Honey Oak'. The really light one is 'Blonde Oak', but we think it doesn't provide enough contrast to the kitchen etc.
So here are the four colours we looked at:
We noticed the plasterer's had been in to put up our final bits of cornice in the kitchen and pantry areas:
I was finishing off some perimeter insulation, so figured I may as well take some photos of the roof area:
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