So Much Progress!

Alot has been happening!  I need to write an actual timeline I think.

Our build was released to construction on July 3rd, but officially they start the process on the Monday (6th). Contractors etc are booked on the Monday.  They said it could take 2 weeks to get out on our block....

Wednesday July 8th - levelled
Thursday July 9th - Sand and gravel

Friday July 10th- footings dug

Tuesday July 14th-sewerage/drains/plumbing

Wednesday July 15th- Steel delivered and pest control around pipes

Thursday July 16th - Steelwork put in

Friday July 17th - Slab Poured

They let this sit for 7 days then start the framing work!  Can't wait to see this turn into our new home.

Kitchen Inspiration

Just a post showing you some pics of kitchens I love and the look I am trying to achieve

Changes

I really wasn't happy with the ensuite floor tile, so I went back and met with our selections consultant again and she showed me tiles that she hadn't shown us at the first appointment.  I took some pictures and sent them to hubby at work and over the phone we agreed on these white ones with a little bit of marble through them.

The wall tile remains the same white one (in this photo it appears grey)

 I am much happier with this choice now.  I think once we add some colour to the walls and the taps we want it will give it the feel we are after.

We decided to stick with the same laminate (diamond gloss mineralstone)

 I went to Beaumont Tiles to buy samples of all our tiles.  I also checked out some for the kitchen splashback.

I want a nice subway, and these are some I liked

 I am contemplating this white tile below or the grey and white hexagon ones for the laundry wall-I want something a bit different in there!

 These are a nice subway too (in white)

Change of Mind

Some things were bugging me, I really knew I wasn't 100% truly happy.  So tomorrow I am heading back to the selection centre to change a few things.

I am removing the kitchen splash back tiling altogether and we will do it ourselves or get it done with a tile I love.  The kitchen is so important to me so I want it perfect.

I am changing the ensuite floor tiles too.  Probably to white.

A few other changes to!

I will update again tomorrow

Interior Selections

The interior selections wasn't too bad as I knew what I wanted.

Included we get a stainless steel electric oven, rangehood and gas cooktop. Similar to this oven, but obviously a gas cooktop not electric. We also get a dishwasher.

This is the carpet we have chosen-I've lived in a high number of homes and had almost every colour of carpet.  The only caret I loved was dark like this.  I can not wait to have lovely dark carpet again!

 I didn't like any of their knobs.  None. We chose this one but I don't think I will get them put on.

 We chose this white subway in bricklay for the kitchen but I am about to change it to no tiling as I want a nicer tile.  So we will find a tile we like and have it done ourselves.

 I am also not sold on this busy benchtop.  It has a square tight edge profile and it better quality than normal laminex.  I would have preferred something lighter.

As for paint colours, WELL, we are having ceiling white on the ceilings and walls and the same in semi gloss on the doors etc.  We will paint some colour on the walls before we move in.  There wasn't alot of choice through the builder.

We upgraded the doors to these in white ASC Smooth Doors

As for the kitchen sink! Well! I want this sink sink 1 or this one sink 2 but our builder can't install it as it isn't from their supplier.  So that the hole in the bench isn't cut too big, we ended up putting an inset laundry sink in the kitchen!  The cabinet will need modifying adn new doors made to accommodate the ceramic sink.  If it all proves too hard my back up option will be something like this sink 3 or this sink 4

We are swapping the standard mixer tap with this  one.

I love the Hamptons/Country Chic style and I am really hoping I am able to achieve something I am really happy with

Bathroom Selections

I found the bathroom incredibly hard to choose.  What I wanted and what was on offer AND the cost were all not working together.  If you have a look here at my Pinterest board for house plans, you will get a fair idea of my 'style'. Turns out, the builder charges a BOMB for laying tiles in a brick pattern (insert sad face). They also charge a fortune for cupbaord doors in the style I want.  We are going to have them made elsewhere and change them after handover, saving around 2-3k.

We stuck with the builder basic basins and tapware in the ensuite.  Will be changing this over ourselves.

 The ensuite wall tiles, square lay

 bottom in ensuite floor tile which I am still not sold on

 This large 400x300 wall tile is our main bathroom wall tile, horizontal, square lay

 We aren't having any feature tiles

Upgraded to this basin in the main bathroom

 This Tapware range

 Main bathroom colours. White wall and cupboards (egger gloss finish), charcoal floor tile, mineralstone diamond gloss benchtop

 Ensuite

Facade

Our Facade will be similar to this regarding the windows, front gutter line and colour.

We have a remote single panel lift garage door and the middle section of the wall by the front door and living room is weatherboard planks.  The planks will be painted in Taubmans Shale Grey

Our Windows are Pearl White

Roof, gutters and faschia are all Monumnet

 Door is 'Roasted'


Profile of the Garage door in 'Ranch' in Surfmist

Bricks: Austral Nougat
Roof, Gutter, Faschia: Monumnet
Weatherboard: Shale Grey
External Rear Doors (laundry and garage) : Surfmist
Last swatch is for the down pipes and meter box

 Verandah Tile is 450x450

The Floor Plan

We quickly decided on a floor plan and builder.

We looked through about 50 display homes and kept going back to ones built by the builder we chose.  We fell in love with one design, but then realised that the bedrooms and bathroom were too small for a growing family and a soon to be teenager.

We went for our original choice in the end with modifications.

The original plan can be found here

Changes we made:

• Increase of 50cm to the front of the house (encumbrance) which we added in the study
• Removed study door and wall
• Removed Hall door and wall
• Turn living room in to a separate room, moving opening and adding double doors
• Turn Dining into a store room, a pantry and a study nook
• Remove door from Verandah to Garage
• Add internal door from Garage to Kitchen
• Add external door from Garage to Backyard
• Move Fridge to Pantry
• Extend floor and overhead cupboards along the wall to the door

Miss 2 will have Bed 2, Miss 10 will have Bed 4.  The Study is actually a toy room. After handover we will be adding floor cupboards in the pantry and wall shelving.

The Block

The first step we made was to find a block.  We wanted at least 800m2, and not much of a slope.

We snapped up this block which is 820m2 and 20m wide and 41m deep.

We purchased this back in October 2014 but there was a delay with the civil works and it only settled at the end of March.

The soil testing was done a week after settlement and we got the report back a couple of weeks ago.  Unfortunately for us there is rock at 1.4m down and they need to dig out atleast 1m to level it before digging for the footings-so they are more than likely going to hit the rock.  So while our footings were considerably less than quoted, the rock digging puts it back up there and a little over. Still-could be worse!

The plans have now been lodged with the council, so fingers crossed they don't take too long as we REALLY want to get this started as soon as possible.

Miss 2 sitting across the road

Introduction

Hi and Welcome!

We are a family of four (and a dog!), our girls are 10 and 2.  Finally after 14 years together we are building our first home.

We live in the Southern Foothills in Adelaide, in a suburb that is a little bit country-and only 5 minutes to rolling green hills!

We have decided to move our family 20 minutes away to a small country town, a town we have always dreamed of living in, and building a home together.  It's a very pretty little town, it has a school, a few small shops, and a pub but no supermarket or anything like that.  That's not an issue as there are many towns 15-20 minutes drive away.

I will be sad moving, as Miss 10 is changing schools, so we leave behind 6 years of friendships-not that we are moving to the other side of the country, but we won't see our friends everyday anymore.  I am also nervous for Miss 10 starting at a new school and getting used to a different system and teaching style. She made the decision to change though and she seems happy about it.

Miss 2 won't be affected-so that's easy!  We already go to Playgroup down there, so she is familiar with the area now.