Bricks and Mortar

Blog slap!

2009-11-16T15:06:00.002+11:00

I have been blog slapped a few times for being so far behind!!
I will do my best to do some catching up on where things are at so stay tuned.

In short we had handover, we organised our own trades, we moved in, worked like animals for the past 3 months and just had maintenance.

A detailed update and photos are coming.

Our fence has been put on hold.

2009-07-02T23:17:00.002+10:00

The fence people arranged by the developer rang and said they have placed our job on hold because the site fences from the properties either side of us are in the way. The dirt from the left block site scrap is also in the way.
I rang SS and he will get rid of the fences from the next door PD site. I offered to chase up the other site for him since I already know the site supervisor from the Henley Home. I rang the Henley homes SS and he said he will get it remove A.S.A.P. and I also organised for the extra dirt on his site to be dumped in the lower part of our block to level it for us. It's a win win really, we get a level block and they get rid of the dirt.

I also rang E&S trading regarding our spa, they said it won't be ready by the 10th and I went ballistic. I spoke to the manager and tore his head off saying that I gave the require 3 weeks plus an extra week and that I will not accept it not being there on the 10th of July. He said he will pull some strings and get it there. He will ring me tomorrow to confirm.

Finance organised.

2009-07-01T23:10:00.000+10:00

I arranged the final payment today and all is under control.

I also spoke to SS about the sid egate and he gave me some usful advice regarding the limited space. I think I will look for someonce else to do the gate. I also mentioned that the front garage lights are not evenly spaced in front of the roller door and he will get that fixed.

Gate quote.

2009-06-30T22:34:00.000+10:00

I arranged to get a quote for the front and side gate. I seemed to get nowhere fast, there were issues with finding space for the side gate and I couldn't see anything in the photos of the work done that was what I was looking for. So I guess we have to look for other gate fitters.

Final touch ups

2009-06-29T22:06:00.001+10:00

I met with an interior designer today regarding our choice of fabric for the drapes, I was not convinced with our original colour choice it seemed to clash with the shade of paint. I drove out to the site with the new fabrics and I am much happier with the new selection.

The painters are back patching and repainting walls. The front door has been varnish and the colour of the stain is perfect.

What a weekend.

2009-06-28T16:48:00.000+10:00

Today we went back to continue the work we began yesterday. Martin leveled the land on the blind side of the house and we then leveled the front together. We cleared the front building rubble spilling over from next door and put the site fence back up. We laid gravel between our house and next doors garage but we did not continue down the length of the house. We will wait until the fence up and then finish the job.

Martin then began moving the whole pallet of bricks out the front in our driveway to the back of the house. I helped as much as I could but I was limited in how much I could do with the boys now completely over it. I don't blame them poor kids have been bored out of their minds all weekend, sometimes I feel it's not fair on them but what can we do. We had been at the site all day and it was now 6pm. We were all tired, starving and grumpy so we did a "maccas" run on the way home before collapsing into our beds.

What a weekend!

What a big job.

2009-06-27T16:28:00.000+10:00

The truck driver from Midway arrived with our mountain of gravel. He was very careful not to drive over the pegs marked for the slab on next doors block. He was kind enough to dump the crushed rock in two places to make it easy for us to distribute.

Martin leveled the dirt and luckily it wasn't muddy or the job would have been a nightmare. Oscar was a pest and kept getting in Daddy's way while Daniel was a great help with is bucket and little spade. I had the wonderful job of raking the gravel out and leveling it.

We worked until dark and by the end of the day we were exhausted. We managed to to level and lay the gravel out from the back of the garage all the way to the end of the house.

Practical Completion Inspection

2009-06-26T15:57:00.001+10:00

We had our P.C.I today and when we turned up at the sight we were horrified to see a site fence up on the house next door to our left. We were planning to get almost 5 cubic meters of crushed rock delivered and did not fancy having to cart over 50 wheelbarrows up a steep drive way. Our SS said he thinks it is a Henley home and suggested we ring them find out who the supervisor is and get access to the site this weekend before they get the plumbing and form work in. It is good of him to allow us to do this before handover.

The inspection went quite well most of the major stuff is done and there is just the finishing touches to be done. We went through the house with him putting spots on the walls where we want the painting patched due to damage by other trades. The house looked like it had measles when we finished.

The scratches in the bath have disappeared, all the kitchen cabinets are now correct. The alfresco beams look so much better now very impressed. The brick piers look much better and all the quads are now level.

We are looking at the 10 of July for hand over if everything has been complete ted.

When we finished our P.C.I. we had a concreter meet us for a quote he seemed helpful and reasonably priced so we are more than likely going to use him.

When we got home we managed to get in contact with the Site super for next door and he allowed us access to his site so that the truck can dump the crushed rock in our back yard. We rang "midway building supplies" as they are cheap and great to deal with. We organised for four and half cubic meters of crushed rock to be delivered on the Saturday.

Unfortunately we found out it is a double story going up next door. Grrrrrrrrrrr at least there is 6meters between us and them.

Painter back again

2009-06-25T00:04:00.001+10:00

The painter has been back to paint the patched up walls the plasterer made plumb also the bulkhead and cornice are now completed in the kitchen.

Carpenter back on site.

2009-06-24T23:49:00.000+10:00

Quads at the front of the home have all been made level and the master window has been replaced. The alfresco beams have been covered in cement sheeting and the appearance is a vast improvement to the beams and uneven bricks. The pantry and laundry cupboards have been installed and the scratches in bath tub polished out.

Take 3

2009-06-23T23:42:00.001+10:00

The master bedroom window has been delivered to site. This is the third window for the master bedroom, the first was too big the second was out of square and now we are hoping for third time lucky.

Bricks relaid

2009-06-22T23:29:00.000+10:00

I spoke to SS and he said that the brick piers have been relaid again and that the new master bedroom window is being delivered tomorrow. The kitchen cabinet doors above the fridge have been replaced with a single door.

I mentioned the bath tub has been scratched and that the flood lights are wrong. We are still on track for the PCI (practical completion inspection) on Friday.

Tiling to kitchen completed.

2009-06-20T23:18:00.000+10:00

The tile layer returned and completed the tiling up the wall behind the rangehood, it looks fantastic.

We picked up the intercom unit for our home, we are installing the genie system 3 to have a basic intercom system. It is a small and compact unit not those big ugly bulky systems.

Site open

2009-06-19T23:10:00.000+10:00

Tiles returned to site for the tile layer coming backing tomorrow.

I had a measure and quote done for the curtains.

The house has been cleaned and I noticed the bath has been scratched.

More progress.

2009-06-16T22:59:00.001+10:00

The telephone line has been run to the property so we can now apply for a connection. The spot lights have been installed at the front of the property but they are incorrect. They have installed para flood lights and they should have installed magneto sensor spotlights.

The taps, shower heads, toilets have been fitted. The replacement alfresco door has been delivered to sit. The 4 door kitchen cabinets have also been returned to site to be fitted in the pantry and laundry but the handles are missing.

Arrangements.

2009-06-15T22:38:00.001+10:00

Spoke to tile layer he is flat out and will come on Saturday to finish the tiling.

Rang SS let him know we left the tiles in the alfresco but he can not make it to site as his car has packed up. We will go back and pick up tiles before they walk off site and return them on Friday. We discussed the alfresco bricks, tiling, quote for the fence repair and also for the site to be open on Friday for the curtain quote.

Weekend work.

2009-06-14T22:32:00.001+10:00

We returned the kitchen feature tiles to site for the tile layer to complete the tiling at the rangehood now that the cabinets have been replaced. We noticed the cornice above the rangehood has been finished, they must be working weekends now.

We noticed a few bricks near the window at the alfresco are leaning, I will contact SS and let him know.

Painting continues

2009-06-13T22:28:00.000+10:00

The alfresco door has been varnished and looks fantastic, it must have just been done this morning.

One step forward two steps........

2009-06-12T22:05:00.001+10:00

The correct 3 door kitchen cabinets have been fitted replacing the incorrect 4 door cabinets to be relocated. The only problem is that they are now missing in action! The incorrect two door cabinet above the fridge is also yet to be replaced.

Another site clean has taken place if it could be called that, with the recent rain we just had it has ended up looking more like a mud pit. The temporary fence and site toilet has been removed. The back fence between our property and the one behind us has been damaged, it looks like the bulldozer slid in the mud. I have contacted SS and reported the damage.

Progress in the kitchen

2009-06-11T21:45:00.000+10:00

The new kitchen sink has been installed and the pantry shelving has also been fitted, they left out the top shelf to fit the kitchen cabinets to be replaced. All the wardrobes have been fitted out as well.

The cost of curtains is outrageous.

2009-06-10T16:30:00.002+10:00

We have got some quotes back on curtains and they are just outrageous. We are going to do some more shopping around. When I get a chance I will update with photos of the fabrics we like.

We are also getting quotes from carpenters to raise our alfresco floor and construct the frame work around our spa. The estimated quotes here are not fantastic either, I can feel a DIY coming on.

Extra long weekend????

2009-06-08T15:59:00.001+10:00

Not much if anything at all happened on Friday, they must have all decided to have an extra long weekend.

We went on site today and moved the bricks that were in the middle of the building rubble. When they do the site clean the bricks would just get turfed. There is still a large pallet of bricks in the driveway which we have to move.

We found some concretors from another near by site in our garage trying to shield themselves from the icy winds while having lunch. I don't think they expected someone to turn up on a public holiday. They were good value because we got the name of a friend of theirs that concretes driveways.

Special thanks to Janine for watching our boys and Viv for helping us move the bricks.

More fit outs.

2009-06-04T21:57:00.003+10:00

The internal hangers and shelving in the wardrobes have been fitted. The shelving in the pantry has also been fitted leaving space for the cupboard being installed above the sink.

The new kitchen sink has also been installed as the old one walked off site.

The top four door cabinets in the kitchen have been replaced with three door units. They were supposed to be installed in the laundry and pantry but have been incorrectly removed from site. I have spoken to SS and he said they will be returned next week and installed.

There are a few errors with the electrical, there are para floodlights out the front of the property and there should be small ones with sensors. The master bedroom dimmer switch is in the wrong spot and the kitchen down lights are off centre. We are going to go back with our electrical drawings check the remaining electrical fit out.

Aircon in!

2009-06-03T20:52:00.002+10:00

The refrigerated air is being installed today and the installer rang me today to ask where we want the unit. He saw that there is a power point in the rumpus for a projector and said he is moving the air conditioning vent in that room so that it won't interfere with the equipment. He is also putting the thermostat where we want.

The electrician was on site again today installing all the lights.

Site meeting with SS and sparky on site.

2009-06-02T17:27:00.002+10:00

We met SS out on site today to go through the list of defects. The major issues have been resolved and we have now agreed to make payment on the fixing invoice.

Fixed:

The brick sills and front step all relaid without split bricks.
Pier at portico bricks now straight.
Cement sheet leveled above meter box.
Fascia fitted closer to the walls removing gaps.
Gutter at alfresco fixed.
Roof tiles over master bedroom fitted properly.
Bow removed from kitchen wall.
Master bedroom window above bed has had trimmer installed.
Flashing to alfresco door and front door installed.
Front door replaced.
Entry door quirk now level
Garage door now level and plumb
Toilet window now in the center.

Outstanding:

Brick piers at left and right of garage to still be straightened.
Mortar blow outs to be filled.
Windows, repair dents (dining, rumpus, toilet), replace vinyls, fit aluminum angle to toilet window and replace front master bedroom window as the right hand small windows are not square.
Quads still to be made level at front of house, quads will be replaced at alfresco with a wider quad and end beam will get covered in with cement sheet as it is rough.
Front fascia over garage to be replaced, portico gutter to be replaced and study fascia to be adjusted.
Fix reinforcement to dishwasher space for stone.
Bottom of wall at games room still not plumb
Flashing at laundry door will be removed and caulked instead.
Sand and repaint bulkhead at entrance.
remove bump from rumpus/alfresco wall, and unusual bump in ceiling in family room.
Fix ceiling in alfresco where paint damaged by brick acid wash.
Flashing at alfresco will be cut down.
Bricks to be replaced at alfresco window (last 2 are raised). Also at alfresco pillar where they incorrectly drilled a hole to pull wire through and at the study pillar where a faulty brick was laid.
Garage door needs to be repaired where someone has tried to break in.
Study door needs to be repaired the bottom has a chip in it.
Bed 2 wall damaged.
Bed 4 wardrobe no handles
Front door handel to be changed should be antique brass. SS has ordered a brass deadlock and will put it on our garage.
Alfresco door damaged will be replaced.

At final inspection.

Touch up walls, eves and ceilings.
Provide 4 extra handles 2 for laundry 2 for pantry.
Caulk the basins with white not the clear silicone.

The electrician was also on site today and we asked if we could make the few little changes and they have agreed. We are getting a low voltage light installed at the poritco and one above each basin in the ensuite. We have lowered at the junction box at the front pillar of the master bedroom to use it for garden lights.

Moving things along........

2009-06-01T16:54:00.001+10:00

We are finally seeing things pick up pace on site. The data cable self confessed genius has been back and has installed the alarm although we can't make out if he has put the correct sensors in. All the data cables have been pulled out of the walls.

The Mirrors have been installed, the main bathroom one is slightly off center but we will get over it. The ensuite is a lot brighter with the mirror now installed but we have decided to add two extra low voltage down lights, one over each basin.

The down pipes are all getting connected.

Bricks cleaned.

2009-05-29T16:31:00.000+10:00

The bricks that have been cleaned and the mortar is a very good match which was a concerns with them having to be relaid. We still think that some rows are not straight at the left garage pillar and they have not touched the right pillar at all. The portico pillar is now fine. We will have to talk to SS.

Straightening walls

2009-05-28T15:44:00.001+10:00

The plasterer is back at the site. He is fixing the wall that is bowed in the kitchen that backs on to the linen cupboard and also the rumpus and family room wall that is not plumb. I noticed that the games room wall that is still not plumb has not been fixed I will have to talk to SS. He has also finished the cornice in the kitchen which is a wasted effort as we are still waiting for the top cabinets to be replaced and a bulkhead to go in. Oh well at least it is better sealed for us.

There is a hold up on the kitchen cabinets as someone forgot to put the order through. Once the kitchen cabinets do arrive, we have decided that we are changing where the existing cabinets will go. We are still having one unit transferred to the laundry but we are now putting the other one in the pantry above the sink.

We are meeting SS out on site Tuesday to go through the list of outstanding items.

Carpenter is back.

2009-05-26T16:05:00.001+10:00

The carpenter is back on site and has replace the two vertical arcs at the rear wall of the garage with one whole mdf board and it has improved the way it looks but is still suspect at the top, something is just not quite right here. He has also put small quads at the alfresco and frankly they look crap! The finish where the alfresco beams meet the bricks is just a plain eyesore and is just not acceptable. It does not look crap at the display home and we will not accept this at all. We will have to talk to SS.

We have a back fence!

2009-05-23T10:38:00.002+10:00

Our neighbour behind us has moved in and they already have fences around their block! We were very surprised as we thought it would take ages for the developer to authorize the fences since they are paying for them........yep our fences are included in the price of the block!

It was great to get an idea of the size of the back yard now that the back fence is up. The blocks on our side are bigger and also wider so the fences do not match up so we are still missing part of our back fence. I thought it was going to look smaller but it is ample space for our boys to play in without being too much work for us. We rather spend time with them rather than maintaining a backyard for them. We have two parks at the end of our street so we will enjoy those while someone else does the watering and cutting of the grass!

Bricks have been relaid.

2009-05-22T22:02:00.004+10:00

Bricks have been relaid at the left wall of the garage and the left front pillar to the portico where the were originally laid on a slant. The front step and back window sill have been relaid without a split brick and look a heck of a lot better. The front door and door frame have also been sanded ready to be stained. They have also relaid the bricks at the toilet window to center it in the middle of the wall.

A little progress

2009-05-19T21:59:00.002+10:00

The shower screens have been installed in both the bathroom and ensuite. We can't get in to take photos and we could on just see them through the obscured windows.

We have now been in so here are the photos. Update 2/6.

Waiting........waiting.......waiting.....................

2009-05-18T21:52:00.001+10:00

I rang SS for an update on our construction today. He informed me that he is waiting for trades people to finish on other sites so that they can come back to ours. I mentioned our bricks are walking off site and he said he has already ordered more bricks to replace the bricks that will have to be removed and relaid. I requested that the left over pallet from the first batch be used for the front as I do not want any colour variances. He said that he expects the bricklayer back on site Thursday.

Not much happening around here!!!

2009-05-15T21:41:00.005+10:00

I rang SS yesterday to arrange to view the house and he said a chippy would be next door to open up. When I arrived on site only the site cleaners were there and they don't have master keys so no-one was around to open up, Grrrrrrr.

The alfresco door has been stained but from what I could tell nothing else had been done all week. I will call SS Monday and find out what is going on and why the progress has stalled.

The site cleaners were good they asked if I wanted the side of our block leveled and if I wanted next doors roof tiles removed from our property. I gave them the thumbs up and all was done in a jiffy. Good on'ya cleaning Bob's.

More bricks have walked..........

Attending to the issues.

2009-05-08T21:34:00.002+10:00

The stone bench has been has been cut again to fit the sink in as the hole cut at the factory was too small. They obviously cut to what is standard or missed that we upgraded our sink to have two large bowls rather than one and a half. Needless to say we are not too thrilled about the fine dust that is now all over the walls and everywhere else.

Spoke to SS who is now back from leave, he said that the master window has been fixed and he will have photos of the work forwarded to us.

Our bricks are beginning to walk off site, as soon as the bricklaying has been completed we are going to remove the remaining bricks ourselves before they all disappear.

More tiling and grout.

2009-05-06T20:18:00.002+10:00

The tiling to the niche and splashback in the ensuite as well as the shower base of the main bathroom have all been completed and grouted. The only tiling that remains is at the rangehood when the cupboards finally get replaced.

I noticed damage to the wall backing on to the ensuite was damaged in bedroom 2. The plaster will have to be fixed and repainted.

Spare tiles left over.

2009-05-04T15:08:00.001+10:00

I spoke to the Tiler today, he has been very economical and has not needed to use the extra box of feature tiles I supplied. He said I can come out on site Wednesday to pick up any of the extra tiles left over so they don't walk of site and he will get his apprentice to load them up in my car. What a cool guy!

More tiling and we have rollerdoors

2009-05-01T11:11:00.001+10:00

I spoke to the tiler today he said that he has finished the ensuite shower walls, the tiling to the bathroom vanity and the grouting was done in the main bathroom as well as the laundry for the 100x300 cream tiles. He only has the niche and splashback to tile in the ensuite, the shower base of the main bathroom as well as the tiling at the rangehood when the cupboards finally get replaced.

The rollerdoors were put up today, the front rollerdoor is huge!

I trust you all love my new car!

More tiling

2009-04-30T00:26:00.000+10:00

The tile layer completed tiling the bath in the main bathroom, the shower base in the ensuite and added two extra tiles to the kitchen today. He is unable to tile the remaining tiles to the kitchen wall until the top cupboards are replaced.
I also spoke to him today regarding the ensuite shower tile laying. On the tile plan we originally chose to have vertical brick bond tiling to the shower walls with the metalic rust 300x600 tiles. We are tiling the spa ourselves and there will only be one row of tiles on the face and one row for the splashback. I explained that I thought it would look crappy if we cut every second tile in half at the spa to get a brickbond effect and if we tiled the spa tiles straight the shower would not match, he totally agreed. I therefore requested for him to tile the shower vertical stacked but not brickbond.

I spoke to Man in charge while SS is in holidays to approve the changes and he said no probs. I copied the drawings wrote the changes on them and then delivered them to site. I wanted to avoid confusion and to back the tile layer up so that he does not get wrapped over the knuckles for making changes.

We have some catching up to do.

2009-04-29T15:55:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone,

As it always seems to go with volume builders our construction ran off course. The last few weeks have been a bit of a nightmare and not what we expected from Porter Davis Homes. We are hoping that over the next few weeks things will get back on track and that by the time we get to handover that both our home and faith will be restored.

The last time I updated it was the 3/4 and even then I was behind on photos. I will try and get up to date with my notes today and get a start on the photos too. So stay tuned the updates are coming.

Tiler on site.

2009-04-28T15:24:00.005+10:00

I met the tile layer on site today and explained that I want to continue tiling up to the ceiling behind the rangehood in the kitchen and that I also want the same tiles for the splashback in the main bathroom. I had discussed this with head honcho at the meeting on Friday and he said no problem meet tile layer on site and work it out with him.

The tiler was really helpful. He explained about the sharp edge we would get once the tiles were cut for the main bathroom splashback. He advised to lay only two rows up rather than three which would put the sharp edge of the tile on the to the vanity bench and where the mirror would meet. Once these edges get caulked it would no longer be a problem. I agreed and gave him the go ahead. I left him one of the extra boxes of tiles I had purchased.

The tiling completed today was the laundry splashback,shower walls and top area surrounding the bath in the main bathroom.............................................and the kitchen splashback.
The screeding was also completed to both shower bases.
The basins were also installed today.

Carpet change.

2009-04-27T14:55:00.006+10:00

We found out on Friday that we are about 6 weeks away from completion which is way ahead of schedule. I rang the carpet place to see if they had ordered the carpet in and they said they need to come out and do a measure before to order the Navy Miracle twist in. They rang the manufacturer and found that it would take 8 weeks. Eeeeeeeeek They asked if I could come in because they had a fair amount of new stock and I might be able to switch to something in stock.

I dropped our boys off to my friend Janine's house and then went to the carpet place. It was so wonderful to go there on my own. I was able to take my time and decide what I wanted rather rush because one of my boys was causing a disaster. Janine if you read this you made my day, thank you!

I found a navy carpet that was far better quality, half the price of the original one I chose and in stock which took care of the boys rooms. We decided to change the carpet of the spare room to the same colour as the master bedroom being the fawn coloured "interior charm." We also changed our minds about having navy in the home theatre as it clashed with the colours in the kitchen. So I chose a donkey brown colour and liked it so much that I got an extra piece as a rug for the family room. In the end I saved $300 and also got two extra 2x2.5m rugs out of an off cut which we can use under our desks. The $300 we saved will pay for the over locking of the rugs.

We are really happy to not have to wait for our carpet, when you add up the savings and extra rugs we get on top, today was a really good day!

Meeting on site.

2009-04-24T14:43:00.004+10:00

We met the construction "head honcho" and branch manger from PD Keilor Park out on site today to go through our independent inspectors report. We felt that we were listened too, that we got the chance to express why we lost trust in PD and felt the need to escalate to head office. We stated our disappointment in the quality of workmanship from some of the trades. We also explained our dissatisfaction of the way that our issues have been handled to date.

Once we started pointing out everything on the report as well as the other issues we had including the kitchen wall that is bowed and the flashing missing from the laundry door frame. They realised our complaints were legitimate and that we were not just going on about nothing.

They took down notes and said that they will fix everything on the report plus the other things that we were not happy with. Time will tell if they act on these things and restore our faith. In the meantime we will continue to hold payment to enforce that it does all happen.

Now for the kitchen bench saga.........we were mislead regarding the edge finish and the manufacturer does not provide a full rounded edge including the face to the stone bench. They showed us a booklet with the edge finishes they do provide and in the end we settled to keep the existing one. It's not what I wanted but in the end I can live with it and will have to get over it.

The bath waterproofing issue. The bath and shower areas had been waterproofed. we took photos to show Dad and explained to him what they had done, he believes it may do the job but urged us to keep an eye on it. In Dad's opinion this window should be raised and is poorly designed, I agree and think who ever designed this doesn't have kids!

Tile issue resolved.

2009-04-21T14:17:00.004+10:00

I arrived on site today to meet with the Sales Rep from National Tiles and was bailed up by the painter saying I needed permission to be there. I growled back at him saying that I had spoken to Probie and wouldn't be there without asking permission, so he backed off.

The feature tiles delivered on site were incorrect. Four out of the six boxes were the correct tile, however two boxes as well as the one extra tile that was on top were the incorrect colour. The rep from National tiles removed the two incorrect boxes and extra tile, he noted the batch numbers of the correct tiles on site and will replace them with the same tiles from the same batch. I email Probie to let SS know so that he does not think tiles have been stolen from site.

I had a look around and noticed that the flashing is also missing on the back laundry door, they will have to take this frame out too. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

The painter was repainting the wall that was on the inspectors report so they must be starting to fix the substandard work.

Meeting postponed and yet another mistake on site.

2009-04-20T14:06:00.005+10:00

I rang this morning to see if Construction head honcho coming on site he can not make it, we have rescheduled for Friday. There was no point in meeting the Keilor Park branch staff out on site as we did not feel they would address the issues adequately or take us seriously.

We went out again to check what is going on with the master window but nothing has happened. We have noticed a dent in the frame of the dining room window on the external wall.

We also saw the tiles are on site and guess what? Yep you guess it, the wrong tiles are on site, unbelievable!

Extra tiles for kitchen and spa

2009-04-17T21:39:00.003+10:00

I rang National Tiles today because I purchased extra (Metalic Rust) tiles from another branch of Nat Tiles and wanted to make sure I had the same batch colour as the one that PD are laying. We want to extend the tiling to the kitchen splashback right up to the ceiling behind the rangehood. We also need extra tiles for the spa bath we are installing ourselves as we are laying these in our ensuite shower.

The lovely bright spark I spoke to at National tiles Port Melb today rang me back with an hour and confirmed that we had the same batch, issue resolved.

We have your attention!

2009-04-17T13:49:00.004+10:00

I got a call first thing this morning from head office and feel like I have finally been heard. This manager was apologetic and proactive in wanting to get things resolved. She is trying to arrange for a construction head honcho to meet us out on site Monday.

We went out again today and found that the bricks have been removed from the front master bedroom window edge sill. What are they up to now? We know that the window appears to be set too high and needs to be dropped, but now we now have the two windows at the front with different brick laying, the study has split bricks and the master does not?

Enough is enough!

2009-04-16T13:35:00.002+10:00

We are now annoyed at the number of mistakes as well as the lack of response to our inspectors report. We have escalated our concerns to management at PD Keilor Park. We feel that we are constantly pointing out things needing to be fixed and nothing is happening to rectify them. We are no longer prepared to accept "it all gets fixed in then end".

Management at PD Keilor park passed our concerns off to an assistant, in our eyes this branch makes no apology for the substandard work performed on site and is not taking our concerns seriously.

We have now escalated our issues to head office. We are continuing to hold payment for the fixing invoice and do not intend to make any further payments until all items big and small are fixed. We do not want to end up in dispute with PD we just want our house built to the standard of the display home and to date that is not what we are getting.

Painting finished and stone bench in.

2009-04-15T13:25:00.002+10:00

The painting has finished and all the window protection has been removed so we can see inside again. We are fairly happy with the painting but will reserve judgment until it we inspect it with proper lighting. We have seen a few areas which need attention but they are more to do with the plastering than the paint job.

The kitchen stone bench has been fitted and has the wrong finish on the edge. Also where the return meets up with the wall the have caulked a joint and the gap does not run straight. From what I can tell it is due to the wall having a bow in it. Why am I still picking up walls that are out? Honestly this is getting ridiculous. We are as frustrated by the poor workmanship as we are with the number of mistakes being made.

Internal painting.

2009-04-13T12:31:00.004+10:00

We drove out today "Easter Monday" wondering if anyone will be on site. When we arrived we found the painter was working so we got to see the inside of the house. We are really happy with the colour we chose it is warm and sunny just what we were after. The colour of the walls is 1/4 strength Spun Toffee, the colour for the architraves and doors is porcelain. The photo makes it look a lot more yellow than it really is.

The ceiling and cornices were already finished, as were all the doors and architraves. The painter was still painting some of the walls and had just started the garage.

We were never asked at Hopetoun what colour we wanted in the garage and it gets assumed that is part of the internal painted walls. Looking at it now I would have preferred it to be the paperbark colour to match the external painting but is not a big enough concern to want to change it, so no big deal.

Our Inspectors report.

2009-04-07T11:42:00.002+10:00

We received our own independent building inspectors report and we are not pleased with the number of issues that need to be fixed. We are so relieved that we hired him as he has now confirmed that the issues we have are legitimate.
We have several items and naturally the major ones are our biggest concern. These include plaster needing to come down so that a frame that was cut and "fudged" can be rebuilt to meet the standards. The front door as well as alfresco frames that we felt were not level now have to be removed and refitted because the flashing is missing underneath them both. Sections of brick wall also have to be relaid because they have not been laid straight which is very disappointing. The garage and front fascia needs to be replaced as does the guttering over the portico because it is damaged or poorly fitted. All the quads at the front of the house are out of level. We have forwarded a copy of the Building inspectors report to PD and has stated that we are holding payment on the current invoice. Probie has passed it on to be addressed.
We started out so well and now ..........Hmmmmmmmmm.........NOT HAPPY!

Ready.... set..... paint!

2009-04-06T11:39:00.002+10:00

The painter has arrived on site. He has commenced the external painting and has painted the front eves, alfresco ceiling, quads and lintels.

He has also prepared the internal of the house for painting, all the windows have been covered in so that the paint does not pray on to them.

Pipes & panels

2009-04-03T21:37:00.002+11:00

The hot water solar panel has been installed and the pipes have been run to the ensuite, I hope they will be finished off a little better than they have been. They have removed half a brick and the pipes are hanging out, they may just mortar around it which is not the finish I was expecting. I would have expected them to put proper fitting like the other pipes. I will speak to SS.

The colorbond down pipes have been installed and we are really happy with the colour of them as they seem to disappear rather than stand out. The colour we chose was jasper which is the same as the gutters. The back rollerdoor to the garage will also be the same colour.

More holes!!!!!

2009-04-02T21:22:00.004+11:00

We went through our photos and asked our inspector if could check the wall with a probe where we believe there is still insulation missing. He advised us to meet SS out on site and have him cut holes as it would be easier to patch up now rather than later when walls have been painted.

So I met SS out on site today to cut holes in the plaster and found another 10 out of the 12 spots were missing insulation. Larger holes will now be cut and insulation will get stuffed in. This is frankly very disappointing considering we asked the question and were told that it was in the walls. Between this issue, the master bedroom window and the poor BSS report we are fast loosing faith in PD.

The bath has been delivered and installed, there was heaps of room for it to be lowered but it is too late now. I will request that I have something in writing explaining how they intend to waterproof to prevent water seeping into the frame below at the window.

Kitchen update

2009-04-01T21:04:00.002+11:00

Next time check, check and check again!

The plans for the kitchen were wrong on the final drawings. The floor plan was correct but the elevation was incorrect. That is why we ended up with four door cupboards instead of three doors either side of the rangehood. My original administrator Madam X called and confessed that she did recall us asking for 3 doors. I was pleased that she was honest enough to say I buggered up.

What has been negotiated.......
We will pay cost price for the new correct cabinets to be made.
PD will pay to take the incorrect cabinets down and relocate them to the laundry. Also they will cover the cost to put the new cabinets up. PD will also have the cupboard doors above the fridge changed to a single door as per the drawings.

Garage walls

2009-03-31T20:57:00.003+11:00

The walls of the garage have had the plastered and the cornices put up. It looks so much bigger now.

Bricks cleaned.

2009-03-30T20:43:00.003+11:00

The bricks have been acid washed and look fantastic. It is a shame that the same can not be said about the bricklaying. Some of the bricks on the front walls either side of the garage look like they are not level and the front pillar is even worse. This is the front of the home and we do not feel it is up to the standard we expect from Porter Davis, most disappointing. We have contacted our inspector to come back and check it. There are a few bricks that have chips and we want them replaced.

We had settlement on our home today so we now have one less mortgage fweeeew. We were lucky to have the opportunity to stay on in our home and don't have to move out until November. We have plenty of time up our sleeves to slowly pack and even when we move we can take our time. The fact that we did not have to move twice was a real blessing.

Clean up

2009-03-27T20:31:00.000+11:00

Site clean done again.

We got our own inspector in.

2009-03-26T20:19:00.003+11:00

We organised our own independent inspector to come out and inspect the work to date. We particularly wanted him to check how the bedroom window has been installed because it appears it is not sitting on the frame but rather propped up on some packing. It looks like the frame has been cut and fudged. Here take a look for your self.

We are unhappy with our toilet window that is not in the middle of the wall and it is obvious. We are also still concerned with some of the brick laying, our inspector will come back and check it when the bricks have been cleaned.

The plaster for the garage has been delivered so I guess that will get done next.

Plastering continues

2009-03-25T20:09:00.003+11:00

Plasterer returned to patch and sand walls marked by inspector to be fixed. He was going to install cornices in the kitchen until I told him that the kitchen cupboards were going to be replaced and that the new cupboards will have bulkheads.

I found the BSS inspectors report and I am not impressed! I not happy with the lack of progress in fixing the things that I have brought to the attention of SS either. We are noticing more suspect quality work every time we come out and now feel it necessary to get our own independent inspector in.

Work on the garage

2009-03-23T19:36:00.002+11:00

The temporary timber frame at the front of the garage has been removed, now that the steel lintel is holding the roof up over the wide opening for the rollerdoor.

The roof tiles have been removed for the box gutter to be installed near the parapet wall.

Site inspection.

2009-03-20T19:27:00.001+11:00

The BSS independent inspector came out on site we can see the report on the kitchen bench.

Third time lucky

2009-03-18T19:13:00.002+11:00

The cables at the pillars in the alfresco have now been pulled out in the correct spot. The holes in the mortar will need to be filled and the bricks that were drilled into will need to replaced.

Kitchen, laundry & Bathrooms take shape.

2009-03-17T23:05:00.007+11:00

The Kitchen has been installed and looks fantastic we are thrilled about the layout and the colour. There has been mistakes made though. The top kitchen cabinets either side of the range hood are wrong, there should be three doors either side not four. They were also installed at the wrong height 700mm from the bottom bench and should be should be 600mm. The cupboard above the fridge is also incorrect there should be one door and there are two. I will have to speak to probie.

The laundry cabinet as well as the vanities have also been installed in the Bathroom and ensuite, again we are really happy with the colours we have chosen.
The laundry stainless steel sink which was an upgrade has been installed, all the other sinks have been delivered and are waiting to be installed.

The eves at the front facade have now all been covered in it is a shame that the quads are all not level!

They have moved the electrical cables from the inside of the brick pillars in the alfresco to the outer side which is correct, unfortunately they have now been pulled out at the top instead of the bottom!!! It will have to be third time lucky.

Skirting & Bricks

2009-03-16T22:57:00.002+11:00

The correct lintel has been installed and the bricklaying has now been completed at the garage.

The skirting has been laid throughout the house, we really like what we have chosen it is simple and understated. We can't get a photo the house is locked up tonight.

Architraves up

2009-03-13T17:52:00.003+11:00

The architraves around the windows are now up, the internal carpenter is really good all the work is spot on. We can thank him for the straight walls too.

We are going to have him come back and do a little work for us after handover. He will build the frame for the spa bath, build a raised floor in the alfresco and a privacy wall at the end of the Alfresco too.

Doors doors and more doors

2009-03-12T22:52:00.001+11:00

All the internal doors have been put up including the wardrobe doors. We chose the Corinthian doors and they look really great but we did not put them on the wardrobes and now regret that decision. The architraves around the doors are also up and I guess the window architraves will be next.

No biggy we can always change them later. As the boys grow up they will get covered in posters anyway so we may learn to live with them anyway.

We notice all the hinges and strike plates are incorrect they are all chrome and should all be brass, I will let SS know.

Site inspection,

2009-03-12T21:51:00.011+11:00

I have a bit of a catch up to do….......Hmmm where were we?

I met SS out on site today to go through our list of concerns. We also had a manager join us who inspects the projects. At first I wondered if it was going to be a gang up but instead I left feeling they were taking our concerns very seriously and they both took the time to address each item on our list.

We have decided to hold off on getting our own inspector to give them a chance to get the job done to our satisfaction.

To be fixed…..

The lintel at the garage was not bowed, there were three faulty bricks that made the lintel appear bowed.
I was still not convinced that the insulation was behind certain walls and SS punched a screw driver through the wall and said “Yep she’s right they need to come back and do it again!” They will now have to cut holes into the plaster and put the insulation in where it was missing.
The bricklaying at the master bedroom window frame above the bed is still NQR. The expansion joint appears bowed. The window has now been installed and the edge bricks can now be laid.
Fascia at study above portico not straight the bracket is too short and is pulling the fascia off the gutter.
Garage brickwork not completed due to incorrect steal beam. Lintel is now on site should be done on Monday.
Electrical cable pulled out in the wrong spot on alfresco pillars
The alfresco frame is not square but within tolerance, SS said when the caulk it at the end it will all look straight.
There is damage to one brick and the mortar at the alfresco to be fixed.

Fixed

They fix the pipe sticking out of the master bedroom wall at the power box.

Front facade at portico is now square.

Toilet window is now only slightly out with the architrave installed.
Broken roof tiles in family room and alfresco now all replaced.
Gaps at widow frames mostly fixed with windows now in place.

Gets fixed before hand over:

Alarm sensor/nightlight in home theatre S/Be in family room.
Toilet window frame damaged and window does not slide properly.
Garage door frame bowed
Garage door hinges do not match.
Barrel for alfresco door to be replaced
Front door handles to be changed.
Windows missing weather shields.

Lock up invoice

2009-03-11T22:45:00.002+11:00

We have received our lock up invoice and feel it is a little premature considering they have not completed all the bricklaying and we do not have heating or cooling in as yet.
I have spoken to Credit Chief in charge and have found out that the customer should not follow the "procedure of purchase booklet" because it is misleading. If you refer to the contract the bricklaying does not need to be completed at the garage and neither does the heating and cooling need to be in at this point.

Anyway not paying anything until we meet SS on site and go through our list of concerns.

Expert advice.

2009-03-10T18:09:00.006+11:00

We had a friend (brick layer) come out on the weekend to inspect our home and got his opinion on a few things we thought looked a bit NQR. The two main things are the brick laying at the master window and the lintel at the back of the garage being bowed. He agreed that the master wall brick laying is bowed and showed us that the expansion joint is really bowed and some bricks are just too far from the side of the window leaving a big gap. The window is still not installed properly so we can not really tell. The main concern is with the lintel, if it is bowed how can it hold the weight of the bricks? Mortar has been used to fill up the gap between the lintel and the bricks.

We spoke to our SS and he wants to meet us on site on Thursday so that we can express our concerns, we have no doubt that these issues will be resolved and out of courtesy wanted to speak to him first.

We are not experts nor do we pretend to be so we have decided for our own piece of mind to have our own independent inspector come out and give us a report. We do not want to assume things are not being done properly or within regulated guide lines and tolerances, so we will leave it to the experts to sort it out. We felt this was the best coarse of action as we don't want to complain unnecessarily and also want a home built to the standards we expect from Porter Davis.

We will let you know how we go.

Cornices are up.

2009-03-07T11:09:00.001+11:00

They have put the cornices up There is only a little bit more to finish in the kitchen, this will be finished when the kitchen cabinets have been installed.. The bulkhead in the entrance is also up.

We are plastered!!!!

2009-03-05T16:47:00.004+11:00

The plaster is up on all the walls and all the ceilings in every room. The bulkhead has gone up in the entrance. The plaster Bobs did put up the insulation before the plaster, they used new insulation because the one on the floor had glass through it from the smashed window. The plasterboards have all been joined together and all the nail holes plastered over. I guess they will be putting up the cornices next.

The only area not completed is the garage because we are waiting on the lintel which is holding up the brickwork and the garage door that would stop rain blowing into the garage on the plaster.

Site superman went through all our issues with me and they are all either sorted or he is working on it. So it is all good.

We have had a site clean they have removed all the rubbish from the back yard and the side of the house near the alfresco.

We have stacked up some bricks and roof tiles on a pallet to keep in the back yard.

All sorted

2009-03-04T18:28:00.001+11:00

Our issues had been all address and are either sorted out, repaired or a WIP.

Sorted out

Window frame and bath level at same height? Water proofing? They water proof before tiling.

Plaster up before insulation at Daniel's room. They put up new insulation the old one was full of glass.

SS will look into

Master wall at power box bowed with pipe sticking out
Master window brick laying at frame a bit suspect
Fascia at study above portico not straight
Front facade at portico not square
Toilet window frame damaged and window does not slide properly. Window not in the center.

Getting fixed A.S.A.P.

Garage brickwork not completed due to incorrect steal beam. Lintel on order
Water leaking from Alfresco roof at pointing?
Broken roof tile in family room now raining on plaster

Work in progress will be fixed before hand over:

Electrical cable pulled out in the wrong spot on alfresco pillars
Alarm sensor/nightlight in home theartre S/Be in family room.
Garage door frame bowed
Garage door hinges do not match.
Barrel for alfresco door to be replaced
Front door handles to be changed.

Design flaw?

2009-03-03T16:46:00.006+11:00

Dad came with us on Sunday and said the house appears to be really well constructed. The only thing he questioned is how could the bath frame be level with the window? With the kids splashing around in the bath the potential of water getting under the window frame and rotting the timber underneath is there. So we need to bring this up with SS.

Here take a look

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5zWhWlZF8vw/SZkJG9kBUiI/AAAAAAAAASI/n4Q0GZU-Qok/s1600-h/Bath+frame.JPG

More plaster and no air con duct?

2009-03-02T14:59:00.005+11:00

We went to see the progress tonight and found the front door unlocked so we were able to get some photos of where the plaster has gone up. Today they put up plaster around the entrance, study, master WIR and pantry.

We find it bazaar that the heating/cooling unit and air con ducts have not been put in before the plaster.

Our keys are still hanging in the Alfresco door which is open because the plaster is up against the doors so it can not be locked. Martin is going to request that the barrel gets changed as these keys have been sitting on site and anyone could have taken a copy by now.

There is damage to the toilet window frame, a pipe hanging out of the master wall further than the plaster so I am not sure how this will be fixed as the wall is bowed. Also the plaster sheets and cornices are stacked up right under the broken roof tile, if it rains....... well you know the rest! I am hoping they will replace the tile before the ceiling goes up and we end up with a patch job.

I think I might start a list of things pending to be fixed. I have spoken to Probie and she will address these things with SS on Wednesday.

Plaster is on the way up

2009-03-01T14:27:00.003+11:00

We did not manage to get out Friday night so we went out today and found the plaster Bob's working which was a bit of a surprise. They have started putting up the plaster boards and so far the finished rooms are....
Home theatre, Oscar and Daniel's rooms, the laundry, games room, spare room, bathroom, toilet, ensuite, the master bedroom and the dining ceiling.

We were a little disappointed to see that the insulation was not replaced in Daniel's room before the plaster went up. I don't blame the Bob's as it was full of glass but they should have called SS and waited for it to be replaced. We are not concerned it was left out in some parts of the master bedroom as that is facing south but Daniel's room is full North and will get hot.

This is the first time we have felt hmmmmm not happy!

Not much happening around here.......

2009-02-26T12:02:00.002+11:00

No work was done that we could see today, I guess that the plaster can not go up until the ducts go in for the refrigerated air con.

We did notice that the window in Daniel's room has been replaced.

Our neighbours on the east side of our house have had their site scrape done so it is all about to begin for them. I was really happy to see them start, now all we need is our neighbours on the west side to get started. We are hoping that all the major constructions either side of us will be completed by the time we move in. Both houses behind us are past frame stage which is fantastic.

The plaster has arrived.

2009-02-25T11:52:00.003+11:00

The brick laying has almost finished. All the window ledges are completed, the step to the alfresco is also done, the only thing that remains to be done is the brickwork above the front garage roller door which is being held up by the steel support beam that was welded incorrectly. Well done bricky Bob.

We have officially been locked out of our own home, I will have to get into contact with our site superman so that we can organise to go through the house and take photo's for the blog.

The plaster has now arrived on site and is stacked up in the dining as well as family room. The sheets are huge we can not imagine how they carried them in, I would dare say they came in via the alfresco.

Window ledges and steps

2009-02-24T01:09:00.002+11:00

Bricky Bob has laid the bricks to the back of the garage, most of the window ledges, the laundry step and front door step. He completed the brick wall pillar to the master bedroom and the the two pillars at the alfresco.

The plaster bulkhead has also been delivered. I guess the plaster is not too far away now.

Having said that, where is my refrigerated air con ducts??

We met our neighbour today and he was very friendly and happy with his new facade choice, so all is sweat!

Bricks almost completed.

2009-02-23T00:04:00.004+11:00

Bricky Bob has now laid the bricks to the roof line including the pillars to the portico and study walls. He has almost finished the master bedroom wall but was held up by the window just being installed, he has also set up to start on the master bedroom front veranda pillar. He has also laid more bricks to the alfresco pillars.

We have noticed that the electrical cable for the junction boxes on the pillars at the alfresco have been pulled out at the incorrect height 110cm and on the wrong side of the pillar facing inward to the alfresco, they should be 30cm at the base on the outer side of the pillars facing opposite the side fence. These points are to hard wire garden lights and I do not want them hanging off the middle of the pillar walls inside the alfresco. Not a good look I am sure you would will agree!

Where did the weekend go?

2009-02-22T12:50:00.000+11:00

Grand'ma, Aunty Viv and Nonna looked after the boys while Martin and I spent the whole weekend running intercom, home theatre and speaker cables throughout the new house. We owe a big thank you to uncle Joe who climbed up onto the roof and walked through the trusses with the cables, he was a big help on Sunday and we would not have got the job done without him.

2009-02-20T22:53:00.000+11:00

The master bedroom window has been installed so the bricky Bob will now be able to continue laying around it. He has completed laying bricks down the east side of the house and commenced laying around the master window.

The data cable guy came back and installed the missing data & TV points in the family room but did not swap the incorrect alarm sensor and night light from the home theatre to family room. Grrrrrrrr I am sure SS will fix him!

It was just one thing after another.........

2009-02-19T17:14:00.005+11:00

What a day ......

Disaster list for today.....
1. Noticed cable guy mucked up the alarm sensors as well, he has put a night light in the home theatre and not in the family where it belongs.
2. Met electrician today, he was given the wrong plans and lucky I had mine with me. We went through the updates and I can see there will be no problems, he's is a real bright spark.
3. The steel beam that goes across the front of the garage to hold the bricks up was delivered but was welded incorrectly, so we now have to wait about 2 weeks before it can be replaced.
4. The window in Daniels bedroom was smashed ooooooooooppss I hope no one got injured.
5. We noticed there is a broken roof tile that was missed by the roof Bob's.

and finally on the way home from the site today the boys and I were run off the road by a semi-trailer, he almost killed us. Thankfully we are all alright but he was so close that he smashed my front windscreen. I really hope the B@$#%&D loses his licence and gets taken off the road, rotten mongrel.

The good news....
I met our site supervisor AKA "site superman" today and got the OK for the stuff we want to do on the weekend to lay cables, he looks after us really well.
The Alfresco doors have also been installed and they look amazing.
Our master bedroom front window has finally been delivered.
The have started to lay the wall insulation.
The bricky Bob has continued laying bricks completing the back wall and has begun laying around the corner.
The roof Bobs came and completed the pointing to the alfresco roof.

.........more bricks and doors.

2009-02-18T16:24:00.002+11:00

Bricky Bob has now finished the west side of the house and has made a start on the back wall as well. The only bricks remaining to be laid on this side of the house are the ones under the windows on the ledge.

We had the Alfresco doors delivered, they look fantastic and the raw smell of cedar is even better. I can't wait to see them up.

The garage insulation has also been put up and now makes the garage look even bigger.

Carpet on order.

2009-02-18T15:31:00.004+11:00

After hunting everywhere for a great price on carpet we found the best quality carpets for the best price at Western Distributors in Sunshine, see plugs for more details. The nearest quote was $1300 more expensive than they were so I highly recommend you pay them a visit.

We have chosen a Stainmaster Miracle twist pile, the colour is "deep sea blue" (a fairly dark navy) for the boys bedrooms as well as the spare bedroom and home theatre. The walls are a Wattyl 1/2 strength spun toffee, the tan walls and navy carpet will work nicely to achieve the nautical look we are going for. A darker carpet for the boys room is a good idea in it self really. For our master, retreat and walk in robe we have chosen a 100% nylon Stainmaster that they have in stock, therefore it is heavily reduced in price. It is really thick, lush and has a beautiful textured pattern in a cut and loop pile. The colour is "interior charm" a light caramel which is slightly darker than our wall colour and tiles to the adjoining ensuite. We have kept the colours in the master neutral and will decorate with throws, curtains, bedspreads and cushions as they are much easier to replace if we feel like a change in style.

We have chosen nylon carpets because we are all asthmatic so wool is out! we looked the solution dyed carpets but we just could not find the colour we were after.

We have gone for the highest quality foam underlay as this is one thing we did not want to skimp on.

More bricks and cables laid

2009-02-17T12:20:00.000+11:00

Bricky Bob laid the bricks to the roof line outside the lounge, dining and around the alfresco. I can't wait until the bricks are washed so we can see how good they look. This Bob works hard in such heat don't know how you do it.

The "Cable Guy" was on site today he laid the ducted vac, data cables, phone cable, alarm cables and TV coax. A few changes had to me made. We went out to check that all was done and he forgot the TV and Data point in the family room so will have to come back. I have let probie know and she will pass it on to site superman.

Bricks round two....

2009-02-16T23:20:00.003+11:00

The scaffold is up and the Bricky Bobs have completed the garage wall facing our neighbours. They have also continued along the scrap room, dining room and into the alfresco. They have inserted the steel beams above the windows frames for the bricks to be laid up to the roof.

Site superman agrees front portico facade is wonky and not square and is getting it fixed, the master window gets leveled by the carpenter when the frames are installed. There is an issue with the sand delivery and lucky we have photos of the sand for SS to show the supplier.

We noticed that the garage door has two different coloured hinges, they should both be brass but one is chrome, I am sure it will be fixed.

The roof safety barriers have also come down.

Brick by brick........

2009-02-13T17:38:00.003+11:00

Bricky Bob's have made it totally around the house now. They have laid bricks around the study walls and into the right side of the portico they have also made a start on the alfresco pillars. They will now put up scaffolding and lap the house again laying the bricks right up to the roof.

I asked Bricky Bob in charge if he could brick in a metal box for our intercom at the entrance and he was happy to do it. Good on'ya Bob.

The Bricky Bob's were cooking gourmet hot dogs in our garage today, they come well prepared, no wonder they brick so fast!

Bricking continues.........

2009-02-12T19:45:00.009+11:00

The bricky Bob's have laid bricks down the east side of the house and around the corner to the master bedroom window. They are bricking half way up around the whole house then they will put up scaffolding and continue to brick to the top.

I met internal carpenter Bob today and asked him to put up the extra noggins for the towel rail, speakers etc and the answer was "No problem". He has put up the Garage door, fixed the handles on, installed the alfresco frame and also made the frame for the bath tub.

Our master window.......yep still MIA.

I thought they had delivered the wrong entrance set for the front door, we asked for Antique brass not polished for the front door also as if we would choose a different entrance set to deadbolt. I spoke to site superman and he said they put a cheepy one on so my good one does not get damaged and then they replace it with our one at the end of construction.

We have also noticed the front portico facade does not look square so site superman will go take a look.

More bricks

2009-02-11T16:05:00.005+11:00

The Bricky Bobs have laid more bricks to the alfresco wall all the way around the home theartre room. The also laid to the same height the bricks to the back wall of the house and have come around the corner to the east side wall. They are working away at an unbelievable pace.

Bush fire appeal.

2009-02-10T19:41:00.003+11:00

I can't stand seeing the devastation of so much of Victoria anymore with out doing something to help. I have gathered baby clothes, blankets, towels and other items to take to those in need. Even our Little Daniel has donated some of his and his brothers toys for those who have lost everything. I am just waiting for the Whittlesea Shire to call back with a drop off point.

I can't help noticing the number of overseas guests that view this blog as well as fellow Aussies from around this beautiful country of ours. The fires here in our beloved state of Victoria has claimed 181 lives so far with that number set to rise even further. Thousands of have been left homeless some of which have also lost loved ones. Here are some images of these fires, http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/ some of these photos are just unbelievable as are some of the harrowing accounts of survival. The toll on our native wild life is just as devastating this photo moved me to tears.

Mirboo North volunteer CFA firefighter David Tree gives water to a distressed koala in burnt-out country in Mirboo North, Gippsland, in Victoria's east. Picture: Russell Vickery/Herald Sun.

You may think you are too far away to help but you are not. Please join us in making a donation to the Australian Red Cross, https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp all the proceeds go directly to these families and not a cent goes into administration fees. Please dig deep into your pockets and donate if you can, these people are hurting on a scale that we have not ever seen in this country.

Please post a link to the Red Cross on your blog and help spread the word that help is needed.

Just another brick in the wall.....

2009-02-10T18:35:00.002+11:00

Bricky Bob is working hard and has made heaps of progress. They have laid bricks to the scrap room, dining and the lower part of the walls to the alfresco and home theatre. We are as thrilled with our choice of bricks as we are with the quality of the laying, thumbs up yet again Porter Davis.

The internal Carpenter Bob was on site today and has fixed the front door, back laundry door and installed the pantry cavity frame in place. He straightened all the walls and removed supports. He will be back out on site on Thursday, I have asked my SS if I can request a few extra noggins for towel rails, toilet roll holders, entry mirror and the speakers in the home theatre room, I have been given the thumbs up.

The alfresco bi-fold door frame has been delivered to site but our master bedroom window is still MIA.

Our frame invoice has been issued today and is on it's way.

Brick laying begins

2009-02-09T23:13:00.005+11:00

The brick laying Bob's have started laying bricks at our garage. The garage wall on the outer side on the perimeter of the property is little over halfway up. The wall together with the left column of the porch is also also started.

The second window in the home theatre has been installed as has the window above where our bed will be in the master bedroom. The front master bedroom window is still missing in action.

Half the green insulation has been ripped off by the strong winds.

The front door, garage door and laundry door have been delivered on site so I guess they will be put on soon. The cavity frame for the pantry has also been delivered.

Sadness for the bushfire victims.

2009-02-08T23:45:00.001+11:00

If only we were in our big beautiful home already.........with all the extra space I would drive right into Whittlesea and adopt a family to live with us until they could get settled again. I grew up in Marysville and can not believe there is nothing left of the town. Just so sad, so many lives lost, words can not describe how we feel.

No work too hot!

2009-02-07T23:25:00.004+11:00

The roof Bobs didn't come back today and I don't blame them the heat in Victoria is just extreme. It has got to 46.4 degrees Celsius, the weather is insane and there are huge bush fires out of control, very worrying.
We had a delivery of bricklayers sand, (we upgrade to white) so I guess bricky Bob will start on Monday.

Roof pointing almost completed.

2009-02-06T23:00:00.007+11:00

Probie spoke to SS and mentioned our concerns about some dodgy bricks, all under control. The SS spoke to the bricky Bob in charge who said he will take a look at them on Monday.

Martin was going to be home late tonight so the boys and I went to the "land of block" on our own, it was not the same without daddy, we missed him. When we left Daniel said "goodnight house see you tomorrow" it was very cute.

The roof is now almost finished, the majority of the edge tiling was laid and the pointing done. They still need to finish one of the angles of the alfresco and a few bits here and there. The temperature tomorrow is going to be extreme again 42 blaaaaahhhhhh , roof Bobs if your reading this........ leave it until Monday, really it can wait we don't mind. Any fire fighters reading this good luck tomorrow, I hope no half wit moron lights any fires and that you all stay safe if you do need to fight any fires.

Roof tiles almost completed.

2009-02-05T10:47:00.002+11:00

Wow all the roof tiles have been laid now all that needs to be completed is the tiles that join all the edges and the pointing. Very impressive roof Bob's.

The bricks have all been unpacked and are being stacked ready to be laid, Wow they look good. We are a bit concerned with one of the pallets of bricks though, it seemed that all the bricks had cracks through them, so I rang Probie to organise for them to be checked. She said "don't worry the brick laying Bob's will check them before laying anyway but she will talk to our SS anyway and get back to be.

Still no master bedroom window as yet ...........come on window Bob's!

Roof tiles have started to be laid.

2009-02-04T11:46:00.000+11:00

The roof Bob's have started laying the tiles on the east side of the house, as soon as Daniel saw the roof tiles he yelled out "the house is finished mummy and daddy! We wish! The he saw the rest of the roof he said "never mind maybe tomorrow". The timber that the roof tiles are laid on is all up so I guess the roof will be finished by the end of this week. Just in time it is supposed to rain next week, huh well so they say!

They have also completed the guttering an fascia outside the master bedroom. The wrong master bedroom window has been removed from site. The window Bobs will probably install the one remaining window in the home theatre, the window in the master bedroom above where our bed will be and the front master bedroom window once the correct one is delivered on site.

Safety for the roof Bobs and lots of bricks.

2009-02-03T23:21:00.008+11:00

Progress

The master window has not as yet been replaced or installed. The gutter and fascia over the master bedroom is also yet to be completed.

The roof safety rails have gone up to keep the roof Bobs from falling off, I guess the roof tiling will start very soon.

Our bricks have also been delivered to site. I had forgotten just how rich the colours in the bricks are and how rustic they look, I have fallen in love with them all over again. The wrought iron gates we are going to put at the front door are going to look fantastic with these bricks.

Issues resolved

I spoke to Probie today as we are going to approve the dispensation for the higher garage wall for our neighbours as it only interferes with the window above the bed in the master bedroom.
The land developer will not approve the building permit for them to build a house with the same facade as ours as it is in breach of clause 24.1 of the land sale contract. Great for us but a sad for our neighbours who now have to choose another facade, sorry guys not our fault! Well at least PD knows now and can have them change it right away rather than submit it and wait for it to be rejected then reapply wasting even more time for them. If they had started to build before us we would have had to have changed ours, fweeew!

Windows, gutters & Facia almost in.

2009-02-02T22:45:00.006+11:00

Issues

Probie contacted me regarding our next door neighbours, they require dispensation for a 3300mm garage wall on the boundary of our two properties. We are going out tonight to see how far over it will come, if it only covers the window above our master bedroom we don't mind but if it cuts the light in our ensuite we will dispute it. I will ask if I can put some nails into the wall to hang my elkhorn and staghorn ferns.

They are also building with Porter Davis and have chosen the Atrium36 with the Daintree Facade. Now I am fairly sure I read in one of our contracts that you can not have the same facade as any of the nearing properties so I doubt that they are going to get a building permit approved. The last thing we want is that we end up looking like we live in a block of units.

Checked our bank accounts the payment went through without any problems.

Progress

Most of the windows have been installed together with the front door frame. The wrong master bedroom window was delivered so they will need to swap them over doh!

They have also started to put up the colorbond gutters and fascia. Most of it is completed but it seems they ran out or it went walk about!

More of the internal plumbing was done all the hot and cold water pipes have been run. The backyard water tap was in the wrong spot the other day but the plumbing Bob's picked it up and moved it, well done!