New Fence

Finally got the go ahead form the landlord of the property next door to erect a new boundry fence. That means we can now think about getting the pool guys back to finish off because previously they had refused quoting OH&S reasons. We have pumped the rainwater from the pool too.

Front

The front entrance has been modified slightly to make the stairway wider. We have built the wall a little higher and raised the front wall too. These will all be rendered and painted the same colour, contrasting slightly to the house facia. There will be glass balustrade to complete the entrance. We also plan to have an awning and possible porch but that will have to be in stage two as the budget for this part has run dry.

The stairs are still not finished and we have a huge mound of bricks in the driveway. Why is it that tradesmaen can't come and do a job in one hit? It's a bit like pulling pints here. There is some stupid rule that you have to turn the tap off half way through then turn it on again and finish pouring? Note a hint of frustration creeping in here? :)

The front door is still on for security, but the doorway has been made larger to allow a larger, more impressive door.

Bathrooms

We have had major headaches with the bathrooms. Firstly, after the plumbing and waterproofing was finished, the plumber checked the tech specs of the bath that arrived from Germany and found the floor waste is not quite right and the drain needed recutting and therefore the waterproofing guy needed to come back.

Then the bath in the kids room needed a special frame which wasn't delivered so this put us further back because the tiler won't start until everything is ready as he wants to hit both bathrooms at once. The recess for shampoo etc has been cut and will be tiled with the mosaics.

The business end

Haven't posted for a while, as I didn't feel like there was much happening. However looking at where we are today we really are getting to the pointy end of the project and the following are all finished:

*All gyprock walls have been completed including dividing wall up the staircase and fireplace with shelving surrounds;
*the bathrooms have been waterproofed ready for tiling.
*Bathroom furniture has been delivered;
*Internal painting has started;
*external painting of side wall and back beams complete (although we are not happy with the colour at the back - it's decidedly different to what we expected);
*bubble-gum to all joints and gaps around windows etc has been completed (although they forgot to do one place along the roof beam and we got water in the bedroom last weekend after heavy rain).
*Roof capping finished (although roofer needs to return and replace 2 missing tiles);
*garage concrete slab has been laid but the dimensions are larger than planned so the roller shutter garage door has to be refabricated to fit;
*front garden flattened ready for landscaping

Today the electricians were back to finish all internal wiring. The new powerpole in the garden is all wired up and a new electrical panel installed on the opposite side of the house.

The rain last weekend has filled the pool and waterlogged the garden area, underneath the house and the side courtyard. So tomorrow we have hired a pump to clean up.