Time is marching on and not much progress :(

It has been a bit hard to concentrate on getting plans in order for the new place with a newborn and sleep deprivation kicking in...

We did take both boys over to the relatively new display village at William's Landing in the west for a look at a Riva double story in Nuvo facade. Apparently the facade of the Riva design is in principle identical to the Nelson and as there are no Nelson Nuvo facades in any display villages this was our best bet to see what it looks like in real life rather than the artists impressions in all the Metricon publications.

This was a worthwhile trip but it wasn't until we got there that we realised that there are 2 Riva Nuvo display homes in Melbourne and this one was not the one that the Sales Consultant had given us the displayed upgrade information for, that one... is in Mernda, where ever that is? The Riva at Williams Landing was quite ordinary in terms of colours and style and made it still hard to envisage what our home will look like. Another trip, this time to Mernda is on the cards this weekend I suppose. Lachie is getting sick of traipsing around these homes, Hamish on the other hard, slept in the baby carrier the whole time so it obviously doesn't bother him.

Tomorrow night we have booked into a Metricon home builders seminar at Lyndhurst so hopefully that might provide us with some more information on building with Metricon for the first time. So many questions to ask that we have started a little list.

We also have a list on the go that includes all the options we are considering including so that we can get a price on them....it keeps getting bigger by the day as we think of or see features to include!

More later...
Kirsten

First official meeting with Metricon done, but its only just the beginning

Sunday morning's meeting with Mark at Metricon proved to be a success. Although it certainly left us with so much to think about and decide. Difficult when you have a baby due any day now and a house being readied for sale. On top of that settlement on the new land (with old house on it) has been delayed due to the old lady passing away...

Some key points from our first meeting...

• We have decided on our design - the Nelson 43sq, this was perhaps the easiest decision
• Facade is probably going to be the Nuvo - of course the most expensive one, although without having seen the Nelson in this facade in the flesh, it is hard to really get a feel for what it would look like. Sensing our trouble, Mark the Sales guy has directed us to look at the Riva Nuvo at one of the display villages as it is the exact same layout and facade. He also gave us the costed upgrade options that are on display so we can work out what on that actual house facade is standard and what is an upgrade. There is certainly lots and lots of render, probably over $20,000 worth.... Seems a bit much so whacking some concrete over some bricks and painting it... but what do I know? :) 
• Some changes that we are wanting to make include the a smaller entry to the ensuite and the inclusion of a walk in shower, but the current design doesnt quite allow for that as the shower would require more space. Mark is going to talk to the draftsman and get back to us about whether this is possible, and of course how much extra it is going to cost.
• Also we are looking at extending the garage by a small amount so that we can fit a single rollerdoor that leads into the backyard. After seeing the Nelson situated on our actual block it became evident that is is something that we will be able to do easily and it wont cost too much more which is excellent.
• After the change to the garage, the biford doors out of the dining room has also been shelved. I wasnt always convinced that bifolds in that location were wise and now after seeing the changes on the site, it looks as though a larger outdoor room might be a better option. Budget permitting of course...

It is exciting to see on the potential site map that there will be more room out the back of the house for the kids to play in. Maybe a cubby, sandpit, vegie patch... Who knows.

There is much to consider, do we start proceedings (including the large amounts of site tests and assessments that need to be done in a knockdown-rebuild) now and that means building will start in about 4.5 months, or do we wait, rent out the house and start in 6 months? Decisions, decisions, decisions :)

Until next time...
Kirsten