Sanity has prevailed!

Today was a good day! A really good day! Not only is it Cam and my 5th Wedding Anniversary but we have had two (major - in my opinion) wins with Metricon this week. Go us!


We finally have a resolution on the position of our gas meter (see previous rants posts HERE & HERE). We marked in where we would like to have the gas meter, which was directly to the left of the house along the fence line and the neighbours garage wall. Well SURPRISE SURPRISE... it was actually moved to that very location and no longer impacts the façade of our house! Well Done SS... its nice to know you listened to us :)


So this week's 'item of discussion'  has been about a expansion/control joint typically within the plaster board around the stairwell. We THOUGHT that we had requested it to be included in the contract. But this week it became apparent this was not the case as the fixing carpenters nailed an ugly piece of MDF to the join between the plaster sheets (which is a standard inclusion!!!??#) instead of the nicer expansion joint.


After a bit of toing and froing with our new CSC (yes... nice to meet you too!), our SS and CM... SANITY HAS PREVAILED!


Thinking back to middle of last year, I know we spoke about this item in detail with our sale consultant when we obtained the advice.  Did we follow it up in writing via email ??  Well with a little bit of digging - you betcha.  An email from us to our Studio M consultant on the 23 June clearly states we want this finish/joint around the stairwell and we actually requested that it was to be stated within subsequent version of the contract to avoid any confusion.  Our Studio M consultant responded in writing on the 29 June and I quote "Yes, I will raise a variation to include this as a clarification."  Nice clear and active reply from our consultant.  


To cut a long story short, for whatever reason, the Studio M consultant didn't action the request, we overlooked its omission from the contract and here we are.


A copy of the email trail was provided to Metricon for their records and as a result Metricon have allowed us to include the control joint for its cost without incurring the $1000 mid-construction variation fee...


Key for this blog - have EVERYTHING in writing - including any conversations.....See our Top 10 Pre-construction tips from October last year.


Kirst

Finally some movement

Finally some movement…

Well finally the scaffolding has been taken down, just not away as yet. But the SS did say it was coming down, he didn’t specifically say it was going to be taken away. That was my assumption…. It has in some cases been piled up ready to be taken, while other parts of it are spread across the remainder of the block. Wouldn't be as much of a problem if we were in a new estate – but we are in a well established inner suburb.

The Plasterers (x7) were on-site yesterday and back again today. I only know this because I saw their van at 7am this morning on my way to work and again at 7pm on the way home... I stopped briefly this morning and counted at least 7 of them but only one van…..it's a little odd..... but we are happy to have them there. The plaster has been there for nearly two weeks waiting for them. The guy that spoke to me said they had finished hanging walls etc downstairs yesterday and were hoping to finish upstairs today. Cornice etc tomorrow. All done in 3 days and much quicker than the SS prediction of around 10 days. Maybe he didn’t realize there was going to be so many of them.

Anyway a quick photo of our place with the scaffolding everywhere.

With scaffolding down but yet to be removed

Anyway, will try to pop in late tomorrow (Saturday) while the plasterers are working away for a quick look at their handy work. Didn't get a weekly call from our SS today so not sure what is next. I'm sure I'll find out Monday.

Til next time.

Cleared Block......

While it doesnt take long to demolish an old weatherboard place....

What it was...........



What it was internally...... as purchased





What happenned step 1 - after salvaging anything of value including leadlight windows, lightfittings, gas log heater, floorboards etc....  (same room as above)



What happened - step 2....smash it all up and drag it away....

What it is now..... view from rear to street



What it is now.... view from front to rear

Very happy with the job the guys did.  The block looks huge empty but hopefully not empty for long.
Now back over to M to arrange re-surveys to finalise slab etc.
And I need to sell the rest of the salvaged materials to offset the demo costs - ebay here I come.

Until next time Cam

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