Slow going......

Progress on our build has slow dramatically over the past few weeks.  A small number of jobs here and there and that's about all.  What is getting done is as our SS has said – it’s just minor work.  Is it better than setting our expectations at an unrealistic level?? Probably...

I get the feeling our SS is doing his best.  Does that reflect the fact he has transferred in from the southern region to central in January and he hasn't built up the required rapport with the trades yet, issues with his scheduling or is it just M in general??

Our site meeting last week didn't resolve the three key issues - the insulation query, the gas meter location and the powder room sewer point.  All these items had been raised over two months ago now.  Very frustrating. We have now been told that plastering has been pushed back another week whilst the insulation issue is fixed. Its not like they haven't had enough time to get this fixed before now! I hope they dont try and pin this hold up on us...

Anyway, when you want something done, best to do it yourself.  Well, we are now aware of why the gas meter issue hasn't been resolved.  The excuse for the past month from M is the need to clarify the requirements for the location with Jemena.  By absolute fluke last Saturday night we found out that Kirst's friend's husband works at Jemena in the exact division which looks after new gas installations.... we found out that our site is not even within the Jemena system as a new install.  Not really surprising M is still waiting for a solution from Jemena.  M - you need to contact someone at Jemena, record the gas install requirement, tell them your query and they will probably action something for you..

Anyway, via our contact at Jemena – who signs off on the installs – we have our answers.  After mentioning this briefly to our SS I was basically told to 'stay out of it' and that he will resolve the issue once scaffold is down. Which really means it will happen in a another month, probably more…

Good to finish on a positive note – our tapware has now been fixed (3rd try) and the plaster can now commence this week.

Til next time

No... No... No...

Metricon Customer Service

I received a very interesting – if not odd – phone call from an M customer service representative today. She was enquiring about a number of things ranging from my experience with our SS to recommending M to others.

I did explain he had only been on our job for 3 weeks so it is probably too early to answer her questions with any real accuracy at this stage. None the less she continued.

Three question which were particularly interesting included

‘Am I happy with the level of customer service from our SS’.. reply – well over the three weeks it been ok but this week he cancelled a site meeting via text message 2 hours prior to the meeting time. These things happen. So given the rating scale is a yes or no – I can’t say yes… He has been ok overall but given limited options to answer, it has to be no.

‘Are you happy with the build to date’.. reply – well there has been and continue to be a number of things to be rectified. If they are resolved to our satisfaction then yes but at present they aren’t so I can’t say yes… It’s been ok overall but given limited options to answer, it has to be no.

‘Would you recommend M to someone else’.. reply – well we haven’t reached lock up as yet and again depends on a number of things to be rectified. If they are resolved to our satisfaction then yes but at present they aren’t so I can’t say yes… I wouldn’t say yes but I would say no either but given limited options to answer, it has to be no.

Keen to give customer feedback at any point in time but this time it was really pointless. Let’s talk again in a month or two….

Things get moving!!!

This week heralded a new beginning for our new home construction. We got our new SS and things have started moving again post Christmas.

The brickies were back on site early in the week to do a little bit but given the scaffolding wasn't there, they couldn't really do all that much. The garage has been bricked and is awaiting its flat line roof and all the other pillars and nib walls that form part of our angular facade have also been completed.

The house is looking really good and I am sooo happy we waited for our bricks and the brickies have done a sensational job in making sure the colour blending is spot on!

The proposed gas meter will be smack bang in the bottom middle of the left hand wall! BOOOOOO!

Cam met our new SS Adrian on site yesterday and we are really pleased at how proactive he seems. He pointed out a number of things that he was getting fixed which we has not picked up on. He will address all of the issues from the independent inspection report and there was no issue in doing so. This is a vast improvement to the lip service/no action we had from our "acting SS/CM" prior to Christmas. He followed up on absolutely nothing that he said he would. He didn't even write his own site meeting notes, instead just forwarded on our notes. What gall!!!

Anyway, I digress...

They only outstanding issue that is yet to be resolved and had me a bit hot under the collar today was the placement of the gas meter. Apparently the only place that it can be located is smack bang in the middle of our front facade on the left hand wall. So much for paying an extra $25,000 to have the 'Nuvo' facade because it looks better and another $7,000 in rendering to achieve a certain look on our house only to have it all ruined by an ugly gas meter!!! You can probably tell I'm not impressed... I understand that there are only certain locations that these meters can go with regards to proximity to windows, electrical meters, taps and heaters but SERIOUSLY in the middle of the facade???

I mentioned this to our CSC this afternoon only to be told that there was nothing that could be done. I asked where on our contract is the location stipulated (it isn't!) and also asked where the meter is put when other people build the Nelson in Nuvo facade (apparently it goes next to the garage?). Surely this is a design flaw if there is nowhere to put an essential utility meter?

Is anyone else having/Did anyone else have this problem when they built and what are the possible solutions? Cam will be contacting our SS again tomorrow to see what other options he has come up with...

Okay, now that's off my chest... I drove by today and it was lovely to see something has actually changed as the SS said it would. We have scaffolding! Hooray. That means that the brickies finish the job finally!

The schedule for the next few weeks to get to lock up is....

Friday

Scaffolding finished

Upstairs to be wrapped (hopefully in something of a decent quality this time!)

Monday-Friday (not incl. Aust Day)

Brickies to finish the sides, 

Chippies to come back and fix internals, externals including balcony and the dodgy portico framing, and start the cladding upstairs.

Plaster delivery

We are looking forward to seeing some action :)

Kirsten

Studio M at last!!!!

Tuesday was a big day for us! After months of planning, stressing and changing our minds we finally had our colours appointment at Studio M.

We arrived bright eyed at 9am at Studio M, we had Hamish along for the ride and although he wasn’t asleep when we arrived, it didn’t take him long to drift off in the pram (perhaps all the talk about brick choices wasn’t riveting enough for him?).

So… brick choices… we spent a ridiculous amount of time choosing our bricks, went to Austral display centre, looked at our chosen bricks in not one, but 4 locations across Melbourne’s SE suburbs (with an overtired screaming 12 week old bub in the back on one afternoon). We were decided, it was to the the Austral Latrobe Brick.

Perhaps the universe had other plans however, Larissa (our Studio M gal) couldn’t find the sample hanging on the wall and we soon discovered why. 2 weeks ago the Latrobe has been discontinued by Austral and was no longer an option. It was a shame however that the people at Austral failed to tell us that when they gave us the addresses of homes to look at when we went there 10 days ago. Hmmmm…

Our second choice the Hawthorn bricks, part of the lovely Melbourne brick range, these too have been discontinued (lucky as they were a Cat 5 and more than we wanted to upgrade). So we ended up choosing a Selkirk Brick called Tawny Heritage, which even though it is a Cat 3 apparently Selkirks Cat 3 are cheaper than Australs, I am sure this is the first of many “what the?” moments that we will have! LOL

We got off to the rocky start with the bricks but it wasn’t all doom and gloom, au contraire… The rest of the appointment went smoothly and we are happy with the choices made.

We are waiting for our list of colours from Metricon but in the meanwhile time for some of the details that you all want to know……

OUTSIDE

Roof Tile – Boral Ebony Classic Profile

Brick – Selkirk Tawny Heritage

Aluminium Windows, Sliding and Bi-part doors – Black Satin

Garage Door – Gliderol Tuscan Profile – Colorbond Monument

Cladding – Heifer (the lightest colour)

Render on far left study wall and around garage – Champignon (medium colour)

Render on front pillars – Raku (darkest colour)

Front Door

• Corinthian Madison 101 pivot door (1020 wide) in Monument with clear glazing insert and clear glazed sidelights

• Gainsborough back to back pull handle with roller bolt mortice lock

INSIDE

Paint

• Walls –Beige Royal Half


• Ceiling – Lexicon Half

Kitchen

• Pantry Wall and overhead cupboards – Polar White Vinyl Wrap Gloss
• Island Bench and Underbench cupboards – New Graphite (Natural Finish) Contour Edge
• Benchtop – Caesarstone White Shimmer

• Handles – Drawers to have large horizontal square handles (top in picture), cupboards have medium vertical square handles (middle in picture), this is for all bathrooms too.

• Baumatic 900mm multifunctional oven with 900mm 5 burner gas cooktop in lieu of upright all in one.
• Baumatic grill/microwave with trim kit
• 2 x Clark Epure large undermount sink

Laundry

Under and overhead cabinetry – New Graphite Contour Edge

Caesarstone Benchtop – Osprey

Clark Flatline 8420 Stainless Steel Trough

Powder Room/Upstairs Bathroom

• Under and overhead cabinetry – New Graphite Contour Edge
• Caesarstone Benchtop – Osprey
• Basins – Fowler Regent inset (x2 in family bathroom)
• Tapware – Vito bertoni Vito CD Fixed wall taps/spout (x2 in family bathroom)
• Fowler Regent toilet suite – soft close

Ensuite

• Elevated wall hung vanity unit in Polar White Vinyl Gloss
• Caesarstone benchtop in Urban


• Basins (x2), tapware and toilet same as powder room

Flooring

• Downstairs entry, hall, kitchen, living and dining room – “Style” Strand Woven Bamboo Timber flooring in Coffee

Study, Sitting and Rumpus, Stairs and Whole upstairs Carpet – “Andrew in Karaoke” colour

Miscellaneous Inside Stuff

Jetmaster Gas Log Fire – Ours is bigger than this and will be wall mounted rather than floor mounted.

Internal Door Handles - Elena

 Upstairs Linen Cupboard Handles (the middle ones)

PHEW, what an epic post… I;m exhausted!

We are moving into our rental on Tuesday, going to electrics this Thursday, final contract on the 30^th… yay yay yay!!!

xoxo Kirsten

Some design ideas...Am I obsessed???

Nothing much is happening on the new home front. Still waiting to hear back from Metricon regarding the soil tests so in the meantime I have started what I imagine will be a long obsession with design and potential furnishings for our dream home!

Here are some of the things that I like...

So many lovely things, needs a splash of colour though wouldn't you say?