It's been a looooong time ...

(Source: www.troll.me)

I do admit, it's been a while...

A very long time since I have visited our own blog (and other related blogs, for that matter) and provide updates on the progress of "Building Our Home - Liberty Chateau".

And what egged me on to revisit our blog?  Good people who would randomly talk to me while I'm in front of our house and ask me about our home.

And I'm just quite happy to talk to them about our journey.

I just hope that I was able to "kinda inspire" them a bit.

Anyways ... since we moved in (2.5 years ago! Yes, I know, it's been that long time ago), plenty of things have been done, in and out of the house.  We certainly did have plans (or "the list") on what we want to do after we've moved in, when time and budget permits.


Just to give you a brief idea on what's on "the list" (in no particular or priority order) ...

• Window (and glass) coverings
• Proper light fittings and LED replacement
• Extending the timber flooring into the "Harry Potter Room" (under the stairs storage room)
• Outdoor lights
• "Hill's hoist"
• (not to forget - furnitures and household appliances)

Plus some not too major home projects ...

• Evaporative cooling system
• Front fence
• Timber side gates
• front and back hard landscaping
• lawn, buffalo grass, front and back
• new plants, front and side, vegie patch and fruit trees (espaliered) at the rear
• garden/wall/water features
• and "what should I do to that space under the front balcony" project 

Maybe, I should change this blog's title to "Improving our home's market value", what say you? :)

Well, this is it for now.  More detailed posts (on some of the above) are on their way.  'Til next time.  Watch this space, but don't hold your breath.

Have fun always!

Nine Hundred Fourty Days Later!

Wow! After 2-and-a-half years, since we moved in, I thought my blog would have been gone, deleted, spammed, hacked by now ... buried deep underneath all the other "knockdown and rebuild" blogs that are much way better than this one :)

Hmmm! Maybe I should start posting again.  Perhaps, I will. Getting that itch.

Later.

Moving Day Panic!!!

Edvard Munch's The Scream

(Source: 123RF.com)

We're moving in today.  The removalists are arriving in 7 hours and 15 minutes.  And I'm still packing !!!

What the heck is the matter with me?  Why do I always have to cram ... argh!!!

"Love Where You Live"

It was a week ago today, 382 days since Site Start, Monday morning, 6/8/2012, and we were preparing ourselves for another day of QA inspection.  Our third one (or maybe it was the fourth one?).

It turned out to be a very bright, beautiful Monday morning, no kidding.

Good day to get the keys, perhaps.  Fingers crossed.

We brought the final cheque payment ... just in case.  Had it settled with the bank for at least 2 weeks already.  Besides, we can't afford for another week delay.  Had lined up a number of pending deliveries that Friday.  Otherwise, we're in for some more nasty penalty fees.

We were so looking forward on having the handover, if not the following day, the day after that.  But not the following week, or the week after that.  That day.

Our SM was on time.  Good guy, our SM.  Just came back from a 3-week break.  Thought he abandoned us and handed over the reins completely to our CM.  He didn't.  Nothing wrong with our CM, but our SM really tried his best to get us through the hurdles. Top bloke.

QA#3 commenced ...

• Articulation joints fixed ... check
• Sarking under the roof tiles under the downpipe spreader ... check
• Joint gap in the porch deck fixed ... check
• Agri drains around the site cut at the rear ... check
• External powerpoints sealed ... check
• Flashings to fall back away from the house ... check
• Exhaust fans to be ducted though to the outside air ... outside vents installed, but ducted? Need to get SM to confirm.
• Scratched glass panels replaced with new (x5) ... check
• Roof light switch relocated close to access door ... check
• Roof bearers under heating unit ... upgraded roof trusses certified to hold full weight of heating unit
• Leaking downpipes fixed ... check
• Paint touchups ... nope ... tri-sliding doors need to be re-stained (minor)  

QA complete.  Outstanding items still to be fixed. Show stopper ... No!  

Can we handover now?

You betcha!!!

Day 381: It's all about the Keys

(Source: equivocality.com)

As someone said, the transfer of the keys is the culmination of the long drawn process of building a new home.  It is the very last step, the ultimate goal, whereby full ownership is finally handed over by the builder to the homeowner.  Of course, prior to this happening is the homeowner handing over the bank cheque, the final payment, to the builder's representative, and with the hope and promise that the builder will still be available, ready to fix whatever issues that may arise in the next ninety (90) days.  And us homeowners do wish that it wouldn't happen - issues arising, but at the back of their minds, that if there will be any issues or problems at all, that it will manifest itself fully in the next 90 days.

The keys signify that the build is done.  That I, as the homeowner, is happy with the build quality.  Have I done my due diligence in ensuring that everything is within the BCA standards? Have I done my utmost best to pester my Site Manager in getting all the listed quality issues and defects fixed and completed?  I hope I did.

Tomorrow will be what we hope would be the final(est) presentation of our home by Metricon to us.  The bank cheque has long been drawn, and we do hope that we'll be handing it over, as well, if not on the same day, in a day or so.

Wish us luck.