Good Fences, Good Neighbours……..??

They do say that good fences make for good neighbours. But for something so seemingly simple the fences are sure causing issues.

How can it be so hard to run a straight line between two fixed points?

I must say that it is not actually the neighbours that have cause the issues, just the contractors that have been hired to put up the fences. We have three fences around our property, two of which have been installed on a slight diagonal which run over the property line and encroach onto our site, 10 cms on one side and 40cm at the rear boundary. WTF.

The fence on the side has now been relocated after a two hour consult with all neighbours involved and the contractor responsible, involving multiple sets of plans and tape measures. All resulting in the realisation that the contractor instead of installing the fence over the survey peg which marked the boundary he went around it, on our side of course (he couldn't go wrong the other way as the neighbours pool was already installed, the fence now runs almost over the concrete slab for the pool, talk about close!).

Luckily is is on the side we will hardly see as although it now runs along the boundary I think it is a little wonky along the top.


The rear fence has yet to be moved that one may take a little longer to move as that one belongs to the developer who already has tenants living there and it will involve moving the clothes line and digging up the landscaping.

Deep breaths and wine, lots of wine!

But the garage door is looking great, ties the house into the rest of the neighbourhood who have gone with mostly mocha-ish bricks.

AA xx

The Big Blue and Yellow Store

The builder is making great progress on the build, the tiler is done, the painter has started, the flooring guys are booked so more decisions to be made, this time about window coverings and light shades, just so I know what I want when the time comes and I don't delay things with faffing about.

To try and keep cost from spiralling out of control as the build comes to an end I have limited myself to selecting these items from the big blue and yellow box otherwise know as Ikea.

I paid them a visit after my site visit this week so in line with my clean light bright choices so far, this is what I am thinking of;

For the 3 big windows in the living / dining area, simple curtains,

In the two smaller bedrooms, white roman blinds,

And in the master bedroom which is also at the front of the house a layered treatment to provide a little more privacy, with either roller blind or the honeycomb type with curtains, in a similar style to the living area.

I haven't decided yet if I want something for the window in the kitchen, if I do it will be either of the two above on its own.


























As for lighting, we have already specified the pendant lights over the island bench and the feature light over the dining area with down lights for the rest of the living area, I just need to find shades for the bedrooms, but not hanging pendant lights which most of the nicer shades seem to be designed for.

This style came in a couple of different sizes which might work and so it is the winner so far, the weaving around the edges should work with the hanging "nest" style over the dining area,

However one of these might tie in with the frosted glass over the kitchen benches,

So I think the final decision will have to wait until the rest of the lights are installed, I will then have to make a snap final judgment.

How about you any preferences with my options?

AAxx

Progress Update IV

After all of the delays with Council the builders have been fantastic making up for lost time.

The external brick work and roof went on before Christmas, like my site boots?

And the internal walls were lined, the kitchen and bathroom has gone in, all in the couple of weeks they have been back onsite.

Over the next couple of weeks the tiling, painting and final internal fit out will be completed!!!

AA xoxo

Progress Update III

The sustained good weather in Sydney has meant that the builders have been able to be on site and stay on site. Yay!! Happy dance!!

So after the slab went down the frame went up
 

The roof tiles went on

And currently the bricks are going on

We are not 100% convinced we made the right decision in regards to the bricks but they do look better the more that go on. If worst comes to worst and we are not happy once everything is finished we can always render the entire thing.

Now we just need to sort out the earthworks in the rear yard while we still have access. Keeping my fingers crossed  that the neighbors on that side are holding off for some reason so we don't have to rush things over the holiday season.

AA xx

Finally….

After a very, very long wait we finally have actual sustained progress on our site.

Week One

Week Two

I have bided my time before getting too excited and sharing this news as the last time I got excited over progress I was a tad premature, but this time the builders have been onsite two whole weeks and visible progress has been made week to week.

Below is a timeline of the progress so far, with a projected completion date. Everyone has been telling me that it should be finished well before then but I'm not so sure, we have a 5 week close down over Christmas to take into consideration between now and then, so as not to get (bloody pissed off) frustrated with the progress and any further delays, which there will be, I will work with the outside figure thank you very much.

AA xx

Property Update….

Taking advantage to another gorgeous Sydney winters day we took the pups out to the land to have a look at the progress made on the neighbouring lots.

Progress….

After 11 weeks our file has finally been allocated to an assessing officer, the next step is for them to review and approve our plans, so fingers crossed it should be out of council in the next few weeks.

Yay!!!!

AA x

Patience is a virtue, Patience is a virtue,

Patience is a Virtue

They do say that patience is a virtue but my patience is being severely tested by Liverpool council at the moment. Apparently they have a back log, apparently they are understaffed, apparently they are doing all they can.

Our application has been in council for 6 weeks now. Thats six, count that, 1,2,3,4,5,6  whole weeks and has yet to allocated for assessment. We were told that it should take six weeks to process, total. So it should have been processed by now, we should be moving on to the next stage, but no, we are still waiting.

So I am becoming virtuous (well close enough) and I am waiting, patiently. Trying to distract myself (I'll show you next time, promise) and show restraint.

Or Alternately,

AA xx

Obsessed

Like most people these days I am on pintrest so when we started this project it was a great way to collect ideas and inspiration of what I had in mind for the house. I now have a few different house boards, one for this house and a few more for other future houses.

When looking back over my board(s) I noticed that something was popping up over and over again….

Green.......

Frangipani Tree

One of the things about building a new home is that  although you start with a block of dirt and you end up with a home.
To make it feel like a home, and as a requirement of council so that new developments become more established, you have to landscape the site, and for better or worse Liverpool council has a strong preference for native vegetation.

How do you choose?

After making the purchase, unlike buying a house, the fun really starts, you need to start making big decisions and relatively quickly. Who are you going to build with? Single storey, double story, or split level? Where on the land? Do you want to have room for a pool?

Finally.......

We have been looking at getting on to the property rollacoster for a while now, but with the moving and the holidays and the everything else it was taking longer that expected.

When we finally started looking seriously in Sydney it was just as the market took off. A property in Erko which we thought went for too much at auction looked a real bargin when a similar property went for $200,000 more a couple of weeks later.

I really didn't want to look this far out, or build, but with the crazy prices we needed to look at other options and this kind of made sense. More space, for the dogs, for my shoes, for us.

A collegue of my partner suggested we look at the development they has just purchased in. Even thought that didn't work out we found a suitable little block in a nearby development. 

http://voyagerpointlandforsale.com.au 

It still doesn't quite feel real yet, I can't believe we got it, it only was a few weeks between spotting it and the land release date. Somehow we received a phone call to put down the deposit when the other purchasers had been on the wait list for up to six months.

What really sold me on the site was the protected nature reserve across the road which runs down to the river about a kilometer away, beautiful bush views that can't be built out.

So now beings the great adventure, the first steps towards the great Aussie dream, our own home.

AA x