Driveways & Retaining Walls

11/714 - 22/7/14

The day after handover hubby got stuck straight into getting the footings done for our retaining walls. He got in an excavator to dig the footings along the front, and sides of the house, and hand dug the footings along the back fence line due to the lack of access.

The footings were poured on the monday after handover, and then the driveway was formed up ready for the first half to be poured the following day, the the last section on the wednesday. We went with exposed blue/black metal, which when sealed comes up a nice dark grey colour and shows up the black stones really nicely. We are going to do the same around the pool area, and have polished expose in the same colour on the alfresco area so it all ties in together.

Wednesday, after the drive way was poured, construction of the retaining walls started., with 95% of it completed by saturday morning. We will need to get some more blocks delievered to finish off the rest next time hubby is home.

We core filled the retaining walls on the following monday, and installed the agi line and re-erected the side fence and sealed the driveways the following day before hubby flew back out for work.

Full steam ahead - digging out footings and driveway

Footings ready for concrete

Diveways ready to be poured 

Footings poured

Driveway ready for concrete 

Double driveway (not sealed)

 Third driveway poured 

Driveways done - ready to be acid washed and sealed

Retaining walls underway 

Handover

10/7/14 - Finally the day had arrived for handover. Didnt get much sleep the night before and was very anxious, mainly because I knew there were quite a few items that were yet to be completed at the house. My dad met me at the house to do handover with me (as hubby was in Mt Isa awaiting his flight home), and be a witness really to what I was being told in regards to when outstanding items would be finished.

Handover took 2 hours - mainly because so many things inside and outside hadnt been completed, so SS was trying to make calls along the way to find out when things would be completed. Some of the items that hadnt been done are:-

* Internal and external painting to be completed

*dishwasher still has scratched door

*flyscreens etc not installed

*tiles missing under bath hob (exposed timber)

*bricks missing in garage

* concrete under frame overhanging slab not completed

*render touch ups

*front timber facade not stained

*scratches in chips in front door

*rubber loose around bathroom window

*interior and extertior clean not done

*gas cook top not working

*chips in wine rack

*scratch on stacker door frame

* scratch on glass in front window

* kick board and scotia missing in front of dishwasher

* stains on carpet

*cavity slider catching

* guide on main bedroom doors missing

The painters turned up during handover and I was told they would stay until they had completed everything, but they snuck out of the house just over an hour later whilst I was busy cleaning leaving alot of paint work not completed.

I was told at handover that the cleaners would be in the following day to clean inside and outside the house and remove all the excess paint on handles, bench tops etc etc. The cleaners never showed up until the following friday, and were so rude and disrepectful. They bashed into our walls and furniture, marking the skirting boards, and scratching some of our timber floors, even bent our newly installed blinds. We showed them specifically where there was excess paint to be removed, to which they said they were only told to do a light clean, and thats all we were getting, and that they werent doing outside at all. Again they snuck out after less then 20 minutes not completing the job.

I was told at handover that our splashback (which was measured for on 17/6/14) would be getting installed on thursday 17/7/14. I tried to find out a time of SS but he never replied. Thursday mid morning, after no one turning up, I contacted the supplier direct myself. They were suprised to find out we were in the house and said that we werent booked in at all to get it installed. They kindly said they would be there first thing the next day to install.... which they did. They did however try and get away with installing the splashback without the returns, saying they had never been measured or ordered and left, only for them to return 2 hours later with the returns!! What ever the products the installers used have now marked the back bench so we now have to get caesarstone out to inspect and try and remove the marks.

The flysreen installer turned up in the afternoon to install our screens - they look great, but the stacker door screen has scratches around the latches :(

SS assured me that all things on our list would be completed within the following 2 weeks before my husband returned back to work................. to date, only the above items have been done and SS is avioding our phone calls and text messages. We have now had to resort to email, expressing our disapointment in the lack of contact, and items being completed, and to be give exact dates of when each item will be completed. We dont want to have to take things further, but if things arent done soon, the SS is leaving us with no other option.

Week 25

2/7/14 - Carpenter was back today to redo the front timber feature on the portico. I looks really good and matches in well with the garage doors. Cant wait to see it stained. The glass in the front door has also been replaced, and the timber archs around the door frame have finally been completed.

Looks like they have mopped the timber floors to see how many scratches are in the boards, and determine which ones will need to be replaced.

The splashback drama continues..... looks like no one can make the mirror 3.4 meters long so we have decided to go with 3 pieces along the back bench top - and hope it will look like a nice feature.

3/7/14 - Carpenter was back today installing the rest of the internal fixtures like handles and hooks etc, leaving his dirty boot marks all over our freshly cleaned floor!!! The section above the front window has also been pulled down, just needs to be re-framed now correctly ready for blue board and render. The weep hole covers in the brickwork and render have also been removed, so there is a bit more touch up work on the render to be repaired now.

4/7/14 - Tiler was back today to fix up the powder room splashback - and hopefully the bath hob in the bath room. The site fence and portaloo were also removed today.

6/7/14 - Called past the house this afternoon, hoping to see the house had had the bircks cleaned again, only to find the plasterers working inside the house. Very happy to see that they had taken there boots off and left them at the front door.

So looks like all thats left to bedone is section above front window, render touch ups, exterior paint/ staining, final interior and exterior clean, site clean, brick work touch ups, replace scratched floor boards and ramping to carpeted areas, splashback installed, dishwasher replaced and final interior paint touch ups. Hopefully the house is buzzing with activity for the next 3 days ready for handover on thursday. The hubby has been able to sweet talk his bosses into flying him home early so he will now be home on thursday night, ready to get stuck into retaining walls and driveway first thing friday ;)

7/7/14 - Carpenter was back today blueboarding the front section above the front corner bedroom, and I'm happy to say..... it has finally been done right! 

8/7/14 - Quick phone call from SS this morning confirmed that handover will be at 8am on thursday. There will be a few things that wont be completed in time, but he had assured me that they will be done during the first week after handover. 

Called past the house this afternoon and was really dissappointed to find that the only thing that had happened at the house was an external site clean, ready for the skip bin to be removed. The list of things to get done in 1 day before handover is crazy...still need interior and exterior cleans, interior and exterior painting to be completed, rendering to be finished, staining to be completed, front door to be fixed, flyscreens to be installed, splashback to be installed, brickwork touch ups, dishwasher fixed and skirting/scotia installed in front.... and thats just from what I can see outside.

Have everything crossed that tomorrow is a big day at the house with most of those items completed - particularly the painting as we have furniture getting delivered tomorrow afternoon.

PCI

27/6/14 - Today we had our PCI. It went for about 2 hours. Some of the items that will need to be fixed/finished before handover include:-

* Scratches on the timber floor

* Scratch on top of stacker door

* Stacker door wont open

* Scratch on dishwasher door

* Chips in the wine rack

* Few stains on the carpet

* Replace glass in front door

* Marks / chips in front door

* Splashback tiles in powder room are wrong

* Locks and handles to be installed on some of the doors

* Cavity door catching

* Realign a few doors

* Paint / plaster touch up internally

* Paint / render touch ups externally

* Fix section above front window

* Redo timber feature on portico

* Scratch on bedroom window

*install fly screens

* install tiles under bath hob

Hopefully all the items can be fixed without too much drama, and we will get the keys on Thursday 10th July!

Week 24

25/6/14 - Finally able to call past the house in the daylight to have a good look around. Have found a few things that we are not happy with, main one being that the section above the main front window is suppose to be rendered, and yesterday we saw that it has just been boarded up with material similar to what the eaves are done with and just painted. It looks very cheap, so that will need to be fixed. The framework around the front door still hasnt been completed, the front door still has cracked glass in it, and the door also has ALOT of dents and scratches, and chips of timber taken out of it. Not very happy about that considering the amount of $$ those doors cost. We have also found a hole in the eaves, and section of the render above one of the garages has a big chunk missing out of it. The front timber feature still hasnt been fixed either. We stopped looking after that as we were getting depressed with the amount of things we were finding :(

The carpet has been installed and looks really good. It finally looks like a liveable house now. The windows have had the protection stuff taken off and they have been given a good clean - hopefully that means the flyscreens will be getting installed soon. 2 more sleeps to PCI!

1/7/14 - Today we got a email to say that our mirror splashback cant be made in 1 piece due to the size, and that it would have to be done in either 2 peices or 3 pieces. The SS called around to see what other options we had, or if any other suppliers were able to do it in 1 piece, but at this stage its not looking good. Apparently we are 100 mm over in length to be able to get it in 1 piece :( .
SS is going to make a couple more calls tomorrow just to make sure there is no other way around it, but if not we have decided to go with 3 pieces so it looks more like a feature, rather than a necessity.
We have been told the tiler has been back to the house to fix his bits up, and that the carpenter will be onsite tomorrow to complete his jobs, with the cleaner back in on thursday so they can see what damage has been done to the timber floors. Site fence and clean up should also occur sometime this week.

Week 23

18/6/14 - Called past the house this afternoon expecting to see our flooring installed, and was disapointed to find it hadnt been done :(. Was able to get in the back door (tried to lock it but it seems as though the lock is stuffed) so was able to take better photos of our appliances, and saw that the linen press and wardrobes have been fitted out, and that the door handles, door stops etc have been laid out in each room ready to be installed.

We were also advised by our SS that PCI will be next thursday 26/6/14 @ 8am. We are so excited. Handover will be a week or so later, no major rush as hubby cant get time off, due to his FIFO roster until 13th July so I will probably have to do handover myself, which is ok, I will be able to give the house a really good clean, get the blinds up, furniture that we have bought delivered, and move over a few bits and pieces before he gets home.

Walk in Robe

Bedroom Cupboards

One of the Linen Cupboards

19/6/14 - Flooring still hasnt been done, not sure whats going on there, but hopefully it happens today. Only 6 days to go till PCI. Our correct front door handle has finally been installed and it looks fantastic. From looking through the windows it looks like the fix out carpenter has started installing the skirting boards to the carpeted areas, door handles to wardrobes and internal doors installed, door stops put on and our main bathroom shower screen has been installed.

21/6/14 - Called past the house today hoping to find our timber floor being installed and to my suprise it was, and it looks great.

23/6/14 - Carpenter was back onsite today to install the rest of the skirting boards, ready for the painter to come back tomorrow to finish off all the internal and external painting. SS has also sourced some cedar feature cladding to replace with our current timber feature on the portico (note - this will now be merbau to meet bal requirments) . The style is alot wider than we would like but we are hoping that onces its installed and stained that it will look ok..... im sure it will be better than seeing the yucky glue marks that we can currently see. Our carpets will be installed on wednesday, and i'm presumming the cleaners will be in as well, as PCI is still on this Thursday. SS said we should receive our final invoice some time this week!

24/6/14 - Received a call late this arvo from the SS regarding our PCI. It has now been moved to friday afternoon @ 2pm due to him having to attend a first aid course on thursday. We are a little bit dissapointed, but its only 1 day.

Painters were back today to finish the painting. Was too dark by the time I drove past to see much but I could see that the section about the front window has finally been finished (note - not finished correctly, will need to be taken down and re-installed rendered) . Looking forward to seeing it in the daylight.