Practical Completion

Just had our practical completion inspection. Just about everything was fixed up. Only a few minor details need attention, but all in all, very happy. Much credit has to be given to our site supervisor DT.

We signed the paperwork, and arranged a time for handover on the 17th of January 2011.

A few hours passed, I guess the customer support coordinator filed the paperwork to apply for the certificate of occupancy from the certifier. Ooops, someone forgot about the acoustic work that was needed to comply for full certification.

I warned our SS from the start. But he ignored me. Now we have to perform work on the house to have the house acoustically certified before handover. How long this is going to take is unknown. Can I find someone that can work over the holidays is also a problem to have it all completed in a timely fashion.

I need Airconditioning, and Acoustic barrier in the alfresco, but before the barrier can go in, I need an alfresco floor done.

It doesn't bother me that it's going to take longer, it's just work I don't have to organise after I move it.

You little rippa (d128)

I went to visit the house, with very little expectation that any would be done today, and discovered the carpets were put in. Not sure the colours are right, so I will have to investigate. It's been over 18months since our colour selection, so it's just better that we question it, just in case.

27 days until handover.

 Master bedroom

 Study

 Living

I asked for this gas tap in the alfresco by my SS, if I didn't they would have given me a standard brass screw on cap. I said I saw it at the display home.

So after the drenching caused by a weeks rain and continuous rain the day before, this is what the outdoor area looks like with the new crusher dust.

A little moisture here, but alot better than what it used to be

Alfresco dry up to the wall, remember it was pooling in this area

 Dry here

 And dry here. Amazing

Construction Update (d127)

So we've passed the 18th week milestone. Well if you account for their claimable 2 weeks due to bad weather it would be 16 weeks according to Metricon. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is when practical completion is due. Since I have work I won't be able to come out to inspect the house, instead my wife will go on my behalf. This is where we sign off on the house to say it's complete, and note down any conditions or repairs that have to be met on handover. Then all the paperwork can be lodged so that in 4 weeks (2 working weeks) weeks we can have the keys to our house.

We received the final payment invoice last week. Sent it off to the lender to have it processed, they will have to send out an assessor or valuator to value the house, and on our part we must have building insurance on the house before they will process the payment.

In the meantime we have been having people quote on the landscaping of our home. The front we require a retaining wall, still up in the air whether we want a sandstone looking sleeper retaining wall, or a sandstone rock wall. Any thoughts people?

28 days until handover (4 weeks and counting)

Dotting the house (d119)

Week17

Well on Friday, we meet with our SS and began dotting the house for defects and area that needed touch up or defects. It seems we picked up several, mainly just cleaning.

He also mentioned to me that he would fix up the drainage issue at the back outdoor area. It was paramount that the field drains worked before it was certified.

We had a couple of landscaping guys around to quote us for the yard that we are going to have done later.

On Saturday the bobcat arrived to perform site cleanup and added gravel around the house to improve the drainage. It then poured down from 11am until the next morning. I don't how much work the bobcat did to finish the yard, but I didn't feel he had enough time to finish off.

It turns out practical completion will be the 21st. I will be called back to the house to sign off so that the paperwork can be started for handover. Hopefully everything will be good enough on the day.

Sealed off (d118)

It turns out someone did turn up on the day I thought no work would be performed. The people doing the sealing with silicon guns did all the tile joints and also the Articulation Joints in the brickwork. I thought it looked strange with temporary foam inside the joints.

Well I got a call from my SS. Looks like Friday is the day for us to do our PC Inspection. Carpet was due Thursday, but upon inspection looks like they got a bad batch, with runs through it. So they have reordered and it will go in later.

Turns out there is still no chance of being in before Christmas. It will take until mid January for all the, invoicing and certificate of occupancy to occur.

So the countdown is

Inspection in 1 day (tomorrow, we walk through and dot the house)
Practical completion 12 days (when handover paperwork is processed)

Articulation/Expansion joints in bricks

There's tile expansion joint in the middle of this shot.

Yet another thing to check off the list.

Things to be done:

Quality Assurance check
Carpeting
Site clean
Engineer & Certifiers approval
Another internal clean up.

Internal cleaning round 1 (d116)

Well yesterday the cleaner came around to do the internal cleaning. The tiler left a mess on top of the tiles, she had to mop the floors 3 times over.

I didn't have chance to get inside, as the floors were still wet. The ground has been so muddy, I wouldn't have liked to gone in anyway. She said she will be back another two more times before handover.

So the countdown is
Inspection in 3 days
Practical completion 14 days

 Don't know if you can notice, but the windows have been cleaned

 Study and french doors into the master bedroom

Side view

 Note from the cleaner

The bathroom has come up spotless



Things to do:
Quality Assurance check
Sealing tile joints (silicon)
Carpeting
Site clean
Engineer & Certifiers approval
Another internal clean up.

What a suprise (d115)

On my way to work this morning I checked up the house. I didn't see any utes on site, so I thought they might arrive later on. I just thought I'd walk up to the door to check if out of the odd chance, that the tiler had been there over the weekend. I don't think he was there Saturday, as we drove by on our way back from shopping.

So on Monday morning it was a real surprise to me that the grouting had been done. He must have come on Sunday to do the work. I think all contractors are busily working hard leading upto the Christmas break.

In speaking to the tiler during last week, he indicated he had several urgent jobs on the go, so what better way of finishing them off than working on the weekend.

On my way home from shopping on Saturday, I noticed that someone attended to the missing roof tile. It came about from a fairly nasty email I sent to head office about their QA inspectors.

The list of things to do is gradually reducing:
- Sealing tiling joints
- Carpeting
- Clean
- Install, dishwasher, oven & stove

5 days until inspection
17 days to PC

 Entrance corridor

 Dining

 Dining

 Family

 Looking at kitchen

 Bench with raised servery

 Other kitchen bench

 Pantry and fridge space

 Looking towards entrance

 Looking in the opposite direction

 Linen closet

 The rain again causes local flooding

Kitchen, family and dining rooms.

That completes the tiling stage. The rain continues to tumble down. So lucky that the major works required are all internal.

Still waiting for that tiler (d113)

Insulation was laid yesterday. The guys had to remove the roof tiles to get into the roof. The manhole didn't have enough room to fit the batts through, not only that it was lying in an area that didn't allow great access, between rafters. They might have had to feed it through one by one if they had gone through the man hole. Tip for those building a new house, ask for a larger man hole. It helps.

 Insulation batts on the roof

 I can see it. Trusses in the way

 Finally fitted the down pipe to a drain point

Just need grouting (d112)

Week 16

So finally the tiler made it back and beaumont delivered the 12 pack of tiles need by the tiler to finish laying the tiles. I wasn't game to inside and walk on the tiles since they were newly laid. Plus the soil around the area has too much clay, and it would have ruined it. The tiler will back for his last day on Friday to grout the tiles. Then it will called done. Hopefully there are no defects that he has to come back.

Now there's only a few other things to do:

- Carpeting

- Roof insulation (Friday)

- Clean

- Install, dishwasher, oven & stove (that won't happen until days before handover)

- Oh of course fix those missing and broken roof tiles still on the house.

Am I forgetting something? I don't know why all these things can't be done before Christmas. The sooner they have it done, the sooner you will get paid. As easy as that.

7 days until inspection

19 days to PC

 Linen cupboard

 Tiler removed these doors for tiling

 Fridge space

 Pantry

 Kitchen

 Looking at bifords

 Dining

 Family area, alcove for TV

Transition from wet area to new tiled area. We are going with white grout.

 Kitchen again

 Dining

Some sandy looking substance below the architraves. I think it's some insect causing this. I've seen black ants hanging around the place.

Telstra came to connect phone line, but I don't know it's actually connected