Wednesday 26 November 2008

Thursday 13th Nov - Handover day

Yes, WE HAVE THE KEYS!!
Sorry everyone for taking so long to get back on the blog; it has been a VERY hectic last couple of weeks and little access to the internet.

Tile Cleaning
As you would recall in our the last post, 'D' had issues with trying to get the floor tile grout clean which postponed our handover and has had to call in a professional. Here is a pic of him scrubbing the floor with a solution called 'Lift off' which is supposed to draw out the grime from the grout.


Well it seems to have done the trick as the tiles have come up pretty good.

Termite Protection
As most new home owners would know it is standard for the builder to spray the building perimeter for termites. During our inspection it was explained to us that the protection is only effective as long as you don't disturb the soil. WHAT THE?? This is a brand new house, of course we are gonna disturb the soil and plant stuff and lay pavers and concrete etc. So, while we were waiting for handover we organised for a reticulated termite protection system to be installed. As once we have the keys, the driveway would be installed soon after, and the system had to be installed before hand.

We got the guys from 'Fumapest' to install a reticulated system as they provide a 50 year warranty (provided you ensure the regular maintenance scheme is adhered to). First up they spray the perimeter with a solution called 'Biflex'. They then dig a shallow trench around the house and lay the flat pipe which sits on a sheet of plastic. The system is then capped at a single point and enclosed in a box which allows easy access for regular maintenance top ups. They then cover up the pipe with soil and pump it full of Biflex to soak the area.





Handover
On the morning of Handover we had suspicions that the house may not be ready (as it had been delayed now so often) and when we arrived the cleaner was still running around doing a final mop of the floors.

When the builder provides a clean of the house, they provide what is known as a 'Builders' Clean'. This is a not a full service as you would normally get from a cleaner. So when you get the keys don't expect the place to be picture perfect by any means.


There were still minor quality issues which we expected to be of a better standard, but to minimise any further inconvenience to us, we accepted the keys. As other new owners would know, when you insert the new 'owners' keys, the tumbler in the lock barrel changes to no longer accept the builders' set of keys. This worked for all the locks except the garage entrance, therefore requiring a call out from the locksmith the following day. Fortunately he arrived that day too, as the door handle mechanism for the study had become defective after closing the day before and would not allow us to open the study doors.

As part of handover the tiler was asked to come back one more time within 5 days and re-do the powder room grout as it was no an acceptable standard. For all those DIY'ers out there, it was rougher than 80 grit sandpaper!

Carpet laying
We accepted the keys at around 9:30 am and had the carpet layers in that afternoon at 4:30 pm. Boy they work fast! By the time they left that night, they had laid the rumpus, study and lounge and had prepped the upstairs with the carpet edging.

We are VERY happy with the colour of the carpet, in fact we are very happy with all of the colours we chose, as we can now see them all come together beautifully.








Water tank
In the afternoon of handover I ventured out the back and realised we didn't have a water tank or pump! A quick call to 'D' to ask where it was got a response to the effect of ....It must have walked?. It was later determined that it never actually arrived! Handover was becoming more eventful. Another tank was sourced and in place the next day and the plumbers were onsite in the afternoon to hook it up. Sadly the quality issues don't stop there. The design of the slab for the tank had not allowed for the pump to be situated alongside, and therefore the plumber had to locate the pump on some leftover bricks imposing on our side access as shown below.


Another visit from 'D' later and a more acceptable solution has been devised by adding a pair of 600mm square concrete pads to the left side of the tank to locate the pump and re-route the plumbing accordingly behind the tank to the other side. At this stage we are still waiting for the sparky to turn up and extend the weatherproof GPO to the left side to connect the pump switch.
While the Plumber was erecting the initial pump set up, he severed the reticulated termite pipe, which required a call out from the 'Fumapest' boys again to mend and refill the system.

Driveway
On Friday morning we had Adriaan from 'AllFx Concreting' out to work his magic on the driveway. The guys battled the poor weather to get the drive scraped and formed ready for the pour which will be on Dec 3rd - sadly they can't get it any earlier :-(



Thanks for waiting. You've nearly caught up now - hopefully our Internet is connected soon and we can contribute a little more often with some photos of the inside completed ;-)

8 comments:

Awallace said...

Hey guys, congratulations....you are now the proud owners of a new cremorne.....welcome to the club...:)

Glad to see, that you finally have made it. Im sure its a been rough ride the past few months, but hey now you can relax a little, and spend your 1st xmas in your new home. Your carpet looks like the same colour as ours...:)

Interesting about the termite protection.... we too may have to install the pipe system.

It will take you a while to get used to all the light switches, which switch to press, etc, and it will feel like your living in a hotel, then later on it will hit you, that this is your home. It took me a while to really take it in...:)

Now is all the fun parts. Window coverings, fly screen doors, towel rails etc, garden, plants etc etc.....its a big money pit..

The cremorne is such a lovely home/layout which is why its PD's most popular Double storey.

Once again, congrats, and look forward to more updates.

Andy

Petal said...

Hi T&L - What dramas! Can't believe they hadn't even installed the water tank!!!

Anyway, you're in your lovely new home now, and you can really start to make it 'yours'.Hopefully all the heartache of the past few months will disappear, and you can enjoy your new place.We're still in the middle of that part.....

Carpet looks just beautiful - makes a huge difference to the feel, doesn't it?!

You made it - well done!!!!

Congratulations, and Enjoy!!!

Carolyn Childs said...

WOOO HOOO !!!!!!!!

Congratulations !!!!!!!!!! I've been itching to write to you and ask "What's going ON ????!?!"

Sorry to hear that there are still issues - it just never ends !!

It all looks beautiful !! Your colour choices are lovely. Sorry to ask this - but what is the feature wall colour in your master bedroom ? I've been converted to 2 wall features now after seeing that !

LOVE the carpet ! LOVE your view from your house ! Can't wait to see more pics.

Thanks for the update. CC

DeGaul said...

I've been holding out big time for an update from you guys. I (I'm sure all of us) am so happy that you now have keys to a house that has finally been completed.
I echo the above entries in congratulating you on taking delivery of your terrifc Cremorne.
Please keep us informed on your settling in stories.
Well done guys. You've earnt it.

Mike & Marita said...

Wow finally in. I bet the girls just love their rooms. Now you can add all those personal touches.

I can't wait to see some more pictures.

All the best in your new home.

would be home said...

Hey thats lot of update.
I love your carpet colour, waiting to see the finished product. I remeber you got your carpet from Fowles, Did you get them to install it as well?
Also, if you dont mind me asking, how much did it cist you to have retaculate termite protection and which company did you choose?

Looking forward to further inside pictures

Toni said...

CONGRATULATIONS on finally getting handover. I've been looking forward to seeing your photos since your last email a few weeks ago.

The girls must be so excited in their new rooms and their Mum and Dad must be relieved that it's over :-)

Can't believe they forgot the watertank......duh!

The house looks fantastic and I hope that you are all enjoying it and that soon the memories of the build diminish.

Enjoy!!!!

T&L said...

Thanks for all the comments everyone - it has been a very busy time for us, as a lot of you can now attest to also.

WBH - the termite reticulation system was from 'FumaPest'. It was around 1k to have it installed and comes with a 50 year warranty if you keep up the maintence schedule. BTW, our carpet didn't come from Fowles, it was purchased from 'Knox Flooring' on Ferntree Gully Rd.