Hi there,

So I know it's been a while. We moved in on the agreed date.

So on the final inspection, again our awesome site supervisor double booked and conveniently forgot about our meeting. So we had the construction manager come out to meet with us. The final inspection began approximately 1/2 hr to 40mins late! Eventually the site supervisor arrived. Surprisingly the site supervisor arrived BEFORE us for the handover inspection.

So the guys installing the oven left the mess there along with the box full of crap from the day and the bin was taken away before we could put it in.

The kitchen guys had to amend the bulk head for the top cupboard. I couldn't be bothered arguing with 6 guys that it was STILL not straight. So I just let them do it and leave!!!!

We have also notice with the underneath on the top cupboards, one side is the designed laminate and the other side is white laminate??? I still need to confirm if this is how the display is? When installing the oven, they have used a blunt hole saw/drill bit and it has ripped through the laminate on the inside. So a 2" hole then becomes 4". (Sort of) basically there is about another 2" of chipboard you see instead of the white laminate. However, we requested they fix this. It was fixed by placing a thin piece of white laminate over it and drilled through. Awesome enough, they did exactly the same thing with this piece.

The splash back has grown on me. I must say, ignoring those issues I really like my kitchen.

Carlisle have great ideas. In the laundry, they put the power and taps for the washing machine inside the laundry sink cupboard. In theory this is awesome. So they put the power on the top shelf and the taps on the second shelf. They drilled one hole connecting to the lower shelf. So, just pull out the shelf you say to drill a connecting hole? well no, this has silicone all around the pipes connected to the shelf. We could not pull the shelf out without cutting through the pipes. So we had to drill a hole through the shelf from within the cupboard. We managed to do this without ripping through the laminate? It's really not that hard?

The painting is still crap! We asked several times for the second sink in the en suite to be connected. We couldn't use it until last week. So 2mths with several phone calls and one email!! So perhaps the site supervisor didn't like us or something, but we wouldn't have to be such pains in the ass if people weren't so incompetent at their jobs!!!!

Most issues from the final inspection were being fixed on the day of handover.

We have installed the flooring ourselves. It's not too bad. I don't like it much as the colour doesn't look the same once it's in the house compared to the store. However, everyone that has seen it seems to like it?

We have set up all rooms now. The theatre is just missing the back speakers for the roof and curtains. (They will be on all four walls and open up in the middle at the front). The projector is awesome and so clear. The playstation & xbox is soooo much more fun :D Wiring and speakers we purchased/are purchasing from Selby Acoustics in Hallam. Price comparison to anywhere else is AWESOME!!!!

We got the fly screens done too. That cost about $700 through A & L Windows. They already have the plans from when they do the windows for building. Our cat cannot get used to these tho. She has run into the back fly screen door several times? (Unfortunately, this is hilarious and puts me on the floor laughing nearly every time!)

We also got our curtains done by The Curtain Warehouse in Hallam. We dealt with Kelly. She is awesome. They look great! We couldn't get curtains for the whole house straight up, so we still have some windows missing covers. I made some 'temporary' curtains until we can get the permanent curtains. They don't look too bad. But Kelly's are much better :D.

We did up a white laminate desk for the study. It doesn't look too bad :D. We also got a long seat/cushion that opens for under the window also for the study.

We still haven't bought any fittings i.e. toilet roll holders, towel rails etc. Thats probably next month. We also need to get a dining table before Christmas!

Kurt has installed 3 down lights out of the pack of 12 he purchased.

There is probably so much more to add, but I think I'll leave it at that for now :)

Have fun :D

Right, so after much discussion between management and ourselves; we are now CONFIRMED for handover on the 11/08/2009.

Carlisle have also decided to install the correct tap ware requested from the beginning along with door handles at no charge. However, the tap shouldn't be charged to start with.

They have also agreed to at least look at the paint job this time. As was mentioned in the previous blog, the painting is crap basically. However, when this was mentioned at the final inspection we were advised that you would never get it perfect. This I agree with, but it does look like a preschooler has been painting on the edges.

It has now been exactly 1 week since the inspection and all that has been done out of four pages of issues, is paint touch ups (not painted yet) just bogged.

Ah, OMG just give us the keys and be done with it all! Pretty much we are just OVER it!

Hi there, so we had the final inspection today.

So, turns out that a builder can change the contract without telling you.

When you requested a certain tap mixer for the kitchen, privacy door handles for the bathroom, W/C and master this doesn't matter. Apparently they can change this on the contract that YOU signed originally without notifying you and then when you say... Where are these items? They can then say... ITS NOT IN THE CONTRACT?

Great dodgy service here!!!

When making appointments, apparently it's ok if they forget which day and what time? This is the second appointment made with the site supervisor (this time with written documentation) providing date and time. And as per previous appointment, the site supervisor conveniently confused the dates and times. Therefore, our final inspection started off with the construction manager and eventually the site supervisor arrived to complete this process.

Oh, also let me add that with this being the final inspection day they had three contractors there. One was FINALLY adding the capping that has been sitting in the house for nearly 3-4months waiting to be put up. Then we had the painters doing finishing touch ups and the kitchen contractor putting in the door to the top cupboards after a couple of months also. So really, this house was NOT ready for the final inspection. architraves. However, they obviously did this to shut us up!!!

Can someone tell me if it is normal when painting the walls and skirting that you can see where they have gone off the skirting onto the wall? so the finished painting is not straight? Same as the roof skirting, they have the wall colour on the architraves.

Basically now, we are just ready for hand over so that we do not have to deal with this ridiculous excuse for a company any longer! Final matter - DO NOT EXPECT ANY COMMUNICATION. U WILL HAVE TO MAKE ALL CONTACT. I AM UNSURE IF THEIR PHONES CAN CALL OUT?

We found a major issue with the house today, the front porch brickwork is not at at the correct height it sets lower then the plan will post figures soon...

Update they told me that the house is correct to the contact but is different to the display, have not given reason for this.

So, the bulk heads have been raised from 2150 to 2350. It definitely opens the place up alot!!

They have also finished the painting of the house. Electrical work

is done and wall tiles are also done. We are apparently waiting for the 400x400 tiles to come in from a ship somewhere? Which are due Wednesday next week. However, Carlisle conveniently advised that they could provide the 330x330 tiles. Obviously we said NO! But then our tiler is going on holidays overseas?

Our site supervisor has advised that they cannot do anymore work on the house until the tiler is finished? personally i think this is bullshit, but hey I'm not a builder! I guess,

men can only do one thing at a time right? haha!

Oh, also the rendering to the front of the house is only half up this one wall which looks ridiculous. But they are apparently going to fix it and do it all the way up?

Anyway, so delays on the house. Instead of being in Mid July, we are looking at probably Mid-Late August. So once we have photos we will post them!

Here, you can see the inside a little more. It feels so different now

with all the plasterboard up!

This is Lock up stage now. The first photo is looking out of the theatre room (before the new window has been put in place). The second photo is the view from the hallway (entrance) 'again prior to the window change'. The third photo is the 'cut off' view from our ensuite looking back to where the bed will be and the beginning of the wardrobe. The rectangle you can 'sort of make out' that is a cut out into the wall where dow

nlights will be installed.

So, you can see the bathroom, ensuite & Laundry cabinets. We are really happy with the colours chosen. I kinda wish I had of chosed the same bench tops that are in the Kitchen for everything. But oh well!! The bathroom etc, don't look that bad. We are really really happy with the Kitchen and with the new window, it makes all the difference. You can see that we also chose the round sinks for the basins. So far thats about it.

Oh, one thing that is pretty much STUPID.... 'apparently this is the plumbers job' roofing issues?? Anyway, the have not done the capping for the roof on the bedroom to your right as you walk through the front door. Because of this, they have to replace the cupboard frame etc. as it has started to swell already due to the rain we have had. With no roofing, obviously the water is coming in!! DERR FRED! haha.

Kurt is starting to sook a little as they haven't done anything since Thursday last week, 30.04.09 and it's now 6.05.09. Hey, they have done an inspection and did a site walk through with us on Monday. Of which, the site supervisor conveniently forgot about this, even though he'd discussed this with Kurt on Friday. So we showed up at 7.30am as discussed as Shane (site supervisor) didn't want to do it after 5pm to suit us. Anyway, so at 7.45am, we were getting impatient and called him when we got the reply of.... OH F#$% that was today? I have it for tomorrow. I'm leaving now! (AWESOME we thought) anyway, he got away with it cause he turned out to be an alright guy! And this is pretty much where we are up to so far!

Will update again shortly (hopefully) fingers crossed!! haha!

So, as you can see there is a glimpse of the inside once it has been plastered.

Also, we thought we would show the Window difference!!!

The first one (obviously) is the old one they put in. The second one is sooooo much better and lets in sooooo much more light!

The House Looking like a House

Our house is starting to look like one, with the brick work complete windows in, just waiting for the roof to be complete.




With one thing they bricked around the window but have not replaced it with a new one. It been around 4 weeks when we asked for the new one, and still waiting.