I bought a toaster... a small step towards fitting out the new house
:)
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hurrumph
A whole week and absolutely no progress. It didn't rain for 4 days. They did all the bricking on the house down the road and not a stick was lifted on my plot.
I guess that means I can expect the late October/early November deadline has just stepped firmly out of October.
I guess that means I can expect the late October/early November deadline has just stepped firmly out of October.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Walk Through
Way back when I started all this, Mark Porecca told me to think and plan where I would put things like phones, TVs, lights and so on. Well I gave it a shot and had a pretty good idea on most things. Today though, during the walk through it seems that there was plenty I hadn't got sorted in my head.
How many data points did I want?
Well I want computer access in my bedroom, but I know from the current house that wireless isn't so great when you want it to reach from one end of the house to another. The wireless hub needs to be central. I had to figure where in the family room I should put it. And the phone. It was hard! I didn't know how big the furniture will look in the space and I didn't know where it would all sit. In the end Mark talked me into putting the phone point next to an imaginary side table between the kitchen and the family room. I don't own such a beastie but maybe I will have to get one?
Then lights: Well the track lights that Mum had given me are not an option. He says that with the missing piece he won't install it. As far as I can tell it is a purely cosmetic piece, but he says he can't risk an electrician claiming that he got his finger in the hole and blah blah. I can see where he is coming from but it means I had to rethink things.
I think by the end of it I had about 4 more lights than the allowance gave me. And a few power points. And Tv points. And data points.
Then there is the heater control. I had the choice of on/off or the programmable option. I do like the idea that it can turn itself on just before you wake up in the morning as a Canberra house is a chilly thing if the heaters have been off. Naturally I will pay more for the programmable.
And the hot water:
It's instantaneous. It can come out at 50C all the time or I can have a button that allows it to heat to a particular temperature for particular uses. So you would set it to 40C for a shower and not pay to heat it to 50C and then cool it with cold water.
Well I think today's walk through has cost me over $1000. eeeek
Then we talked cement. The original quote was for 6m of cement path to the clothes line. I knew the clothes line was going to be more than 6m away so I had insisted that the quote be for the whole distance. This morning Mark was stepping out the 6m so see what the rest would cost me. I was very glad to be able to remind him that my contract said "concrete path to the clothes line" not "6m path to clothes line". So I won't be paying for the extra 5.5m it takes to get to the clothes line.
My next brain tease will be the area under the pergola. Mark can cement it but it will be quite expensive. There is an initial cost, plus GST plus 20% variation on the contract. I might have to give it a miss after the expense of today.
How many data points did I want?
Well I want computer access in my bedroom, but I know from the current house that wireless isn't so great when you want it to reach from one end of the house to another. The wireless hub needs to be central. I had to figure where in the family room I should put it. And the phone. It was hard! I didn't know how big the furniture will look in the space and I didn't know where it would all sit. In the end Mark talked me into putting the phone point next to an imaginary side table between the kitchen and the family room. I don't own such a beastie but maybe I will have to get one?
Then lights: Well the track lights that Mum had given me are not an option. He says that with the missing piece he won't install it. As far as I can tell it is a purely cosmetic piece, but he says he can't risk an electrician claiming that he got his finger in the hole and blah blah. I can see where he is coming from but it means I had to rethink things.
I think by the end of it I had about 4 more lights than the allowance gave me. And a few power points. And Tv points. And data points.
Then there is the heater control. I had the choice of on/off or the programmable option. I do like the idea that it can turn itself on just before you wake up in the morning as a Canberra house is a chilly thing if the heaters have been off. Naturally I will pay more for the programmable.
And the hot water:
It's instantaneous. It can come out at 50C all the time or I can have a button that allows it to heat to a particular temperature for particular uses. So you would set it to 40C for a shower and not pay to heat it to 50C and then cool it with cold water.
Well I think today's walk through has cost me over $1000. eeeek
Then we talked cement. The original quote was for 6m of cement path to the clothes line. I knew the clothes line was going to be more than 6m away so I had insisted that the quote be for the whole distance. This morning Mark was stepping out the 6m so see what the rest would cost me. I was very glad to be able to remind him that my contract said "concrete path to the clothes line" not "6m path to clothes line". So I won't be paying for the extra 5.5m it takes to get to the clothes line.
My next brain tease will be the area under the pergola. Mark can cement it but it will be quite expensive. There is an initial cost, plus GST plus 20% variation on the contract. I might have to give it a miss after the expense of today.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Rush to buy light fittings
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| Eglo Brenda |
So today, after a horrifying trip to Costco (massive crowds, not outstandingly interesting stock but a rather enormous and tasty Hawaiian pizza) I dragged the two kids who had joined me, to look at lights.
Kate gave up quickly and ended up sitting in the car. John decided to give me his advice in making the choices. The darling fellow tells me his favourite, then I tell him mine, then he agrees with me. I love shopping with John. One day he is going to make a fine husband.
'We' ended up choosing Eglo Brenda for my bedroom and Eglo Cameo to hang over the kitchen bench.
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| Eglo Kameo |
Picking Paint
Along with the walk through, Mark has asked me to finalise all my other choices.
This is from this ladies blog and shows Dulux Seed Pearl. I think it will do nicely.
My original plans was to have an all white house. White cupboards, walls vainities and tiles. However when it comes down to it, I find that just a bit too chilling. So I am planning on an off-white with a warmish tinge and then white ceiling, architraves and skirtings. Off white tiles in the kids bathroom and matt white tiles in mine. The matt finish makes the white softer.
Fingers crossed that this is all going to work or I have no one to blame but myself!
That means paint!
My original plans was to have an all white house. White cupboards, walls vainities and tiles. However when it comes down to it, I find that just a bit too chilling. So I am planning on an off-white with a warmish tinge and then white ceiling, architraves and skirtings. Off white tiles in the kids bathroom and matt white tiles in mine. The matt finish makes the white softer.
Fingers crossed that this is all going to work or I have no one to blame but myself!
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