Internal fit out & Trim still happening.

Day 133,  After slow progress for the past 2 weeks, finally the kitchen cabinets turned up ready to be installed. There has been small progress with some of the internal finishing work, Architraves now installed and some minor patching up getting ready for the paint stage. The internal finishing carpenters seem to be there only for a few hours a day at the moment - why so slow ?.

The retaining wall contractors have been there today starting the wall between the neighbor to the west - wish they had not - all wrong !!  They had installed a product called Ironwood - this product is for NON structural walls , posts and general garden use only.  Then why did they try to use it for the main structural wall ? Who knows  !! ....in hand with the builder to sort out - rip it out and start again -but they need to install the correct products as per the engineering drawings I say....see if Ashford Homes comes up with the correct decision. More on this in further blogs.
Our side fence on the East side was installed today - the neighbors on this side wanted the extra privacy to their windows.

Retaining wall - used wrong product for this application.

Internal & External fit out happening.

Day 122,  After a slow week, the Internal fit out - Architraves and trims is almost complete, Outside Eaves is now complete. The raised platform "our Gold class" in the Theater room is installed. Looking good overall, a few  minor items to get checked where the window frame was moved. The site clean up has also happened - the site now looks tidy and we can get an idea of where/what to do with the slopes we have on the side of the house. A nice deck is in order here, to go around the Spa planned to go in.  I am told by SS that our kitchen cabinets is planned for next week, cannot wait for this milestone. The biggest question is ;-  Will we get close to the ideal 20 week build time frame, looking more like 25 weeks at best at the moment.

Slow Week Minor changes only.

Day 111, It's been a slow wet week, only a few minor items completed this last week. I now have a list of items to "get fixed" for SS at our meeting tomorrow. Let's see what the response is to the list. The build in 20 week's ideal timeframe is narrowing very fast and still lots to do. Where are we at ?  Plaster cornice done, needs the final sanding. Trimming work materials delivered during the week, ready for eaves to be started, the raised floor area in the Theatre room to be constructed.  The brickie is almost finished, he has been working on the Window Sills and the door step brickwork - still looking good.

WOW Plaster up and done in 3 Days.

Day 104 :-  Plaster now complete, I cannot believe they finished the hanging up to finishing coat in 3 days, we called in on Sunday to look over the house one more time, to our surprise we found the plasterers there busy doing their thing. :Hmmm we did observe one issue, they had been hanging the plaster in the entrance, family, kitchen and meals area like there was cornice going in - this is where we are having square set cornice ....something they did not seem aware of, not sure where the breakdown in communications was.
Some frantic calls to Ashford homes on Monday to try to sort out what they were doing. We will get to the bottom of this issue as they have now patched up this and fashioned a square corner using some method. Nothing was going to stop these guys..only the final sand and the normal cornice in the remaining room to complete now.

Ready Set Plaster - all ready to go.

Day 101 :- We are finally at the plaster stage, it's been a slow week this last week, mostly trying to sort out the remaining issues prior to the plaster going in.  Plumbing now sorted - after the site meeting when I gave them the manufacturers instructions on how to do it - now one must ask the question, Why did they not do that 2 weeks ago ?  who knows..maybe they liked going back and back to patch things up.  The sparky's have also been to shift the bathroom switches back to where they were drawn to go - they will install splash proof types on the doorway  to keep within wiring reg's. The brickie is now just finishing up the last sections of wall around the hot water  tank area - the HW Solar panels installed on the West roof line - we are getting around 3kW of PV panels on the North roof area to help keep power costs down and make the home a bit greener.

The plaster has been delivered as of Friday, it's now all systems go to for Monday hopefully.  R our SS was a little unsure when they would make a start.

The finishing carpenter has also been trimming up and getting the house ready for Lock-up stage, this is the big stage payment...a bigger 'ouch' than last time, but I guess this means we are now getting closer to the end point.

Brickwork on the end of the Alfresco area

Brick, Electrical, Insulation, Heating rough in's and more plumbing activity.

Day 93 - It has been a busy week again, most of the rough in activity has happened this week.  So much activity, my head is spinning - even the plumbers are fixing up their previous errors.  All the electrical wiring is now in - looking good, all our Theater room speaker wires are in place along with the Bradford SoundScreen Plus Insulation in the Theater walls. The brickwork is almost finished, just some to do along the front of the house and garage area.
The roof tilers were back and finished off the roof area. The plaster was due this week, but given the plumbers have not yet corrected the Hot Water system, the Plaster was delayed 1 week.  We have a site meeting to discuss the HW issues this week coming - cannot wait to see what they say...!!! and explain why they have not yet fixed the Smart start system loop system. The ducted heating unit is now installed , not in the position marked on the drawings, but directly over the Theater room...hope this is not a noisy unit.

A few pic's to keep you up to speed.

Sound Batts Installed into the Theatre room walls

heating ducts everywhere

Brick & Wiring week.

Just in time for the long weekend, the sparky's have been busy the past few days. All the electrical wiring is now installed. The bricklayer has also been going along nicely, most of the house is now bricked half way up the wall.
We are still trying to get the plumber to correct his plumbing - there is still some missing and the smart start system is still not correct. I am told our new SS start's on Tuesday, Hope this time I get to meet one.

Our Ducted Vac system pipes are also now installed.