Tomorrow we will finish it off and then seal it.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
14th November 2014
Last weekend was spent doing more work outside on the retaining wall and letterbox. The letterbox just needs to be capped off on top and the retaining wall just needs a few more caps and it will be ready for sealing and bagging. We have decided we are going to tackle the painting / bagging ourselves. We had quotes for rendering, but its just not affordable at this stage. One of them was $1,800 and one was $800. Big difference!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
28th October 2014
Were getting there slowly...
We finished laying the besser blocks on the weekend for the retaining wall on the left side of the driveway (facing the street). Pete started on the letterbox and is almost done. It was too hot for him to finish it off...lol...it was only 36 degrees. Any excuse! If you're reading this honey...I love you ;)
I've started to make some calls to get some quotes for rendering or bagging the wall. Not sure which look to go for. Eventually we want to render the whole front of the house, so we figured rendering the retaining wall would be best, but that could be a long way off, so bagging might be the way to go. At least it would match our facade. We will probably go with whatever is cheapest. I would love to give it a go myself, but I don't feel comfortable doing it as I have never seen it done before.
Pete also almost finished off laying the foundation for the retaining wall on the right side of the driveway. We just need to buy more besser blocks as we have run out. It's surprising how much bigger the front yard looks with the wall up. I would have thought it would have closed it in and made it look smaller, but it is the complete opposite, which is great.
I finished painting the fence on the right side (facing the street). I however did get out there in the heat, but I was clever and put the umbrella up, so it wasn't too bad. I'll be glad when I finish the rest off. It's a painful process, but all the hard work is worth it. It would be a lot easier using a spray gun, but the one I bought is crap, so I have hand painted every single paling.
We had the MJH maintenance guy out this last week too. He is coming back again next week to finish off everything. I was surprised when MJH said he would be back for the day. It might even have to be a 3rd day.
We also had our driveway guys come back and reseal our driveway for us which was nice. We had a few hairline cracks (damn clay) and the crossover needed some solution on it to stop it flaking.
I decided to go for a drive today up to the new Sydney Business Park at Marsden Park, which is a only a 5 min drive from home. Ikea and Bunnings are coming along nicely and before too long, Costco and Masters will be on the way. Very exciting have these shopping heavens so close to home.
We finished laying the besser blocks on the weekend for the retaining wall on the left side of the driveway (facing the street). Pete started on the letterbox and is almost done. It was too hot for him to finish it off...lol...it was only 36 degrees. Any excuse! If you're reading this honey...I love you ;)
I've started to make some calls to get some quotes for rendering or bagging the wall. Not sure which look to go for. Eventually we want to render the whole front of the house, so we figured rendering the retaining wall would be best, but that could be a long way off, so bagging might be the way to go. At least it would match our facade. We will probably go with whatever is cheapest. I would love to give it a go myself, but I don't feel comfortable doing it as I have never seen it done before.
Pete also almost finished off laying the foundation for the retaining wall on the right side of the driveway. We just need to buy more besser blocks as we have run out. It's surprising how much bigger the front yard looks with the wall up. I would have thought it would have closed it in and made it look smaller, but it is the complete opposite, which is great.
I finished painting the fence on the right side (facing the street). I however did get out there in the heat, but I was clever and put the umbrella up, so it wasn't too bad. I'll be glad when I finish the rest off. It's a painful process, but all the hard work is worth it. It would be a lot easier using a spray gun, but the one I bought is crap, so I have hand painted every single paling.
We had the MJH maintenance guy out this last week too. He is coming back again next week to finish off everything. I was surprised when MJH said he would be back for the day. It might even have to be a 3rd day.
We also had our driveway guys come back and reseal our driveway for us which was nice. We had a few hairline cracks (damn clay) and the crossover needed some solution on it to stop it flaking.
I decided to go for a drive today up to the new Sydney Business Park at Marsden Park, which is a only a 5 min drive from home. Ikea and Bunnings are coming along nicely and before too long, Costco and Masters will be on the way. Very exciting have these shopping heavens so close to home.
New Ikea being built
New Bunnings being built
New Ikea being built...looks huge
Thursday, October 16, 2014
16th October 2014
After 6 weeks of not hearing from MJH about our maintenance, I ended up emailing them and finally got an answer yesterday. We have another maintenance fix scheduled in for next Friday 24th. Hopefully everything will be fixed properly this time, so we can finally move on.
On a good note, things have progressed further with our retaining wall and fence painting. We still have a long way to go. Hopefully it will be finished before Summer kicks in.
Michelle Timbs if you are reading this, I thought I would try painting the columns on our facade in Monument like yours. Well I did and it looked horrendous...lol. Made the house look a lot smaller and really ugly. It was so bad I painted over them straight away with the original colour.
Some progress pics...
On a good note, things have progressed further with our retaining wall and fence painting. We still have a long way to go. Hopefully it will be finished before Summer kicks in.
Michelle Timbs if you are reading this, I thought I would try painting the columns on our facade in Monument like yours. Well I did and it looked horrendous...lol. Made the house look a lot smaller and really ugly. It was so bad I painted over them straight away with the original colour.
Some progress pics...
Saturday, October 4, 2014
5th October 2014
Thought I would post some progress pics of the retaining wall and fence and thanks to my dad, we now have side gates. It's handy having a sheet metal worker for a dad :) All we need to do is finish painting them, then get some timber on them. Really hoping we can finish them soon as I'm getting sick of chasing a 2 yr old around the house and down the street.
I've managed to finish painting the back fence and almost there done with the left side. There is still a lot more to go though. Unfortunately we ran out of besser blocks yesterday, so we couldn't finish off the wall. Was surprised to see the place that we got the besser blocks from closed on a Sunday. We will have to wait yet another week before its finished. Really not sure what colour to paint the wall yet. I don't know whether to match the facade or go a darker colour for some contrast. I would prefer a darker colour because it would make the gardens 'pop'.
Monday, September 29, 2014
29th September 2014
Well there has been a few things happening of late...
Pete finally got the chance to start work on our front garden retaining wall. It was getting pushed back every weekend due to all the rain we were getting. Hopefully this weekend will see the wall on the left side of driveway (looking out to the street) finished. Then we can bag and paint to match the facade or render it. Ideally I would like it rendered, but it won't match the facade and rendering the facade will be a way off yet. Then I can finally start work on the garden...yay :) I can't wait. Our facade looks so bland without any plants around it.
I've created a bit of a monster. Because our timber fence looks crap and is already bowing and fading in colour, I decided I would paint it, not only to make it look better, but because plants look so much nicer in front of a charcoal coloured fence. It makes the plants and green grass really pop. I decided to paint it Colourbond - Monument to match our roof and gutters and for contrast against the light grey bricks. Its coming along nicely, but the only thing I don't like about Monument, is that in certain light it gives off a blue tinge rather than a charcoal grey. Most of the fence will be covered with plants anyway, so no biggy. Stupid me didn't realise how big a job it was going to be. I reckon I have spent 3 x full days on it and its nowhere near finished :(
We also now have a footpath on our nature strip thanks to Blacktown Council. All they need to do is plant a tree apparently. I'm hoping its something decent. Ideally, I would like 2 x trees out the front.
I must call MJH and find our when the maintenance guy is going to come and finish off what didn't get done. I was told it would be a few weeks, which was 4 weeks ago now. Time to crack the whip! It's only been a year.
Some progress pics...
Pete finally got the chance to start work on our front garden retaining wall. It was getting pushed back every weekend due to all the rain we were getting. Hopefully this weekend will see the wall on the left side of driveway (looking out to the street) finished. Then we can bag and paint to match the facade or render it. Ideally I would like it rendered, but it won't match the facade and rendering the facade will be a way off yet. Then I can finally start work on the garden...yay :) I can't wait. Our facade looks so bland without any plants around it.
I've created a bit of a monster. Because our timber fence looks crap and is already bowing and fading in colour, I decided I would paint it, not only to make it look better, but because plants look so much nicer in front of a charcoal coloured fence. It makes the plants and green grass really pop. I decided to paint it Colourbond - Monument to match our roof and gutters and for contrast against the light grey bricks. Its coming along nicely, but the only thing I don't like about Monument, is that in certain light it gives off a blue tinge rather than a charcoal grey. Most of the fence will be covered with plants anyway, so no biggy. Stupid me didn't realise how big a job it was going to be. I reckon I have spent 3 x full days on it and its nowhere near finished :(
We also now have a footpath on our nature strip thanks to Blacktown Council. All they need to do is plant a tree apparently. I'm hoping its something decent. Ideally, I would like 2 x trees out the front.
I must call MJH and find our when the maintenance guy is going to come and finish off what didn't get done. I was told it would be a few weeks, which was 4 weeks ago now. Time to crack the whip! It's only been a year.
Some progress pics...
Jack helping daddy with the foundation!
The footpath contractors happened to be pouring concrete the same day we were pouring ours, so we asked the guys if there was leftover concrete we would have it...and they had some - perfect timing and saved us some coin.
Foundation poured!
First row of besser blocks!
First row of besser blocks!
First row of besser blocks!
Second row of besser blocks!
Second row of besser blocks!
The monster I created :(
The back fence is almost done!
New footpath left side!
New footpath right side!
Monday, September 1, 2014
2nd September 2014
Not much to report on, except that yesterday, Scott (MJH Maintenance Manager) popped in for a visit to review the work that was carried out recently. He is going to arrange for another guy to come out and fix everything that wasn't fixed and also get the painters back for some touch ups, which is fantastic.
Also really disappointed about the extra downlights we wanted installed. I ended up getting another Electricians opinion and it was all bad news due to restricted access. I've got my fingers cross that we could still somehow get a downlight in the hallway cutout. I'm determined to find a way. As for out the front, it's looking impossible. The only thing I could think of is when our gardens are done to put a heap of lighting in them and a feature spotlight in front of the right side window so it makes the house look more even in terms of lighting. At this stage only the left side of the house is lit up. I am planning on putting some kind of feature plant in front of the window anyway, so might shine a spotlight onto the house to help.
Also really disappointed about the extra downlights we wanted installed. I ended up getting another Electricians opinion and it was all bad news due to restricted access. I've got my fingers cross that we could still somehow get a downlight in the hallway cutout. I'm determined to find a way. As for out the front, it's looking impossible. The only thing I could think of is when our gardens are done to put a heap of lighting in them and a feature spotlight in front of the right side window so it makes the house look more even in terms of lighting. At this stage only the left side of the house is lit up. I am planning on putting some kind of feature plant in front of the window anyway, so might shine a spotlight onto the house to help.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
25th August 2014
We finally had our dining pendant light and the rest of our lights that needed to be installed last Thursday. I'm loving the dining pendant, but I'm not looking forward to having to keep it clean, as I hate dusting and am allergic to dust. I might have to make it a chore for the kids...lol
I am however disappointed that some of the lights that I wanted to install couldn't be installed due to access issues or gyprock/metal being in the way. There are a couple of lights that I desperately want to put in which I would like to get a second opinion on.
I've been told that some Electricians can be quite lazy and if it takes a bit of effort having to install a light, they don't want to bother and will tell you that its just too hard or access is an issue. An example would be the hallway cutout/niche. Niche's are put in certain places for a reason to display whether it be art or ornaments etc. But our electrician said it was too difficult, which I find bizarre as there is a downlight in the cutout in the display home and other Milano's that I have seen on blogs have downlights in them too. I really want to be able to display some art in the cutout. It would look silly without a light above it.
I also wanted up/down lights on our facade, but according to our Electrician that couldn't happen either. Every other house in our street has them, except ours. It makes our house look really bland with nothing on it. We were able to get 2 x downlights in the eaves above the garage, but not in front of the far right window, which again looks silly at night time, as only the left side of the house has lights on it.
If anyone can recommend an Electrician that will do these types of lights, please let me know.
On the weekend, Pete was able to chip away a little more at our retaining wall, but we had so much rain last week that the ground was just too wet. He spent most of the day trying to get clay off his boots. Hopefully we won't get too much rain this week, so the ground can dry out. I desperately want to get the retaining wall done so I can start on the gardens.
The Service & Warranty Manager from MJH will be calling in this week to look at the maintenance work that was carried out recently. I informed them of my disappointment with some of the work that was done, so hopefully those things will be rectified ASAP and we can move on.
Some pics of the dining pendant (I still need to play with the glass pieces and move them around a bit to make it perfectly round, so in some spots it might look a little odd - it took me a few hours to put them on - such a nightmare). It will look a lot nicer when we get a new dining table, as the one below is only temporary.
I am however disappointed that some of the lights that I wanted to install couldn't be installed due to access issues or gyprock/metal being in the way. There are a couple of lights that I desperately want to put in which I would like to get a second opinion on.
I've been told that some Electricians can be quite lazy and if it takes a bit of effort having to install a light, they don't want to bother and will tell you that its just too hard or access is an issue. An example would be the hallway cutout/niche. Niche's are put in certain places for a reason to display whether it be art or ornaments etc. But our electrician said it was too difficult, which I find bizarre as there is a downlight in the cutout in the display home and other Milano's that I have seen on blogs have downlights in them too. I really want to be able to display some art in the cutout. It would look silly without a light above it.
I also wanted up/down lights on our facade, but according to our Electrician that couldn't happen either. Every other house in our street has them, except ours. It makes our house look really bland with nothing on it. We were able to get 2 x downlights in the eaves above the garage, but not in front of the far right window, which again looks silly at night time, as only the left side of the house has lights on it.
If anyone can recommend an Electrician that will do these types of lights, please let me know.
On the weekend, Pete was able to chip away a little more at our retaining wall, but we had so much rain last week that the ground was just too wet. He spent most of the day trying to get clay off his boots. Hopefully we won't get too much rain this week, so the ground can dry out. I desperately want to get the retaining wall done so I can start on the gardens.
The Service & Warranty Manager from MJH will be calling in this week to look at the maintenance work that was carried out recently. I informed them of my disappointment with some of the work that was done, so hopefully those things will be rectified ASAP and we can move on.
Some pics of the dining pendant (I still need to play with the glass pieces and move them around a bit to make it perfectly round, so in some spots it might look a little odd - it took me a few hours to put them on - such a nightmare). It will look a lot nicer when we get a new dining table, as the one below is only temporary.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
10th August 2014
Our electrician started on our lights this week. Really happy so far. There will be a little bit of patching to do which is a pain. Luckily Pete's brother is a gyprocker. We might have to ask him for a favour...hehe
There are only a few more lights to be installed inside. This Friday will see the rest of the lights installed. I still need to figure out what to do outside. I'm unsure about whether we should put downlights in our eaves yet or whether it will be overkill.
Pete started digging a trench last weekend out the front for our retaining wall. The poor thing has 'man flu' at the moment, so nothing got done this weekend unfortunately. Trying to source leftover bricks from other peoples builds at the moment to save us some money. If you have any spare bricks you want to get rid of, please let me know. We are going to need 1,000 bricks, otherwise I am thinking about buying besser blocks, as it will be quicker and easier to lay and we won't need anywhere near as much. Hopefully the weather will be good next weekend and Pete will be over his man flu, so we can get started on it.
Some pics (some of the house is still unfurnished...long way to go)...
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