Yay - well today we have received formal notification that our loan is unconditional - so now, we're all systems go!
Should have some pretty funky pics for you all shortly from what Carlisle have promised!
I am celebrating at my desk by doing a happy dance, and eating a strass and sauce (with cheese!!) sandwich. I have just slopped sauce drips on my white jeans DAMN IT.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Post Contract Signing Gossip
So the contract signing on Monday came and went, and all is settled and we are happy and relaxed. I actually can't believe I'm relaxed about this - still. Just waiting for the bomb to hit.
In my quest to help out further (financially), I have begun searching far and wide for extra cash - be it through another job, or through saving the money. No, this does not extend to Supermarket bargains, or less shopping!
My first elimination was an obvious one to most of you - I have left Weight Watchers after 10 months. Yes, I will miss the girls, and yes, I did leave before I got to Lifetime Member Status, however at this crucial time, it's not going to make much difference to me if I hack it out and lose those last 2 kilos, or if I continue to eat the way that I am, and save that monthly fee. I started at 84.7 kilos, and I finished at 72.1 kilos. I'm proud of myself, and I look and feel good, so it was an easy choice. My work on that chapter of my life is done.
The changes we've made here, being a u-shaped kitchen that we're going for, we're not getting those wrap around opening doors like they have here... we'll have a sliding door from the eating area.
Here is the kitchen up a little closer, showing my fabulous butler's pantry:
We've been boring and gone with virtually the same colours here as our current house (lets face it, you change colours from your current scheme in your current house and you have to buy lots of new furniture!) but the big difference is the sinks - mine are round. I am not having a double sink in the kitchen, rather a single round sink in the pantry, and a single round sink under the kitchen window. Behind the stove in our house, there isn't going to be a splashback ... I'm getting a WINDOW! The kitchen will be overlooking the side yard where the triple garage is, so I am anticipating a gorgeous little garden there, laden with Hydrangeas up against the fence... I wonder if it will actually happen that way now that I've said that, hehe.
And now to the ensuite:
Our changes to the ensuite are not that major - we are not having the useless dust-collecting towel holding rack in the middle, instead we are having drawers there. Our sinks and taps are different, we are having round sinks that are above the bench, and I think we changed the tap. Our tiling behind the basins and the wall is boring - it's just cream tiles like what we have now in our current shower, but we have a mosaic tile strip running down the alfresco in the centre, which is coloured a bit of brown, a bit of purple, a bit of cream, and a bit of something else... it's just gorgeous. And yes, Mum, the toilet, which is around the corner to the left, has a door. Happy days!
In my quest to help out further (financially), I have begun searching far and wide for extra cash - be it through another job, or through saving the money. No, this does not extend to Supermarket bargains, or less shopping!
My first elimination was an obvious one to most of you - I have left Weight Watchers after 10 months. Yes, I will miss the girls, and yes, I did leave before I got to Lifetime Member Status, however at this crucial time, it's not going to make much difference to me if I hack it out and lose those last 2 kilos, or if I continue to eat the way that I am, and save that monthly fee. I started at 84.7 kilos, and I finished at 72.1 kilos. I'm proud of myself, and I look and feel good, so it was an easy choice. My work on that chapter of my life is done.
At work, they have had a few newly created roles advertised full time, so we're secretly hoping that I will be put back on full time shortly - but even if I am not successful, let's face it, 9-3 rocks!
Anyway, so I've been asked for photos of the house so that you can all have a squiz. At this point in time, we don't have any progress on the block, so here's the display house in Cranbourne...
Here is my kitchen, from the living area side: (sorry, it's a bit of a squinty photo!)
The changes we've made here, being a u-shaped kitchen that we're going for, we're not getting those wrap around opening doors like they have here... we'll have a sliding door from the eating area.
Here is the kitchen up a little closer, showing my fabulous butler's pantry:
We've been boring and gone with virtually the same colours here as our current house (lets face it, you change colours from your current scheme in your current house and you have to buy lots of new furniture!) but the big difference is the sinks - mine are round. I am not having a double sink in the kitchen, rather a single round sink in the pantry, and a single round sink under the kitchen window. Behind the stove in our house, there isn't going to be a splashback ... I'm getting a WINDOW! The kitchen will be overlooking the side yard where the triple garage is, so I am anticipating a gorgeous little garden there, laden with Hydrangeas up against the fence... I wonder if it will actually happen that way now that I've said that, hehe.
And now to the ensuite:
Our changes to the ensuite are not that major - we are not having the useless dust-collecting towel holding rack in the middle, instead we are having drawers there. Our sinks and taps are different, we are having round sinks that are above the bench, and I think we changed the tap. Our tiling behind the basins and the wall is boring - it's just cream tiles like what we have now in our current shower, but we have a mosaic tile strip running down the alfresco in the centre, which is coloured a bit of brown, a bit of purple, a bit of cream, and a bit of something else... it's just gorgeous. And yes, Mum, the toilet, which is around the corner to the left, has a door. Happy days!
Here is the link for the plans, if you are interested:
http://www.carlislehomes.com.au/downloads/floorplan_pdf/CH_A_Thornleigh41Floorplan.pdf
We have modified the alfresco, so that it extends around the back of the house and is square with the Rumpus. The kitchen is U-shaped, and the sink is under the window. And yes, I am getting that butler's pantry :) YAY FOR ME!!! And hubby is getting his triple garage. Then he can park his precious Beyonce undercover so as not to damage her precious complexion ...
Anyway, from the discussions we had on Monday, our expected move in day is December 8, 2010. We came up with this, because they said they will start in 28 days - so it's 270 days from there. Which, as they tell us that it takes less than 270 days, we are hoping to be in by late November.
Wonder if that will actually happen!
http://www.carlislehomes.com.au/downloads/floorplan_pdf/CH_A_Thornleigh41Floorplan.pdf
We have modified the alfresco, so that it extends around the back of the house and is square with the Rumpus. The kitchen is U-shaped, and the sink is under the window. And yes, I am getting that butler's pantry :) YAY FOR ME!!! And hubby is getting his triple garage. Then he can park his precious Beyonce undercover so as not to damage her precious complexion ...
Anyway, from the discussions we had on Monday, our expected move in day is December 8, 2010. We came up with this, because they said they will start in 28 days - so it's 270 days from there. Which, as they tell us that it takes less than 270 days, we are hoping to be in by late November.
Wonder if that will actually happen!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The contract has arrived
So the contract was couriered to Mick yesterday at work. Last night, after I had my meeting, we had a quick look at it - Mick started on the writing part, I went straight to the pretty pictures of course.
I'm currently banging my head against the wall... honestly, after spending literally days with these people, and making sure that they have the drawings right before we leave EVERY TIME, how is it that there are still errors on our contract and drawings!
As I said to Mick last night, the bit that gets me so cross about it, is that just when you relax and think "well, it's the contract, it will be fine so we'll just scan over it and sign it" you sort of can't relax because they miss stuff they've previously added (goodness only knows how) and then your house is built without what you want in it!
They have moved our feature tiling in the bathroom and ensuite *without consulting us*, which is of concern. They even forgot to add the detailed drawings of the bathrooms also! (we only picked up on the master drawings because they wrote "niche on this wall" and pointed to the wrong wall - which is the only reason I picked up the error!
How can it be so hard!
What a frustration! I was so over it, I couldn't stand to look at the contract, just skimmed the pictures for all of five minutes before I cracked it and walked off... (poor Mick! - he was looking at me, as if to say "what the")
We will have a better look over the weekend.
So now the emailing begins - Hubby is now beginning discussions with Carlisle to get the drawings, which are so boldly stamped with "no further changes will be made", changed to what we wanted them to be, because they just couldn't get it right...
Hilarious.
Monday looks like it's going to be a fun day.
I'm currently banging my head against the wall... honestly, after spending literally days with these people, and making sure that they have the drawings right before we leave EVERY TIME, how is it that there are still errors on our contract and drawings!
As I said to Mick last night, the bit that gets me so cross about it, is that just when you relax and think "well, it's the contract, it will be fine so we'll just scan over it and sign it" you sort of can't relax because they miss stuff they've previously added (goodness only knows how) and then your house is built without what you want in it!
They have moved our feature tiling in the bathroom and ensuite *without consulting us*, which is of concern. They even forgot to add the detailed drawings of the bathrooms also! (we only picked up on the master drawings because they wrote "niche on this wall" and pointed to the wrong wall - which is the only reason I picked up the error!
How can it be so hard!
What a frustration! I was so over it, I couldn't stand to look at the contract, just skimmed the pictures for all of five minutes before I cracked it and walked off... (poor Mick! - he was looking at me, as if to say "what the")
We will have a better look over the weekend.
So now the emailing begins - Hubby is now beginning discussions with Carlisle to get the drawings, which are so boldly stamped with "no further changes will be made", changed to what we wanted them to be, because they just couldn't get it right...
Hilarious.
Monday looks like it's going to be a fun day.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The New Beginning
So my darling husband, since around June last year, has been nagging me to let him buy another block of land so we can "improve" our living conditions... our neighbour nextdoor to us was a bit 
too feral for our liking, and the estate we live in has proven to be nothing that we were told it would be, so yes, in the constant search for all things better, it led us to a block of land in Werribee.
We had a very quick (five or so emails) conversation about this block before I contacted the agent on our behalf and put in our offer. Much to our surprise, it was accepted - first offer! Great success!
Conveniently, the feral neighbour moved out just after our offer was accepted, but in hindsight, we don't care, we're still happy to be moving on.
So here are the boys in front of their new home, all 1020 m2 of it.
Our new block settled on December 14, 2009. We have been in discussions with our new home builder, Carlisle Homes, since approximately October, pretty much as soon as we had our offer accepted. (Can't do things too quickly now, can we? hehe)
They have completed the soil testing and established (after stressing Mick out a lot about the potential slab cost!) the foundations that we require, and finally after selecting our colours in early Jan, we had our tender appointment (first of the costings) on Jan 18. Our Contract appointment is next week, which is very exciting for us all - reason being, they have told us that because the land is already titled (the estate is fully established - approx 15 years old) they can virtually start straight away provided our finances are in order. (that's Hubby's job, not mine)
Personally, I'm hoping that Carlisle aren't as hopeless to deal with as our last builder, given that this house alone, nicknamed the "Taj Mahouse" is going to cost us well over $370,000 ... but at least we will be getting what we want, and we will be able to live in this house for a very long time. (read: until Mick gets itchy feet again!)
So here we go again!
Am I worried? Not yet.
Has it hit me yet that we're building again?? Not yet.
Am I looking forward to it? Not sure.
All I know at this stage is that there is going to be a lot of hard work going into this garden, and that I have to stop spending so much money at the Supermarkets.
And everybody keeps telling me that we're nuts to want to build a house that big - after all, you have to clean it ... but hey, we're a growing family (no I'm not pregnant - the boys are growing into teenagers!) and we all like our space.
Donations to the Taj Mahouse Pool Fund are being sought, if you can help, please leave a note at the end of the page with your phone number.
too feral for our liking, and the estate we live in has proven to be nothing that we were told it would be, so yes, in the constant search for all things better, it led us to a block of land in Werribee.We had a very quick (five or so emails) conversation about this block before I contacted the agent on our behalf and put in our offer. Much to our surprise, it was accepted - first offer! Great success!
Conveniently, the feral neighbour moved out just after our offer was accepted, but in hindsight, we don't care, we're still happy to be moving on.
So here are the boys in front of their new home, all 1020 m2 of it.
Our new block settled on December 14, 2009. We have been in discussions with our new home builder, Carlisle Homes, since approximately October, pretty much as soon as we had our offer accepted. (Can't do things too quickly now, can we? hehe)
They have completed the soil testing and established (after stressing Mick out a lot about the potential slab cost!) the foundations that we require, and finally after selecting our colours in early Jan, we had our tender appointment (first of the costings) on Jan 18. Our Contract appointment is next week, which is very exciting for us all - reason being, they have told us that because the land is already titled (the estate is fully established - approx 15 years old) they can virtually start straight away provided our finances are in order. (that's Hubby's job, not mine)
Personally, I'm hoping that Carlisle aren't as hopeless to deal with as our last builder, given that this house alone, nicknamed the "Taj Mahouse" is going to cost us well over $370,000 ... but at least we will be getting what we want, and we will be able to live in this house for a very long time. (read: until Mick gets itchy feet again!)
So here we go again!
Am I worried? Not yet.
Has it hit me yet that we're building again?? Not yet.
Am I looking forward to it? Not sure.
All I know at this stage is that there is going to be a lot of hard work going into this garden, and that I have to stop spending so much money at the Supermarkets.
And everybody keeps telling me that we're nuts to want to build a house that big - after all, you have to clean it ... but hey, we're a growing family (no I'm not pregnant - the boys are growing into teenagers!) and we all like our space.
Donations to the Taj Mahouse Pool Fund are being sought, if you can help, please leave a note at the end of the page with your phone number.
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