Halfway there

13 February 2009

The builders have started with the plastering.

Halfway there

We were dissapointed to find that the rest of the building has been locked up but at the same time, we are also elated with the progress.

The Garage

Kitchen & Dining

We had to peek through the windows for glimpses of the inside.

Master Bedroom

Too used to looking at skeletal walls & roof trusses, we now found the spaces a teeny bit cramped with the installation of plasterboards & ceilings.

Corridor from Laundry

After rambling on and on about which is what, I suppose it is time to publish what is which. I apologize for the size of the image below: -

Ground Floor Plan

This is the very stereotypical Aussie home plan, if I may say so myself. Double garage, 2 living areas, sometimes called Lounge, sometimes, Rumpus Room. The Master Bedroom should be accompanied by a Walk-In-Robe and of course, an ensuite. A shed is almost an essential finishing touch to the standard Aussie abode.

The reason that this plan was favoured was because of the minimal space allocated to circulation. We want every inch to be usable. It is of course, a little different from what we were used to. We seldom have entry that opens directly into the living area. We usually tuck our bedrooms at the back of the house or upstairs. The Living is almost always segregated from the kitchen or we would have the kitchen as a separate entity altogether. The reason? Chinese cooking perhaps.

Still, we will try our best to embrace the 'challenges' posed by living in a different plan. Up till now, we are still familiarising with the notion of a foreign home.

And one for the album

Internals

10 February 2009

This is what it looks like internally. The timber studwalls are the structure & the face brick - just cladding. An issue for concern is that our studwalls do not look like they have gone through termite treatment. Treated studs usually have a green tinge to them.

Inside of the garage

The insulated wall between Garage & Lounge

Venturing further inwards, we are treated to a comfortable sight. The rockwool insulation is fitted snugly between studs. Now, there has been much hype regarding green designing. How green can one go? For the simple economic home owner, how much double glazing, water tanking & solar panelling is enough? Sometimes, all it takes may just be calculated orientation, superb insulation & the right attitude.

Pillows on the walls for pillowtalks


Some may opt for extra insulation for acoustic purposes. For media rooms maybe? Unless you have children, & you are the type of persons who are rowdy in the private quarters, I do not see the necessity for internal acoustics in a normal dwelling. We have a friend who was thinking of insulating his bedroom walls due to the fact that he is a noisy cook. Apparently just the sound of him chopping his poultry in the Kitchen could penetrate through the walls of his bedroom & cause disturbance. ...Something new everyday.

Southern side of Master Bedroom

More pillows

Besides the insulation, the builders have fitted in the electrical wiring & the water piping. The white wires above are mainly for the downlights. The ones coming out from the walls are for the switches & powerpoint.

Wiring

Here's how they do it, snaking around the studs, but neatly threaded through.

Holes thru studs

Cold water supply

Externals

10 February 2009

The brick work is progressing well. Slowly but surely. This time round, the Corbelling is more distinct. To tell the truth, the builders initially left out the corbelled brickwork accidently. Thankfully D spotted the error, alerted the site supervisor, who then told the brickies to re-do the walls. This proves that it always pays to be a nitpick.

Course by course

You can always pay a little extra to have the builders concoct a special brew of mortar that matches your brick colours - whatever you selected. We just left our mortar as it is because we prefer to spend the money on other obsesions.

Master Bedroom Windows

These awning windows are facing the main access road - Muriel Street. Beyond them, is the Master Bedroom. Which to me, means pretty crappy Feng Shui. Acoustically, the ongoing of traffic is not what we normally like to tune into. Aesthetically, blinds cannot be left open, or else my neighbours will know that I do not make my bed as often as I should. Security wise, I prefer my bedroom to be at the end of the house, instead of by the roadside, if an option is available. Yes, I am kicking myself slightly for not forseeing these issues.

South-East Elevation

Other than the Master Room being in the wrong spot, the house orientation is satisfactory. We have the Kitchen & Dining - Living space facing North. The western side of the house is shaded by trees, huge enough to fend off the setting sun. The Lounge though, is in a similar predicament with the Master. Both are facing the Street, so we may have to spend our time behind blinds.

The wonderful thing is, the access road is pretty deserted. The even more wonderful thing is that opposite the street, is Nothingness. It is just a big plot of land featuring more Eucalyptus & the occasional gathering of the Kangaroo clan. Better than the National Geography.

Backyard - West Elevation

Windows on the left looks into the Dining - Living. The glass slider leads to the Laundry. Window to the right looks into Bedroom 3.

We have a big backyard. I think I can rear a miniature pony. I'd never have thought that I would ever have such a sizeable backyard due to financial reasons. I say that because from where I come from, land is scarce. The vastness of regional Australia continues to stun us. It's so spacious, so open, so wide. Thank goodness D & I do not suffer from agoraphobia.

North Elevation

If you have a closer look you will notice two different shades to the mortar colour on image below. The lower half of the wall looks lighter than the upper half. Darker mortar basically meant freshly laid bricks. They will all turn out to be of the same shade eventually.

It is quite pathetic to have just one solar panel in place

After taking so many photos, I took a step backward & realised that the bricks does not really match the roof the way I would imagine it to. Oops.

Hate the parchment

Miscellaneous

6 February 2009

As the building works progress, there are a number of miscellaneous items to be taken care of. The electrician (also known locally as Sparky-s), will buzz you to arrange for a meeting. This is the time you determine if you want to add an extra antenna, doorbells, alarm system, audio visual system, power, lighting, data & telephone points. At an extra charge of course.

A standard digital television antenna is included in our quote.

At $375 (Bendigo price), we will be getting something as per image above. Unless you live on the fringes of civilization, that is basically what you will be needing. Of course, if you belive you have relatives outside the realm of the 3rd rock from the sun, you can always purchase this: -

Who knows what long-lost relations you will find ...

Family issues aside, this is also the time that you scout around for additional light fittings that you may want to install in your new home. The sparky will provide you lighting points but you can save a little bit by selecting & buying your own fittings.

Yes, I have a chandelier fetish. Doesn't everyone?

Sublime.

It's easy to get carried away in a lighting shoppe. Someone told me with careful electrical planning, free-standing lamps should slowly be eradicated. What a shame. Of course, lamps add to the clutter but clutter adds character. Especially lamps with shades, I find them quite the evocative decor. I love those feminine ones, gothic ones, Victorian ones, Baroque ones, anything but the Art Deco ones, really. Unfortunately, D will most likely purchase an uber minimalistic thing that hardly resembles a lamp.

Last but not least, you will be needing fences. Depending on where you are building / staying, the location itself will determine the type of material you would use for your fence.

The ang-mohs in a rural English countryside / American suburbia haven will most likely have quaint timber picket fences:-

So picturesque.

The paranoid citizens of my beloved country Malaysia will probably live behind 'fences' also better known as concrete walls, If they can afford it: -

Security matters.

Australians generally, love to use Colorbond fences. Affordable, low maintanence & sturdy, Colorbond's the way to go! : -The downside is, Colorbond only comes in certain colours, but if you could mix & match well, then all is not lost.

Disclaimer: - Colorbond fence usually do not look this good. I just happen to stumble upon a nice image.

D has done a comprehensive job of sending out tender documents to fetch a good quote for our fencing. So far, no good, satisfactory quotes has come in. Yet.

We own a dog like that

Finally, if you are strongly against the use of fencing, fret not. There's a place where you can live without the need to fence up your residence. There, you do not need to worry about pickets, timber, hedges, Colorbond or stone boundaries: -

You can always live in beautiful Singapore.

What dressing would you like?

5 February 2009

Our building looks to be dressing up. In a beige dress. Except of course, it is not as poetic as you would imagine. The brickwork has started. Neat!

Ever wonder why buildings, vessels & countries are always referred to as females?

Simonds has aranged a series of front facades for us to choose from. Their basic modus operandi:- they will present to you a nice floor plan & some beautifully rendered elevations with a wide variety of materials on the facade giving it a dynamic look. Then they will bring you to the showhouses.

Here's a few tricks that D has picked up with the illusion of the showhouse. Illusion here also means, what we see may not be what we get.

1) They will always have a higher ceiling.

2) There will almost always have an alfresco area. Complete with sturdy merbau decking, pergolas, seats, BBQ pits

3) The skirting, architraves & cornices are the more profilic ones. Larger, more character, more lines, just better looking, essentially.

4) The floor finishes are more often than not, timber flooring.

5) There will be more openings. Larger windows, huge glazed bi-fold doors, lower sill height, higher head heights, etc.

6) Granite worktop for kitchens. Need I say more?

7) Grand entry porch.

No showhouse material

Of course, that is a very common illusion. Not dissimilar to how KFC in real life looks less appetizing than KFC on TV. No offence to KFC.

Coming back to the facade treatment, we regret to state that standard facades look nothing like the showhouses. But life is about choices & Simonds will give you a variety of better-looking facade if you will give them more money.

Spot the corbelled brickwork

Because our house was one of the Turnkey ranges, we got a free facade upgrade. We chose to go with the Mossman facade which incorporates a bit of gable roofing, entry portico & corbelled brickwork (something like a wall sweep) around the window edges.

Porch.

Fittings & Services

31 January 2009

Fittings & fixtures has arrived on site. In fact, our fully-glazed sliding doors & awning windows arrived two days ago. Note to self & you: windows & doors should not arrive too early on site, they might be subject to bending or the likes.

Who says white sills are out?

One of the most effective way to conserve water in this never-ending dry spell is to shower with friends. Unfortunately our shower tray is too small for us to carry out this environmental method.

A tad too small. Gonna be elbowing myself.

This composition looks really neat to me. A bath just below a large window. The window though, does not overlook a vista of any sort. I'm just going to be staring at a nice sheet of Colorbond fence when this is complete. On the subject of baths, D finds a clawfoot bath more appealing. I on the contrary dislike having a bath that is open underneath. Who knows what may be lurking ...

Nothing will be lurking beneath this bath.

The entry porch is taking shape! We will have a Corinthian door (albeit a standard one) & 2 sidelights.

A makeshift door is fitted in temporarily.

A moronic thing was spotted. The water main. Is in the middle of my driveway-to-be. Don't get me started on it.

Excellent Manouvering Skills required. doh...

Internally, the heating mechanism is fitted snugly into the attic space. Sprouting from it, are tentacles of well insulated ducts. We have one for every bedroom & two for every living area.

The Tentacles

The Mothership

Oh, just another thing, the Parchment bricks has arrived: -

Something's Up

22 January 2009

Indeed something's up.

The Americans have an affinity to ask you this pretty weird question which the Asians have caught on. They like to ask you, " What's up?"

To which I never fail to reply, "The roof."

The roof

In a different light

If you take a step back & look, neutral colours are not so bad after all. Off white especially. They have the ability to rouge themselves with whatever shade of colour Nature intended. Can't wait for a pink sunset. Or a crimson dusk!

Streaks of the West sun

I can never tell if my trusses are 900 or 1200 centers. Like I care ...

Apex. I forgot to turn the image clockwise.

Apart from the roof tiles, the builders have nailed in our insulation (emblazoned with Simonds logo on the outside - another advantageous advertizing gig.) When it comes to insulation, I often do not know the answer as to which side should the reflective part face. Inside or outside?

Someone in the buiness confided that the reflective bit should face the outside, to fend away the heat but builders like to install them the other way round so they don't have to be blinded by the reflective foil. Oooh I see ...

So called 6 - star insulation