Bits & Pieces

18 April 2009

Over the span of a forthnight, we have got some installations that we would like to share about. Let me start off from the externals.

Square galvanized donwpipes

The plumber have popped in the downpipes which will be painted at a later stage. We were told that only the square ones comes in galvanized metal. If you wanted a round downpipe, you will have to settle for a PVC pipe.

Corinthian entry door

At last, we have our proper entry door. I like to think that it makes a statement although the image does not do it justice. We would have to do something about the clear glazing though. D proposes a few options to frost up the glass which includes spray painting, sand papering or acid etching. In the end we decided to use the easiest method by sticking a piece of film over the glazing to achieve the frosted effect. Will experiment with that once we move in.

Solar hot water heater

Now let us proceed inside the house. We scooted into the back section immediately to find this waiting for us: -

Dishwasher ... yes!

Although I'm not a fan of washing dishes, I'm not a dishwasher enthusiast either. Dishwashers don't seem to clean very well and I'm alarmed at the amount of water they use. Maybe I will change my mind once I actually understand the mechanism of the machine.

Sink & Mixer

Stove

with shitty knobs

I hate the stove. Not just because it is tiny but look at the knobs. I cannot even begin to express my dislike over the knobs. They are unergonomic, difficult to clean, bulky and look as if they belong to another era. So not cool, but let's not get bogged down by negligible details.

Shower area

Moving on to the bathrooms, we found that things are moving at a satisfactory pace as well. The fittings are finally in place.

Vanity bench

This hand basin has won many compliments from our visitors. That's not too bad considering it is a standard item thrown in by Simonds.

Bath

Ensuite layout - not pretty but will have to do

Last but not least: -

Laundry trough in place

The positioning of the splashback looks weird ...

Tiling Part II

2 April 09

We had to meet the curtain people on the site for some measure - up. While we were there, we took the opportunity to study the ongoing going-ons. By the looks of it, we will still be dwelling on the subject of tiles.

Tiles & tile-cutter

Tradies were on site for the tile laying and we saw them using this nifty little machine above. Makes a lot of noise but delivers the job. It can form minuscule holes for powerpoints or pipes in a piece of tile without breaking it to pieces. Neat!

Little hole in tile

Passageway

Kitchen

Glossy, Grooved Splashback

Nothing profoundly interesting these days, let's move on ...

Tiles, Tiling, Tiled

31 March 09

Judging from the title of today's post, you can say that the construction progress is only limited to the installation of ...

Floor tiles!

More tiles!

Even more floor tiles!

and a whole truckload of unlaid tiles ...

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, here's our final image for the day ...

Tile close - up

In your face!

The management apologizes for today's overloading of tile ranting and accepts full responsibility for the intelligence of the blog's author (or the lack thereof)

Fixing Stage

27 March 2009

Fixing stage commences. Wonder what lies in wait this time round ...

Entry at 0800 hours

Fixing stage to my knowledge generally consists of the installation of fittings and fixtures. But the only exciting fact about the inspection this time round is that the kitchen joinery is up.

The most exciting image for this entry

Island Bench

Overall I cannot say that there is much to be hyped up about this house in terms of colours. We chose the blandest, most neutral shade there is. The benchtop though, is another matter. It is in shiny, glossy black laminate simply known as "Asian Nights".

Close up of benchtop

On a closer inspection, I have come to realise and accept that beauty ultimately comes with a price. We speculate that the shiny, glossy benchtop may be prone to scratches and watermarks. Still, a weekly maintanence routine should do the trick.

To-be stove area

Besides the kitchen, joinery is also installed in the wet areas.

Bathroom ensemble

We went with the same combination of dark benchtop and light cupboards for the contrast. The light colours on the cupboard is just a safe option and the dark colour for the vanity bench is chosen so that we can kill ourselves cleaning it.

Bathtub missing

Water-resistant plaster for shower cubicle

Tiles

Lastly, the tiles are on site ready to be laid in soon. Fingers cross it will be sooner rather than later.

Driveway

14 March 2009

Apart from the main going-ons at Lot 13, Muriel Street, there are some other minor additional stuff that we are planning to manually get involved in. For example, D will be setting out our driveway.

A scene from Malacca

With that scene in mind for our driveway, we went scouting round for the neccessary materials. One weekend found us in establishments like these: -

Soils galore

Quarry Mine

Different kinds of top soils

I have previously envisaged a kind of shopping venue where you can shop within the comforts of your car. Not unlike fast food drive-throughs, I dreamt of emporiums or complexes built with laneways that enable you to cart groceries or whatever items into your car directly and you pay through tolls. It's amazing what the mind can conjure up to cater for the whims of laziness.

Anyway, imagine my surprise & delight when the shopping centre of my dreams was just round the corner!

Adequately - sized aisles for rock & soil shopping

All you have to do is drive around the aisles while selecting your favourite material. Ah, the convenience.

Just drive closer fo a better inspection

Shopping venues aside, this place really offers heaps of the standard stuff you would use for your gardens, outdoors, driveways, pavements et cetera. You get inspired with so many available options.

Red stones for the Tuscan look

Boulders & sleepers

These venues are the epitome of the Australian regional lifestyle. Large outdoor spaces, barbeques, solariums, do-it-yourselves, these concepts were unattainable to me 3 years ago. We could certainly get used to this. Can't wait to get started.