Our SS was back on deck this week, and it was good to get a grip on where we were at. Plenty of activity on-site, and our house is starting to take shape -- we love it!!
The roof tiles kicked off on Monday, and they look fantastic... great colour and flat as a pancake! We also noticed that there is sarking up there to protect the roof cavity from moisture damage, as there is no air flow with flat roof tiles. The water leak also got fixed on Tuesday after a chat with our SS to make sure he got all the information we sent our BC over the Christmas Break (Water leak, door handle placement preference and that we still don't crossover protection).
We got our Independent Inspection done on Wednesday morning, and the general consensus was that the framers had done a really good quality job, and there were no issues with the slab! The items that needed attending to were minor and to our surprise were all rectified on Friday, along with finalising a few other things such as the portico cover and more framework to the alfresco ceiling.
The biggest issue in play at the moment is the brick delay. We're at the stage where only minor activities can be completed until the brickwork starts. Our SS spoke with his manager about the impact of the delay, and they are fine to stop the build until the bricks turn up, and if a 'reverse build' was to occur it would be our decision, not PD's. We're not interested in going down that path, but the internal things that are safe to do with a roof on and wrapped external walls, we will do - ductwork, electrical, vacuum. Hopefully Austral have the bricks available by 6 Feb as advised to minimise any delays.
By the end of the week, we had a 95% completed roof (some capping and pointing to go), solar panel fitted, smart wiring roughed in, and all framing faults rectified.
One gripe - we are left wondering why tradies can't put their food scraps in the bin... it's just a bit gross, and it's not that hard!
Monday 16/1:
Roof tiles started
Sarking |
Day 1 Roof Tiles on North side |
Tuesday 17/1:
Roof tiles mostly completed, and the plumber has fixed the punctured pipe in the kitchen.
Roof tiles now complete on South side |
Wednesday 18/1:
Slab /Frame inspection with NHI.
Thursday 19/1:
Phone catch up with SS to organise site walkthrough in a couple of weeks, and decide on approach due to brick delays. We'll wait for our brick and do what is safe internally.
Friday 20/1:
Got the Building Variation document from our BC, and to upgrade to the Elements Magnesium (cat 9) is a further $2,785 (in addition to the $4,237 already paid to get cat 6). I confirmed that this figure includes the free upgrade from cat 6 - 7, that there is no variation fee and that we are not being charged the upgrade cost for rendered areas.
The solar panel has been fitted (very happy with the location and 'squareness' to the section of roof, the smart wiring has been roughed-in, and the framers came back to do the portico and also rectify the items from the inspection, along with a few other things our SS says he found.
Awesome roof tiles, and solar panel |
Cabling through the Alfresco |
Family Room smart wiring. Notice the graffiti scratched into the wrap? |
Smart Wiring hub in garage |
Plan for next week:
Finish roof tiles (capping and pointing)
More electrical rough in
Ducted heating and cooling
Ducted Vacuum