I have concrete!

The concreters came today and poured the concrete and coloured it! It looks great :D

First Pour


Pouring it


Smoothing it and leveling it out


All smooth


Driveway being poured


Smoothing it and leveling it out


All smooth and raining - the bucket is to catch the drips form the leaking gutter


Technical way of spreading out the colour for the top. They then trowel this into the top layer


All done - colour is Chocolate


Finished


Driveway and portico is done, Colour is Charcoal


Driveway


Portico


Chateau Lisa


Driveway


Side view

Inside photo

Here are some photo's I've taken over the past few days

Security doors were installed - marine steel grade mesh or something, I'm calling it the door people don't see as I have already had two people not realise it was there and try to walk through it


Driveway is all boxed up for concrete


Driveway boxed up


Outdoor/alfresco area boxed up


I asked them if they could move all my bricks to the back corner with the bob cat and they did :) Although I wonder how many broke


Now the bricks are moved the side of my garage is all cleared and flattened out


My kitchen!


Kitchen


Island bench


Oven


I love the space on the top here, it's huge!


Meals and family with my old furniture


Family, meals and kitchen


My letter box - it needs a bit of a clean up and I want to paint it the same as the render


First meal cooked in the oven

I am in!

Removalists are the best invention since sliced bread, I'm serious! It was sooooooooooo good and stress free!! They did an awesome job and they dismantled my bed and didn't even charge me anything more for it!! So far it doesn't seem like anything is broken or damaged, they were very professional and were just sensational. I HIGHLY recommend Epping Furniture Removals - Call Darren on 9401 3400 or 0408 352 349

My Sister and my step mum both came up and gave me a hand to unpack my kitchen (half of my stuff is kitchen stuff!) and now my kitchen is completely unpacked and I owe them so much for helping me to do that! My sister even made my bed for me after we assembled it all!

My oven is in and it is huuuuuuuge and I love all 900mm of it :D I haven't used it yet, but that's mostly cos I can't be bothered cooking anything as that involves standing and that is something I'm adverse to currently due to VERY sore feet!

My first night sleeping here last night was OK. I didn't get much sleep, but first night in any place I never really do, so hopefully tonight is better as I got out of bed extremely tired this morning! I also have the redi shades on my front windows as the blinds I bought didn't fit and with a street light right out the front it means that they kind of glow in the night, but I will get used to that eventually I think. If I don't then there are ways around it with some material.

My ADSL is now connected and I have my wifi connected and all going - YaY to being organised and getting that done before moving in!

The concreters came today and have done all the boxing up and stuff for laying the concrete and they will be back on Sunday to pour it. It looks great already as it is as it isn't a pile of mud and dirt! My outdoor/alfresco area is going to be huge, I love it!

I haven't really unpacked a lot today as my feet are just really quite sore and I am TIRED so I am having a bit of a relax and might even go have a bath soon :)

Getting organised

With only 5 sleeps until handover and 6 sleeps until I actually move the to do list is getting shorter and then I think of more things that need doing...

• Removalists confirmed - tick
• Bank Cheque organised for day before hand over - tick
• Insurance certificate - tick
• Money transfered from ING to pay for everything - tick
• Phone line connected - tick
• ADSL applied for - tick
• Cleaner organised for rental (Hi Kate!) - tick
• Carpet cleaner organised for rental - tick
• Organise security door installation - tick
• Organise fly screen installation - tick
• Organise concreter - tick (hopefully the weather plays nicely)
• Paid my rates for this quarter so I don't forget - tick
  
• Starting to panic - tick
  

Still to do:

• Be given my Certificate of Occupance - hopefully today
• Order rubbish and recycling bins from council - dependent on COO
  
• Finish packing - ARGH! Actually it's not that bad... I think... -scratches head-
• Mail redirection - I have the form, just need to submit it
• Collect bank cheque for builder
  
• Cancel services at rental and organise final readings
• Unpack!
• Change address for -everything- (I will do that once I've moved though)
• Get the keys to my very first house!
  

I'm sure there are a few things I've forgotten about - please let me know if you can think of anything I am missing!!

To do list

I tell you what, moving into a new house on it's own needs a project manager! So far I have organised to put up the temporary redi shades and front window blinds the Tuesday (handover day). On the Wednesday I am moving and have scheduled the fly screens to be installed that afternoon. Thursday/Friday/Saturday hopefully my concrete for the driveway and alfresco is done, two days is needed - fingers crossed for good weather. I also need to organise a day for the security doors to be installed and I need to organise the cleaning of my current place and I need to clean up the backyard! Gawd I have soooooooo much to do that it's not funny! Also as already mentioned I still don't know when I will get a phone line AND I need to get my tv antenna connected in the roof! I'm trying not to watch my recorded tv and downloads just incase I wont have tv recception or internet - my gawd, could you imagine no TV and no internet?!?! The mind boggles!

I have a kitchen and cleaned bricks!

My kitchen is in -squeal- I LOVE it!! Ahhh so glad to see all the colours come together so well and look good! It's always difficult from such small sample cards!

Now that they have fixed the garage they have also cleaned all my bricks! My doors, skirts and architraves have also been delivered - it's all go go go!!

I got a quote today on security doors, about $1600 for the three which is steel frame and steel mesh on the front door and family room sliding door and a diamond grill pattern aluminium door for the laundry - I'm happy enough with that quote and they seem like really nice guys. He told me they need 4 weeks to make them, but if it takes longer than that to install then it's no worries, they will just hold them for me. They also don't need a deposit!

I also got a guy out to do a quote for me for fences and I should get that in the mail. Sensational guys, really nice and friendly and turned up on time! However the same can't be said for the guy meant to be doing the concrete quote today :( I called him and he said he totally forgot and hadn't written it down - at least he was honest! He is going to come out on Sunday morning to give me a quote. I'm also still waiting for the concreters quote from yesterday to come through...

The brick cleaners have chipped quite a lot of bricks, some deeply but most is just around the edges and I'm really not sure I'm all that fussed about it to be honest, although I haven't checked the alfresco area - after a few weeks the colour will soften and should blend in with the rest... hrmmm not sure if it's worth while making a fuss over or not.

It's all happening and now for the photos!!

Chateau Lisa


LHS of garage all fixed


RHS of garage - all even!


Nice and clean!!


Blind side of house all cleaned


Garage all cleaned


A chipped brick -not sure if I am all that fussed about it though


Another chipped brick


More chips, but there really aren't a lot as deep as like this one


Chips n the bricks - there are LOTS like this though... again not sure if I mind so much, the colour will dull over time


Another like the previous one


Door and door frames have been delivered!


Skirting boards and architraves have been delivered too!


My kitchen!!!! YaY!!! -squeal- top cupboards are Rock Maple and the bottom cupboards are Fini Chocolate





Pot drawers on the left side of the oven


Right side of the oven


The island bench, the sink will go over the closest cupboard


I'm going to need a step ladder for the top cupboards


Right hand side of the dishwasher location and my cutlery drawers


A different configuration


Fridge and oven on the left, island bench on the right


Vents under the cupboards above the fridge - not a storage place for wine or chocolate! ;)


Laundry bench and cupboard


Laundry benchtop - Laminex Limestone


I love it!!