Colours

So it looks like I won't get a slab poured before Christmas. Oh well. Such is life. The peering has been done though and the site is ready for a slab. I'm first job off the rank in 2015 so can't complain too much. Got my external colours back last week. I reckon it looks pretty good and all the colours go well together. Nice and beachy looking. 

Today I went shopping at Oz design for a dining table. I ended up putting one on layby. I have to say I'm pretty happy with my choices so far! 

Merry Christmas everyone.

My site all excavated.

External colours for the house.

Dining table.

And so it begins!

Today marks the beginning of the excavation of my block! The beginning of the whole building process, the beginning of one of my biggest achievements yet, the beginning of my future and the beginning of a new chapter. I can't remember a time I've felt as happy or as proud as I did today when I stepped out on my block and marvelled at what I've been able to achieve on my own. I honestly cannot wait to see my house start to come together piece by piece, brick by brick and tile by tile. All the drama, hold ups and upsets already feel like a distant memory and I know it's all going to be worth it in the end!

Did someone say excavation?

Yes they damn well did!!

That's right people. My block has been pegged and prepped ready for earth works to begin as early as next Friday! I have to say I'm happier than a pig in mud, than a fat kid with chocolate cake, than a dog with a bone and so on and so forth. 

If all goes to plan and cyclone Tracey doesn't decide to unleash on little ole Brooks Reach (not impossible with my track record of luck when it comes to building) then I should have a slab of concrete by Xmas. My frames won't be delivered until mid Jan but no harm no foul- a slab by Christmas will do me just fine! 

Merry Christmas to me. 

Slab before Xmas?

11/11/14

After weeks and weeks of backwards and forwards between myself and the builders I have finally signed the new tender and my plans were lodged to CDC yesterday.
Phew. What an ordeal. (Wipes brow line).
What a process. Would I ever build a house again? Hell no.

The timeframe is estimated to be approximately 10 working days and should definitely be back before the end of November according to the builders. I have my excavator booked in to start digging in early December. My peg out has been ordered to be done as soon as the plans come back from CDC and the builders are aiming to have my slab poured before Christmas. Then it'll be all hands on deck as of next year and with any luck I'll be in my new house by mid next year.

Looking forward to at least having a slab poured so I can suss out the space I will have left over in the back yard and start making some plans for where I want bits and pieces to go.

Very fascinating for you all I'm sure.

Anyhow thats the latest- not the greatest but better than nothing I suppose!
Hopefully I will be back with some pics before Santa comes to town!

Off to the piggy bank to get more cash!

Friday 12/09/14 equalled doom day. 

I'm often left wondering why people can't just get it right from the start? 

I think it's because they're often doing important jobs on Mondays or Fridays. On Mondays people are clearly devestated that their weekend is over and they have a whole week at work before the next one comes around so they obviously aren't doing their best work.

On Fridays people are waiting impatiently for 5pm to roll around so they can clock off and head to the pub for a few sneaky drinks.

Anyway I'm convinced the developer did my contours on either a Monday or a Friday because their mind cleary wasn't on the job. That's evident now seen as though doom day Friday saw me get stung with another $21,000 to make the house split level because the initial contours given to the builder were wrong.

Yeah good on ya.

Apparently I am now going to have a garage that is sunken into the ground with 4 steps going up into the house. More concrete, more digging, more raising of ceilings, more labour so more money. $13,500 of it unfortunately.

The rest of the sting comes from the removal of the dirt. Apparently I'm going to have an excess of 200 tonnes and to get rid of it I'm looking down the barrel of a $7500 gun. How pleasant for me.

I am feverishly hoping this is the last of the cash gouge and when the builder starts digging they don't hit a big pile of rock that will cost me another few thousands that frankly I don't want to give away to rock. Fingers and toes are crossed to the point blood flow is restricted. Hope for me guys!

To pitch or not to pitch? That is the question.

Pitch!! 

Today I made an expensive upgrade to the house. I decided the pitch the ceiling in the living/dining/kitchen area.

Why may you ask? Well the answer is simple. Because I've always wanted a pitched ceiling. I just forgot to ask about it way back when the original plans were being drawn. Luckily the final plans have not been drafted and sent to council yet so I was able to get a variation done and my new home will now have a pitched ceiling which is pretty exciting!

Being a small home I am hoping it'll make it appear as though it is bigger without  actually having to add more space. I am also hoping it'll make the house feel lighter and airyier overall. I am not sure if the beams will be exposed or covered up as yet. I guess those finer details will be worked out but in the meantime here's a pretty picture of a living space with a pitched ceiling!

Settle down, its only settlement.....

Yesterday my solicitor called me to say settlement had been booked in for 2.30pm today. I can't say that It really hit me until 3.30pm today, when she called me again to say it was all finished and I was now the proud owner of 32 Bunya Street Horsley. Can't say I am a huge fan of the street name. Makes me think of bunyip or bunion.
I actually googled "what does bunya mean?" more out of boredom than curiosity. Anyway apparently it has several meanings but I went with the first one that came up which stated the following-
"A tall coniferous Australia tree of the monkey puzzle family that bears large cones containing edible seeds"
Well there you have it. What's that? You were just dying to know that useless bit of information? You're welcome.

Anyway as I was saying, I am now the owner of land. Yup, me, land- who'd have thunk it.
I have to admit I almost died when I logged into my ING online account this afternoon at 3.33pm to see a 6 figure debt hit me in the face just a tad over an hour after settlement. Apparently the bank does NOT fool around no sir-ey.

I would love to say it was one of the happiest moments of my life but if I am being at all honest it was probably one of the scariest of my life to date.
Instead of thinking "Oh yeah, bring this bitch on" I was left thinking "Holy crap, what the heck have I done!!!??"
I am almost certain I went through the 5 stages of grief in a 10 minute window.
First there was denial- "Surely not, this can't be happening, I must be dreaming".
Followed by anger- "You're an idiot, you're not ready for this! Fool!
I moved quickly on to the bargaining stage shortly after- "Hmmm well if it doesn't work out I can always sell it....yes, sell, maybe I should just sell"
Then the depression hit- "Ohhhh noooo!! Now I can't just quit my job and become a bum if for some reason I just don't want to work anymore" The sadness surrounding this reality was too overbearing but luckily for me Acceptance chimed in and lastly I thought to myself- "Meh, what's done is done and whatever will be will be".

Que Sera Sera

Today will go down in history!

07/08/2014! As the day the land was FINALLY registered.

I cannot even begin to put into words how excited/shit scared I am.
Just to get to this point has taken well over a year!! Shit!

Its just hit me that I am going to have a mortgage within 2 weeks. No more expensive dinners. Oh well. It's going to be worth it to have my own humble little abode to come home to every night and to relax in every weekend. Todays marks the start of a new chapter, a new journey. Like WOWZA!

Am I dreaming?

I would just like to acknowledge that the building process makes me feel semi Bi-polar. One minute I am sad (because of all the hold ups) and the next minute I am as happy as can be (because things start to move forward).
Anyway today I can report that I am.........
A HAPPY CAMPER! Oh yes oh yes I am!  It really did feel as though "that" email from Stocklands would never come- but low and behold it finally did! 

Tuesday 08/07/14 marks the day my land was finally lodged to the LPI for registration. 

To say I am over the moon is an understatement and I honestly have to keep pinching myself just to make sure I am not dreaming! 

The good news is the more I pinch myself the realer it all starts to feel and I am happy to say with confidence that I am one step closing to having a home to call my own!! 

Today I contacted my solicitor to request my DP number so I can track the progress of the registration. I also put my signed building contract in the mail and transferred the remainder of the 5% deposit to Trevelle! Wham bam thank you mam and just like that I am locked in to bricks and mortar for the next 30 years at least.

Bring it on I say!!?? (I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some fear there ;p)

Talk about.....

Pissed!!!

Coz thats what I am! I received another update yesterday from dear old Stocklands. They said there will be another 2 week delay in the lodgement of the land to the LPI. I thought it was all on track and ready to go but no....another delay came up preventing it from being sent on its merry way.

To say I am frustrated is an understatement. I am trying to stay positive that it will be lodged before the two week timeframe but so far my experiences with them leave me believing that its likely to be longer than 2 weeks not less. Shit.....

I was hoping to get good news on Monday for my birthday but now- instead of saying Happy Birthday to me and meaning it I am saying "Happy Thursday" to me and being completely sarcastic when I say it....

Just one more week?

Its the end of the weekend and I have never been more excited to bid it farewell.
Reason being- Tomorrow I am expecting a call from the Development Manager of Stocklands with a further update.

I received an email from Stocklands on Friday saying they still felt confident that they would be able to lodge the land to the LPI by the end of the week. I am hoping my phone call tomorrow from the DM will further confirm this!

I am trying not to get my hopes up too much but with my birthday looming ever closer I must admit that I have never wanted anything more for my birthday than my land being sent off on its merry way to registration. If its the only gift I get then it will still be the best birthday present ever!

Anyway whilst I wait ever so patiently for my land to register all I can do is continue my shopping expeditions, and I must say- I have done just that valiantly.

Last weekend I started to consider the bedroom. I weighed up whether I wanted to get a whole new bed with a bed frame or whether I would just get a bed head. I decided I would go with a bed head and had an idea of what I had in mind....now I just had to find it.

Lucky for me fate smiled upon me when I went back to the store I had purchased my coffee table from to pay some more off the lay-by. As I was getting ready to leave I noticed a bed head which was nice but not what I wanted. I made a casual comment to the store owner along the lines of "thats a really nice bed head, I am looking for a bed head, but something a little different to this- do you get many in here?"
She replied "I usually always have one or two different styles in the store at any one time- I have just ordered a new one off piece and am waiting for it arrive, would you like to see a picture of it?"
Naturally I replied "Sure".
I mean why not?
Lucky for me I did because when the owner showed me the picture of the bed head it was EXACTLY what I was looking for AND she had ordered it in a queen which was precisely the size I needed!! I took it as a sign that I was meant to have it and asked her if she could put it aside for me when it came in as I would like to purchase it. I was so happy that I didn't need to go looking for it- its like it found me! Wahoo!

Anyway- here it is!

Isn't it awesome! I am in love! Can't wait to get it...... I just have no idea where it will go (whilst I wait for the house to be built)

Stuff to fill my home!

After watching copious amounts of House Rules I must admit the thing I am most excited about when it comes to building my house is the thought of finally being able to decorate it! Lets face it- who doesn't love a good deco here and there.

Admittedly one of my favourite past times is looking at furniture so I have been spending many a weekend trolling the furniture strips at Warrawong as well as visiting smaller boutique shops in an effort to purchase some one off pieces that I think will go well in the house! 

I have a vision in my head of what it will all look like- so hopefully it actually comes together the way I am envisaging! 

Just in case any of you are interested- here are some of the things that have caught my eye so far and are currently spilling out into my mother's second lounge room (Sorry mum- love ya)

I love all things horses....so naturally I purchased a horse canvas. No idea where it will be going as yet but I am sure when it does find a home in my home it'll look great.

 I purchased this light but in white wash...because I love all things white wash. I am hoping it goes with my white wash floors!

These are the white wash floors I have chosen to go through the house. They will be everywhere but the bedrooms. I kinda wish I got floorboards in the bedrooms too, to be honest....Oh well. Maybe later when I'm more cashed up.....in 20-30 years.....

The bar stools I have purchased for the breakfast bar! (Also currently in the Mums lounge room)

So far I have been going for cool colours. Greys, blues and whites. Trying to get that breezy relaxed beachy feeling through the main areas of the house- as I said before if I cannot live on the beach I'll just have to bring the beach to me!

Thats all for now! I'll post more pics of my collections as I collect them!

Self control......

Is something I do not have in an abundance!! I am impulsive and make spur of the moment decisions without thinking about the consequences!

This morning I had an impulsive moment. I bought a coffee table for my un-built house. Couldn't help myself. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it and had had had to have it. I can safely say I am not regretting this impulsive decision because this one off piece will go perfectly in the house. 

See for yourself!

ooooo la la :)

Finally!!

Gooooood Morning!!!

I love Fridays! Especially when I know they are going to be good!!

How do I know it will be good you ask? 

Well firstly let me tell you that I woke up this morning and it was just like any other morning- I checked my Facebook first thing and there was a status update from my sister and brother in law who are in Paris for the next month. Now usually I would have been jealous (because I have to go to work and they don't) but I wasn't because yesterday I spoke with council and they are lodging the sub division certificate today!! Can I get a whoop whoop!!!? Stocklands should have it by Monday and with any luck they can lodge to the LPI next week! C'mon Stocklands don't let me down!

Anyway I am so super happy that nothing could kill this buzz!

Anyway peeps have a great weekend whatever it may bring!! (I'm working all weekend) but whatever!! Not even that can kill the buzz!! 

Signed- Me!!

When you want something done- do it yourself!

So today has been a fruitful day I must admit- frustrated with the hold ups and lack of information from Stocklands in regards to why the land is not moving forward towards registration, I took matters into my own hands and spoke with council- I must say they were very helpful! 

They told me that there were two issues causing the hold up. The first was the certificate from Endeavour Energy- an issue I was already aware of.

The second issue which I wasn't aware of that's stopping the council from releasing the subdivision certificate so the land can be lodged to the LPI is the basins. According to council the work that has been completed is different to what was proposed in the initial plans and the basins that have been constructed in stage 10 are not adequate in size- council said that this could cause flooding issues later on down the track and they would be the land owners problem.... Ummm no thanks!!

Awesome- thanks Council- so now what? 
Well I was told by council that they are waiting for Stocklands to provide them with written acknowledgment that they are aware of the issue and will fix it. 

Council said they are willing to release the subdivision certificate before the issue is rectified if they have something in writing from Stocklands- I guess this will make them solely responsible for fixing the issue- so it doesn't become a council or community issue later on down the track and we have to foot the bill. Cheers council!

Anyway the lovely fellow at council chased up Stocklands today and then called me back to advise that he has received a verbal commitment from Stocklands stating that they are aware of the issue with the basins and acknowledge that they are responsible for fixing the issue and will indeed fix the issue. 

The council guy said that he now has to send Stocklands a letter (which he said will be done tomorrow).........and after this, council guy will need to wait for Stocklands to reply with their written confirmation! 

He said if Stocklands gets this letter to him as a matter of priority then he can release the subdivision certificate within a week and once Stocklands has that the land can be lodged to the LPI!! (Providing they also have the certificate from Endaevor Energy).

In closing....I will leave with the news that Stocklands is working on getting a update to stage 10-ers that should be received either tonight or tomorrow....won't hold my breath as I might be dead before I see my house completed and that would be ironic....

Ka-Ching $$

Thank god for iPhones I tell ya- without them I may have found out that I have been formally approved for a home loan after my full day of shopping instead of half way through (outrageous I know) but thanks to my trusty device that I treasure like a first born child, I was able to jump on the email that came through from my mortgage broker the second I heard that little ding, advising me that I have gone from conditional approval to formal approval.

What a weight off my shoulders! I don't have to rob a bank now that they are just going to give me the money. They did the right thing!

ING- I am ready to commit to you for the next 30 years but no offence hopefully we are divorced before then!

Shackled to debt!! Yee-ha!!

The Plan.....

So for anyone out there who is interested to know- I am building the Allard 17 with Trevelle. Its a teeny tiny humble home sure to fit on our teeny tiny humble block of land.

I won't lie- initially I was a little stuck on which block to choose, the bigger of the smaller blocks or the smaller of the smaller blocks. When I thought about the smaller block I felt a little negative towards the idea of having such a small block and such a small home because in this day and age we all want bigger and better and of course I was no exception to this. I started in with all the "what if's" and "if only's" until I realised that I am only 25 and not only will this be my first house it will be my brand new first house and I will have achieved it all on my own without the help of anyone....in light of this realisation I chose to stop having the mind set of a spoilt brat and decided to start being thankful for what I would have, instead of what I wouldn't have and chose the smaller block and the smaller house that came with a side of a smaller mortgage.

It's funny, once you push the negatives aside, the positives start to flow in an abundance. Once I put my brattiness aside, not only did I start to get used to the idea of a small home, I started to love the idea of a cosy home, one where Aaron and I wouldn't get lost from each other, one where I wouldn't have to text him from the next room because I couldn't be bothered trekking down the 20m hallway (Because I would totally do that) and one where I wouldn't have to spend my weekends feverishly cleaning. I have to say not tending to the upkeep of a big house or to more land than would be used makes me super happy =)

So below are the plans for the cosy little home that awaits. Some alterations were made to the Allard 17 to include a theatre room. Also the master bedroom was moved out the back with a sliding door out to the deck (I didn't want it looking out on to the road as it was in the initial plans and like so many of the display homes these days which seem to have the main bedroom placed at the front) Anyway these are the rough plans. Changes to the kitchen are still to come! So watch this space!

These tiles will make up one strip of the splash back! Just have to choose how it will be placed. Not all the tile designs will be used- just a few of them.

This is the design thats been chosen for the bathroom....beachy. If I can't live at the beach I will bring the beach to me!

Thats all for now folks!!

Progress!

Today I came home after a long day of work and the house was the furthest thing from my mind....probably because not much has been happening in ways of progress since about December 2013 and in fact the process has just been pushed further and further back each passing month which to be honest has been a bit of a bummer....

Anyway as I was saying (dramatics aside) I came home from work and what was awaiting me!? A letter from the builder with applications and consent forms and agreements to sign and a letter explaining how all this documentation is needed for that all important day when they start to build the house! 

HOORAY!

Just when you start to give up on the notion of progress- it throws you a curve ball and refuses to let you be a little negative nelly. I like that.

I realise that this package is only a small step forward but it's a step none the less and I don't think I've ever been as excited as I am right now to receive all the looming responsibility that has come to me in the post today! 

Momentarily I will be signing more of my life over to a debt made of bricks and water and I can't wait! (Of course when you don't need a pen there's a million around but when you need one they become an endangered species)

With that said- I'm off to find a pen!!

I just bought land! Say what?

It was March 2013 and I decided it was time to leave the nest and give my poor mother some peace and quiet after 2 and a half decades of yours truly.
I spent several exciting months looking at already built homes but after a while the excitement turned to frustration because I couldn't imagine myself calling half the places I looked at home and of course all the ones I could were sadly not within the budget!
UNTIL......
I happened to glance at a realtor one afternoon advertising house and land packages in a new estate called "Brooks Reach". I decided to give Stocklands a call and see what the go was. They told me that they only had a few lots left and they were only small lots. My interest was sparked so I decided to go out and look at the display centres (Aaron in tow). I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive about living in Horsley (being a Fairy girl my whole life) but I have to say as soon as I saw the place I knew I could live there.
It was a rural area with rolling mountains into the distance and great views of the escarpment- but best of all it had a nice vibe (nothing creepy like that stepford wives feel you get with a lot of new housing estates). Anyway with little deliberation I made my decision within the space of about 5 minutes, locked myself in and put a deposit on the land.  Within a couple of days I had exchanged contracts with Stocklands and boom- the land was mostly mine (if you overlooked that it still required registration!)

The weeks following were busy busy busy what with colour appointments to choose floor boards, roof tiles, paint colours, carpets, doors, knobs, benches etc etc- you name it I was choosing it and before long I had a vision in my head of what my little humble home would look like. Of course Aaron came along but he just kinda sat there and nodded a lot...I think all the choices were a bit overwhelming! I guess I won't be able to blame him if the house looks mis matched!

Anyway....It wasn't long ago that I stepped foot onto my land (below) for the first time. Seeing this little parcel and knowing it was where I would begin another chapter of my life was beyond exciting to say the least! I can't wait to start seeing my home go up piece by piece. I'm pretty sure I will be out there everyday to see whats happened- even on days the where that may be nothing!