Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Bolero Flooring #2

22 DAYS TO HANDOVER

Swung by the house today and while there were some guys working on site, I managed to have a quick browse around and was surprised to see that our flooring as gone in so quickly! (partially) another PD WIN here! The flooring really adds greater contrast and colour to the entire house - blending the kitchen / carpeted areas quite well. The rangehood had also been installed, stairs stained and glossed, painting has been retouched, mirrors installed, shower screens  installed. When more of the appliances go in, like our toasters, our kettles, it'd add colour and life to the kitchen! 

When we were deciding on flooring, we weren't too sure whether the Bolero flooring was something we wanted to go for as there were not display homes installed with them. It was a new product then and was under a special promotion! We had Bolero as a standard feature as part of our promotion package. I had so much trouble trying to figure out how to match the flooring to the sofa set, to the dining table etc. But Im glad to say that the Rustic Coffee look is exactly the look we were going for! The floor is currently quite dusty, thus the final effect can't really be seen yet. I will update again when the house is cleaner.

Laminate flooring is one of the hardest wearing floor solutions on the market. No yukky grout so get discoloured as with tiles and no cold feet in winter. $4000 for Bolero Flooring AND evaporative cooling to the entire house. Apparently Bolero flooring is now a cat 2 upgrade! Consider us lucky! 

Bolero Laminate - Rustic Coffee
Kitchen with Bolero flooring
Family area
Rangehood - BRCG90BX 
We decided that we will go with this style rangehood because the slide out option (BRC90BX) would mean that we needed to have overhanging cabinets above our stove. I did some research and found out that this model issin't very strong in its suction power. Hence, having a slimline canopy rangehood would mean that if I ever get a replacement one in, I'd have to stick with a slimline one again. You want to keep your options open by going with something we have chosen, so that if you decide to upgrade the rangehood for whatever reason, you can install a stronger, much bigger unit to the enclosed space. Having overhead cabinets there will greatly reduce your options!
This model that we've chosen, does look quite small to me though....

Stained Glossed Stairs
Replaced glass panel due to chip on glass
The newly stained/glossed stairs really looks AMAZING! Worth every dollar spent on it! Anyone building a Sandringham 45 MUST have these stairs installed! The chipped glass on our stairs took almost 2 months to replace. I think it could have had a very long lead time. Good thing I pointed it out to my previous SS much earlier. I'm still sticking with not upgrading to have these panels at my void. Wasn't justified to spend almost $6000 on such a small area, where the stairs was almost $10000 and it a feature piece for the house. We are however well underway to have the exact same design at our void post-handover.
The paint work on the house has been touched up. Hopefully we won't find much defected from now onwards.
Garage wall cornices fixed 
Shower screens / mirrors installed 4-7 March 2013
Can anyone give me info about the model of showerscreens PD provide to its Prestige customers as a standard? We have Stegbar showerscreens, but are they the Grange series or the Softline series? This could be a prestige inclusion package as well. I just want to confirm that we are getting the right showerscreen installed.
Bathroom 1
Bathroom 1
Bathroom 2
Bathroom 2
Master Ensuite
Master Ensuite
All our bathrooms have been upgraded to have niches in the shower. 
If you notice carefully, you will see that the drainage pipes is a single metal grille that sits on top of the strip. Im not sure how this works, as there doesn't seem to be any slots cut into this metal grille. I don't know how we can clean them too. Its new to me as the display homes I've been to don't have this style of drainage for the showers. Hopefully it will turn out nice anyway.
We don't have any pop-up waste plugs to our Caroma Cube 500 undercounter basin. Strange as the other Kado Cirque Semi Inset Counter Basin and powder room Vallo Basin have them installed. Might need to buy some after handover. 

Shifted power points away from Tap - They were too close previously
Waterproofed concrete retainer wall on garage side

Samsung 65"
Leaning more towards a LED 65" TV at the moment. Did some intensive research and found out that there will be a NEWER model getting released sometime later this year. UN65F8000 - 2013. This will be released sometime in April in the US. Not sure when will it get to Australia. But I know that this model will have a quad core processor, much faster than its 2012 model dual core. In terms of pricing, the 2012 model sits around $4000 at the moment, but when it was released in Australia in July 2012, it was around $5600! It could be that when the 2013 model comes out in July 2013, it could stick to around the $5000 mark. I think I will settle for a 2012 model then. Also, Samsung has a new technology where you just plug in this device to the TV and it gets upgraded to the newest firmware AND hardware! Samsung evolution kit! 
A 2012 model tv can get the same hardware and firmware upgrades as the 2013 models, just by sticking in the Evolution Kit! 
Something none of the other brand/models promote.


I am happy with the build so far. Most of the things that had to be rectified have been. And generally the contractors that work on site know what they are doing. Only a few handful don't and they cause slight delays to the entire build. But I can't say that PD has done an absolute peace of mind job for us. I would say that there has been Ups and Down moments. But thats just with building your home. Many more Ups than Downs though.
But on a more serious note, I'm still waiting for contact from Team PD regarding my powder room tiles. One of the forum administrators from Homeone have apparently already escalated the matter to the appropriate manager and that I should be getting a call sometime soon. Still nothing... I really hope the tiles can be fixed...
Anyone else got a promise from the forums and haven't heard from them yet?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Bolero Flooring

Our flooring had been delivered today!
The underlay for this flooring seems quite thin to me :/
2mm thin.
What can I say, I didn't pay for any upgrades for the flooring. It came as a promotion package.

Scouting for a tv for our lounge room atm.
Plasma or LED TV? Hmm..


The guys who built our retainer wall was also on site removing soil from the back of our garage retainer wall. He says that he needs to apply a waterproof coating on the bricks. Thank God he's doing this now, helping us remove more of my neighbour's uncontrolled bamboo shoots.
I told him to lay crush rocks after he's painted the area. That way, no moisture will be present and no bamboo can ever push my garage wall down.











so close yet so far

We have been given updates by our new SS that our independent inspector will be doing his inspections on the 28th March 2013. 
Our PCI will then follow the week after on the 4th April 2013. 
If all goes well from there, we will have our keys by the 12th April 2013!

So close yet so far! The house seem like its just sitting there in all its glory... 
Theres still no response about our tiling issue yet. Nothing on the pivot door's thumblock deadbolt either. 
We're just busy packing our belongings at the moment and searching for a new TV for our theatre room! 

We submitted a dispensation application to the council last Friday to request for higher fencing to be constructed along the side footpath of our property. The house currently sits about 1m above the foothpath level. Council regulations only permits fencing for 1.8m along the side of a property. That will not be sufficient for us, as only 800mm of our house will be covered. We need to have at least a 2.7m fence running along side of the house, that way, 1m will cover the sloping soil and 1.7m will cover an average person. I'll upload more details when I get an answer from the council. But basically, check your site plans and have in mind what you will be doing for landscaping even when you sit your tender appointment. PD will build the house, but they don't consider landscaping in their proposals. Just be weary! 

Noticed that the garage door had been left open over the weekend! Our contractors should really keep the doors closed, especially when there is no one living in the house yet. 

Facade support sticking into garage wall
Chipped away timber beam in garage 
Levelled ground floor.
Im guessing that Bolero Rustic Coffee flooring should commence soon! Can't wait to see how it would look like. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

New SS, further delays

Met with the new SS on site today. Feeling slightly relieved to know that PD is already on our case since our previous SS left. 
Talked to him about our PCI appointment for this Friday 15th March 13. He tells me that it will not be happening - Not surprised!
SS says that theres no point to have a PCI this week when the house is not ready yet. He claims to know that there outstanding things that need to be fixed and that our private inspector will just be repeating things in his report of things that he already knows need to be fixed. Some calls and emails will go out to contractors today and that hopefully most of the house will be prepared for PCI soon. Hopefully we won't have too much to do after our PCI and a handover can be in near sight.
When I arrived, he was there running the taps in the upper floor, checking if they are leaking and or flowing well. 

#1 - SS claims that Tiles have been installed in our powder room correctly. SS says that tilers will install the tiles to the vanity unit height and then only install the splash back  He also believes that he may not be able to bring it up to the building manager to have it rectified as our request. I still don't understand why PD has contractors who don't know how to build like the display homes. You can't expect a customer to buy something and not get what its claimed to be. I'm not going to let this rest. Why can the tilers at the display home do it, and the tiler at my house can't. Quality of the work here is questionable. I really did not expect the tiles to have turned out like how it has. I have always had the idea that there will be large tiles all around the entire powder room. 
This is something PD must look into - promoting a design which doesn't not sustain when delivering. 

#2 - roller bolt on the pivot door. SS says that the mortice type roller bolt is a gainsborough deadlock packaged together with the pivot door. The paradigm 005 square deadbolt is a lockwood deadlock. Two different brands. Gainsborough mortice lock has been used as there had been reliability issues with the lockwood ones. I stressed that the thumb-lock (paradigm 005 square deadbolt) had been installed on the wrong door - our internal garage door, instead of the front entry door. He says that he'll have to look into possibly modifying the mortice lock to install the thumblock on the door. I don't mind this outcome if it's going to work. But I definitely do not want another deadlock under out mortice lock. The issue here is that, we have to leave a set of keys on the pivot door permanently in order for us to use the mortice deadlock. (what is the keys get misplaced? What is someone takes the keys away? We won't be able to lock our doors at night!) SS says that a gainsborough locksmith might be able to install a permanent keylock on the mortice deadlock. We just won't get the deadlock feature.

Bought this from Bunnings warehouse today. This will go onto our wall just above our Freestanding bath. 
Master Ensuite Ladder Towel Rail
$179

Friday, March 8, 2013

Delayed PCI


Disappointing news:

1. SS has informed us that our PCI has been delayed by a week. It will now be held on the 15th March 13. A week out from now. Our SS hasn't explained why there is the delay, but thankfully we are able to book in our inspector for the 15th March 13. 


2. SS has also resigned from PD. He has been such a great SS. Always very understanding and accommodating. He called today and expressed that he had been very happy with our house so far and that he was regretful that he couldn't finish the entire job. 


I guess it it true that PD's BC and SS seldom stay for the entire term of the build. Its a very sad thing, that we don't get the same person going through with the entire job. I've read many other blogs about how theres always been a change over of BC or SS. Props to my SS tho, he got us very close to the finishing line, too bad he couldn't get us over it! I would be very worried if he left during our frame stage or somewhere in the middle of our build. 

I just hope that our next SS would follow up with the issues I've brought up with our previous SS. 

One of which is the Powder room. In my last post I mentioned that we upgraded our tiles, and paid extra for the tiles in the room to extend up to the mirror height like how the display homes have done theirs. 

When I met with my SS early in the week, I was astound to see that the tiles in my powder room had not been installed the same way as the display homes. As you can see in the photo below, there are THREE cut tiles on the walls, x2 small pieces and x1 large piece. This is NOT how we envisaged the room to look like. We expected that the tiles will be installed like the display homes - x2 Large 600mm pieces. Its the only reason why we upgraded our tiles and paid extra money to have them extend to the mirror height. 

Brought the issue up with our SS and he said that he will get the tiler to call me. Long story short, I met up with the tiler on site, and he explained that different tilers install differently - poor excuse. I told him that I can't accept it and that I expect the tiles to be installed just like how the display homes have done it. It defeated the purpose of having extended tiles and mirror!
The contractors really need to pick their game up! Previous SS says that he will look into the matter for me. This will be a make it or break it deal for my recommendations of PD to others. I really hope the new SS will get it fixed. I know that it will be alot of work, but its a matter of whether PD prides themselves in the quality and assurance they promote themselves to have. 


tiling by contractor
Kitchen / Living area
2nd March 13 - Carpets installed, Door handles, stoppers and Locks installed.
Door Handles on Linen cabinet
Door stoppers are affixed onto the door in tiled areas!
I told the carpenter not to install them on the MAIN ENTRY
and the Powder room.
4th March 13 - Saw some Stegbar guys installing our Shower screens, Clear debris off site.
4th March 13 - cleared debris off site.
Our sloping corner. Dispensation from
council required for retaining/fencing requirements

5th March 13 - Fly screens had been put into all openable windows, and alarm system installed, Kitchen Splashback installed.
Fly Screens installed
Snuggle Pie Kitchen Splashback 
Got to wait for flooring to come in before it'd look great!

7th March 13 - Saw some contractors installing mirrors to the Bathrooms, Gas meter installed.
7th March 13 - Gas Meter installed
Outstanding contract errors:
On the day our SS told us to go see the carpenter to tell him where we wanted the privacy locks installed. We spotted that our Lockwood paradigm 005 square chrome deadbolt had been installed not on our ENTRY door (Pivot door) as per our contract, but rather onto our garage internal door. 
I thought it was rather odd. Spoke to the SS about it and he tells me that a thumb lock - Paradigm 005 cannot be installed on a pivot door. I was shocked! The reason why I paid extra money for the deadbolt is so that I can easily lock the main door without having to use a key. 
The carpenter says that we should just leave the keys on the main door at all times. NO thank you. 
Previous SS says that he will get it fixed for us!
Deadbolt on the garage internal door
Where the deadbolt is suppose to be,
Replacing the key knob
I opted to have internal motion sensors installed in the house. During the build, whenever I was on site with the SS, I noticed that some of the cabling had been left at different locations as per the drawings from our electrical appointment. Now that the detectors had been installed, some of them are in different locations from the drawings. I brought this up to the SS, and he explained that the people at the appointments don't know a thing about where is the best locations for these sensors, and that I should just trust the installers - that the new locations are perfect for the job. 
One of them is in a lounge room - no openable sliding door..Just windows. 
The original location was in the study room - openable sliding door. 
I wasn't happy initially. But I decided that its not worth the battle and hassle, and will just live with the sensor in the lounge room. 

Since our SS has left us with quite a number of things outstanding, I hope he has passed on the information to the subsequent guy taking over. I hope to see the new guy on site next week sometime after the labour day holiday. 


We're also currently trying to look for a washing machine and vented dryers? 
Anyone with recommendations? 
Almost settling with a bosch 7.5kg WAS24460AU front loader washing machine with a 7kg BOSCH WTV74100AU Dryer

Bosch Front Loader Washing Machine

Bosch Vented Dryer