QA and Fit Stud

The Inspector was on site mid afternoon yesterday carrying out the Quality Assurance Inspection with his trusty can of orange spray paint in hand he has gone around marking up defects, problems and things that are not up to code. We have also spotted something that may be a potential problem but as I have no spray paint we couldn't highlight it. Took some photos instead and will ask the SS if this is really where the gas pipe for the hob should be because right now it is coming out into one of the pot draws!? I feel confident that the QA has been done thoroughly as even small defects like a screw sticking out too far or a protruding edge of metal frame have spotted. From one of the comments I think he finds our house quite sexy! (see photos below).

The french windows have been fitted and we have had a package arrive way ahead of schedule.....

Ooh La La Le Fentestra Francais

How Can You Tell Just By Looking?

Sexy Boy

Sill Not Level You're Telling Me!

Looks Like Pipes and Stuff To Me

Toilet Seat - Quiet Closing and Quick Releasing

Yellow Pipe For Gas (Left) Should Be Where These Wires End?
In the Middle Of The Window (The Right Of Shot)

Feeling Flush

Well we got a call from the Construction Manager (CM) this morning to give us a report and see if we are satisfied with progress etc. I mentioned about our concerns regarding the height of the potential lip on the bi folds. He explained that he hadn't been on site yet but was on his way there. He suggested that it sounds like the sill may be thicker than normal allowance and it will be simply  a case of re hanging the doors so they are dropped lower. Yippee! But .......he did say it might not be possible to get them absolutely flush and they may be up to 4mm proud of the tiles. At this stage I am waiting to have a look at how the frame sits in relation to the floor once they are repositioned before I make judgement. But at least we have the CM's word that they are not going to just be left levitating 4cm above floor height!
If after being moved we continue to feel they are not going to be flush enough then the options they have as i see it is to: put them lower if there is scope to do that, sand some off the bottom of the doors or grind the slab recces deeper to make it work.
Fingers crossed it will all be level.

The Door Detective

This Is What We Want Pleeeeeeasssee

In preparation for the QA on Monday we want as much information as possible to help us resolve the potential issue regarding the mounting of the bi fold doors so that the door track will be flush with the tiles. We have had a recessed slab at an additional cost of $480 so that the doors can be set low enough to achieve a perfect finish with no lip, step or height difference to the flooring. However the doors have been hung very high with packing almost as deep as the rebate in the slab thus negating the rebate and leaving us with a door track that will stick up. The SS seems to think that if they mount it to be flush it will fail QA - so why show them done this way on display and why sell it to us at colour selection if they then won't install it that way? The colour consultant was very specific about the upgrade being worth it so that the door appears seamless and flush so that you wont trip or catch your toes.

After a visit to the display centre detective Sandy can confirm that all their doors are totally at the same level as the flooring, we have photographs to prove it so we know we didn't just imagine it! Also in the images on the Duce website the doors are all shown with door tracks installed flush. Duce are the company that supply and manufacture the doors for Metricon here in Brisbane.
I get that Metricon want to guarantee quality and longevity but we want a home that is functional, practical and beautiful and meets the expectations created by the displays and their consultants.

Flush Door Track

Yep That Is Perfectly Level

Smooth and Lipless

Doors Plus No Fuss

No action on site today but we have had an unexpected delivery ....... the windows, sliding doors, master suite balcony doors and some cavity slider door frames have arrived. Initially we had thought to pick black frames as the colour choice here in Qld was quite limited, no fancy colorbond range for us oh no just black, silver/aluminium, white, a creamy colour and a golden brown which is neither gold nor brown (confused?). Any way when choosing the window frames we had only considered what it would look like from the outside of the house next to the bricks and not what it would look like from inside next to off white walls. Once we had stopped to think about this for a nano second we came to the conclusion that the black would be too much of a contrast inside and could end up looking very heavy so instead went for the silver aluminium. If we had the colorbond range our first choice would have been dune to match with the rest of the external colour scheme.
Now that we have seen the windows made up the silver colour looks alright but it's hard to tell exactly what they will look like until they are installed and the build is further along. Fingers crossed that we made the right choice. The windows including the master suite balcony doors on the front elevation of the house have grey tinted glass as this aspect of the house looks like it will catch the hot afternoon summer sun as it is almost west facing. The other windows are just clear and for the bathrooms and powder room we have a contemporary obscured, translucent privacy glass called satin lite with a pattern made up of very fine lines (an upgrade) rather than the standard dots pattern.

Cavity Sliding Doors (To Be Stained) and Rear Garage Door

Downstairs Windows and Laundry Sliding Door

Upstairs Windows and Balcony French Doors

Kitchen Splash Back Window

The ground floor roof sections on the garage and outdoor room have been tiled and first fix continues slowly.

First Fix Powder Room

Dishwasher and Sink This Will Be In The Island Bench

Bathroom Double Vanity Area

Garage Tiled

Grand Outdoor Room With Tiles

Knock Knock...Who's There?

It's our Corinthian pivot front door that's who!
The front door turned up on site earlier than expected so to ensure it didn't get damaged or stolen the SS has had it installed. And I must say it looks fantastic. It was so much fun pushing the door open and stepping inside, gave me a real feel for how my home would be once completed.

So what's been happening:
Roof tiling for the main roof and pointing almost completed.
First fix for elecricals has started with all the power point and socket frames being screwed on and earth wired. Must check our plans to ensure everything is in the right place.
Oh yes and the front door.

What will be happening:
First fix for plumbing
Continuation of electric install
Air conditioning ducting to go in
More roofing

When we were down on site on Thursday the guys from Scope scaffolding turned up and let us go up the ladder (apparently the hatch only looks locked if you get my drift).....
Wow wow and another wow this is the first time we have been upstairs and it is better than I anticipated. The master suite is huge, Hollywood robe, big windows, massive en suite and we have amazing views out over the fields. Impressed with the sizes of the other 3 bedrooms which also have great vistas (might be different once a few more houses are built!) and the leisure area it is super spacious, I can just see us all kicking back watching movies in our PJ's. The house is going to be breath taking.

I'm also very impressed with the steel frame it is extremely sturdy plus it won't warp like wood or be a diner snack for those every hungry pesky white ants.

The house is progressing along at a nice pace, quick enough to allow us to see that things are happening but slowly enough for us to feel satisfied that it is being done properly.

Up Up and Away - There Go The Tiles

Roof

Boral Linea Tile in Charcoal

Hi Honey I'm Home! The Front Door Chilling In The Family Room

Socket Point and Earth

The View Partially Obscured By Roof Scaffolding

Yummy Tiles

The Plantation homes house a couple of lots over is half bricked already ( they started 3 days before us) but it looks like the house is being thrown up without much attention to detail, quality control and finish. I want a great job not a rush job so am absolutely content with the time frame so far.