Nearly 2 Years On...

It has been nearly 2 years since I started this blog.  So that would mean just under 2 years ago we signed our lives away and began the journey of building a new home.

We have definitely come a long way since then.

The most reoccurring questions I keep getting from everyone is "Would you build again with Metricon?" & "Were they (Metricon) any good?"

Since we have moved in (just over 6 months ago) we have had a few dramas (to say the least). A leaking water pipe and reoccurring cabinetry issues.

Let's face it Metricon is a high volume builder and as they claim No.1 as well. So even if they promise that everything is of good/high quality they can't promise that the tradesmen that they use will be too.

Once you have your 3 month inspection all your concerns are lodged and the appropriate tradespeople return to fix everything.

I lost a lot of personal time waiting around for tradesmen to come and fix things around the house.  Some were great and quick.  All arrived on time and if they didn't our Service and Warranty Manager @ Metricon would follow it up and make it happen at a convenient time for us.  That was great service.  Although I probably wouldn't have needed this service if a little more attention to detail was made before handover by the Builder (our Site Manager and the tradesmen who contract for Metricon.

So back to the questions....yes I would probably build with them again.  Yes their service was great...but they really need to work more closely with the contractors they use. Hopefully the complaints that we have made to Metricon about some of the contractors used at our build have been heard and noted.  

So where to now?  We are still working through our landscaping.  With the colder weather settling in it has been a little hard to get anything done.  Thought I would add some pics for inspiration.

Backyard decking...I think we may need a pool?

Decking and concrete - ready for paving

Aggregate Concreting...so glad we did this...

Our shed

Finally we have a drive-way and cross-over - no more dust in the house

Day 186 - Retail Therapy

We are yet to get a handover date but from what we can see we shouldn't be too far away now!

It has been some time since my last post. The painters and tilers have finished and the electricians have also put their final touches to the house - I am sure they will be back to fix things!

I went past the house today to find the floorboards are being laid. Looking from the windows outside (house is now locked), the floorboards had been laid in the dining room only so there was a bit more work to go.  It was a hard to decision to make at the time - floorboards or tiles?  But we came to the conclusion that floorboards (Bamboo) would make the house feel warmer and possibly easier to keep clean.

It's great to see everything come together.  Even though I had taken photos of our colour choices it was so long ago that I had forgotten what we had chosen. This also applies to the handles and mixers. I am really happy with the bathrooms.  The tiles look fantastic.  I am glad we followed the advice of the guys at Beaumont Tiles and just stuck to the one tile/design. It's true what they told us.  You can always add and change accessories to the bathrooms but once you choose different patterns or designs in the tiles you are stuck with them forever. That's not to say you won't love them forever but for me I like things simple and the tiles are just that! 

So why the heading Retail Therapy?  Well since we are getting closer to handover we decided to go shopping for furniture on the weekend and we ended up buying a lounge, dining table. chairs and a bedroom suite for my daughter's room.  Tick, Tick and Tick!

I love shopping - who doesn't?  But I have to tell you it was pretty exhausting travelling around town negotiating on the best deal.

I know most people like to see photos of the house and where everything is at so below are some pictures of the house so far.

Ensuite - we have light!



Feature wall - insert fireplace here.



Main bathroom - porcelain tiles

Day 86 - Brick by Brick

I was hoping to post new photos of the house but the scaffolding is still up for the bricklayers to finish off the bricking. So not much to see really.

It seems like the bricklayers have been bricking up our house forever!  This weather hasn't helped at all. It was encouraging to see the brickies working on the weekend. I guess they want to finish the job too!

In the meantime we have been meeting with some landscapers to get quotes for landscaping the house. 

We put together a brief for the landscapers.  We basically prioritised the important jobs that we wanted done first.  We are hoping to break up the work in stages so that we don't have to compromise on the things we want.

It took us 3 hours to put the brief together.  We added photos and designs that we liked and we also included what colours and themes we had chosen for inside the house.  There are so many things to think about besides what plants you want.

As we are only in the initial stages of planning for the landscaping I will put together a more detailed blog on the landscaping once we choose which direction we will take.

In the meantime I promise to posts some new photos of the house.  We are hoping to have most of the bricking finished this week.  Watch this space!

Day 14 - Just slab it on!!

Metricon started working on our block two weeks ago. Since then we have seen a lot of excavation and piping but no sign of the slab!

Initially we were advised that the slab would be started today, however with Easter this has been delayed.  The weather probably didn't help either.

We are a little dissapointed as we were looking forward to having the slab down today.  I guess we have to wait a little longer.

In saying that I would have expected a phone call from Metricon during the week to tell us what was happening, but instead I had to do the chasing!  I sent an email yesterday afternoon asking if the slab was going to be done today and I got an email back today from our Customer Co-Ordinator advising that the company co-ordinating the slab preparation were "running behind".

So this is where we are at;

 

The drains have now been finished.

There is now some spoil on site which needs to be removed over the next few days.

The base preparation will begin next Wednesday.

The pour inspections will take place on Thursday or Friday.

Slab predicted to be poured on Monday the 15^th, awaiting confirmation

 

I have to say I am happy with the prompt and detailed response from Metricon, just not happy that I have to do the chasing!  But I guess it is something I will need to get used to!

 

We are yet to meet our builder but I am sure that won't be too far away.

 

Yesterday I met with a Landscaper to discuss landscaping ideas for the house (front and back).  I nearly fell off my chair when I heard how much it could potentially cost! In saying that I want to make sure we get it right.  We will have a fairly decent backyard when the house is finished so we are expecting to add decking and a kids area to play.

 

Will keep you posted on what the quote will look like...hopefully it won't be a 6 figure sum!

 

If anyone has any ideas or advice on landscaping I would love to hear about them!

 

 

 

 

 

It's Been a Long Time Coming

It has definitely been a while since I last posted. In fact since my last post we have not even heard from Metricon until an email came through on Friday afternoon at 4pm.

We have a site start date!!!!

All things going to plan the Metricon team will start building our dream home on Friday.

We have been patiently watching the grass grow and now the time has come.

Just wanted to know if anyone has had any experience in building a home with Metricon and ordering additional bricks in the same batch in order to build a brick fence (for the front of the house).

I have mentioned this numerous times to our Customer Service Rep at Metricon and she seemed to think it was "all fine" and that we could order the additional bricks prior to building.

Since those discussions took place we have a new Customer Service Consultant (taking us through the building phase). Prior to starting the build process Metricon need to order all the products for the house. I would assume this includes the bricks. I have mentioned the additional bricks a few times now and I am yet to get a solid response.

Would love to know if anyone has ordered additional bricks before.

I am eager to do this as we need to order the bricks direct with the supplier...so we would hate to miss the same batch.

It has been relayed to us that by ordering the bricks in the same batch will ensure that there are no huge changes in the colour.

For the time been we sit and wait...but will post on Friday with an update.