No phone for you!

We're not going to have a phone line until at least 6th May!! (Now 25th June!!!!!!!!!!)
The line comes from each side of us up the street, but both stop at our neighbours place. A borer is going to have to tunnel under the neighbours driveway etc to hook us up. :'(

The bricks are back in the wall, and I've been madly spraying the tribulus terrestris weeds on our big patch of brown dirt. Also we bought ourselves a bin. YEY! ;)

That's a photo off the net, not of our actual yard.

Settling in

Everything's going pretty well.
We've had a few hickups, like everyone...
Still no phone line. A Telstra tech came out and got the number patched through as far as the neighbours place, but now we have to wait until a borer is available to get across to our place.

We had a
a water leak inside an external wall
a gas leak under the cooktop
a leak from a drain pipe in the laundry
a light with a dodgy connection

And still have (I haven't had time to mention to the builder at all)
a laundry door lock that wont unlock
some missing grout
about 1/2 dozen bricks missing from the wall from the plumber
and the theatre room lights that were supposed to be wired in 2 banks of 2 (switched separately front and back) are all on one switch.

But we're having a great time in our new place. So close to work, and nice and big, with heaps of storage.
Once I get a phone line, and then an internet connection, I'll up some photos.

And we're off...

Truck's almost packed.
This will be my last post from our old house. There's no phone etc at the new one yet, so may not be back for a bit.

Nope, not yet.

When the builder suggested about a week and a half ago that we should be moving in this weekend just gone, we told a few of you, but it wasn't to be.
I think the shower screens and mirrors got installed on Friday, but we haven't been able to see them yet.
The final 'council' inspection was done today - but we don't know the results, and the valuer didn't turn up or get in contact with the builder, so we don't know what he's up to.
So at this stage I have no idea when we'll be moving.
Pergola now covered and guttered

Carpet in hallway

Theatre room

Master Bedroom

Nearly done.

Columns are in.

Block leveled out

Water pump from tank to toilets/laundry

Pergola being painted.

Toilet in

Sinks etc being done.

Shower screens are still on the way.

Kitchen sink

Gotta pay Section 94A levy of $995 today (could have been double), and the second last progress payment.

Around $400 worth of lights there

And a new swtich to turn 'em on with.


Not sure what those wires are, hanging down behind the cupboard - or how/why there is a hole for them to be coming down through.

Front door painting started

And a pergola!!

Still goin

Only that tile not grouted, and a couple where the dishwasher go as far as tiles go.

Wood waiting for pergola'ing


Clothesline very nicely concreted in.

4 months

Sept 19th was the day of the 'drawn to scale' post.
Contract date says one week to go, but we'll be a little later than that. Hopefully not too much more though.

Section 94 ey?

So far I've worked out that we're not up for the section 94, but for the section 94A levy, which is calculated as a percentage of the development cost excluding a few things including project management, insurances, taxes, council fees etc. Those percentages mean we pay 1% if the development cost is over 200K, and .5% over 100K, which is a big difference.

That means that if what the builder is making for 'being the builder', plus those other things like insurance, hiring the certifier, etc add up to over $37K, then we would drop below the $200K percentage barrier.
For eg.
dev cost = $200,000. Levy fee = $2000
Dev cost = $199,999. levy fee = $1000

I have no idea what sort of margin builders work to, but I'm hoping it's big so that when the dev cost is calculated we're under that barrier.