Tiling pics

The tiling in the ensuite and main bathroom started this week. Unfortunately, the photos don't do the tiles justice. The tiling is very nice.


Unfortunately, there was some pretty ordinary brickwork again on the front elevation:

The slab will need to be extended to support this brick and the ones above it. The limit, according to the building code of Australia is 15mm (about the width of a fingertip).

Some progress, but we stepped in to save the day

After deliberating today, Eden Brae admitted they'd made a serious mistake with the bench depth. In doing them a favour, we switched the cooktop over and they agreed to fix the kitchen pantry doors, which we believe they would have to do anyway.

Let's hope this goodwill gesture, combined with other goodwill gestures after they made stuff-ups will be remembered.

Major issues with the kitchen

We have major issues with the kitchen. Eden Brae rushed the specs through and didn't finish them sufficiently for the pantry doors and are now trying to blame us for the wrong doors. They have an email from us stating we wanted the Cuprum pantry doors (the lighter colour), but the spec only says quote 2 x 360 pantry doors.

We've told them it's not our fault they didn't finish the spec and didn't ask what colour we wanted but they're refusing to accept responsibility. This issue may end up at the building tribunal.

The bigger issue we have is that we specified our appliances up front when the kitchen was being designed. We supplied all the dimensions and so forth. These appliances were all specified in the contract, even though we were supplying them. Now we find out the benchtop is 100mm too shallow for the cooktop. Now, the benchtop is in line with the pantry, which means the pantry would have to move to match the benchtop and then the oven tower as well....and so on.

We could change our cooktop, but why should we, considering they're already trying to blame us for their own mistakes with the pantry doors?

Kitchen and Bathroom cupboards added

This week, internal lining and brickwork rectification continued. Our kitchen and bathroom cupboards were also installed. Here are some pictures:

The kitchen - the chocolate colour is Laminex Mocha and the orangey colour is called Laminex Cuprum. The pantry doors are supposed to be Cuprum as well but someone made a mistake.

Another view of the kitchen showing more of the oven/microwave tower

The ensuite cabinets, Mocha again.

The main bathroom vanity - Laminex Pesto Linea

Plastering and floorboards - a few positives and many negatives

First the positives. Plastering has started along with some of rectification work for the brickwork problems identified earlier.

Alfresco brickwork stripped out for rectification above window

Now for a lot of negatives.

Numerous issues, such as stormwater drains being blocked, lots of cracked bricks, incompletely sealed windows, leaking taps and so on keep coming up and hopefully these issues will be sorted out.

Brickwork that was supposed to be rectification work, but still has not sealed the window sufficiently

Stormwater pipe blocked with clay

Our flooring went in this week, Blackbutt from Sydney Flooring. Unfortunately, the painter and site supervisor are intending on treating our timber floor as if it doesn't exist. Dropping paint all over it, not using drop sheets and so on.

Eden Brae advised us to install timber flooring at this stage and then sand and finish after settlement. Our contract says Eden Brae will take all care will be taken to protect the floor from any damage but apparently to these guys, all care means no care. Apparently, 5 minutes to put some drop sheets down is too much work and is somehow providing over and above "all care". However, the site supervisor did tell me they would use dropsheets to protect the kitchen if it were installed, because Eden Brae provide the kitchen. They just won't use dropsheets to protect anything not provided by them. Considering their advice their initial advice and the contract, you can make your mind up on that sort of form! We even have to mask the edges of our skirting ourselves because in the painters own words "he doesn't get paid enough to not treat the floor as if it were going to be covered".

Floors, skirting and plasterboard. You can see the masking around the skirting for the painter.