Beautiful Bricks

Visiting the Chateau this morning was so different to every other time we've visited in the past five months of the build. It is absolutely amazing how much difference a brick clean has made.

Our bricks look so beautiful. All those problems with the mortar and chipped bricks...not even thinking about that right now, the house looked amazing (well I think so) when we turned up and saw how nice the bricks was. It was lighter than what we've been seeing (and closer to what we originally thought we had chosen!) and it looked so crisp and, I don't know. I can't describe.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'm so happy happy happy with our choice of brick and our colours - probably the first time I've said that!

Cx

Beautiful clean bricks

Le Chateau

Timpelle delivery!

Internal doors (that first one looks funny - thinner than the others)

Skirting boards waiting...

Our cabinetry!

Rear of the house

Northern side of house (blind side)

Front - side view

Porch steps and piers

Bricks and a Break

On Friday morning (yesterday) we met our site supervisor, Scott for the first time and he took us on a walk thru of the house. He was great, very personable and happy to give us a tour of our soon to be home. He seemed pretty relaxed, and is quite positive that handover is not too far from reach now, and we're really going through the slow phase at the moment!

So I took a few more photos of what has happened - they've finally completed the entire ground floor for bricking, and the rest of the fireplace has gone up too. We've also got that final window installed - Scott said that they had delivered one with the wrong window sill width. They've started a bit on the first floor too.

I also noticed some pretty fluro purple spray paint in the kitchen - Timpelle have been out to do an inspection and final measure for the kitchen and left some notes on the floor!

The Milburns are off to take a break for a week and a half HOLIDDDDAYYYYY!!! So when we get back we will have full bricks, fascia, guttering and eaves by the time we get back. He said he'd try to send us a picture of the house when the bricking has completed - which should be this Tuesday some time (first floor is easiest and fastest). Shame we will miss it, but we are in dire need of a getaway right about now!

Enjoy the pics and I will update the blog when we're back...or maybe I'll post some holiday envy photos ;)

Cx

Piers now completed to the balcony

Competed up to first floor window - these weird weep hole placements are killing my life right now!

On the porch

Fireplace

Mr Milburn in the leisure with the fireplace built up (weep holes done well here!)

Blind side (I hate the metal poles for the neighbours fence can be seen from our side)

Northern side

Alfresco

The bottom window sill will be removed to slot the stone bench underneath

Just a few more ground floor pics

Just a quick one to say we went on site yesterday afternoon, and nobody has been on-site since we saw them putting the scaffolding up on Saturday! I was a little disappointed to see the ground floor still hasn't been completed - well it's just that bit at the front, the piers and the rest of the fireplace.

Anyway, it was getting a little dark but I have a few more photos from inside and out the back.

Cx

Alfresco

Leisure and fireplace

Fireplace from inside

Structural beam between leisure and kitchen

Looking out to the porch

Up Up and Away!

We got up bright and early this morning and went past the house, as we haven't had a chance since last Wednesday. There has been a lot of progress on the bricks, and they've almost completed the ground floor bricking.

On Saturday morning they put the scaffolding up so they can continue the rest of the bricking this week. We are expecting to see the ground floor completed by tomorrow, and the top floor starting to go up on Wednesday. Yay!!

Meanwhile, our SS told us last week that he's had some problems with the quality of the bricks - he's seeing a lot of chipping and cracking. He had a talk to Boral about them (apparently has something to do about how they bake the clay in the kiln or something...), and has told the brickies to discard any that are cracked or chipped and they'll be replacing them. So you'll see, there's a huge pile of broken bricks on site at the moment..!

Cx

Can see the piers and blade wall for the steps now

Bricks, anyone?

The Only Way Is Up

A bit more progress this week with the bricking - we've also gotten delivery of more of our bricks including the darker colour for the front portico piers.

The little holes between the bricks (for flooding?) aren't even which is quite distracting and I don't like it. I'm not sure what they can do now but why would they do that!! Not sure if I have a picture showing it but you might be able to see the three slots above the garage opening...

We've also noticed that one of our neighbours have put a fence up (blind side) so we've just got the other side to go when we move in then!

Hopefully we'll have the ground floor bricks completed by Friday night and they can start on the first floor on Monday. 

Cx

I hope that weird mix of bricks gets covered up with steps?

Bricking has Commenced

Despite the terrible weather we endured at the end of last week, Wisdom have still managed to kick off the bricking of our house - what an effort! We hadn't had a chance to see the house until yesterday afternoon, but I was expecting it to look exactly how we had left it last week so was so surprised to see some bricking has already started.

Took a couple of snapshots - they've mainly started on the side of the garage, bits at the front and a bit along the kitchen as well. Oh and our bricks look a THOUSAND times better than they did when they first arrived. Whether they were cleaned or the rain washed all the powder off...they look amazing I love them!

They've had that missing upstairs window delivered, and it is sitting in the room upstairs ready to be put in - our SS said something about it not fitting the frame but they'll be fitting it just before they brick that section.

We found it funny seeing that the theatre room appears to be the workers tea room - we found some chairs and an esky haha!

Our SS said that the ground floor bricking will be finished by the end of this week. Lets hope the weather holds out for us!

Cx

Main brick - Boral Escura Smooth Pearl Grey

Entrance

Foot of entrance

Front of the house - outside office

Garage

Kitchen

Back of the house

Found the cold point for the fridge

Tearoom/Theatre room!