We're in!

About a fortnight ago, we had our PCI. We had been issued a Certificate of Occupancy a few days before so we knew that we'd be in very soon. The PCI took a couple of hours and aside from minor things that required some touch up paint or  patching, all looked good. The private inspector came by a few days later and that was worth it because he picked up on things such as one scratched window glass, poor cleaning of the bricks etc. Comdain agreed to rectifying these problems.

On handover day, we were met by the owner of Comdain who took us through the house pointing out various features and what maintenance would be required in the future. It was fantastic having this final walkthrough with him as we discovered little things that weren't working properly (vac-pan in kitchen) and he too agreed that the brick cleaning was below their standards; all of which he said would be addressed. (In fact, the ducted vacuuming guys were out the next day and also helped us re-program the alarm).

Having spent a little bit of time now in the house, there are some things we absolutely love:

The vac-pan and the laundry chute are a hit with the kids who have been falling over eachother to do the housework.

Features like the wide eaves, double-glazed windows, fly screens on all openable windows have meant that we have been able to keep the house at a good temperature without using the heating/cooling.

Storage! ( enough said.)

Having the dishwasher and sink for dirty dishes in the pantry. 

We've also noticed things we should have done:

Added a Powerpoint in our long corridor for a nightlight.

Thought about practical things like how the ironing board would be positioned so the we could position a Powerpoint to suit that.

Road-tested our kitchen (and pantry) tap before choosing. The water stream just doesn't seem as strong as we would have liked.

Getting a louder doorbell ( or an intercom).

But there's not much to complain about. Comdain have built an amazing home. We'll keep you updated on post-handover dealings with Comdain.

A few pics:

Building with Comdain

With the end in sight, we thought it was about time we summarised our building experience. First and foremost, dealing with Comdain has been a real pleasure. So much so that it hasn't put us off the idea of one day building again. There is no doubt that you could build a cheaper house with another company and people often ask us whether the "extra" cost of Comdain is worth it. Here's what we think we got for our money:
Excellent communication - there was not one enquiry or email or phone call that wasn't responded to in a timely manner. Unlike our experiences with another builder, we did not have to chase Comdain for answers.
Custom design - when we originally looked at high volume builders, we were often trying to adjust their layout, accepting a façade we didn't particularly like because it fit our block, tacking on more rooms in odd places. Now we have a home that suits our lifestyle rather than the other way around.
Quality workmanship - The tradies that Comdain use have been with them for many years. Their attention to detail, and that of the SS and CM are clearly evident. In addition, they were great to talk to and provided us with some very good and sound advice.
Common sense - Going into the building phase, one of our fears was being locked into decisions made earlier that may later turn out not to be the best. Our concerns were unfounded. Comdain were very reasonable with ongoing adjustments and even suggested some themselves. In addition, they were accommodating when it came to other requests, e.g. allowing the TV antenna installation by a third party while their scaffolding was still up.

This is not to say that everything went to plan. There were details that were discussed early on which we were told we would be consulted about at the right time, that unfortunately never occurred. One example was trying to specify the location of the ducted vacuuming ports. We really wanted a vac-pan (port for sweepings from the floor) located in the main ensuite. We were told this could be discussed with the installer when the time came, but one day we walked in to find that the ports were all installed and it was too late to make any adjustments. This is not a criticism of Comdain particularly but a caution about the building process with any company. So much time is spent going through your wants and needs with the sales person and house designer but unless these are documented in your contract, it is likely that your SS or CM will never hear about or remember all of these. If you can't have a clause written in your contract such as "Locations of ducted vacuuming points to be determined with client", then you need to be on the ball and constantly monitoring your stages.

Are we happy we built with Comdain? Yes. Would we recommend them? Certainly.

Details of the PCI to come.

PCI booked

The PCI is booked and we are so excited with the prospect that handover may be before Christmas. We have decided to book a private inspector even though we have not used one to date. There are two reasons for this: firstly, there are so many things to look for from scratched glass to chipped paint and working taps that you're just bound to miss something; the other reason is because both the site supervisor and construction manager are really nice, reasonable and practical guys. If we had an issue that we felt was significant, it would be very hard not to accept their view as they have always been reasonable and professional. Hopefully there won't be any major issues but if there are, we won't be asking them to rush anything just to get in before Christmas.

Early Christmas present looking likely.

Fence balustrades and gates installed yesterday. Electricals done. Carpet scheduled for later this week.

 

Lights, camera, action!

Electricians in today hanging up lights and fitting powerpoints. Also in: glass splashbacks, sinks, showers, basins. All looking good. 

Still encountering small problems that need to be resolved. Some issues have been difficult especially if it's something initiated by us because we are constantly reminded that any changes could easily set handover day back. You really have to decide which battles to fight and what you're happy to concede.

Some random shots ...

Laundry with the big 70L Clark trough:

Guest ensuite

Storage!

Just add carpet!

Garage door installed!

Wet day in Melbourne today hence the colour of the bricks (and the frame of the car door in the corner).

Garage door in Jasper.

Balcony balustrade

Balcony balustrade colour: monument. Same colour as the metal infills for the fence. Really happy we decided to go with this colour instead of the original choice of Jasper ( of the flashing and gutters). Having the third colour really adds another dimension. So many colour decisions were made without a clear vision of what the final product would be. The monument was a win but the rendered paperbark is a dismal fail. We used to look at other houses and think "What made them choose that colour combination?" but now having been there, we can totally sympathise with others because you don't necessarily get what you asked for. 

Last dash

Who would have thought building a home was like being pregnant. In that last month, you're over it all and just want to move in ... then you realise that there is a whole tonne of stuff you should have organised earlier and now it's a mad dash to get things organised because like it or not, that handover date is getting closer. 

With Christmas and Summer holidays around the corner, we've decided the most we can hope for is to organise the security porch enclosure and perhaps the slats for the fence at the rear of the property. Getting the driveway done this year looks remote. 

Fence pictures

Landscaping issues

Progress internally is going well. Tiling of the downstairs wet areas and floors is almost complete. Painters have started. The only setback is that some of the internal doors have a manufacturing defect which has meant that Comdain have had to send quite a few back. This will probably set us back a week.

Attention has turned to the outside with the brickies  erecting the brick pillars for our fence. The top of the pillars were supposed to be finished with bricks set at 90 degrees (horizontally) to the orientation in the pillar. The design looked great on paper but in reality, as the pillars are rectangular rather than square, it would mean large mortar gaps between the bricks making it look a bit odd. This was explained to us and we have elected to finish the top with some (custom-made) concrete tops. An extra cost to us but hopefully this won't delay handover.

Something we hadn't anticipated were landscaping issues. House plans look great but they don't show you the reality of soil levels. We've had to start thinking about where we will need garden steps and because our front door is relatively close to the street, whether there is enough room for the garden gate to swing back as we'll as having steps to get one from street level to the front door. Soil levels and slopes have also become as issue because we would like to install another gate at the back of the fence. Time to call in the landscaper.

Fixing stage billed.

So the bill for fixing stage has arrived although there are still a few things missing (like basins and the laundry trough) but we'll leave that to the bank inspector. 

Downstairs tiling has started. Last week, concrete was poured around the boundary in anticipation of the brick fence. The rain has caused some delays with this brickwork but overall, progress has been good. 

Master ensuite.

For those interested, tiles are white and beige; cabinets: classic white; benchtop: Linen caesarstone.

Benchtops, tiling and talk of the fence.

Very happy with the tiler. Not only has he made fantastic progress but his attention to detail is excellent. Nice guy as well.

Stone benchtops are in, including the amazing "Shitake" caesarstone kitchen benchtop. It's probably one of the best "colour" decisions we made although we really have to credit Comdain's colours co-ordinator who suggested it in the first place. 

Good chance that the digging will commence this week for the brick fence. Looking forward to this because we need the fence up before we can organise the driveway and crossover. Also because it means the end must be near!

Polished concrete

A small peek of the polished concrete floor. 

For those considering this, it's worthwhile knowing that this process takes quite a few days (multiple grinds and treatment); with virtually no possibility of other tradies working on these rooms during and between grinds. Ours was only one room so fortunately did not hold up overall work on the house.

Tiling started today.

Watching the weeds grow

We've reached that really painful phase where work on the house is not visibly obvious. Others building will certainly know the frustration. 

Having driven past the site on an almost daily basis, we've got a good idea of which tradies are on site and on which days, so we're happy that there has been constant work on the house. It would be nice though if we received a regular update on activities. Comdain are always prompt at returning calls and emails, but it would be even better not having to chase them just to know how things are going. That being said, they are probably no different from other building companies in this respect. Anyway, in answer to our enquiries last week, it seems that the cabinets are all done, the concrete floor in the rumpus room has been polished and tiling is due to start second half of this week. What about the answer to the million dollar question - are we on track to finish on time? No comment. 

Cabinetry and stairs

Steady progress with kitchen, bathroom and laundry cabinetry. Pantry shelves also in. Stairs have now replaced the ladder ( which will be carpeted later).

Painting

Painters have been busy priming the internal walls and almost completing all the rendered walls on the outside. Having painted internal walls definitely makes the rooms look bigger again. 

Waterproofing has started and cabinets are being installed. 

No photos at the moment (sorry BW) because SS wanted us to get a surprise when the cabinetry is all in. 

We're ready to be dazzled.

Cornices!

Roof now complete.

Garage and Alfresco roof completed today.

A word about windows ...

In the interests of keeping our future energy bills down, we chose double glazed, Low E, argon-filled windows where possible. It is a significant part of the overall cost of the house but something that we hope will be worth it in the long term.

Our windows were installed by Stegbar a while ago and only because the stickers are still on have we noticed that some windows have the LowE side on the inside of the house (with the toughened glass on the outside) while other windows have the reverse situation. The person at Stegbar couldn't recall what the correct configuration was but he did agree that they all should be the same. There are a few more windows to install so Stegbar will be back on site at some stage to resolve this.

Scaffolding down ... but render issues.

Those who have read our earlier posts will know all the fuss around our scaffolding and the powerlines, so when the scaffolding came down today it marked the end of a difficult phase.

The house looks great (well we think so) but if you look at the rear side view you can see that the render and down pipes are a different shade. They are both "Paperbark" but the colour of the downpipes is closer to what we were expecting. For whatever reason, "paperbark" is darker on the render. In full sunlight, the difference is minor but when it's overcast, it is very obvious. We even prefer the colour of the un-painted render over the painted one but, as is the recurring theme in this blog, it's not important in the big scheme of things. Maybe it will be less obvious to us once the garden is established.

Plasterboard up!

So excited we got a look indoors today. The plasterboards are in and although they make the rooms look smaller (-that illusion goes when the paint is on, right?), it just feels like we're in the home stretch now. 

Other things noted - the ducted vacuuming points are in (- a shame because we didn't get a say in where they were placed), the cornices have been delivered, shower recesses and  laundry chute are in!

Part of our open-plan living-dining-kitchen area. Note the fireplace drawn in.

Position of our future stairs.

Shower recess.

The laundry chute - opening above and view down!

Subtle changes

Surprised to find that the plasterers have started their work today. Can't wait until we get a look inside.

On the outside, the final render colour (paperbark) is on and the down pipes (also in paperbark) have been installed. 

So this is lock-up

The bill has been sent so we must be at lockup. Due to the scaffolding issue, there are a few missing windows and the alfresco and garage are still without a roof, but we don't mind - as long as the bank agrees.

The scaffolding is due to come down in a few weeks ( another big effort involving turning off the power lines) so we have been trying to organise our TV antenna and solar electrical panels while access to the roof is still relatively easy. 

Internal plastering is scheduled to start next week. Very exciting.

Electrical work progressing

Steady stream of tradies working on the house this past week although little has changed in the external appearance.

We've had 2 on-site meetings with the electrician this week and one thing that you have to credit Comdain for is that they have excellent tradies. Consistent with our experience with the other tradies so far, not only was the electrician nice to deal with but he had looked carefully at our plans and made some very reasonable suggestions. He could have easily just interpreted the plans his way and not asked us about heights for certain power points, whether we wanted garden lights or whether we wanted the light switch to the walk-in-wardrobe inside or outside the door. With so many things to worry about, we really appreciate all those extra sets of eyes checking the detail. 

Outside transforming

Excited to see the rendered foam boards starting to go up on the first floor today.

As mentioned in our last post, we've gone back to the drawing board with the laundry design. SS and CM thought that the original configuration was a bit awkward in practice and came up with some modifications which we're quite happy with. Of course this will have to be put in as a variation but the changes make a lot of sense. The only danger really is that it's given us the opportunity to change our minds again regarding the choice of laundry benchtop, having already done this twice post contract signing. 

5 months since demolition

From the outside, it looks as if not much has changed since our last post but having driven by almost on a daily basis, we know that the carpenters and plumbers have been a constant presence on site. 

Getting to lock up has been hampered by the scaffolding issues but to Comdain's credit, there has been a lot of internal work which probably would have been started after lock up under usual circumstances.

Nice meeting up with SS and CM on site today: render colours confirmed, discussion about placement of keypads/doorbell/more noggins and a reconfiguration of the laundry. 

Current issues

Another meeting with SS this week.

The solar panels for the hot water system were installed on the roof last week much to our surprise. We didn't expect them to go on so early and would have liked them to be positioned differently to accommodate electric solar panels we were planning to install after the build. Comdain don't install the electric solar panels so we couldn't include this in the contract. There was no indication in the contract or on the plans where the solar panels were going and considering we had discussed our intentions to have other panels on the roof, we're a bit disappointed Comdain say they can't move the solar panels now. In the big scheme of things, it's not a huge issue but something for others to think about during their contract stage.

As the build continues, it is increasingly apparent that the attic is not as we had expected. The brief during the design was storage space but in reality it may not accommodate standard size storage boxes between the struts. This has been disappointing as we would have gladly paid more for a design to fit this requirement. Especially since our previous house (also double storey) on this site had a very good attic space that we could move around in. Another warning for others - its easy to look at architect drawings and see "four walls" but not supporting structures within the space. Be careful! 

Other than the issues above, things are going well although sometimes it feels like we're watching grass grow. SS has been extremely helpful with advice and suggestions regarding variations we want to make internally e.g replacing the ensuite toilet door and wall with a panel of glass to allow more light in. 

All in all, Comdain are looking after us and the only way you can stomach the stress of building is to accept that not everything will go your way no matter how hard you try. 

 

Progress with the new SS

Happy to report that things are all back on track. Met with the new SS this morning and did a walk through the house. Eaves are being installed which will then allow installation of the rendered foam boards and then ... lock up! This may still be 4-6 weeks away but at least there is progress. 

Plumbing rough-in still going on and shower heights confirmed. Electrician due next week which will allow us to see the heights and placement of all power points. 

The pictures from the walk-through don't really do it justice so here are just a few.

BBQ in the Alfresco area.

Corner view from upstairs.

Bathtubs (albeit in the kitchen)!

Brickwork almost done

Lots of activity on site this week. The upstairs windows are all in, and the brickwork is almost complete. 

CM emailed to say that they have appointed a new SS so we're looking forward to meeting him in the next couple of weeks.

Plan for the next fortnight is the plumbing rough in, then eaves and internal work. There's even the promise that the dodgy brick at the front of the house, which we asked to be replaced a month ago, will finally go ...

D-day

Well today was marked as the day for the power to be cut so the side scaffolding can go up. We were a bit worried about interruption from the wet weather but looks like it all went well. The scaffolding is up and we can't wait to see the first floor walls and those downpipes! 

We have roof!

Roof tiles and gutters

Looks like, weather permitting, the remaining scaffolding may be erected next week. While we wait, it's been nice to see that things are still progressing. Our Monier roof tiles (Madison in Soho Night) have been delivered and the gutters around the garage and alfresco (Jasper colourbond) are up.

I spy something starting with "s"

A very wet start to Winter for Melbourne. What a shame the roof is not on yet. Nevertheless there has been some activity in the latter half of the week. Half the scaffolding has been assembled which hopefully means that we are not far off from having the power lines issue resolved. Just hope the wet weather doesn't cause any delays! 

More bricks while we wait.

Just some pictures showing the progress of the brickwork ...

... and the roof trusses where our attic is suppose to be. Think we'll need to diet before squeezing through those.

Poorer, but a lot happier

Met with CM on site today to discuss the power line issue and walk through the house. There is something to be said for discussing things face-to-face rather than  by email or even over the phone. 

The problem is the high voltage lines running along the street. These need to be turned off to erect the remaining scaffolding, and again when the scaffolding is dismantled. In addition, there needs to be additional scaffolding "walls" erected so no one accidentally turns around and touches the lines with an object. The cost from the power company to organise this is just under $5k, which we will need to pay. Comdain will be paying for the extra scaffolding required. While we wait an estimated 3 weeks for the power company to get this organised, CM has scheduled for whatever work that can be done, to be done. Although we're a whole lot poorer, after dissecting the process with CM, we're confident he's done his best to resolve this problem quickly and in a reasonable way.

The offending power lines.

The walk through today was great; a chance to get a sense of the size of rooms and to see the view from the first floor. The only disappointing part was the realisation that the attic space which the architect designed for extra storage (essentially a space in the ceiling with a floor but no walls) is not workable because of how close the trusses are. We've pointed this out to CM and will wait to see what the response from Comdain is.

Windows delivered

The glass doors and windows have been delivered but they'll just have to sit there getting wet ... *sigh*.