Lock Up

I've been away for work for a few weeks and the house has progressed well. Cladding, rendering, electrical and plumbing rough in was completed. Here are the progress shots.

The nomenclature for the lock up stage is somewhat misleading, so for those interested;

Lock up Stage – means when the home’s external wall cladding and roof covering is fixed, the flooring is laid and external doors and external windows are fixed (even if those doors or windows are only temporary).

Front facade - Daniel Robertson London 50mm & Dulux Stepney render

Bristile Classic Charcoal Tiles, Rylock Charcoal Windows, Dulux Monument Fascia & Gutters

Render basecoat. Who chose the meter box colour?  Hmm, guess we'll have to re-spray this after hand-over.

Corinthian Sunburst Front Door

Here is the Corinthian Sunburst front door and associated Gainsborough hardware we chose. We went with the Corinthian Pivot door system in full height 2340mm x 1200mm - the system gives the door that "floating feeling", especially given it's weight.  It's an expensive door at $3-$4k, given the 1000mm versions can be installed for $1k, but why not make a Grand entrance!

More details here

From Corinthian website, must be 2040 x 1200

Our Door... 2340 x 1200... nice!

Note - Gainsborough products can be seen at the Caroma Concepts Centre in each state.  

Mains switching pumps

We already had 2 x 2500ltr tanks, so all we needed was the pump to provide rainwater to the toilets as part of our energy star rating. Most builder's spec the Davey Rainbank series, in our case a KRBS2 internal pump. The internal pumps are used to reduce noise and may last longer as they are a sealed unit? I still wasn't certain which particular model I wanted based on capacity and whether it should be an internal or external unit in the event of maintenance, warranty, etc. A quick search and I came upon these comments on whirlpool.

The mains switching should not be electronic, in the event of a power failure (very rare) and the electronics in current systems tend to fail.

The AcquaSaver water diversion is hydraulically operated and seems to fit the bill nicely.

Claytech engineering partner their pumps with the AcquaSaver so I began to look at their CMS5A until I realised it's the same unit as a Leader LMS5A. Leader are sold by Bunnings, so I will get a friend to place a special order.

UPDATE: I overlooked something obvious. When flushing the toilet at night, an external pump will be noticeably louder. We've ordered the Leader LMS 6A internal pump with aquasaver water diversion and mounting plate.

Leader LMS 6A

Video Intercom Options

Our electrician quoted on the installation for a video intercom system and it seemed quite expensive. No doubt it was a good unit, but since I'd previously installed a cheap system in the old house and still had the camera mounted in the front fence (yes, we managed to keep most of the front fence during construction) I was keen to do this myself.

When you start looking around it seems that a lot of these systems are chinese branded products that can be purchased on ebay or advertised in bulk on alibaba. Quality tends to vary in these units, as evidenced by our previous model whereby the volume adjustment just didn't work, so I wanted to find a reputable brand or proven product. This is where I came across Samsung video intercoms. It seems that most people are impressed with the high resolution graphics and have only good things to say about them.

Samsung SHT-6810 from Digital Doorlocks (~$3k with automation backend requirements)

Samsung SHT-7507 + SHT-7171 + SHT-CN610 ($1100) < Will probably go with this one

Futuro is a proven Chinese unit by Videoman

Futuro 7.2M (ebay)

Goop Guys temporary window coating

Our Rylock windows were supplied without protective film on the glass, something to do with their handling policy. The protective film prevents the glass getting scratched during bricking and rendering. At the time we didn't think of it and asked for the film to be supplied along with the windows. We went to Rycon and asked them whether they could apply the film, but getting chippies to apply window film is not the best use of their time.

Whilst driving through a Mirvac estate in Wantirna we noticed advertising on the windows for Goop Guys. Goop Guys provide a great service applying water based peelable coatings to windows, benches, floors, baths and cars. David from our local franchise was really helpful in explaining the process and came onsite at just the right time to apply the coating to the ground floor windows after they'd been installed and the upstairs windows whilst they were still stacked downstairs. Application costs ~ $350-400.

As you can see here the windows have been installed, goop applied and the bricking is continuing.

Framing mostly complete

The upper story is taking shape and the hallway annex is going up

Garage trusses now in place

Master bedroom and ensuite trusses in place, along with front windows 

Rylock Windows Arrived

Our Rylock Windows were delivered to site this week and now sit on the ground awaiting installation. The process of window selection was by no means an easy task, deciding on style, manufacturer, size, type, etc. In our case we chose thermally improved double glazed aluminium windows for the whole house, with low-e glass on the north facing windows. The standard supplier offered a large selection, but not the same quality as a specialist supplier. Window type/quality (i.e. standard residential vs. commercial grade) vary greatly in price and you can soon find you've doubled the budget for windows, be warned.

For further info see my previous blog post

Stylish Shower Drains

Thought I'd look for different styles of shower drains and came across some sleek designs, especially this Dallmer integrated linear drain link. Sized at 300x40mm it lines up perfectly with your 600x300mm tiles.  It's an expensive option at around $250, but would give any bathroom that extra 'wow' factor.

Update: We approached our site supervisor about changing the drain and he automatically thought we we're going to ask for a channel drain. It's seem like this is a common request, that can be an expensive option depending on the number of showers, length of drain and plumbing changes required. We've also noticed at our friends places that the channel drains tend to clog more frequently, so we think we'll stick with a shower drain gully and waste basket like the following;

Update 2: We ended up purchasing the ACO Gully 150x150mm square tile insert drain. The drains cost ~ $130 each (twice the price of similar products) and are made of stainless steel, rather than chrome plated brass. The total height is also much lower than the ones stocked locally and means the leak control flange will  be flush with the cement sheeting in shower base.

ACO (German) - Gully

Bounty Brassware - Bermuda

Carpet Options

If you walk into a carpet retailer and say you have kids and dogs, they will point you straight to SDN (Solution Dyed Nylon) for stain resistance and high traffic areas. In our case we started with a particular Carpet Call store that was recommended by Rycon and soon found that the options were rather limited given we were after a shade of grey. As a double whammy, most wool/wool blend carpets will have various earth tones only, but if you're after grey that is not (brownish-grey) you will invariably end up with a SDN.

We eventually found a Tuftmaster SDN 60oz carpet with a colour called Gothic 990 which was supposedly exclusive to another supplier, so were about to credit the carpets to go to the other supplier until we found out the 'trick of the trade'. It seems suppliers will provide carpets to retailers under an exclusive only 'range' that leads you to believe they are the only provider. A quick search of the exact colour may lead you to other retailers who have the carpet you are after under another 'range' and Carpet Call were able to source this range after all.

Online Carpet is a good reference for pricing

For the underlay we chose the heaviest Airstep Supa Blue to add that super plush feel; we'd highly recommend upgrading your underlay given the cost is negligible (specifications)

Summary of underlay options and good site for getting an idea on pricing Online Carpet Underlay

Rycon built home for sale in Glen Iris

Came across another Rycon home for sale in Glen Iris link.

Framing lower levels done

Panorama of current progress...

Colour Selection Resources

 Colour selection, by far was the most painful part of the process.  Although it was fun to begin with, it will quickly do your head in and colour consultants can be helpful but the best advice we can offer is to collect heaps of magazine cut-outs of colour schemes that you find appealing and start from there.  One thing we found is that the volume builders (ie. Metricon, Porter Davis, Simonds, Burbank, Glenvill...etc...) do colours well as they employ teams of designers/architects/consultants to formulating their range & do al the hard work for you, so checkout their websites - most have good facade finder tools.  'Display Home Magazine' is a good one to flick through to see different colour schemes used by boutique through to volume builders.

Here are some handy resources we found to help with colour selection:

• Order Colorbond swatch samples here
• Metricon Studio M envisage to help with colour selections here
• Find colour swatch information here

New B&D Timbercoat Colours

We're trying to finalise all the colour selections and it's not getting any easier. We drove to the B&D display in Kilsyth where they have the new Jarrah Timbercoat finish on display. Jarrah looked too red for us and the cedar was too light. We're thinking the Merbau is the way to go. Now I just need to see an example.

Wiring, Switches, Dimmers, Powerpoints

Most of the upgrades on electricals were the addition of powerpoints, downlights, lights, switches, etc. The standard inclusion were Clipsal slimline, that look pretty good, but I was able to upgrade all switching mechanisms to Clipsal Impress to add that touch of class, not to mention how handy they will be for finding the switch in the dark. I know a lot of people spend a lot of money on C-Bus or Saturn switches, but I came across some info that said there are some aethestic limitations, particularly with 3 way switching. For example, a light switched elsewhere may not trigger the lighting in a Saturn/C-Bus 3-way switch. Our electrican knew exactly what I was talking about and said they have to provide additional wiring as a workaround, so even more reason to stick with the basic slimline and add impress mechanisms.

Pushbutton Universal Dimmer with IR remote

Clipsal Slimline with Impress

Impress Mechanism

Clipsal Powertainment 6 way with data/tv

Cedar Bath Mats

The house hasn't really started and we're already thinking about furnishings, odds & ends (getting a bit excited now!). We both liked the idea of cedar bath mats as they will not rot or produce mould and found a supplier in QLD Eumundi Cedar - this guy makes them locally, has set sizes & will also do custom sizes.  He uses stainless steel screws & rubber supports which is far superior than cheaper mats we've found. For anyone that's been to the Eumundi markets, 20ks from Noosa, it's a beautiful area and it's good to know they're made locally.

Schweigen BR500 Ducted Exhaust System for Drying Room

We picked up the exhaust fan for the drying room today and were surprised at it's size, or lack thereof but we are assured it's performance is exceptional.

The idea for a drying room came about due to the odd shape of the house, as one side of the house steps in several times and it was the perfect way to utilise an alcove. The obvious choice was to run the heat/cool vent into the drying room, but this tends to create excessive moisture in a confined space, possibly resulting in mould and moisture damage to the surrounds. We thought it better to pull air through using an extraction fan, imitating the current Asko drying cabinet design link.

After reviewing the details today, I may have gone slightly overboard with the BR500. Hopefully that means the clothes will dry much quicker ;)
Asko air movement 200 m³/hr, with approximate drying time for full load 120mins.
Schweigen BR500 using 150mm flex duct should attain between 550m3/hr to 650m3/hr

Charcoal Roof & Monument Fascia Gutters

Choosing the bricks as a starting point was reasonably straight foward, we knew what we liked and decided on the Daniel Robertson London bricks.  It's worth getting the opinion of your brikky or builder on mortar colour, as this can greatly change the look & feel of your facade.  For the Daniel Robertson London brick we chose, a light grey mortar really brings out the blue/grey, which is exactly the modern cool palette we were after.  Had we gone with a 'natural' mortar, the bricks would've looked more brown/tuscan - giving our home a completely different facade all together.  Render colour will also impact the overall look, so choose wisely.  the more sample pots you get, the better!  And make sure you view them next to the bricks (as many as you can get a hold of) & at different times of the day, in & out of direct sunlight.

Light Grey Mortar

Natural Mortar

For roofing tiles we decided on the charcoal (again, to bring out the blue/grey of the bricks).  You'll find the sample almost looks black but this is misleading as we soon learnt they look much lighter on a roof so ask the manufacturer for addresses so you can do some drive-by's; that's the only way to see the true colour. The only colorbond option for fascia's and gutters which complements our colour scheme is monument, so we've been looking for examples of the two. Now the hardest part... the render colour?

Bristile Classic Charcoal Roof with Colorbond Monument Fascia & Gutters

Toilets & Basins

For toilets and basins we were advised to see Reece Bathrooms and make our selection. Although they had some fantastic stuff, the items we liked were out of our price range. The other thing that surprised me was the amount of 'Italian' themed products that were in fact made in China. I assumed that most of the Caroma products were Australian made, but apparently this isn't always the case.

I was trying to find a particular basin and came across a company called Gemini Industries. We found they had a good range of stylish products at a reasonable price. I think you can get them through Reece or Bourne, but they are not commonly found on display. We asked our builder to source them. For the powder room we wanted something a little different/special and sourced a semi-recessed oval basin online.

Heart Flush to Wall

Quado 450/600/900mm available

Studio Bagno Ovo Basin for the Powder Room

Base bricking, garage slab, subfloor

Whilst we've been finalising the electrical and kitchen variations, the guys have been hard at work with the house. The base bricking was done, followed by the garage slab, concrete stumps and sub-floor.

Update on the rangehood, from Schweigen to Whispair

We were almost about to buy the Schweigen WM2190-SP 900mm rangehood when a sales rep mentioned the advantages of baffle filters, rather than the mesh type.

             

• More airflow
• Easier to clean
• More robust
• No oil drip
• Less noise, but can create hum if not setup properly

We also learnt that the tapered shape offered much better airflow than the flat canopies.

After further investigation we found a relatively new brand on the market Whispair. Someone mentioned that Whispair was started by an ex-Schweigen director/owner, but this could be pure speculation. After contacting Schweigen we got an interesting answer regarding noise and designs, but essentially their product won't be out  till later this year.

We have now purchased the Whispair London with Pro Plus motor - http://hausappliances.com.au/w5l09s.html
It's very similar, with minor improvements - LCD display (possible point of failure), dual halogen lights, baffle filters & higher airflow with Pro Plus motor.

NOTE: You won't get a discount on this brand as they have the same distribution model as Miele.