The House of Never Ending Dramas

I must apologise for the lack of blog updates in the last couple of weeks, I have been one very busy person and have not had the time.

I took possession of the house on 30 November which just happened to be my 43rd birthday (no smart remarks about the age thank you). I could not have asked for a better birthday present and I started moving in that night.

I had a mad three days of moving into the new house while cleaning the old house ready for hand over to the new owners, my thanks to June, Mark and Leanne for all their help with the move, I would not have been able to do it without you.

While the new house had been professionally cleaned it needed another one as dust had settled everywhere. I have since discovered that when living in a new estate with trucks going up and down each day it's hard to keep the place clean however it's funny how you love house work when it's a new house.

I had a blind company come out during the week to measure and quote on blinds. While plantation shutters are a little out of budget at the moment I have ordered Shutter blinds for all of the bedrooms and the bathrooms and roller blinds for all the other windows and doors. I don't expect to have them until after Christmas so am living with sheets at the moment.

So what about these dramas that I speak of, well where to begin?

As some of you who have been reading my blog will know I was installing my Kitchen appliances myself however the builder was installing the microwave. I was quite happy to live on frozen meals for a week or so. The first Saturday of the move it was 9:00pm, I was dead tired and had not eaten since the bag of jelly beans I had the night before. I take a frozen meal from the freezer, place it in the microwave press 'start' and nothing, not a thing! Call customer care on Monday morning and they say they will have to get a technician out, first day free is Wednesday. Technician comes out and says 'It's dead' we will have to replace it. Can't do that until the following Thursday so it looks like toasted sandwiches and salads for a week.

Sunday, after finding my TV cables I hook up the TV to the antenna only to get a mass of snow on the screen. So it's a call to my SS Monday morning and another one to the Antenna company who have installed the antenna but not hooked it up. It seems the antenna was installed before the star system and no-one connected the two.

Monday the Foxtel guy comes to install my satellite dish. I put some carpet off cuts down on the floor where he is going to work so it does not get scratched. Low and behold he still manages to scratch it. He offers to pay for it but I'm thinking I can polish them out. He is kind enough to give me a digi path for my trouble.

Tuesday morning I open my beautiful Bi-part doors to the alfresco area and one of the doors falls out of it's track. I catch it in time, put it back in place but cannot slide it. I call the SS and he is there within 30 minutes to fix it himself. Seems that the painters took the door off to paint and put the guides back in the wrong place.

Wednesday the guys come to install the oven only to find that the cavity is 5mm too small, yes the oven fits in but the door cannot be opened, another call to the SS who is yet to rectify this problem. The electricians remove the top trim so that I can have an oven and all is well.

The dishwasher is also installed on Wednesday but alas there's a leak, the gas fitter who installs my cook top fixes this and I am happy.

Thursday my phone is to be installed, I get to 4:00pm and still no technician so I call Telstra only to find that they installed my telephone (and the new number I gave to all my friends) to another house in the estate. I'm not happy as it was such an easy number to remember. They re-schedule for the next day, give me a new number and true to their word the technician is there at 10:00am to install it (takes less than 5 minutes)

Lastly Saturday morning I decide to do some washing. My friends husband kindly hooked up my washing machine for me when I moved. A lot of people warned me not to be surprised if after moving the washing machine I go to do a load of washing and the thing wont start. I put a load on start her up and it goes, I breath a sigh of relief and go off to continue unpacking. Twenty minutes later I think that the washing machine has been a little quiet. I go to check it and sure enough, not going, pumps gone. So it's off to buy a new washing machine, something I did not budget for but thanks to 'The Good Guys' I got a good deal.

So to sum up. While it has been a drama filled week I would expect nothing less. All new houses have teething problems and mine have not been anything major, just a number of them one after the other. I love my house and will love it even more when the 100 odd boxes are unpack, I have some more money to visit ikea and get my scrapbook room set up and my brother-in-law pays a visit and helps me get my garden set up. Once I have a couple of months to put my stamp on things it will start to feel like home.

Will update with photos once it starts to feel like home.

In a Whirlwind (Final Inspection)

Well it is almost time for handover and the last few day have been complete craziness!

In between preparing for a Garage Sale (which was advertised to start 8:00am Saturday morning but in fact in the eyes of the professional dealers started Wednesday morning) and packing I had my final walk through and inspection on Friday.

I was most impressed. Everything that I had been worried about when I walked through the house a couple of weeks ago had been taken care of without me having to point them out to my SS. Both the windows have been fixed. I took a friend along as an extra pair of eyes and with the companies inspection, the independent inspection and mine I am pretty happy.

My SS advised me that the feature wall in the rumpus room had been re-painted again due to damage made by the carpet installers and that they had also repainted the two walls in the dining as there had been a scratch in the plaster work and some dirty marks.

The only disappointment for me is the splash back in the kitchen. Although the colour ordered was 'stone' it does not seem to be the colour that I had picked out and taken a photo of all those months ago. Instead of a green tinge it seems to be more of a latte colour.

I could kick up a fuss and have it replaced but this would hold up the hand over for another four weeks! Do I want to do this? No! I know some people will say do not compromise but I am in a corner at the moment with having no where to live after this week, I just want to get into my home and if a green tinge on a splash back is all that's holding things up than it is not worth it. I have been told by several people who have spoken to sales people that the colour can vary from the show room once installed so maybe this is the case. Never mind, I will get used to it.

There were no other problems, just a few splashes of paint on the brickwork that will be removed in the final clean. I have even been given left over paint in case I needed to do touch ups after I move in (there can always be the odd accident even if you are so careful).

So - Where are we at? After much drama with my bank about getting the valuation and cheque (I am still waiting to be told when I can pick up the said cheque but have been guaranteed I will have it by Tuesday) We are set for hand over on the 30th of November! Could not be a better day as this is my Birthday and I could not ask for a better Birthday present. (Well maybe George Clooney wearing nothing but a bow tie but I won't let bore you with my fantasies).

The hot water service will be put in that morning, no appliances to go in as I am doing that myself, cleaning will be later that morning and I will have the keys that afternoon. Look out for the lovely curtains (aka sheets) in the windows that night.

As I have a hundred and one things to do between now and then this will be my last post until I move in. Look out for some photos next week.

Oh and one final thing. I had the pleasure of meeting two of my new neighbours who are also building the Santorini just a couple of doors up. Unfortunately because I am old and have the memory of a gold fish I have forgotten their names but they are a really lovely couple which makes me feel even more content that I have made the right decision in where I have chosen to live.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

For the last week my SS has been very quiet, rather than him calling me to tell me what is going on I have had to call him. Twice now he has said he would get back to me that afternoon with answers and twice he has not called back. Is there something going on I should know about?

The house has been finished now for a week. I received the Certificate of Occupancy over a week ago and was told that I should be getting the keys 19 November. When I spoke with him on Monday his Manager was going through to check things out at the time, yesterday it was QA so hopefully tomorrow it will be my turn. I need to get my Inspector in to have a look through, however they won't even give me a date that I can do that. I need to allow for the fact that my guy is probably going to find mistakes that need to be rectified so I guess I am looking at another week again.

So close and yet so far. Wish me luck!

November 19th

Yes that's right, November 19 is set as the date for handover!

Had a call from my SS today to advise that the Certificate of Occupancy has been approved, he has the painters coming in tomorrow to fix the facade and touch up around the house. His Manager will go through with him probably Wednesday and then Quality Assurance. He will then walk me through the house and my Inspector will go through on Monday.

It's now happening so fast. I have so much to do and so much more to pack. I am surrounded by 'to do' lists and have not crossed anything off. It's time to get organised!

Will keep you updated.

Photo Update

Had to go down to the house this morning to put my number on the window for the Gas connection so I took a few photos.

The facade has been fixed, didn't take much at all by the looks of things. It is yet to be painted however that will happen when the touch ups are done. There are a few more red stickers here and there but not as many as I want to see (I know no one wants to see red stickers but I know there should be a lot more).

The drive has been poured however it is yet to be finished as it needs to dry before they seal it.

There was a lot of work being done at the estate today with trucks coming in with loads of dirt. The end of the street was being rolled so it looks like they are getting ready to finish the road (this should make you happy Janine). I took a drive around the estate and noticed that there are four Metricon homes going up in Maplewood court, I'd love to know which ones are being built.

There has also been more tree planting along the boulevard and one of the side streets. I am just hoping that we get the same trees in our street as they provide wonderful shade and a shady street means $$$$ to the house.

Now I have to start thinking about the garden and what I am going to do there. I have three months from hand over to get it complete however I want to get on to it as soon as possible. I'm open to suggestions, I want something that is going to take care of itself but I'm not into natives. It looks like a visit to the nursery is in order. Does anyone know a good one.

Anyway, here are some photos, possibly the last before handover as there is very little left to be done now. I'm sorry if the quality is not too good, they were taken through windows once again.

Nearly a New Home Owner

Well it's been a little while since I have blogged as I have taken a little time off and been to Queensland to catch up with family. Had a wonderful time but I'm home now and it's all go, go, go as I start packing ready for the big move.

It seems like things have moved a little slowly in the last couple of weeks as it often seems to with building. I had a call yesterday morning from my SS saying that all the flooring was now in and all that needed to be done was the splash back which was going in on Monday and the driveway which was being poured today.

He said he would be going through the house with his Manager next week to check everything (this is where they put those little red stickers all over everything). The facade will be fixed this week and then he will get the painters to come in and do their touch ups.

I didn't tell him that I went to the house on Tuesday, found it unlocked and let myself in to have a little look around. I really was not happy with some of the things I found. There were scuff marks on several walls including a deep scratch in the plaster, paint on brick work and windows, paint scratched on skirting, paint on my nicely stained bi part doors, fly screens that were not in properly because they were too big, blood all over one wall from someone who had obviously cut them selves and one window frame badly dented.

I've made note of all of these, taken photos and if they have not been picked up in the Metricon inspection I will point them out to my Private Inspector when we go through the house. It's better that these come from him than from me.

I also noted that there was a sign on the window saying that the house had been cleaned however I still thought it was very dirty. My SS advised me that he would be getting the house cleaned again next week before hand over.

He also said that they would be applying for the certificate of Occupancy on the 8th of November which is Monday. I thought they would have everything finished to do that however it must not be the case.

Also got a call today from the energy company saying that they were putting in the gas metre on Monday or Tuesday and connecting the gas.

Oh and I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I thought the garage door was the wrong colour.....it is, however, this is my fault. I had chosen the darker door when I was having the original darker coloured paint work on the facade. When I changed the paint colours we had also talked about changing the colour of the garage door to the lighter one, it seems the colour consultant missed this and I did not pick up on it, my own fault but it is a lesson to any of you still in the contract stage to check things very closely. I'll live with it, 12 months down the track I will probably change the facade colour anyway.

So according to my SS I should be in my house some time between the 15th and the 20th of November. Keep your fingers crossed that this is true. If it is it will be Christmas Drinks at my house.

Keep you updated.

Floorboards Down, Wardrobes fitted

I know I said there would be no posts for a little while however I couldn't help myself. I had to go down to Baxter today and as the house is only a few short minutes out of the way I thought I would drop by and see if anything was going on.

The big pile of dirt is still down one side of the house and nothing yet has been done to the facade (I expect that will be another week away at least) however there was a guy there fitting out the wardrobes so I stopped to have a chat with him. He said to go on in as he had just completed the walk in robes and was about to start on bedroom 2. He will probably be finished tomorrow.

Master Robe Behind the door

I checked my drawings and I did not have a rail behind the door. He said he was not sure if there was meant to be one so he did it anyway, (I wont be paying for it) but it will be great as I can hang my shoes along here (not wide enough for hanging clothes).

This shot really does not give a true indication of just how big the robes are. This is every woman's dream. The lower rack is half again as long and there is plenty of room for storage boxes on top as well.

To my surprise the floorboards have gone down and I am really happy with them. There are a few boards here and there that are either a bit darker or a bit lighter however that is the nature of Tallowwood. I was advised the other day not to put a rug down for at least six months as it will darken up a little once the light gets on to it and if a rug is down it will leave patches. They have covered it with corrugated cardboard at the moment to stop marking.

Front Entry

Entry to rumpus room

Shower doors, taps and bath have now gone in as well. All that needs to be done to the bathrooms is the corking and a good tidy up. I am really happy with the pebble feature tile in the showers. Just needs some accessories to the rooms to add that oomph and it will look great.

Main Bathroom

En Suite

Pebble Feature Tile.

The next two major things to be done will be the carpet and the driveway which can't be too far away now. Then it will be just the little things here and there. Hopefully by this time next month I will be just about in. Fingers crossed.

One step forward two steps back

Met with my SS yesterday to go over what had been done in the last week or two and I wanted to speak with him about the front facade. Last weekend when I was there I noticed that the cladding on the right side of the facade was just over an inch narrower than the cladding on the right. It was only one sheet and it would not have really bothered me (I have looked at the facade dozens of times and never noticed before) but this is the sheet that my lights are going on and because the right is so much smaller my light does not fit. SS took a look and said it was not good enough, to leave it with him and he'd look into it further.

This morning I got a call from the SS to tell me that they will have to rip the facade out, re do it correctly and then re-paint it. He was wonderful about it and apologetic but it's going to be a couple of weeks before it's done as the contractor is on holidays. I'm just hoping that it does not hold things up as we were going so well.

A load of dirt has been dumped at the side of the house from from another site scrape on the estate. My SS arranged this as I need some dirt down the side and around the back so it helps the both of us out.

The deck has been finished as has the tiling. Both the outside and the wet areas inside still need to be corked however the SS has said they are finding it hard to find someone reliable to do this. My stone bench top went in on Tuesday (I'm very happy with it) and the shower screens, bath and toilets will be going in today or tomorrow. All that's left now are the wardrobe fittings, doors and the flooring.

I've decided to put the glass pendant lights I bought over the kitchen bench top. They don't do anything for the hall way and look a lot better over the bench tops. I will have quite a bit of electrical work to do after handover as I'm putting in a fan in the alfresco room, have all the outdoor lights to be done as well as a half a dozen lights inside to be wired in. I've also decided to put another power point in the laundry.

I'm not going to get down to the house for a little while now as I'm really busy over the next two weeks, hopefully the next time I have a blog update the floors will have started.

If anyone knows of a good curtain and blind place I would appreciate some feedback. Until next time here are a few more photos.

Three Months, Two Weeks, 3 days

Well this week there is not too much to report. Seems that very little was done this week. Perhaps all the rain is the cause for the painting not being completed. The painter has been working on it for 2 weeks now and still hasn't undercoated the front of the house. Just as well this does not hold up other work being done.

I couldn't get into the house as there was no one working on site so I could only peep through the windows. Love the job the tiler did in the laundry (sorry no photos) I'm hoping the bathroom and en suite look as good now that they are grouted.

All the locks are on the windows and the fly screens are on as well (I guess something was done) My bath has been delivered as I could see it sitting in the middle of the Master bedroom so I guess that will be going in this week. Dean said last week that the shower screens would be going in this week as well.

Have added some photos below.

Above: Garage door, I don't remember it being this dark when I chose it however I guess when I saw it at Studio M I was looking at it under bright lights and inside. Being against the lighter brick also makes it look a little darker.

Above and Below: This will give you an idea of the blue I have chosen and now you will understand why I am having my doubts about it. Friends keep saying that once I have my garden in and the different coloured foliage it will make it look completely different. I have to believe this.

Finally two of the three Metricon display homes opened on the weekend down at my estate. I dropped on to have a look at them. One is the Talbot and the other is the Santorini (my house) although I would not have recognised it. It had a huge butlers pantry, bi fold doors from the rumpus room onto the entertainment deck and the grand outdoor room. The bathroom en-suite was a little different to mine as well however I think they had to make the walk in robes a little smaller to have the bathroom the size it is. That is something I would not compromise on, robe space is important to me.

The lesson here I guess for anyone who is at the contract stage of building a house is to ask what your options are and when they tell you ask them 'is that all'. I had mentioned the butlers pantry and was told this was not an option with the Santorini, I also asked about having a bench right along the one side of the laundry and was told this could not be done. I have now learnt that you can do anything, it just takes $$$.

I think I've made a mistake

Ever have an idea of how something is going to look and then once you see things come together wonder if you have made the right decision. That's how I'm feeling about my colour choices, more about that later.

The SS called me yesterday to ask if I would come down to the house and have a look at the tiling in the laundry. The tiler and he were not happy with what Metricon had specified should be tiled as they had only made allowances for tiles to be placed behind the laundry basin not along the bench. Because my wall tiles are large only 1.5 tiles would be needed. The tiler thought this would look silly and wanted to know, if there were enough tiles, would I like the whole bench to be tiled. Of course I agreed as I had wanted this all along but was told this could not be done. The tiler said that it was just Metricon staff being lazy, hmmm.

Anyway I took a couple of photos of the tiling in the two bathrooms. I was happy with the floor of the shower recesses as he cut the tiles on the diamond. I am however so unhappy that I chose the stupid shelving Beaumont tiles had as it really does not go. As my friend said people wont notice once you have your shampoo and soap on there but I will.

The garage door is on however I couldn't see it as it was open, will have to take another trip down on the weekend when they are not working and see how it looks.

Finally the biggest hmmmm. The paint colours. I love the greens I have chosen for the rumpus and the family room feature walls however the master is very strong and I really am having second thoughts about the external blue. I'm really starting to think that it is a little bit 'out there', the neighbours are going to have a fit. It really does not look like the colour on the paint chip, it looks a lot brighter. Will wait and see the completed product and decide what I am going to do, it may look better once the door is painted and the blinds are on the windows. Once the front is done I will put up a photo.

Anyway, below are a few photos for you to check out.

Main bathroom shower, tiles are still to be grouted. The tiler is a really lovely guy who takes pride in his work. He also had great things to say about my SS and said he loves working with him as he really has his act together. Metricon had the tiles for the main bathroom cut square however he had enough nounce to know that it's all about consistency and because the en-suite tiles were cut on the diamond he did the same for the main bathroom. I am going to make the room 'pop' with hot pink, bright orange and charcoal towels and bath mats. I will post a photo at a later date of my inspiration for this.

En-suite tiles, I'm really happy with the pebble and it will look great once the grouting is done.

Master bedroom. The colour is Dulux Slippery Moss however it is a really strong colour. This photo makes it look a little on the olive side, it is by no means olive. Will have to wait until carpet and furniture is in and then decide if I like it or not. Just was well I only got two walls done, four would have been a bit too much.

En-suite vanity and basin. I love the basin and rather than having two basins I wanted to make this a feature so that I could have some big glass jars or a vase on the side. I'm happy with this and happy that I upgraded the handles. I am having small charcoal tiles around the mirror and a large long light above the mirror (same in the master bathroom) Once again I will make the room 'pop' with the accessories I put in there. Colours here will probably be in a green the colour of celery.

Happiness is a Busy House

Well there will be a hive of activity going on over the next week at my place as things really start to fly along.

Dean called this afternoon to say that fit-off will continue tomorrow ( robes linen closet and pantry) along with security. They will also begin finishing of the Electrical and Heating tomorrow and if the weather is good also the outside painting.

Within the next week stone bench tops and ceiling insulation will be in. Floor tiles to wet areas will be complete, decking should be complete and hopefully garage door will be on. Glass splashback will also be ordered however this usually takes about 10 days to arrive.

My sister is down from Brisbane this weekend so we are meeting with Dean on Saturday for a walk through. Will be exciting to walk through without having to to look through dirty windows.

I will update when there is more to share.

Now We're Talking

I wasn't going to go down to the house today as I have so much to do but I just couldn't help myself. I had to see what has been going on over the last week and I wasn't disappointed.

I'm sorry that the images are not that great, all were taken with my iPhone through the windows and some through plastic at that, however, it will give you an idea.

Internal painting is complete and I have a feeling that this week external painting may begin as I can see places where they have started to patch ready for the painting.

The first pic was taken looking through a hole in the front door, (they are getting ready to put on my additional locks I have upgraded to). This is looking up the hallway into the family room and the dining and alfresco beyond. To the left is the master bedroom and the right is the sitting room.

All the feature walls are painted and I am happy with the colours. I've not posted any of them here as the photos I took do not look anything like the actual colours. I will post when I have better photos later. I plan on getting someone in to do some more painting after handover.

Below is the laundry, looking a little yellow I must say as it was taken through green plastic. The washing machine will go under the bench and I am looking at having further cabinets put in to the left of the trough at a later date. The stainless steel trough is an upgrade. You can see one of the feature walls of the rumpus room in the background however in this photo it looks like an olive green which it is not, more of a moss colour.

Master bedroom below, with a glimpse of the en-suite cabinets through the door. I love my basin, now I wish I had done this in both bathrooms. Really love the walk in robes as well, can't wait until all my clothes are hanging in there.

Now to the kitchen. Below is the island bench. I am having one single under-mount sink. I don't feel I need a double as lazy water using me uses the dishwasher most of the time. The under-mount is quite deep and still is a reasonable size being 40cm x 40cm, good for washing those large pots you don't put in the dishwasher.

I really hate the big white air vent on the side of the cabinet but it is a necessity as it allows the steam to escape from the microwave. Without this condensation builds up and the cabinets warp, at least this is what happened to my girlfriends kitchen cabinets. They could at least make the vents in different colours to match the cabinets.

I have 11 drawers, four underneath cupboards and 4 overhead cupboards. I had thought of having shelving above the fridge but decided against it. I now wish I had and may now install this after hand-over. I have a friend who works for Metricon, I may ask her who does their cabinets and see if I can get them to do something for me.

I am supplying all my own appliances but will have to wait until after hand over to see them installed.

Finally the bi-part doors have been stained. They are not quite as orange as they look in this picture. It seems a shame that they will be covered up with crim safe. I'm also definitely glad I paid to have fly-screens put in. When looking at my garage ceiling it was covered in mosquitoes and some of them I think may have been on steroids, they were whoppers. I will be burning the citronella candles constantly.

Almost Three Months Down

Well we are almost three months into the build, while things are not going as quickly as I was lead to believe I'm still happy.

Dean, my new Site Supervisor took over this week. I had an introductory phone call from him giving me an update on where things were at. Cabinets would be in by Friday, plaster completed, bricks being washed and painters starting Friday.

When I arrived yesterday the painters were there so I took off to get them a dozen (much appreciated Krispy Kremes for morning tea). When I returned Dean was parked out the front doing some paperwork so he introduced himself and then took me through the house. He said he was disappointed that the cabinets were not in (He was disappointed!). His palm pilot had been updated as being installed so he was going off to chase that up and find out what was happening.

He has come from another building company (I forgot to ask him which one) and said the Metricon do things very differently (don't I know it). He was chasing up my Caesar Stone bench on Monday and the back deck as well so he seems on top of things. He said he was still feeling his way and apologised.

I took this photo from the front door with my phone just to give you an idea of how the house looks now that plastering is finished. I didn't take too many photos as I forgot my camera.

Dean hopes to have the cabinets in this week and expects the painting to be finished next Saturday. The tiling will be next on the list. I can't wait for tiling and bathroom to be completed. I'm nervous about my tile selections.

He also said to me that he would see if they can install my kitchen appliances for me. I told him I was advised that they could not do this due to insurance issues, however he's going to check with his Manager all the same. It would be lovely if they could do this.

Finally it looks like we are still on track for a finish some time in mid November. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me as this would be perfect.

I'm really happy that I have been fortunate enough to get another good SS. I was dreading the change as I really liked my previous one but it looks like Rob trained him up well.

Took a quick snap of the back of the house now that the bricks have been cleaned, very happy, nice colour, the odd dirty brick has gone and there is no green like some have had with the lighter Austral bricks.

Just a little post script. Does anyone know how I can get rid of crows? I have a resident Crow who has found that my antenna is the best place to sit and look out over the estate. He has kindly 'crapped' all over my lovely colourbond roof. Just as well it is at the back of the house and not the front! Any suggestions - and no, I don't have a gun.

Another week goes by

So it's Sunday and after a lovely brunch at the Middle Park Hotel it was down to the house to check things out and see what went on this week.

The back yard is lovely and tidy now however, there are two pallets of bricks sitting there just begging for me to do something with them.

The neighbour at the back has moved in despite no fences being up (the developers must not be too fussed about this) and there are heaps of houses just about ready for hand over. It is really getting exciting.

Looking at the house seemed that not too much had happened this week however, the cladding has been put on the front of the house, the down pipes are on, cornices are on and a few doors have been hung. There was also a big sticker on one of the windows saying that the garage had been measured for the roller door. There still seems to be so much to do and I can't see it being finished in 8 weeks. Here's hoping cabinets will be in next week and painting begun like the SS said.

More photos next week.

Anyone want to buy some bricks?

Spoke to my SS this morning about a number of different things (no issues) just getting info on when would be best time to get the fencing done, and the cross over changed etc. He mentioned that there were a lot of bricks left over (a bit of a worry there, did they forget to do something?) and he was kind enough to tell me that they are all mine, why thank you, and just how many are there? I guess I will see when I go down to the house this weekend. My neighbour tells me that people sell them on e-bay all the time so maybe I will do that.

On a better note I was able to get out of him a finish date for the house. Seems I am looking at 60 days from now for the house to be finished! That makes it the middle of November!!!!! I said to him I would plan on the first week in December as I don't want to get too excited and then be let down. Painting starts next week. It will really start to feel like a house once that is finished. Will post some photos Sunday night.

I'm waiting to hear back from the Rental Agent for the house I'm living in at the moment, she called yesterday saying that the Landlord has had a change of plans and would like to know if I wanted to stay on a little longer. I told her I wanted to have it for only another 6 weeks and she said she didn't think it would be a problem but would have to put it to the owner. Here's hoping that she agrees, it would make life a lot easier. Nevertheless I will continue to pack in case they don't like my terms.