I'm Coming Home

I'm coming home I'm coming home
Tell the world I'm coming home
Let the rain wash away...
All the pains of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits
They've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home I'm coming home
Tell the world I'm coming home...

We're coming home people!! Roll out the red carpet! Get the fireworks! Bring on the trumpets and the parade!

Ok that's way over the top and all of them don't necessarily need to happen :) but nonetheless we still got our keys!

So after 9 months and 10 days or 286 days, on Wednesday 22 February 2012, there we are with the key to our home, our sky island.

Hand modeled by our son

We were supposed to get them last December but still judging from the quality of the build, I think I will accept the fact that it is late.  However this would only mean that it is the end of Metricon's construction part.  Before we can move in, we still need to organise the flooring to be installed and the game of waiting isn't over as yet.  I can only now wished that we went with the complete build package with Metricon as at least they include the floor coverings and we can move in right away after the handover...

Landscaping is still need to be done, blinds and hopefully if we have enough funds, shutters and also fencing.

All our sides of neighbor have given the go ahead to build the fence and to do the necessary as we see fit.  They really are wonderful neighbors.

Part of the landscape is in fact nearly done.  Like I promise I will write a separate post about this and the flooring as well.

But here is our dream home at handover.

Landscape Plan

To get the developer approval as well as Blacktown Council, we needed to submit our development application along with the landscape plan.  Well other than the landscape plan, I don't think that the developer needed to see the development application.  Only the council do, however in order to progress to development application, we need to get by this first.

We hired a professional service, recommended by Metricon, to come up with our landscape design and plan.  The company is called Eco Design and according to The Ponds Design Panel, they are one of the company that have successfully submitted a landscape plan that comply to the covenant rules. There were actually two companies that Metricon had recommend but we chose to go with Eco Design.  We have heard and talked to them before earlier in the year in one of the Home Show annual exhibition in Darling Harbour held between April and May.  We'll definitely be making our way back to the exhibition next year to search for some home improvement ideas once it is built.  Plus they have some nice give away at the show some times.

We visited their stand and quite impressed with their design.  There were obviously some other landscaper within the exhibition but in terms of price, Eco Design was one of the reasonable one.  So when they were recommended to us plus they are also one of the company that have worked with The Ponds design panel, we didn't hesitate to acquire their services and it was well worth it.

This is quite a big move for us, having to move from a two bedroom unit to a four bedroom house (potentially five bedroom if we rearrange the floor plan).  In all these years as a family, we haven't had to do any gardening type of work, let alone lawn mowing.  Thus we wanted a garden that is easy to maintain and waterwise.

I've told our landscape consultant that I am a big fan of modern Japanese themed garden.  But I think that some of the 'Japanese' like plant that we have chosen will break our rules of easy maintenance.  Some of the other plans that we chose were natives and recommended by The Ponds design panel.

Judging by the very long list of the plant schedule, it would appear that it's going to cost us a fortune!

Some plants that were chosen for us and some that we chose ourselves:

Contract Presentation and Acceptance

On this day we had our contract presentation.  Like the tender, this too went well.

We finally get to see more working drawing of our house plan including the elevations, external and internal.  Although it is not final but we are just glad to get to see them!

We also get to see the latest version of the building price.  This is much lower than the number we initially saw during the tender presentation by far!!

We accepted and signed the contract pretty much on the same day it was presented to us.  We've gone through the contract at least twice and our presenter was really good  in explaining the stuff that we didn't get the first time.  What I found interesting was there was a line in our contract that says how much they are making out of us.  I don't believe that there many contract or quotes that actually have that line.  Not sure about other builders but hopefully they do the same!  At least this way, we can decide if we are willing to pay the mark up price of the builder.

We also had the external color appointment on the same day.  Apparently, we needed this to submit to the design panel and council approval.  One thing we forgot to do is to get a landscape plan done for submission, well to be perfectly honest, I wasn't aware that I need it.

Although there is no community levy charged on us but there is a standard guideline with our building and landscape design.  I guess with having a standard in the area can bring the property value higher.

On to the next bit.... External Color Selection!