Then the hiccups really started.....

1st August I get a call from the builder telling me that if we want to proceed with Laminex Metaline for our splashbacks, we will need to sign a waiver as they have had problems with it warping due to the heat of the cooktop.  We are having an induction cooktop so I don't really think it will be a problem, but again, after many phone calls and investigations, we decided we needed to step away from Metaline.  That meant going back to Albury/Wodonga to try and choose a different splashback.  

I went back to National Tiles and chose a tile but didn't feel at all happy with it (again very limited range).  I ended up getting a friend to pick up one of those tiles and got it home to compare it to the other colours and it threw green really badly.  That I didn't want. That meant another trip to Albury/Wodonga and this time I decided to go to Beaumont Tiles and I didn't care if we had to supply and Hadar install.  I couldn't believe it when I got there and Beaumont were now a supplier for Hadar!  They have SO much better range.  I even thought about changing my floor tile but just didn't want to upset the apple cart of production any more.  We also had a problem with the distance between our bench top and our overhead cupboards being 660mm and the tile we chose being 600mm.  I was also looking into a glass splash back and waiting to hear.  I was also looking into the cost of a glass splash back.

3rd August we got the next set of finals (!).  All was good and we were ready to sign when the SLO permit came back.  UH OH.....

Bottom line - we can't have the roof colour we want.  I couldn't believe it.  This one took a bit of getting over to say the least.  I was back to the drawing board yet again.

We had chosen  : Monument roof and gutters with dune fascia and monument windows. Our bricks are Boral Mocha.  I had agonised over these colours and I felt devastated.  So it was back to the drawing board.  We weren't allowed to have black, white or blue.  As the windows butt on to tiles I had to make sure the whole lot worked.  I nearly chose Woodland Grey but didn't like the green it threw.

The end result is: Jasper roof and gutters, Paperbark Fascia, Monument windows and, now garage door.  We were going to go with a timber look garage door, but for an extra $655 it didn't seem worth it.

10th August - finally a decision is made on the colours and I had heard back from Regency and the glass splash backs were definitely out of the question.  We've had to go with the 600mm square tile which will have a small cut above.  I'm sure it's one of those things that seems big at the time but becomes insignificant afterwards.  But, I'm told that I've missed the window with estimating yet again......

19th August - expecting the final estimation and also expecting to sign on Monday until.....the documents arrive and now we have an extra $4,308 due to engineering.  The most significant part of that amount is due to the fact that an ugly old gum tree is positioned on our nature strip and because of it's proximity to the driveway - we need 5 2.5m deep piers under out driveway.  I cried.  I've had enough - and this is ridiculous.  We have decided to go down the honesty road and get in contact with Council to see if we can have the tree removed and we will replant....but that could take weeks.  Either that or we decide to go ahead with the extra costs...and a bigger mortgage that we just didn't plan on. I'll be on to Council tomorrow and see what can be done. 

Now I'm confident in my colour scheme....here it is!
Roof : Jasper
Gutters : Jasper
Fascia : Paperbark
Eaves : 1/4 strength Paperbark
Bricks : PGH Mocha horizon

Kitchen benches : Essastone Sandstone Cape
Lower cupboards : Formica Streetlight
Upper cupboards : Avignon Walnut

Paint : Dulux White Exchange Half on walls and Quarter on skirts etc.

and still more preliminaries.....

By the 8th June, after a multitude of emails regarding unexpected things, I felt Hadar had all the information they needed.  So I waited.  I followed up on 17th June.  Nothing.  21st June - next set of plans and estimate.

22nd June I sent through an email with some changes that I couldn't have anticipated until I saw the physical plan although on 24th I see I sent an email with the final kitchen selection colours.  We also got the all clear for the 6* rating on the 22nd.

On 29th June I sent through our final changes - by this stage we had decided to supply quite a number of our appliances AND our laundry.  We could get a laundry for quite a bit less than Hadar were quoting (understanding of course that Hadars laundry would be cabinetry built but we didn't really care too much as the laundry would be in the garage anyway).  Anything we could to cut costs at this stage.

At this stage we were told about 2.5-3 weeks until we would get the final set of plans.  I was a bit shocked but took it in my stride.

On the 21st July I emailed to see how we were looking to be told another week due to estimation being bogged down.  Oh no!

Another unexpected cost in this whole exercise was the retaining wall.  Hadar had quoted us $20k - yep you heard right.  That was something else we hadn't planned on. Thankfully, as I'm writing this in August, my husband has been able to get that price down to $10k using a private retaining wall contractor.

On 21st I got on to the Significant Landscape Overlay permit - another unexpected $500.

28th July I emailed again to find out how things were going and I was told close of business (COB) on 1st August.

Preliminaries continue......

There was MUCH tooing and froing from that point until we paid the next instalment on 22nd April.

27/28/29th April there was a lot of plan adjustments but didn't hold things up I'm told.

30th April Builder came back to me regarding the electrical changes and said this would potentially hold things up.  Frustration was growing.

10th May I checked in with the builder as I'd heard nothing and was told we should have some answers....by the 16th.  More frustration.  At this stage, the estimated start month was July.  I checked in again on 16th May....told it would be 20th May......they arrived late on the 20th May.

23rd May I'm told that the standard range hood is no longer available.  We have decided (as with many things) to provide our own and they can fit.  More research to do=more time!....and extra frustration when I learn that where we were going to have our cooktop in the Island bench would add cost because of the type of range hood required.  I can't tell you my frustration.  As a result we had to change the position of our cooktop and sink. No big deal but just another change....and therefore another delay.  That situation (after so much research) didn't get forwarded to the estimators until 27th May.

24th May got an email telling us that we were a fair way short of a 6* rating.  Back to the drawing board with windows.  More frustration.  By the 25th May I actually asked the builder if we were better to quit this plan and go for one of theirs...but we had gone too far and it would cost us more.

27th May we forwarded our new window sizes etc - some have to be double glazed and some had to be removed and some had to be made smaller.

In amongst all this, on 26th May, I met with a colour consultant.  I was fairly set on my colour schemes but when we went to National Tiles, I found their standard range so very limited.  I made my choices but didn't feel right about them.  By 30th May I knew I needed to re-asses our colour scheme in the kitchen.  We had decided to have an Essastone Island bench but laminex on the rest.  After much deliberation, I decided to go with all Essastone which would cost us some $2k more but at that stage we had a bit of room to move.  I reassessed everything and came back with a colour scheme I was very happy with.  This was probably the one time I cost us time but I had to be happy.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen!  

Middle of the night Ambulance callouts at this time weren't helping my cause either let me tell you!