Moved In But....

We have all moved in and most rooms sorted.
Still a string of things to be finished before I can start providing information on how the house is performing. Contractors are back the week of 16th January to finish installing the features.

The solar water heating system is still to be installed, but is on site. The photo voltaic system is installed but can't be turned on until Meridian install the input/output meters. The rest of items are minor and will be finished in mid January.

Here are some recent photo's of the finished house.

Gardens in the front all finished, lawn down but still to be topped up and leveled. the color steel down pipes are all in place at last.

Front deck looking out over the lagoon, Porirua Harbour and out to Mana island. All finished with the glass balustrade completed, it looks awesome and gives a great viewing platform.

Garden down the side all in place ready for planting.

Lawn sown and deck wrapping around the house completed and laid out for outdoor dining with fantastic views.

Front of house all cleaned up ready for the water feature to be built early next year.

Family room and dining room looking on to the lounge all set up ready for Christmas.

View at dusk across the Aotea Lagoon, the Porirua Harbour and then through the Titahi Bay gap to Mana Island.

Finally In

Well on Friday 16th Dec 2011 we finally moved into the house, most things finished but not quite.

The weather in the last few weeks has served up lots of rain and this has definitely delayed the finish, but there have also been difficulty in getting things ordered, delivered or installed!!!

All of the raised gardens have now been built (by me and Jason) ready for the topsoil and planting. You can see in the garage the stack of solar water panels - they should be on the roof, but the rain slowed that down. Now due for installation in January.

The gardens around the house have their topsoil in and over this weekend we have planted the main shrubs and native plants. The lawn is nearly finished ready for planting, but needs more lawn mix and the drainage sump installed where the pipe is in the lawn.

Note the sustainable downpipes, another item that seems to be taking for ever to arrive. They should be in this week....

Down the side of the house the side gardens have been enclosed ready for topsoil this week. The deck down this side along with the steps is complete and looking really good. Note glass balustrade posts ready for the glass this week.

The deck is two days away from being finished. The steps to the top level are in and work on the top deck along with installation of the LED out door lights will now be completed. Should be sitting on the deck this weekend. The fence and raised gardens are all completed and the balustrade posts are in.

Inside the unpacking is making steady progress. Here you see the open plan family and dining room with access to the deck and lawn.

The kitchen area is also part of the open plan area. The concrete polished floor has come up a treat albeit it needs a clean. All whiteware installed, just the in wall Beam Vacuum system to be installed this week and the pantry light. The induction cooking hobs are in and I've still to work out how they provide their heat.

The entrance way now has a front door and the feature light is up. Still a few things to get in place but by the time you get the next update most of the features will be installed and hopefully fully functional.

Nearly Finished

This last week has been a rush of various trades to get things finished on time for Christmas. It looks as if we will move in on the 16th December as planned but won't have all of the features completed until early in January.

This week the LED lights were finished, the painting completed and plumbing installed. Kitchen partially finished waiting for a replacement bench top (the original is still on the Rena stuck on Astrolabe Reef).

Outside the driveway and paths are in, the deck is nearly ready to have its decking laid, the mowing strips are in and over the weekend with Jason's help I have installed the irrigation system which is connected to the water lillee system (see page on this system).

Here you can see the piping that is used, it is laid in a pattern to give maximum coverage under the lawn and every time we use the showers, bath or basins then the water goes out into the pump system and irrigates the lawn.

Here you can see the deck joists nearly finished and the front fence area starting to be installed.

By the end of the weekend I had installed the raised gardens and topsoil for the gardens and the lawn mix was starting to go down in preparation for the lawn seed to be sprayed on later this week. Here the front fence is partially up, just the gate and final corner to go in.

Looking back along the front you can see the final shape of the deck. The glass balustrade should be installed over this weekend along the front of the deck.

Things happening this week and weekend are, installation of the hot water system (but not the solar panels which will need to wait), downpipes finally to arrive, side fences and gates, catflap installed, carpets laid, kitchen finished, front door installed and painted, letter box, clothesline, deck finished, lawn mix down and gardens installed.  The house will get clean throughout in the next few days.Plants are being delivered this weekend and we will move in Friday afternoon...... Still plenty to do before Christmas.....

Nearly There

While it looks as if a lot hasn't happened this week from the outside, there has been frantic activity in the house getting the plastering and the painting finished. The whole house has had the ceilings, walls, doors, skirtings etc... all painted this week and the total painting should all be finished by end of Tuesday this coming week.

Spoutings are now in and the section has been leveled off ready for concrete drive and paths and then the lawns will also go down.

Outside the work on the deck has started and progressing well - and the plastering of the foundations is also nearing completion. The house now has power connected and the switchboard is nearly finished.

The deck will sweep around half of the house from the family room around the front, four steps down into the north west corner and then a couple of steps up to half way along the west side to the back door and clothes line area. There will be gardens along the side fence line and glass balustrade along the front from Provista Balustrades. See their range at  www.provista.co.nz

The deck is being installed by Steve Joss and his company Tierra Landscape Development - see their website for further info. www.tierra.co.nz

This coming week will have even more frantic activity as everything should be completed by the end of the week.... after all we are storing all of our household effects in the garage as of Friday morning ready for distribution through out the house once the carpet layer is finished. (The last thing to go in).

This week will see painting finished, plastering of the foundations completed, driveway and paths in, kitchen in, lights installed, bathrooms and laundry completed and the installation of the solar water heating system.

By Friday all should be ready for the carpet layers and cleaners to come in and hand over. Garden landscaping will also be completed in that last week except for my special rock garden which will go in later in January.