Electrical Fitout

After our Meeting with Barbara last week in Rhodes, we are finally at completion of the paperwork. Barbara was so helpful during this process. Her knowledge and quick communication was simply incredible, and we were really impressed.  Barbara has had many years experience in the electrical industry, has previously worked for Clipsal, and has an electrician for a husband!

The way the appointment ran was great.  It lasted for roughly 3 hours, and was presented in a way that was clear, concise and easy to follow.  Barbara's laptop was connected to a wall-mounted LCD screen so that our electrical plans were visible to us, and we could actually see changes that were made in real time.  We were also able to look at all of the choices available to us, in terms of switches, fittings etc.

We had very good inclusions within the tender and also the standards within the Rawson build to start with.
12x 11W LED downlights and the 'Lux' standard inclusions.
Lets start with the standard plan. What do you get?

Now the final plans. This is what we ended up with after the meeting and email conversations.
You may have to come back and have another look after reading ;)

Firstly, the additional points on this plan are;
5 x 10A 2 Socket GPOs
1x Digital TV Point
1x Foxtel Pre-wire
5x Category 6 Data points
3x Wiring only for light points
19x Downlight provisions (plug-base in the ceiling)
3x Flood lights (upgrades on external J-boxes)

As the house is a two storey, there is only one chance to fitout the ground level for lighting, power and data. At least 90% of the extra costs are incurred here.  Barbara advised us that she has seen many clients attempt to complete electrical work on the lower level post handover, and it has usually turned into a nightmare.
You will also see a strange mix of battens and downlight provisions, which is all due to the handover 'Occupation Certificate'. You must have at least one light in each room.
Data points are provided in the Leisure, Study, Dining (on ceiling), Family, and upstairs hallway (on celing). I will be using corporate grade wireless equipment that is available to me through work. The Access Points will be mounted on the ceiling to maximise decent WiFi throughout the house. The units are small minimalist white boxes, featuring internal aerials and small activity lights.

Lucky for us, we have an electrician in the family for post-handover fitout of the additional lighting.  This will be easier on the pocket upstairs and also means we will have access to 'trade supply pricing' for LED lighting throughout the home.
Upstairs is pretty standard. We have mainly placed lights in the bedrooms so that extra LED downlights can be simply retro-fitted post handover, and no hole patching will be necessary.

Extra lighting circuits in the ensuite were necessary as the nib wall doesn't run up to the ceiling. Another win here was that we had the cavity door moved in the WIR so that we had a wall section adjacent to the ensuite shower to provide more space for a towel rail, which was previously lacking. This will have a heated towel rail which will be installed after handover.
 ** This was a fortunate opportunity as we hadn't yet signed the internal selections. Otherwise a drafting charge would have followed. I can't help but think this is a common pitfall that project builders bank on.

Also, with all these extra lights we had to pay for an additional 10A circuit on the switchboard!

Finally, there are some small luxuries hidden in the plan, which you may, or may not have noticed:
1) A power point installed in the kitchen cabinet (also switched on the kitchen wall switch) for under cupboard/over bench LED strip lighting.
The overhead cabinets will be mounted on 20 mm which will create a neat / hidden reveal to hide the LED strip.
 ** Another fortunate change due to unsigned interior selection paperwork
2) Multiple areas using two-way switching: in entry hallway, stairs, spot lighting in Laundry/Garage, upstairs hallway.  The convenience of two-way switching can't be beaten. The only standard here for Rawson is for the stairs. All others are variations to standard.
3) Master Bedroom bedside pendant light provisions.  ie extra wiring in the ceiling and light switches on the nib wall behind the bed. His and Hers switched lights.

Interior Selections

We met Annie roughly two weeks ago for our interior selection meeting at the color selection centre in Rhodes.  We were very pleased with the interior selection process.  The initial appointment with Annie lasted for approximately four hours.  During that time, we went through the entire house, one room at a time.  Annie showed us through the various areas of the Rawson Selection Centre, where we were able to view the products that were available to us as part of the standard inclusions, as well as the products we were able to choose as upgrades.  Annie was a wealth of knowledge, and was able to draw our attention to a number of finer details that we may not have considered on our own.  Although we had some ideas going into the meeting, she really helped with the practical side of the layout and materials.  Whilst the initial appointment lasted four hours, there were many decisions to be made afterwards, and a number of changes in the couple of weeks that followed, before signing off on our selections.  Over the last week or so we have been deliberating over the gas cooktop and fridge / freezer pigeon pairs.  I can finally say we are done. Annie has been extremely patient, and unbelievably efficient.  Her communication is second to none.  Email requests for changes, quotes etc, have been followed up almost immediately, and we have been very happy working with such a lovely, professional staff member, where nothing is too much trouble.

As I am reflecting over the week, I’m so glad we added the Envy upgrade to our tender.

Among other things, the upgrade adds 40mm caesarstone benchtops for the kitchen, 20mm for the bathrooms, and a nice fltout of the laundry.


Kitchen:
We have have chosen 40mm standard caesarstone in 'osprey' for the bench, polytec sheen polar white cabinets and drawers, and polytec belgian oak in matt as the island bench feature panels and drop-down bench. The sheen polytec finish is a variation. This is quite a practical 'middle of the road' choice given the surface shine is not as significant as 'super gloss', which we found seems to show every fingerprint, yet it is also not as dull and flat as the standard included 'matt' finish. We also added this upgrade finish to the vanities in the bathroom, ensuite and powder rooms.
We have added a lowered 'drop-down' bench section in 70mm laminate, off the end of the kitchen island, similar to the one featured in the display home at Kellyville.
We had a few other low cost variations added in, such as finger pull cabinetry, and extra drawers in the island bench section.
Over the week, we also decided on a fisher paykel pair of 635mm wide fridge/freezer units which the kitchen manufacturer ELBA and Rawson thankfully accommodated in the kitchen layout. We struggled to find good alternatives for the standard gas cooktop, and after reviewing 6 alternative options that Annie quoted for us, we decided on the Bosch PCI815B91A.
Towards the end of this week (during our electrical appointment, which I will discuss in the next post) we managed to get approval for the installation of a concealed 20mm timber batten behind the over bench cabinetry to accommodate future LED Strip lighting.  Also, a sneaky 260mm deep drawer in the island bench will be used to hide an internal power point within the cabinet. This will keep the kitchen free of USB / iThingy clutter, as they will charge 'out of sight', inside the 260mm drawer, and off the kitchen bench.

Caesarstone - Osprey

Polytec - Polar white

Polytec - Belgian Oak

Drop-down bench will feature in Belgian Oak Laminate (see colour sample above).  In the display home, it is made from white laminate, which up close, looks rather cheap and nasty.  Annie pointed out that this is because the joins are much more visible in white laminate, which is why we decided to change the colour of the drop-down bench to Belgian Oak.  It will also match in with the feature panel on the island bench.

Bathrooms:
Similar to the kitchen, we chose 20mm caesarstone in 'osprey' benchtops, polytec sheen polar white cabinets and drawers. A few extra drawers were added, as we felt the standard vanity didn't have enough.  We chose non-standard basins and went with the Caroma Leda Vasque bench top basin for the Main and Ensuite vanities, and decided to have these semi-recessed in the Powder room vanities, where cabinet space isn't as crucial. A soft close Caroma Cameo toilet is included in all these rooms as part of the Envy Bonus. Lastly, we couldn’t resist the modern Caroma Newbury Bath, so we upgraded these in both the Ensuite and Main.

Upgraded bath

'Envy' included toilet

Upgraded sink

Laundry:
The Envy Bonus gives you a rather simple but nice little laundry fit out with a drop in sink/cabinet, laminate bench top and broom cupboard. We chose Snow Fabrini bench laminate which mimics the color and character of the osprey caesarstone, and polytec matt polar white. We also requested that the cabinet be moved up the wall towards the hallway/linen cupboard to gain more space for the whitegoods.
We are getting very excited about our huge, functional laundry!

A number of colour decisions were made during our appointment with Annie.  Interior wall color will be quarter tint Surf Mist.  Surf mist is the colour we chose to use externally, and on the window frames, so it should all tone in rather nicely indoors.  Our package allows for one feature wall, and we chose this to be the upstairs nib wall in the leisure room. The nib wall has a recess within the leisure room which will be painted in 'Candlewood'.

The front door, study rimm double glass doors and staircase will be stained in Sikkens Ebony, a lovely rich, dark colour. The staircase itself will be a closed tread, finished in Victorian ash featuring timber posts, handrails and stainless banisters.






















Stay tuned for the next post - electrical fit-out plans!  Some hints so far, but we have more ideas to share that hopefully others can learn from!

KD is for Knock Down - Part 1

We have the survey 'siting plan', which we received during the preparation of the building plans. This is critical for locating the trees, buildings and levels to submit with our demolition application.

I have been cleaning up around the house after the regular mowing and general drop-ins. We have lots of sandstone garden edging and lots of bricks and concrete/mortar spread throughout the yard. Over the last 2 months I have been increasing the areas I mow and clearing out the rubbish and weedy growth. I never fail to fill the Green waste bin, which our friendly neighbour always rolls out every fortnight. I can nearly see the back fence now!

I have sifted out sandstone from the bricks and mortar lumps and have also started to lift the garden edging. I plan to use the sandstone for a retaining wall later on. I counted 46 lineal metres of garden edging and a small square of sandstone paving. The rest of the garden edging and some plants will be 'recycled' to use later. 

We also submitted a tree application for the removal of a large Mango tree with Parramatta Council.  A couple of days later, I received a call from a council officer stating that "you don't need council approval to remove fruit trees".  Whilst we were of course pleased that we could go ahead and remove the tree without permission, I was a little baffled as to why they physically perused and accepted the application in their Parramatta offices in the first place, as it meant that they then had to issue me with a cheque refund for the application fee.  We are very pleased to be able to remove the tree, as it would have been an eyesore from our kitchen and eastern side access corridor. Not only is it an unattractive tree, but it smells of rotting fruit, and attracts flying bugs.  Even if you were willing to put up with the smell and appearance, it is too large and tall to even get to the fruit.

We have also been advised to disconnect the Natural Gas Meter. This is a rather puzzling process. Our gas retailer, Origin doesn't actually own the gas meter, or the network that delivers the gas. Rather, Jemena is the group that maintains this infrastructure. It seems a disconnection is not a simple matter of turning the tap off and locking/tagging the outlet. In effect, Origin submit a request on your behalf, called an abolishment. The strange thing is, there is not a standard price for this service. Origin were unable to even give us an approximate price guide.  I don't know what to expect when the bill arrives and I'm a little anxious about it.

So, earlier this week I received an email saying that the Meter Removal and Service Cutback had been sent to the local distribution network. When I visited today I was pleased to find a missing pipe on the meter. There was also a a neat little cutting where they obviously pulled back the service connection from the meter.

So we are ramping up to get things happening now.

Missing pipes can be good ;)

Very neat operators.

The next step will involve getting the demolition application into Parramatta Council via a Complying Development process.  Stay tuned!