This poor old blog is feeling sad and neglected. Oops.
Yes, the three month maintenance stuff finally got done. Only....some of it isn't really up to an acceptable standard. The biggish crack in the family room cornice/ceiling has been so badly repaired that it actually looked less of an eyesore before it was done. Some patched-up mortar along the brick sill under the French doors is a bit of a dog's breakfast. The tiny damage that the plumbers did to the wall in the ensuite hasn't been repaired at all, in spite of being on the list and being specifically pointed out to the maintenance guys. And the plaster that they did fix in there still looks a bit ordinary, plus they only did a paint touch-up, after we had a discussion about how Wattyl ID can't be touched up and the whole wall has to be repainted.
*sigh* So guess what's going on the top of the list for the 12 month maintenance inspection? No doubt we'll go through a similar farce in November...
We've also had it confirmed that there are no insulation batts under the steel deck roofing at the front of the house. Hmm. I'm sure our contract says "batts to ceilings" and not "batts to ceilings except where we can't be arsed". Something to discuss with Porter Davis.
On a more positive note, the front garden is growing well, and once my tax refund arrives, I plan to hurry down to the garden supply place and order materials to do that strip of landscaping along the back fence that I was going to do at Easter. Oh well, you don't want to rush these things. ;o) Then I can have some more fun with plants.
I may even use my PD Rewards card and get down to Plantmark to take advantage of trade prices.
I've also finally made a decision on blinds for the bifolds. Type, anyway, but still no idea about colour, fabric or plain/patterned. I used to be indecisive, but now I'm just not sure....
I'll try to update again soon(ish). If anyone's still reading.
Showing posts with label 3-month maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3-month maintenance. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Three month maintenance. At the seven-month mark
We've had long delays in getting our maintenance stuff sorted. There was an initial flurry of activity shortly after the three-month inspection was done, waaay back in March, but then, nothing.
About half the items on our list were fixed in March or April. Two cracks and numerous nail pops in the ceiling were supposed to be fixed, but when the guys went to paint over the patch-ups, they discovered that you can't do touch-ups to our upgraded non-white ceiling....the whole thing needs to be repainted, otherwise the patched areas stand out. They weren't authorised to do a full repaint of two rooms, so they proposed that they'd request a new work order from PD and they'd have to come back on another day. Fine. Except that almost four months later, our ceilings still look like they have the measles.
Several phone calls and emails elicited promises to follow up, but nothing eventuated. We were given the excuse that there was a problem matching the render colour - Rockcote was taken over by another company, and Dulux colours are now used, rather than the custom colours previously offered. We were a bit stumped about how that was holding up the interior painting, a tile that needs replacing, some mortar that needs tidying up and the other odds and ends on our list. And anyway, so there's a problem - how about coming up with a solution? Or offering us some options?
FINALLY, we have things moving again. We hope. I've had the maintenance guy back again today to re-inspect, and we've been promised a phone call by end of week to book in times for the work to be done.
As for the render, they have an almost-match. I'm told that the colour is very close, just a bit darker than the original. So, since it's only the column that needs redoing, we've agreed to give that a try. I figure that since it's separate from the other rendered areas, the difference won't be noticeable. If it IS, we'll have to come up with a plan B. I have some ideas there, but we'll wait and see how plan A turns out first.
Hopefully, we'll have everything completed within the next four weeks. Fingers crossed.
Before we know it, we'll be booking in our 12-month maintenance inspection. Boy, this year is flying past!
About half the items on our list were fixed in March or April. Two cracks and numerous nail pops in the ceiling were supposed to be fixed, but when the guys went to paint over the patch-ups, they discovered that you can't do touch-ups to our upgraded non-white ceiling....the whole thing needs to be repainted, otherwise the patched areas stand out. They weren't authorised to do a full repaint of two rooms, so they proposed that they'd request a new work order from PD and they'd have to come back on another day. Fine. Except that almost four months later, our ceilings still look like they have the measles.
Several phone calls and emails elicited promises to follow up, but nothing eventuated. We were given the excuse that there was a problem matching the render colour - Rockcote was taken over by another company, and Dulux colours are now used, rather than the custom colours previously offered. We were a bit stumped about how that was holding up the interior painting, a tile that needs replacing, some mortar that needs tidying up and the other odds and ends on our list. And anyway, so there's a problem - how about coming up with a solution? Or offering us some options?
FINALLY, we have things moving again. We hope. I've had the maintenance guy back again today to re-inspect, and we've been promised a phone call by end of week to book in times for the work to be done.
As for the render, they have an almost-match. I'm told that the colour is very close, just a bit darker than the original. So, since it's only the column that needs redoing, we've agreed to give that a try. I figure that since it's separate from the other rendered areas, the difference won't be noticeable. If it IS, we'll have to come up with a plan B. I have some ideas there, but we'll wait and see how plan A turns out first.
Hopefully, we'll have everything completed within the next four weeks. Fingers crossed.
Before we know it, we'll be booking in our 12-month maintenance inspection. Boy, this year is flying past!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A post about nothing
Not much happening on the blog at the moment, because there's not much happening around the house. It's been a busy time for one reason or another, so we haven't actually made any progress at all for a while. I did get my trees planted along the side boundary of the front yard, but still have to get a few more plants to finish off out there.
I really need to sit down and write myself a list of jobs to be done and then aim to do at least one each weekend. The thing is, weekends fly by so quickly.
Our maintenance work from the three-month inspection is STILL not finished. It's more than a little frustrating, given that in two week's time we'll hit the seven-month mark since handover. Time for another email or phone call....
I think I'll make it my goal to finish the front plantings by end of June, and do the strip of landscaping at the back by end of July. That's hardly asking a lot.
I really need to sit down and write myself a list of jobs to be done and then aim to do at least one each weekend. The thing is, weekends fly by so quickly.
Our maintenance work from the three-month inspection is STILL not finished. It's more than a little frustrating, given that in two week's time we'll hit the seven-month mark since handover. Time for another email or phone call....
I think I'll make it my goal to finish the front plantings by end of June, and do the strip of landscaping at the back by end of July. That's hardly asking a lot.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Three months later....
Things have been a bit quiet on the blog front this month, partly because I've been busy, but mostly because nothing much has been happening. We're sitting back and pondering the rear landscaping - we have some definite ideas and some maybes...so we need to make a few decisions before we can begin work on anything permanent. Don't want to spend time, effort and money on something and then decide that it has to be moved because we want something else there.
I've been a bit slack on the decorating front too. I have some ideas, but can't find just the thing I need. I do have a couple of small projects underway, but can't seem to find time or inclination to get on with them. Perhaps over Easter.
Today, I made a small contribution to the work that still needs to be done in the front garden. I bought three acacia cognata "limelight", and got those planted. I also picked up a red cordyline, which will go in a large pot as a feature. Now I just need to find the pot.
Acacia cognata "limelight":
Cordyline "Red Star":
I might get inspired to go hunting for those pots I need tomorrow. I think this is the style I want (the tall ones):
I wonder if they can be painted. Ironstone would be nice.
We had our three month maintenance inspection a month ago.... some of the items have been fixed, a couple of others are booked in, but we're still waiting on the rest. Yesterday we had one of our French doors to the ensuite replaced, a few doors that were sticking fixed, a privacy lock that wasn't working sorted out, some mortar cleaned off the brickwork and the PVC pipes to the rainwater tank painted. There were also some paint touchups. And we had three plumbers turn up to replace the too-short arm on our dumper shower head with the longer one we should have got in the first place. No idea why that took three men. I'm sure there's a joke in there: How many plumbers does it take to change a shower head?
The renderer called in to check on colour and to see where touch-ups needed to be done, and said he'd be back in a few days. Yet another service on our bifold has been booked for the week after next, and the cabinet people are supposed to come and fix the doors on our bathroom vanity.
No word on when the rest will be done, so I think I'll be making a call on Monday. I'm sure builders think that it's nothing for us to just rearrange work or other commitments at a moment's notice to fit in with tradesmen.
Hmm, did I say nothing much has been happening?
I've been a bit slack on the decorating front too. I have some ideas, but can't find just the thing I need. I do have a couple of small projects underway, but can't seem to find time or inclination to get on with them. Perhaps over Easter.
Today, I made a small contribution to the work that still needs to be done in the front garden. I bought three acacia cognata "limelight", and got those planted. I also picked up a red cordyline, which will go in a large pot as a feature. Now I just need to find the pot.
Acacia cognata "limelight":
Cordyline "Red Star":
I might get inspired to go hunting for those pots I need tomorrow. I think this is the style I want (the tall ones):
I wonder if they can be painted. Ironstone would be nice.
We had our three month maintenance inspection a month ago.... some of the items have been fixed, a couple of others are booked in, but we're still waiting on the rest. Yesterday we had one of our French doors to the ensuite replaced, a few doors that were sticking fixed, a privacy lock that wasn't working sorted out, some mortar cleaned off the brickwork and the PVC pipes to the rainwater tank painted. There were also some paint touchups. And we had three plumbers turn up to replace the too-short arm on our dumper shower head with the longer one we should have got in the first place. No idea why that took three men. I'm sure there's a joke in there: How many plumbers does it take to change a shower head?
The renderer called in to check on colour and to see where touch-ups needed to be done, and said he'd be back in a few days. Yet another service on our bifold has been booked for the week after next, and the cabinet people are supposed to come and fix the doors on our bathroom vanity.
No word on when the rest will be done, so I think I'll be making a call on Monday. I'm sure builders think that it's nothing for us to just rearrange work or other commitments at a moment's notice to fit in with tradesmen.
Hmm, did I say nothing much has been happening?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Time flies
I was going to post more photos over the past few days, but I've been a little distracted by the bushfires, which came a bit too close to home..... Scary.
Anyway, we had our three-month maintenance inspection this morning (even though three months isn't up till the 28th), and it seemed to go well. We have a list of 27 items to be fixed, which sounds worse than it is.
Many of them are doors that stick or handles that don't latch due to "settling". Then there are a few sections of mortar that I'm not happy with, where it's crumbly or has been blasted out by over-enthusiastic brick cleaning. Plus some small sections of render on our feature column that need patching. We have a few nails showing through in the plasterboard in various places (again, probably due to "settling"), and one crack that's opened in a cornice join and is beginning to spread across the ceiling in the family room. Most of that was expected - we've been through the new-house sticking-door stage before.
But we still had some PCI items that haven't been fixed - or at least not to our satisfaction - so those have been added to the list as well. Some fascia sections to be replaced, the still non-functioning pump on our rainwater tank, a cracked tile in the bathroom, some shoddy plaster in the ensuite and a couple of other things. There were no arguments about any of it, so that's a good thing.
One thing that's being followed up is our ceiling insulation. As part of the 5-star energy rating requirements, we have batts all through the ceiling, except over the garage. BUT... there's a small section of flat steel decking at the front of the house, over the retreat window, and we don't believe that there's any kind of insulation under it. Our east-facing bedroom is unbearably hot, even in the afternoons, while the rest of the house is noticeably cooler. I'll be interested to see what the proposed solution is.
We're supposed to get a call by the end of the week to arrange times to fix everything. I'll be glad when this is over - I'm a bit sick of having to be home for tradesmen to do their thing. At least we should get a break before the twelve-month maintenance inspection rolls around.
OK, a few photos....
These were my bargain buys that I picked up from the nursery last week. I spotted a trolley full of plants marked down to $50 for the lot... That included this dracaena draco ($95 worth):
Two yuccas...this size were going for $35 each:
A fairly large alpinia - the pot has $50 marked on it:
A Bird of Paradise, with just a few droopy leaves. This one's worth around $35:
This palm (slightly crisped on the ends of a few fronds):
And there were a couple of small cacti too. All up, around $300 worth. Not bad.
Bike Boy got busy making the side of the house accessible, so we can get to the clothesline without trekking through dirt and mud. A load of sunset toppings did the trick, and he had the brilliant idea of adding the feature sections outside the lounge room windows. I'm hunting for the perfect pots to plant something in and put amongst the pebbles against the fence. Beats looking at a blank section of colorbond fencing.
We might add a screen of some kind in between too.
Anyway, we had our three-month maintenance inspection this morning (even though three months isn't up till the 28th), and it seemed to go well. We have a list of 27 items to be fixed, which sounds worse than it is.
Many of them are doors that stick or handles that don't latch due to "settling". Then there are a few sections of mortar that I'm not happy with, where it's crumbly or has been blasted out by over-enthusiastic brick cleaning. Plus some small sections of render on our feature column that need patching. We have a few nails showing through in the plasterboard in various places (again, probably due to "settling"), and one crack that's opened in a cornice join and is beginning to spread across the ceiling in the family room. Most of that was expected - we've been through the new-house sticking-door stage before.
But we still had some PCI items that haven't been fixed - or at least not to our satisfaction - so those have been added to the list as well. Some fascia sections to be replaced, the still non-functioning pump on our rainwater tank, a cracked tile in the bathroom, some shoddy plaster in the ensuite and a couple of other things. There were no arguments about any of it, so that's a good thing.
One thing that's being followed up is our ceiling insulation. As part of the 5-star energy rating requirements, we have batts all through the ceiling, except over the garage. BUT... there's a small section of flat steel decking at the front of the house, over the retreat window, and we don't believe that there's any kind of insulation under it. Our east-facing bedroom is unbearably hot, even in the afternoons, while the rest of the house is noticeably cooler. I'll be interested to see what the proposed solution is.
We're supposed to get a call by the end of the week to arrange times to fix everything. I'll be glad when this is over - I'm a bit sick of having to be home for tradesmen to do their thing. At least we should get a break before the twelve-month maintenance inspection rolls around.
OK, a few photos....
These were my bargain buys that I picked up from the nursery last week. I spotted a trolley full of plants marked down to $50 for the lot... That included this dracaena draco ($95 worth):
Two yuccas...this size were going for $35 each: A fairly large alpinia - the pot has $50 marked on it:A Bird of Paradise, with just a few droopy leaves. This one's worth around $35:
This palm (slightly crisped on the ends of a few fronds):
And there were a couple of small cacti too. All up, around $300 worth. Not bad.
Bike Boy got busy making the side of the house accessible, so we can get to the clothesline without trekking through dirt and mud. A load of sunset toppings did the trick, and he had the brilliant idea of adding the feature sections outside the lounge room windows. I'm hunting for the perfect pots to plant something in and put amongst the pebbles against the fence. Beats looking at a blank section of colorbond fencing.
We might add a screen of some kind in between too.
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