The slab has been poured

Well I know it may not seem so exciting to everyone else but I am pretty thrilled that our slab has finnally been laid. Our SS called us to ask our intentions with the drainage points in the workshop and I am glad that he did because for some reason 1 drainage point had been removed and 3 others had changed places in the final plans without us knowing. The points were in the right place when it was submitted to council and we hadn't asked them to be moved so we didn't really notice the change. We are very thankful that our SS looked at the plans thoroughly and took the initiative to call us to double check. So everything is in the right spot and the slab has been layed. Woohoo.... Below are the pics.

We now have fill - yay!

I hadn't heard anything from our CSO for a while (although she has been on leave) and after messaging some fellow Shell Cove future residents about my frustration, it turns out that one of them had actually noticed movements on our block!! Apparently we now have fill!! Yay.
Hopefully the rain holds out and we get some formwork and our slab soon - I am looking forward to some communication too! I know it's not much - but it's more than what what's been going on lately, so I am very excited.

Furnishing Decorating Ideas..twiddling my thumbs waiting for my slab!

Barton Lounge from Domayne. I like how the lumbar cushions match the tivoli dining chairs. This lounge is sooooo comfy, I don't think I would ever want to get up out of it!! I think it is comfy and casual. But something is telling me not to buy this lounge because of the colour and damage future kids will make!...Vegemite stains and crayons...hmmm?? Does that fabric protection stuff actually work??

Furniture / Decorating Ideas

Tivoli Dining Chair from Domayne. I love this!! We are having floorboards (spotted gum or blackbutt) and I think these chairs will help create a 'warm' home. I don't think it will really go with the bright white kitchen though??

Tiles (Internal Colours)

Okay so often when you go to the display homes they have porcelin tiles. In our package it stated ceramic tiles. When I looked at the range of what we could choose from they looked pretty standard! So we chose to upgrade on these. Some tiles were only an upgrade on the installation as they were harder to install but the tile itself was included, some tiles cost extra for the supply and install. The tile on the left is an off-white porcelin tile and we chose a mist grey and natural white vanity from the formica range. The stone tile will act as a feature tile in the shower and in between the vanity and mirror. This will be for the main bathroom and powder room. The tiles on the right are for our ensuite. A black, silver and white linea feature tile will coordinate with these tiles and vanity colours. One thing I regret: I wanted to put a recess in the shower to put shampoos etc. in. I thought this was something to discuss in the tiling meeting so I never addressed it prior to that. When I got to the tiling meeting and requested it they said it was too late as it had to be done on the builder's plan that went to council (which was already approved). I could have had it done but would have had a redraw fee and a long wait through council...which I simply couldnt be bothered. So my tip for you is: if you want something address it at your tender meeting and your tender presenter will be able to let you know when the best time to bring it up is, that way you know before it's too late - like me :(

External Colours

We have chosen the PGH Chisholm bricks which are from the Classic Standstock Range. We will have white mortar, window frames, garage door, front door and eaves wiht a black (monument) roof and guttering.

I originally wanted the PGH Greenway bricks (brown) but hubby had his heart set on these ones. These would have been my second choice. Picking colours definately takes alot of compromising!! I think the brown bricks would have looked a little softer in our street.

Glenview Floor Plan

We have added on a rumpus off the kitchen and will have an alfresco area off the family room with large sliding doors. We are also going to have a balcony off the t.v room upstairs.

Choosing the House

http://www.clarendon.com.au/homes/detail/197


Okay so picking your 'dream house' is ssoooo overwhelming! The first thing you have to sort out before you even look is your budget. It is also important to discuss certain things with your partner like "will babies be coming soon?". Because what we can afford now with two incomes is alot more than what we can afford with one. I made the mistake of looking at a house and falling in love with it only to sit down and discuss budgets and realise that it wasn't going to happen! I decided having a smaller house and having my hubby home on weekends to enjoy it was more important to me then having a formal dining and home theatre room. I also didn't want the pressure of having to go back to work any sooner than I was ready to. Make note that I do not have kids and I am not planning to yet - but these things definately need to be considered - let's face it our home won't be paid off by the time little feet are running around!
We took quite a while picking the right house and then decided on the Glenview by Claredon.

I originally had my heart set on the Cresthill - but came back to reality with the Glenview. We both decided on the Abbotsbury facade, we have both always liked the traditional style houses with the green hedges. I think we both fell in love with the house we had our first kiss at - I think that may have been an English Tudor style house? That is my girlfriends parents house and when her mother told us they were renovating I nearly cried. Anyway (going off on a tangent!)so although the facade we chose totally doesn't suit the coastal area we are in - we just had our hearts set on it. So oh well we are different!

Killalea State Park

To check out more about this awesome park and beach checkout:
http://www.killalea.org.au/

Killalea State Park

More pics of Killalea State Park

Killalea Beach 'The Farms'

This is the beach down the street.

Buying The Land

Okay so here is our building story...so far! (short version of course!)

So we got married in Nov 2008 and had just returned from our honeymoon...life was bliss! We decided to duck up to QLD for a few days over the Australia Day period and we were sitting back on the balcony of our hotel room saying to ourselves "this is the life". We got chatting and both agreed that we were pretty over Sydney and we needed to do something about it. Over the weekend we browsed real estate windows but decided that QLD was just too far away from our families. We then thought back to a day we spent at the beach with our close friends (it was New Years Eve Day 2005 or 2006 maybe?) and we had an awesome day swimming and lazing at this beach my friend referred to as 'The Farms' and we were the only 4 people there. I recall my husband (boyfriend back then) said to me "how awesome is that beach, it would be so good if they built houses around here one day". So at the hotel in QLD we were discussing that day and how good it was. Later that day we took a stroll down caville ave in surfers paradise and we went into the internet cafe (outside Cocktails and Dreams) and googled "The Farms", and to our amazement they were actually selling blocks right near there. We discovered that there was one block left in Killalea Drive (which is the thoroughfare street to get to the beach) and we decided right there and then it had our name written on it. The next weekend we were back in Sydney so took a drive down to see it. We put a deposit on it that very week - Feb 2009. And our journey starts from there!
http://www.shellcove.com.au/ Checlk this site for latest land releases and info on Shell Cove