Project Regent

I had to pop out to the house today and meet the guy who was doing a final measure for our blinds and shutters.  Our kitchen has been delivered but at the moment resembles flat-pack-heaven rather than a kitchen.

The shelf height of our walk in robe has also been fixed.  We asked to have it raised so we had more usable space and not so much wasted space above the shelf.  Thanks again Brad for that idea!

Our Flat-Packed Kitchen

Walk In Robe

It’s the end of week 8, and lockup is well and truly reached. So true, in fact, that we’ve even been locked out. So on Friday when we met with our Site Supervisor, we wandered around and took some photos.

Our bricks were scheduled to be cleaned over the weekend, but by lunchtime Sunday, this hadn’t been done yet. But hopefully our next visit will see a nice clean exterior. Inside, it’s really taking shape, and we’ve been told of the plans for the coming week involving cabinet installation, painting and tile delivery.

So in this update of photos, we have some neatening up in the alfresco , as well as neat skirts around the floor and door frame. But not only that, our shelves are installed in the robes, closet and pantry.

The only issue we spotted, which we’ve notified our Site Supervisor about, is that the height of the shelves in the main bedroom walk in robe are too low - they are meant to be at 2 metres. So he’s said that will get corrected early this week before painting so we will see tomorrow when we get our blinds measured - hoorah!

All of the evidence of smoking inside has been cleaned up, and a lot of vacuuming or sweeping of saw- and plaster dust.

It’s definately looking like a real house now…

Bedroom

Robe Shelves... a little too low...

Skirts and Door frames

Kitchen, Living and Lounge

Exterior Architraves

Alfresco Architraves

Well we’re at lockup and the inside is starting to take shape. Our rooms are now scattered with jigsaw puzzle pieces in the form of skirting boards, and we have also had doors installed and architraves plastered in place.

And someone is having trouble with the signs around the house - there are two “No Smoking Inside” signs, but yet we still find cigarette butts, empty cigarette packets and a stale smell of cigarettes lingering inside. Oh, and then the smeared charcoal smudge of put-out-cigarette on our slab. Nice look.

Entry Way... and Jigsaw

The Puzzle

Architraves

Internal Doors and Robe Doors

Door Latches

Cigarettes. Used butts are nearby.

It’s Day 49, the end of Week 7, and we have so much to talk about - so here’s a dot point list:

• we have finished brickwork, including window fills, window sills and front pillars
• we have a completed roof, with safety supports removed
• we have plaster on all walls and ceilings (except portico)
• we have a corrected laundry door
• we have completed water, electrical and gas setup
• we have blue network cable draped throughout the walls
• we have a large graveyard of broken bricks

See, there’s a lot to see. And walking around inside, it’s now starting to really feel like our house - rooms feel bigger and more spacious, we start to get a feel for the layout and flow of the mirrored house (the Point Cook display is a mirror image of ours).

The scariest thing is just the sheer speed at which it’s all happening - and we’re not complaining - it’s just phenomenal - seven weeks, and we have the key structural components of our house complete.

So up next we have the internal fitout, including cornices, benches and cupboards, doors, carpet, tiles, showers, oh it’s just all so exciting. Oh and the red door to be painted… purrrr…

Completed Brickwork

Side-on Facade

Walls and Sills

Entry Passage Way

Lounge (from the Kitchen corner)

Ensuite Niche

Ah yes, the big Lego bricks are starting to get stuck in place. Our lovely Brown Terrain bricks in fact.

Today is Day 39 of the Project Regent build, and the second day of brick laying. So far we have had bricks go up on the garage wall, front, long side wall and rear. In two days. Sure, not floor to roof yet, but still a mighty impressive effort. One of the brickies we had a chat to let us know that they were under the pump to get it up, so it’s great to see progress happening - and that mortar is being used, and not something silly like Clag paste.

Inside there’s only a few small changes to see - the carpenters have been back on-site, and installed the fitting for the bath tub in the main bathroom, as well as the cavities for the sliding doors to the walk-in-wardrobe and ensuite bathroom. In the garage we have also had the steel frame installed for the external-facing door.

Adding to the picture are the next set of doors - our glass-paneled front door, and the house-to-garage door. And yes, the front door is still to be painted - we didn’t pick that lovely green colour (although it kinda matches the green insulation).

Now keep in mind the mortar is still wet in these photos so will lighten a little, but still we’re glad that we ended up going for the Natural mortar, rather than the white - and based on our Site Supervisor’s advice, the white mortar can, when wet, start to absorb the colour of the bricks - ick. So yes, very happy with our natural mortar.

Oh, and also, these bricks are yet to be cleaned - when they’re all up and finished, the high pressure hose comes out and cleans off that stray mortar from the bricks.

The eastern wall builds up...

Brown Terrain on the front wall

South-Eastern corner

The to-be-painted front door

North-Western corner starts

Rear of the Garage

Steel-framed door

Sliding door cavities

Ready for a bath?