Building the Charlton by Porter Davis

From our recent site visit we can tick off these items...

So lots has happened since my last post.

Inspiration

• Firstly we upgraded to the Grand Family, Laundry, Galley, Extended Kitchen with Wide Island Bench
• We upgraded the appliances too, the standard cooktop and oven included in our promo package was a Technika freestanding one which probably would have been ok but after looking up productreview.com.au the score was below average so I quickly upgraded to Blanco appliances. The standard dishwasher is Technika - didn't really care as I don't think I'll be using it much. 
• We've chosen to include an appliance tower as I prefer to have my oven set at a higher level so you're not having to bend down to check on your food and pull our that heavy roasting tray and you don't lose out on storage space below the cook-top
• We modified some cabinetry by adding drawers where we could, I would have liked more drawers as I feel you can better organise and store stuff in. 
• The standard benchtop is laminate and whilst there are some decent options I had my heart set out on essastone. So we upgraded the stone on the island to 40mm and kept the rest of the benches at 20mm with shadowline. 
• The kitchen door and drawer profile we chose is what tipped the budget but to me this was the make or break feature that would give me that hamptons  look I was after. 
• the kitchen handles and knobs I chose were also an upgrade and if you multiply that by the number you need it sure does add up quick

• Waterfall Benchtop- this was waaay too expensive for my liking. OMG!
• More drawers instead of cupboards 
• Perhaps some overhead cabinets? Although with a pantry and galley there's going to be plenty of storage space
• Move the dishwasher to the galley so you can hide all the dirty dishes. 

Front View

View from inside the kitchen

My guess is we will be at lock up by mid October. 

Gutters/Fascia Done

These are the standard roof tiles, "Elabana" in colour called 'Barramundi'. It was the second darkest you can get besides black.

Roof Tiles completed in a day. Tiles don't look as dark as I had hoped. Maybe needs a wash? Here are the same tiles on a different home I found online. Roofing Contractors - Maroondah Roofing.

Friday 28th August - Received our first phone call from our construction supervisor to tell us the frame had been completed and surely enough we received the frame invoice within hours. It's the most efficient accounts department ever! 

Yesterdays drive by saw some good progress upstairs with what looks like the roof trusses ready to be installed and framing almost done.

It also looks like windows and the balcony sliding door have been delivered! Will be making a note for our next weekend visit to take a closer inspection of the windows as our order should include the 'hawthorn style' window from A&L for our downstairs family and kitchen windows. I can see this as something PD would overlook. (just a gut feeling)

So excited to be seeing real progress each week. We're not even halfway through the build and I'm already anxious for it to finish so I can move in. Oh dear!

Windows and Sliding door delivered - That is the Master Room Sliding door sitting on top of that pile. Got all our windows and doors in White Gloss as I want them to blend in with white plantation or venetian shutters like in this picture below.

Friday 22/8/2015 - Scaffolding is up in preparation for the upstairs framing. From the photo you can start to see framing for 2 bedrooms take shape, hopefully they will finish off framing this week? (or is that wishful thinking)

Here are the list of things we will be doing post handover

Flooring

This was an obvious decision for us for a few reasons. Firstly we weren't too keen on the look of the quads (or trims as some call it)  and we felt that the flooring choices at World of Style were limited. Whilst we did find an option we liked we found that better value by sourcing our own carpet and floorboard supplier.

At this stage we are looking at getting a wide oak engineered floorboard option through Smarter Timber Flooring in Cheltenham.  All I know is I want something dark, matt and wide. Don't ask me about what species, washes/stains - all too technical for me ;p

We will need to start getting quotes and possibly getting our order in as I've been told some flooring types get imported and can take months to arrive!

Luxembrg Oak Floorboard 190mm wide, 15mm thick. Black Washed. Wire Brushed. 1.9m long boards

Wow, look at the grain.

Carpets

We've decided to go with a Solution Dyed Nylon option and are opting for a taupe/greyish colour. I really like the idea of a lighter carpet to brighten up a room but the thought of cleaning up spills and stains and markings when you have kids and pets means I will choose low maintenance over looks any day.

For carpet suppliers we will most likely be using Fowles in Clayton or Western Distributers.

Love this carpet colour on display at the Plaza in Keysborough.

Looking for a similar carpet colour - Grey/Taupe blend

Updating the Galley

This one looks amazing but ours will be much more budget. I was thinking a DIY IKEA job.

IKEA METOD Base Cabinets with Wire Baskets - $199

IKEA - Single Bowl Inset Sink $69

This one has a drainer which is probably more practical. IKEA BOHOLMEN $99

Wall Paneling

Hoffman - Manhattan Style

Waldorf Grange

We will be doing something similar to our foyer and study.

Electrical