Color Selections

Our color walk-through in July 2011 is supposed to be a sneak peak of the final colors that we would be choosing today. But we have gone completely 180 degrees and I'm glad we did. Indeed this is one of the most critical part of the building process and you have to be happy with the final colors you choose. We have gone from loft colorbond to monument, from November leaf facade color to smoke haze, from red splashback to metallic midnight (black), etc etc. And we couldn't be any happier!I guess my hubby's dedication to always talk about the color schemes, our constant bickering and disagreement about colors, has led us to a neutral ground, i.e. Grey, black and white tones. To some, It may seem bland and boring, but we agree to disagree that the color is minimalist, timeless and versatile. In fact, I think we took one step further from whatever little creative bones left in our body by going for a really dark brick color (austral blackstone) and trend metallic midnight (black!) for a splash back. Craig (the color specialist) had been all praises for our dark color selections. I'm not certain though if he really mean it or he just wants us out his way sooner lols!

Honestly, the red splash back had been really really hard to part with. I don't fancy red in fabrics but I am crazy about it when it comes to decors (my sofa is in red which I know my hubby
secretly hates!). Today however, I listened to reason and went with my next best thing - metallic black. Overall it was a pleasant experience just because we went to our final color selection today knowing exactly the color palettes we want to go with. Craig has been a good help putting things together. I came out feeling that the colors really flow well inside and out. And to top it all off, hubby was feeling generous to get me an iPad2 to cap the big
day today. The apple service in the castle hill shopping centre sucks, but that's another
story to tell.


This is what we have come up with...

Exterior
Roof - colorbond / monument
fascia - colorbond / surf mist
Gutter - colorbond /monument
Garage Door - colorbond / monument
Bricks - austral / blackstone
Bag and paint - taubman / smoke haze
Door - color similar to surfmist


Interior
Flooring - Armstrong Supreme Laminate (forest select) / brushbox
Wall - taubman / white pearl
Skirting, architraves, doors, ceiling, cornices - taubman / illusive white


Kitchen
Island Bench Top - Caesar stone / white shimmer
Cupboards & kick board - laminex / polar white, silk finish
Splash back - glass / trend metallic midnight (black & shimmering!)

Bathroom
Bench top - Essa Stone / new crystal salt
Cupboards - laminex Blackened Linedwood / Natural Finish#338 - vertical grain
Kicks - Formica / Brushed Silver Velour Finish
Flooring - Augusta Espresso / Grout Color - charred ash
Wall - Tempo Ice / White Gloss

This is how the facade should look like (but the white part should really be a light brown/light grey hue)

Bathroom and Wet Area Color Pallet

Flooring

Some 6 Months Later

I have been very busy working/baking/cooking/sightseeing that I didn't really have time (or the interest) to update this blog. I know my hubby can't wait for me to get back in the groove. You see, he has been the one researching and patiently reading the forums for any information about house building. And I am the one who will always scrutinize the ideas (as if I have been doing my research too! Ha!). It took an iPad gift today plus a color appointment to make me want to write again =D

We have been looking at display homes since December 2010 - fallen in and out of love with AV Jennings, McDonald Jones, Clarendon, and Master Homes. The deciding factor really was the fact that we got a small lot & McDonald Jones has the best open plan concept that fits and maximizes our land. On April 2011 we have made another big decision and parted with our hard-earned 3K as a deposit for McDonald Jones Bordeaux (13m), with a Balinese Tropicana facade. Subsequently we have accepted the consolidated tender 2 months later. We went for impressions package (which is always on discount anyway), a/c at a "special discount price, sarking beneath the color bond roof, and increased the ceiling height to 2700mm for a grand total of some $200K! This is excluding the flooring, electricals, driveway, landscape, and other small upgrades.


House Design: Bordeaux
Facade: Balinese Tropicana
Building & design Consultant: Aaron Lyod

First Love Never Dies

At this very moment, I and my hubby Bjorn have reserved 2 residential lots at different locations in New South Wales. How it happened is kinda long story, so I'm gonna try to write the gist of it.

Having had to rent an apartment that sets us back 1.4K a month, we decided to seriously look for a place of our own, hoping to put that rental money into good use. And just like any newly married couple who are both decently employed, we have our goals set high thinking that we are "invincible" and are able to afford to build a modern house in a thriving suburb. Armed with this clouded thought, we set off to see display homes in Kellyville, The Ponds, Oran Park, Warwick Farm, Sunnyholt etc etc. We spoke to a few builders whose display homes caught our fancy, but realized we have to secure our land first before we can go further with them.

The Ponds have always captured our hearts, not only for it's catchy name but because of it's new, well-established and thriving community. This is where we first shopped for that piece of OZ land. But to our disappointment, the cost is beyond what we are prepared for & this practically woke us up from the Australian dream bubble! We started looking more closely at our finances & we totally got disillusioned. We were thinking that if we go through this path, our life as we envisioned it, would totally take a 180 degrees turn. Gone are the days of shopping, travelling, and dining out! At this point, I would convince my hubby to just go for a 2-bedroom apartment so we won't feel the pinch so much, and still be able to live our lives the way we want it. I somehow managed to convince him until one day, out of the blue we decided to check out Stonecutters Ridge. Boasting of a Greg Norman designed 18 hole golf course and a masterplan exuding resort-style luxury & urban community, we just can't resist the beaconing oasis that is Stonecutters Ridge (SCR)! Without so much of a thought, we parted with $300 to secure an unregistered 480 sqm land and went home happily with renewed plans for the bright future. Yey!

We are given two weeks by SCR to exchange contract & pay 5% deposit, and the balance to be paid on Novemeber 2011 (the expected registration date of the land). This gives us a bit more time to save as much as we can so we are feeling fantastic about our decision. My hubby started to research day and night about the property & it's neighborhood so much so that as an informed buyer, it brings us new things to worry about. Also at this time, I would start to doubt again our ability to pay and I'm feeling resentful about the sacrifices we have to make. We found ourselves taking one step forward & two steps back by looking at apartments & old houses again. We just couldn't decide! And for some reasons our solicitor told us that he need more time to discuss the contract with SCR to clarify certain things, which gave us another week of needful time to make up our minds. Finally, the inevitable has come. Today, Feb 12 2011,  we had to pay the 5% deposit to SCR. As a final shot to indecisive us, we set off early in the morning to see Bunya Living (which according to a colleague has just opened  for land sale) hoping that this will make or break our decision. Unfortunately, the land being released has no pricing yet so it looks like we are destined for SCR. Then my husband suggested we pass by SCR first (since we are nearby), then visit the Ponds for a last look before going to the bank to get the cheque for SCR. As we pass by SCR, we felt differently from 3 weeks back for a lot of different reasons which I will not divulge here. Off we go to The Ponds but unlike SCR we still felt the same like we did before ~ a case of first love never dies indeed! Two lower priced lots were put back in the market today, and we managed to snag one, but not after going back & forth to the Land Sales & our builder of choice (at the moment). We parted with another $300 to reserve the land till exchange of contract, went home feeling good and confident again and hoping that this love affair with The Ponds will last forever :)

P/S My hubby will do the dirty work of talking to the solicitor & cancel the transaction. I hope he won't charge us anything since we wish to engage him again in this newfound love nest :)