Day 40 - 1/3 through pre-build. 80 days to go

Today marks day 40. Rawson quote 120 days from payment of $3000 on acceptance of tender to site cut. If they are keeping to time, then we should be 80 days from starting the house.  So far we are more than 15 days behind that schedule as our plans are still waiting/being re-drawn with all the changes we requested.

During this time I am finding it quite difficult. I see things that I want to add to the house, where if the plans had come back, I would be able to put them away until we went to colour selection.

I am set on my colours, except for one thing, this matrix board on the front of the house (above the front door)

On Tuesday I was looking at the Rawson website and came across the Balmoral display I thought the wood above the front window would look great on the front of our house instead of the matrix board. A quick email to Simone (CSO) was replied the following day with approximately $2,000. You have got to be joking.  There are three panels of matrix board that wraps around the front columns - total is 8.5m2, therefore I would be charged $235/m2 and there was no talk of a credit for the matrix board that I was not going to use - OUCH. That is expensive wood.  I will speak to my works carpenters once we hand the house over and I will get them to change it.   I work it out if you use Merbau which is about $6.00/lm (less for trade)  we would need about 93 metres which is $560.00. Add a days labour for a tradie to do it, we are paying way less than half price.

Another question that I have asked is about the island bench.

I didn't give it too much thought until one of the others on the H1 forum brought up the width of the island.  It is currently 900mm wide, which means there will be a 300mm overhang. The island benches in the Rawson showhomes is 1200mm.  I am thinking that this might be a little skinny given the length of the island (over 3.4m) I sent an email yesterday to Simone asking the additional cost for the Caesarstone to change it to 1100mm, but so far I have not had a reply.

Another price I have asked for, but not had a reply as yet is changing the front door to be a double door. My parents have double front doors and I love this. The door that we are getting is a 1020mm pivot door, so I asked what would be the cost to have two of these so total entrance of 2040mm.  I am sure I will be shocked when I see the price, but who knows I could be shocked in a good way, but I doubt it.

Monday is day 43, so I will start chasing for my revised plans.