Outdoor Area Tiling

Outdoor area tiling is complete and this is how it looks after 2 cleans...still needs some more cleaning. Grouting colour is uneven and not sure why at this stage as it was done all in one go.

Landscaping - Eden Earthworks

Once again a big thank you to Andy from Eden Earthworks for another brilliant piece of hardscaping in the new retaining wall. If you need some Landscaping works done in the Gold Coast area give Andy a call on 0404 180190.

Garden Lighting

Picked these up at Bunnings. They have been reduced down in price twice so I figured time to buy. They work out at around $25 each and are solar powered.

Solar Panels

This picture shows the solar panels positioned on the roof. They are a fairly high output panel so only 9 are required to make a 2kW array. No idea how it's performing as it's not connected to grid yet and as result won't give up any information.

Garage Side Retaining Wall

We can now walk down this side of the house without the fear of sliding down the bank...tried it once didn't like it...lol. The fence sections will be re-fitted over the next few days and at some stage I'll put wooden sleepers between the base of the fence posts to add a level of finish to the fence.

6 Month Warranty Inspection

Pleased to say Metricons 6 month warranty inspection has been completed and any repairs carried out or referred for warranty claims with supplier. There was very little for them to do. A sticky door, lock cover on bi-fold falling off, stiff front door lock, double hung windows needed adjusting and unacceptable corrosion on some outside lights and outdoor area fan.
The fan I'm sure will cause a stir because to the best of my knowledge it's not outdoor rated so no warranty applies and I expect the poor electrician's will have to cop it with Metricon applying the pressure.

Solar PV System

Our Solar system is made up of 9 REC Polycrystalline panels and an Aurora 2kW Inverter, giving around 2.1kW peak output. Not overly impressed with the actual installation which doesn't surprise me as my experience with most subcontracted installs isn't good.

Just realized that the inverter is not the one pictured....they have supplied the outdoor inverter rather than the indoor as I was shown by the salesperson. They both work the same but the indoor unit is much slimmer.

Big Day Out!

A very busy day on the hill yesterday. Retaining wall along garage side completed, tiling of the outdoor area finished and Solar PV system installed on roof.
Feeling a little poor right now.....I haven't had my camera with me for days so I'll get snaping later this morning and update the blog with pictures.

Living In The Clouds

Actually we aren't that elevated the house is actually lower than the Q1 High rise in Surfers Paradise.

More Progress - Front Garden

Planting completed, mulch and outdoor lights added.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Tiling of the outdoor area was underway until the rain returned and put a halt to the work. Turns out there are some large bumps and humps in the concrete which will need some grinding. Overall not too bad though. Tilers won't be able to return now until Thursday which at least gives me a chance to sleep in....lol.

The tile is called Earl Grey and has a rock finish. I managed to to get these down to just under $35 a square metre delivered on site.

Watch This Space

Soon to be erected here...3 x 2m Steel garden shed. Hopefully putting an end to garage clutter.

Entertainment Unit

Yes look at the "little" TV! It's the master bedroom TV to be fitted on the wall. For the lounge we have a 46" Panasonic Plasma to be wall mounted behind this unit. The unit itself was a nightmare to put together.....it took like 6hr's. I'm going to send off for by Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering now...lol. It might look simple but 100 or so pieces of hardware go into making this, at least the instructions are written in native English.

Cooktop Upgrade?

I'm thinking of upgrading the gas cooktop for this ultra sexy Siemens cooktop. The Technika is hmmm...OK but I love the flat black glass as compared to the stainless steel finish of most gas cooktops. I've been offered a $500 discount which is tempting...but it will mean cutting the Caesar stone benchtop....which I'm nervous about and could be a deal breaker.

Wall Art

Just picked this up at the Brisbane Home Show. This picture doesn't do justice to the colours in the treated metal. When I get it mounted on the wall I'll re-post some better pictures.

Lighting Update

I'm starting to get a feel for using the LED bulbs to get the right amount of light. Originally it was planned to use 4x 9W LED bulbs here in the dining area but from previous experience I upped that to 6x. The light output is nice and the quality of light kills CFL bulbs. All that with only 54W of power consumption. All 6 lights are running off a single 12V 10A switch mode power supply which I purchased off eBay from Hong Kong for $28 (In hindsight I could have got away with a 5A power supply).

I'm still waiting on 12V dimmer to arrive from overseas so I can add a dimming function to these lights.

Dining Chairs Unpacked

Chairs arrived about 2 hours ago. Unpacked and pretty happy with the result except one wobbles...hmm what to do. Have to think about that while I unpack the entertainment unit. Just realized the photo makes the table look really small! Edit: Took another photo after adding some candles. The chairs are from OzDesign and are real leather at $249ea which gives the competition a beating on price and quality.

More Furniture Today

Arriving today is the entertainment unit and dining chairs....fingers crossed....no problems.

Introducing Rolly

A much loved member of the household looking cute as usual.

YESSSS!!!!

It feels like a milestone has been reached with the outdoor area being concreted. Now back to tile selection and finding a tiler. Hopefully the Metricon tiler will be available to do the job.

In case your wondering what's going on with the rear pillar. I've changed the metal down pipe for plastic 90mm storm water pipe. Why you might ask? I think it looks better and they don't ping with water droplets in light rain like metal. The colour change to Ironstone is to give some contrast.

Progress Shot

A quick progress shot of the concrete pour. I'll post the finished result tomorrow all going well.

Outdoor Area Concrete Underway

It has been a struggle to get to this point as most concreters are impossible to get on-site for a quote yet alone to do the job. But we found one that is keen for work and priced competitively.

As you can see in the photos the form work is done and ready for the concrete pour (In humid 36 degree heat I might add).