Click any picture for larger resolution. Some things to note are:
- Once entering the house, overlooking the pool there will be an immediate view of Mt Tamborine
- An added built-in desk so I can work while overlooking the pool
- Both bathtubs look at western views while soaking
- Separate access to the pool from the master bedroom
- Indented area in garage for either a mudroom bench/storage or fridge/freezer (TBD)
- Covered alfresco area extending slightly past the railing. Pool is not covered.
The front of the house - notice how the door isn't where you'd think
but instead "hidden" and protected.
The overall house on the block
Side elevation (North)
The rear (west) and south elevations
And now...I would have loved to post something more exciting house-building news months ago, but honestly the stress levels were high due to unforeseen circumstances with this build! AHHHH!! But all is right in the world now. :)
After doing more investigation on that huge 9m slope (see previous post from July), it was determined that the existing soil was too unstable to build on. Greaaaaaaat...
So as a result, after months of consulting with engineers and our builder, a solution has been found which now involves REMOVING almost all of the dirt on the slope to make the problem just go away. Simple, right? No wait, that costs money! There's a good side to it though - that dirt being removed can be used to level out the bottom of the lot AND the entire area under the alfresco will now be flat which allows for storage or even a nice sitting area eventually. Unfortunately, the pool in the middle of the house was going to be built into that same slope and now virtually floating in mid-air which means it will have to be built up with concrete forms.
It's unladylike (who am I kidding? I'm not a lady) to mention the costs of all of this so all I will say is that we got the lot at a bargain price knowing that there may be additional costs to make it work. That thought makes the delays and additional costs sting a little less.
In mid-December, we finally signed the house build contract after the solution was found and revised pricing was done. The plans (see below) are officially with the Gold Coast City Council for approval and we have been told to make appointments with the tiling and carpet companies and then meet with our builder's colour coordinator. We have made progress and there's something to report!! Sweet, sweet progress!
It has been mentioned that ground will officially break the first week of February but I'm expecting closer to the 3rd week because that's how things go here in typical, relaxed Queensland fashion. It is expected it will take 224 days from the ground breaking to move-in. Honestly, I'll be ecstatic if we have a house to move into by Christmas 2015!
Stay tuned for future posts with updates on interior choices and who knows, anything else that happens (good or bad!).
Mel
