We have signed :)

Well, I am now officially ~$500,000 broker... signed my contract today with Carlisle and over-all I am pretty happy.

We received our contract paperwork on Friday, I got home from a month in Vietnam on Saturday. I went through it carefully and aside from a couple of errors that were because of some mis-communication from my bride in the colour selection it was on the money.

We signed off and we will be getting a post contract variation for the items I changed today. (some electrical).

We got the facade looking the way we wanted without any cost, we are getting an under-mount sink despite initially being told it wasn't possible. They had to move the dishwasher a little and we lose the corner cupboard in the kitchen but I am thrilled to get the under-mount and an insinkerator.

Once I get the final paperwork I'll post up the final plans and final variation costs.

Facades :(

After receiving my colour selection plans, I saw that the facade of my new home looks noting like the Sovereign facade shown on the Carlisle Website......

The study windows are 2 small skinny ones instead of one large window and the balcony has bars across the front instead of a rendered wall.

These two features, along with the roof over the balcony are the reasons we chose this facade.

I have gone back to my sales person (Deb) and asked them to find a solution. I'll keep you updated

Updated house plans

Finally all the documentation for the loan is in and done, (a challenge from Vietnam)! Hopefully have approval early next week, (if we don't all this is for naught!)

Got a copy of the final layout (click on the link below) The major changes from the original Odessa layout is this:

• Added internal access from the garage
• Moved Laundry door to edge of stairs / hallway
• Opened up the wall from family room to rumpus - the plan here is for it to be a formal dining or a pool room - (go pool room)
• Straightened the wall on bedrooms 2 & 3 between the activity room - we will be constructing a desk / bookshelf along that wall for our daughters
• double doors to study and lounge (lounge to be home theater)
• door to en-suite.

Updated house plans

ahhh, the challenges of buying "Essential"

After the dust has settled from yesterday's colour selection, I had a couple of items that I thought might be of interest to the readers.

I wanted to go pink in the two girls bedrooms, it was an additional $450 per room to change colour for those rooms.

The Essential series has a limited range of front doors - basically they wont do timber doors. We are going to get the basic standard doors and then change them after handover, a bit frustrating - but we move on.

Anyway - I feel like we have completed one of the major hurdles by completing the Spectra appointment. Next up is finalizing us being broke for the next 30 years  financing and the contract appointment June 26th.

Wins and Losses

Colour selection run and done - so that is positive - also had some setbacks today. 

We cannot flip the house the way we want due to building envelope which I didn't know existed until today - Carlisle said they should have checked and known this earlier - this is disappointing as we won't see as much of the northern sun now, however we are going to press forward. 

Also found that we cannot do an under mount sink due to our cabinet depth :(  

The wall movement upstairs (straighten the wall along bedrooms 2& 3) can be done just a couple of roof trusses to be upgraded $250. We wanted to do this as we are going to have a desk / bookshelf built in along that wall.

To open the he wall between the family and the rumpus requires 900mm of wall either side to remain giving us an opening of 2340mm and a steel beam running over in a bulkhead to support the weight of upstairs as this is a main load bearing/support wal . This has a cost of $1,750 to do  - we are going to go ahead with both options.

Here are some of the photos the good wife sent me during the Spectra Appointment today

Flooring Choices

Bathroom tiling

Kitchen

Close up of counter top (cracked pepper)

bathroom vanities

Exterior

En-suite Shower head 

Gotta hand it to the wifey!

The wife takes on the colour selection appointment at Spectra as I type this. Last night she was up till 3AM putting together a "Dreamboard" to take with her to help things go smoothly and to show the Spectra rep what we are trying to achieve. She was taken her laptop with the following presentation.

Hopefully things are going well... hopefully

Dreamboard (pretty big file)

New Plans and Quote from Spectra

Updated House Plans

Updated Electrical Plan (this is my mock up that the wife will take with her to the appt)

New Sales Quotation

Tomorrow is the big day for the wifey - she is doing the colour selection at Spectra solo, I have tried to prep her as best I can, i hope all goes well......

I also received an updated quote and plans today. Not 100% right, but getting there....

I am a bit worried that I am pushing up the cost before the spectra appointment, but oh well, I plan to be in this house a long time.

Blank Carlisle HIA contract

Still moving forward trying to line out our financing in time to get the first home buyers boost - running into a couple of speed bumps but I'm confident we will get all sorted

Anyway I requested and received a blank contract from my sales rep so I can review while I'm away - I'm pretty sure it is standard so thought some other prospective Carlisle clients may be interested in having a look through and getting an electronic copy.

See the link below :)
Blank Carlisle HIA contract

Blank Colour Selection Form

Not much to report new, we are working on getting our financing sorted out (using Rams), I am trying get ensure my wife is as prepared as possible for the colour selection appointment on the 12th that she has to do without me there. (Wonder if I end up with pink walls everywhere?)
Something that a potential client of Carlisle might find helpful is their colour selection form, it will vary depending on your design, but I think there would be a lot of commonality.
Click on this link to see our blank one:
Carlisle Blank Colour Selection Form

Next step for us is financing approval - hopefully next week, and colour selection the week after.