Raising the stakes with the pool fence

So the neighbours have won the first round - and raised me one!

I am now gobsmacked by their solution to the pool fence problem. After seeing what was done with the boundary fence I started asking questions about how they planned to do their pool fence, given that they had sited it too close to the rock wall and boundary to be able to build a standard pool fence inside. I was particularly concerned about the possibility of children climbing over the rock wall. See "Pool Fence Problem" (Nov 29) below.

Now I find, again without the least consultation, they have extended the fence across the back and this is what I have to live with. Can they really raise the fence this high without planning permission, or consultation?

The view from the back yard













The view from the back bedroom










I think I have discovered an anomaly in the system whereby all the planning for such things is left up to the pool digger.

Council has no jurisdiction on pool fences at this stage - it is up to private certifiers, who in this case claim that despite having a plan submitted to them they "didn't know the rock wall was that high". They say they will not inspect until the fence is complete and the pool builder requests certification.

The pool builder, on the other hand, Mr "she'll be right lovey" clearly had no idea how to deal with the situation when I met him onsite.

I will definitely be contacting the council about the amenity issues after New Year.

Outmanoeuvred on the fence!

After further discussions it has been confirmed that the fence is definitely not in the right place, but that it is not quite as far into my property as first believed.

Instead of the fence being evenly placed over the boundary it is 70mm too far into my property at the rear (where space is at a premium) and 70mm too far into the neighbour's property at the front (where I don't need more space). The only explanation I have been given is that the fencer was having a "bad day" and that when he dropped the plumb line from the peg at the top of the rock retaining wall, he made an error. No explanation was offered for how he got it wrong at the opposite end. So now we have a skewed fence that "just touches" boundary at either end. Incompetence, in my view, but without the neighbours' support in having it rectified there is little I can do. I could issue a "Notice to Remove", which would be referred to the Building Services Authority, which would take months to investigate, during which time I wouldn't be able to get on with my landscaping, and the advice I have been given is that the BSA would likely not order the fence's removal, given that it does touch the boundary at both ends and is therefore within accepted tolerances for error.

Checkmate :(

Final touches before Xmas

It was Tuesday, two days before Christmas, in sweltering heat, and well into the builder's declared shutdown period. I didn't expect to find anyone on site, but there they were, the brickies were laying the final courses of the job just inches from the top of the portico columns.

Lots of other little jobs have been done as well in preparation for the final fixing, fitting and painting after Christmas.

This is the built-in shelving and bench in the garage.










Internal doors hung, ready for painting









Upgraded door handles - pretty sleek, don't you think?

Window frames and skirting boards
Bath and laundry sealant

Locked out

It's not truly locked up yet as there are only bricks blocking the front and back doors, but the sliding doors are barred, the garage door is down and I am for the first time, for all intents and purposes, locked out. It's a strange feeling.

This is my land, my house, and most of what's here is already paid for, but from this point until settlement the builder asserts their right to legal possession and I will have to liaise to inspect, rather than just dropping by.

I know that I have had better-than-average access so far to document the progress and am not complaining at all about the situation. I'm sure most people building a house have the same reaction at lock-up stage.

But as I peer through the garage window and catch a glimpse of the newly installed bench and shelves, as well as all the newly hung internal doors with their handles on, I can't help longing to get in there and take a few shots!

Even more fence arrogance

So with the neighbour's settlement looming, the neighbour's builder has fobbed us off for two and a half weeks claiming not to be able to get their supervisor, my supervisor and the contractors together at the same time for a meeting. With patience running thin, I demand that my builder put some pressure on and finally the meeting takes place and a proposal is put to me...

The fence stays, they won't ask me to pay my share (how good of them, considering they didn't issue a Notice to Fence or consult me in any way in the first place) and I pay for the sleepers at the bottom of the fence, which they will install at no cost to me.

Are you kidding?

The builder and the fencer, who have done the wrong thing, walk away from the problem and leave the owners to work out the legal problems in the future over the boundary, compensation, adverse possession, retitling costs and whatever else.....?

Doorway to the future

The garage door is fitted, the internal doors are going on, and the external doors stand ready.

The aim was to reach lockup before the Christmas shutdown at the end of next week.

Well, we made it...and then some!

Lots of people ask when we hope to be in...and the answer is, it'll happen when it happens. Better that way, than to allow delays to engender frustration and disappointment. But as I eye off the rapid progress so far I can't help thinking that the scheduled completion date of April 29 sounds awfully conservative. And as I consider the possibility of Moving Day coming earlier than expected, I feel a gentle uncoiling of emotion within. It is a subtle shift as I give myself permission to project forward out of the mire of decisions required to reach this point, and in my imagination catch a glimpse of life in our new home.

Time to pretty up

The nail guns are back and this time the focus is on all the fiddly bits that turn a construction site into a home...it's time for cornices, skirting boards and window sills.

Bagging done

It's a whole new look.
The bagging part of the "bag and paint" is done.

Bag and paint

It's the icing on the cake...at least that's the way it looked as I watched the lads slapping on a thick layer of the render cement. It was amazing to see how quickly it was trowelled on and smoothed out, before subbie #2 came along with his paintbrush and sponge to give the artistic final flourish.





















The finish I have chosen is a "bag and paint", a budget alternative to a smooth "render".

As I look around the suburb I see a lot of houses with a very thin "bag and paint" coating, so thin you can still see the the bricks and mortar underneath!

On the promise that Ausbuild's "bag and paint" is as good as some builders' render, I inspected a couple of spec homes and decided to go with it. I haven't been disappointed. The end result is a generous coating with a swirl finish and not a mortar joint in sight.





Day 2: After drying, a border is etched into the surface.