It’s been over two years now since we moved in to our Eden Brae home. Recently, I was asked what the internals of our house looks like after the build was completed. I actually didn’t expect that my blog would be as responsive as it has been – so firstly, thank you for reading it thus far. I hope you’re finding it useful. What had we planned for our kitchen? Looking back, we briefed in a pencil sketch drawing with Kitchen Culture which turned out to be quite on-point with what we wanted in the end. Our aim was a modern, neutral coloured kitchen, hopefully appealing not just to us but future families if we choose to sell one day. I’d recommend to: Keep the sink, the fridge and stove within the ‘work triangle’ space. That is, an easy distance between these three main areas in the shape of a triangle. Maximise your cabinetry and bench areas. Fill the area above and around the stove, plus pantry areas with additional space. Think about areas that …

Have you been living in your newly built home for just shy of two years?  Or wondering what type of warranty you have remaining after your house build?  Well, you’re still covered by Eden Brae’s two year minor defects builders warranty (from settlement date). To your benefit, don’t ignore this opportunity to contact your Eden Brae Homes Maintenance Supervisor before you surpass the two-year mark.  Add this to your Google calendar or a phone reminder entry to ensure you make contact at least 22-months from your original settlement date.  Take note, Eden Brae Homes do not remind you of this – it’s up to you to contact them. This warranty covers you for the following: Cracking that opens at least 1mm wide Handles Bowing doors Damaged tiles And any other minor defects To make it simple for your Maintenance Supervisor, grab yourself an old credit card and take a weekend to look over all the nooks and crannies of your home and take photos.  You’ve paid quite a lot of money for your home, so …

In December 2017, we received a letter in the mail from our developers advising the “footpath installation works to the Council verge near your property are expected to take place” at the end of January 2018. “It is a requirement of [Council] that footpaths are installed by the developer following construction of 80% of the dwellings in a street.” Existing turf will be removed at a width of circa 2-metres and disposed of to allow adequate working space for the formwork to be installed and footpath to be laid; 1.5m wide concrete footpath will be poured; and Replacement of soil surrounding the footpath area, following removal of formwork If any of the street trees within the council verge at the front of your property are damaged or removed as a result of the footpath works they will be replaced by the developers upon completion of the works. Over a period of 4-days, this work took place.  It happened quite quickly actually, so for us, it had minimal disturbance overall. Tuesday The markings were outlined and …

Your house is finished and you’re singing it’s praise – we certainly are that’s for sure.  Our first free-standing home that we can finally call our own.  Despite commuting the distance that we travel each day to work, I wouldn’t trade moving back to our apartment.  The space is what we crave, affordability is also the other.  So if I had to choose apartment life closer to town or house life with longer commutes (and the price being comparable to each other), a house for us is the way to go. After moving in to your home, pop a notepad on your kitchen bench table. Continue to add any maintenance requirements you consider a ‘building defect’ to this list.  After your Practical Completion stage, when you start to live in your new home, you notice other things such as paint, items not finished to your satisfaction etc. Take a photo of each issue (as you’ll need to submit these in addition to your list) and this will help speed up the process when your 13-week review …