Since it’s now been a year since we moved in I thought I might try and answer some of the questions everyone has been asking us. If you have any burning questions of your own, pop them in a comment and I’ll see what I can do!
Did we get our rebate back?
Yes! We got the full sustainability and landscaping rebate from Landcom, the whole $10 000. Thank goodness!
Was it easy?
No, I liken it to pulling teeth. On top of submitting the application there was a house visit, then there was a follow up with a bazillion emails and phone calls. The DRP didn’t like that we’d planted small plants, even though we had planted an extra 50 native plants throughout the garden (we knew that would be an issue). So, we had to plant two additional trees in the front yard to compensate. We also had to prove that we had not left holes in the hedge where the sewer manholes are. I’m rolling my eyes while I type this, but we had mulched over the manholes with a light covering and we actually had to dig up the mulch and take photos in order to prove that the manholes were really there (geeze, why would I make that up?). We also had to prove that we had planted a native hedge species because DRP didn’t believe me on that either… sigh. Oh well, we got the money in the end, YEAH!
How are the appliances?
Good, except the oven. The oven has had an issue with the thermostat. Lucky it’s still under warranty and we had it fixed at no expense. Hope it stays unbroken from here on in!
Are there lots of settlement cracks?
There are a few on the inside, but nothing too dramatic. Hairline cracks that we will fix with fill and paint when we feel like it (probably never!). Nothing on the outside that I’ve noticed.
Example of the kind of settlement cracks we’ve got. Nothing unusual.
Anything you hate?
Yes, the gloss paint they used on all the doors, skirting and trims etc has yellowed considerably. Especially in areas that don’t get a lot of light, like behind furniture. Pretty annoying to have lovely white walls and yellowing trims.
How are the sinks, taps, showers?
Showers are lovely. Taps are nice but get a lot of fingerprints, water marks etc on them. Doesn’t bother me too much but if you’re a fanatic you’ll be bugged by it. Sinks are lovely in design but lacking in functionality. They’re very shallow and dirt, soap bubbles, toothpaste and anything in between stays in the bottom of the sink. I’m FOREVER cleaning them. Would I get them again? Probably not!
This is what my sink looks like 99% of the time. Gross!
Anything you didn’t expect?
Yes. Everything is square and pointy. Like the towel rails and door handles. I find myself bumping into them every five minutes and have a collection of bruises to prove it. (Will spare you the photos…)
What do you LOVE?
The fact that a lot of the house faces north and we get lovely winter sunlight coming into the house. Perfect. Great excuse to become a lounge lizard. We’re pretty damn proud of our turfing job as well. Can’t believe we did that ourselves.
What was totally worth it?
The strip lighting under the overhead kitchen cupboards. Was a pain to get the builder to do but worth it in the end. Can’t imagine life without them. Some kind of under cupboard lighting is fantastic.
Well, that’s my brain dead for tonight. Let me know if there’s something I’ve missed!
cornerstone26 