Good things are worth waiting for

" Good things are worth waiting for" as the saying goes and definitely seems to apply to our new house build lately.  We now own the block from the funds of our previous home, have full planning approval and our full set of working drawings but not much else is happening. The plans are currently sitting with our builder and are being quoted so we hope to have some sort of news or a starting date in the next few weeks.  Its all been rather drawn out and a little frustrating but I am sure things will hopefully start moving and progressing again soon

One thing I have been working on is choosing the colour and finishes for the exterior.  Working with a colour consultant has been brilliant as our house has quite a few elements. I love seeing this part coming together  - it really brings forward all the ideas that I have had and you can start to see the style and look of the house - fingers crossed its going to look beautiful

So far we have chosen :

Colourbond Shale Grey for Roof and Gutters

Surfmist for Facia, Verandah Posts, weatherboard detailing around windows  and garage door. All windows will be painted white so they stand out.  Window dressings will be white plantation shutters

Black Cavier for Front door and Studio entrance

Cashmere for Render - this is choice number 1 but we are still deciding on whether it will be too light as once in the sun it can be up to 3-4 shades lighter

Mangaweka for Render - possible choice number 2

Our house also has 2 retaining walls along each side of driveways ( we have 2 drives) and veranda base brick work for a solid feel so considering adding some beautiful sandstone  - I think this will add texture and will tie in well

My inspiration for the colour scheme

These are the lights I have chosen for the front elevation

We will source similar gates in white for our second drive - these gates are set back just past the studio entrance and we will have lillydale topping side drive all the way to the back of the block where hubby's second garage will be

Possible design idea for hubby's second garage - I still want it to look part of the house as opposed to some ugly tin shed.  This will house our caravan and god knows what else boys place in sheds. Apparently this garage gets bigger and bigger everytime we discuss it - what is it with men and their sheds!

We finally have Estate Approval!

After many months back and forth and changes galore and not to mention the extra expense we finally have estate planning approval of our house plans. Its a big relief and means we now can get our full working drawings and start building.

 Its perfect timing actually as we just moved over the weekend into our rental house  (which was completely exhausting to say the least) and our previous home is scheduled for settlement on Friday.We are renting a slightly smaller home on a tiny block in the same area but it has a great feel about it and we are loving downsizing for the moment! We were so happy once we moved in we did think for a moment of taking a break, having a holiday and start building next year!  Looks like at this stage we will start in October ( I am thinking we could squeeze in a quick holiday as I serioulsy need it!)  - very exciting and its hard to believe we are almost ready

A few images from our little rental  :)

Kitchen Design & Plan Updates

 Well after I mentioned that things were moving ever so slowly in the last few days things have really picked up which has been fantastic. I picked up preliminary plans from the architect this morning - I was quite happy to finally have them in my hot little hands! We now need to go through everything and make any required changes to the design, lighting plan etc before it moves on to the structural engineer. Its so lovely to see all my ideas on paper instead of my head and both hubby and I feel rather relieved that things could be starting soon

The kitchen design in this house was always a really important factor - it really is the hub of most homes so I wanted it to have that beautiful wow factor. Although I am usually such a timeless girl with colours etc I am really leaning on making the island bench either black or a dark timber colour like these images below - I just think it gives a wonderful contrast. 

This is an absolute favourite and is my inspiration for our kitchen in this home. Back cabinetry, concealed rangehood and marble splashback will be similar but bench will be more of an island with seating. Also I adore these lights! Such a beautiful space

Normally I would go all white but really thinking this could be an option. I also found some amazing bar stools yesterday that would look perfect with a dark island bench - pity I already spent a small fortune on the ones we already have from Town & Country Style last year!

I have also changed my mind regarding our oven choice ( thinking this "changing my mind" business will happen alot during this build!) I did originally choose a beautiful Ilve oven in bright white but I think the stainless steel option will be a better choice for the colour scheme I have in mind

Starting to get very excited seeing it all come together! The next month will be super busy organising the final details and contracts. Oh and did I mention we have only 2 short weeks until moving?? Hmmm better start packing!!

All images can be found on my Pinterest Board here