We have a slab!!!

It has been 1 year, 11 months and 10 days since we put down our deposit but today we have finally had our slab poured!  You can't really fully comprehend how one can feel such joy in seeing a slab of concrete until you go through the process.

I was hoping to see them pour the concrete and did my usual drive by at 8am. However, this morning it was extremely foggy and to my disappointment a truck had just finished pouring the cement and was pulling out of the lot.  However, the excitement of it actually happening outweighed the disappointment and I couldn't wait to come back after work to view the finished product.

I was surprised at how long it actually takes to pour a slab but the guys were working on it all day. They were still there, finishing up at 5:10pm when I drove past on my way home. 

Here are a few photos.

The dramas of finance

Our land loan was a huge drama, one where we thought we wouldn't make settlement. But in the end, Irene Cujko of Mortgage Choice, Kings Langley pulled a number of strings and CBA got it all sorted in time for settlement scheduled a couple of hours later in the day.

We were told by Serge Cujko that the construction loan would be done once we had settled on the land, and so the documentation was lodged 2 days later (Friday 9th May 2014). It is now a week on and CBA have booked in a valuation of our land for tomorrow at 11am. So we are looking at least another week before we receive formal approval and the bank can issue our ACC.

This process is so frustrating. We cannot understand why it has had to be done this way. Mortgage Choice assure us that this is the way the bank operates. Nothing can be formally approved until after land settlement and so we have to wait.  Its stressful because all of our administrative requirements to Eden Brae have been fulfilled and they are waiting on the ACC.  We just want to get started.

In saying that....there has been a lot of action on the estate this week. There have been 5 blocks scraped and prepared for slabs. One block has now gotten their formwork done and a slab should be laid tomorrow. It is actually quite exciting watching other blocks commence construction. It gives us the sense that it is real. After years of waiting, construction has now commenced. We just have to be patient....our turn will come :)

And we can't wait!!