Onsite Eye

We got our log in and password for the Buildwatch Onsite Eye camera installed on our block.  It is fantastic. I find myself logging on all of the time just to see our house....I think I am a little crazy!

So crazy I want to share some of these pics....

In lock down

Because our estate is being built entirely by Eden Brae, they have erected site fencing around the perimeter of the estate and have installed the Build Watch cameras to keep on eye on the site for vandals and unsupervised visits.

For us this means we cannot get up close and personal with our blossoming home. It makes it hard to get photos of each stage of work. However, our SS has been fairly co-operative and let us on site on Monday afternoon to take a few pics of the framework. He did say that one of the other SS's would not be happy so thankfully he wasn't on site at the time I drove on by.

I am still waiting for our log on details for the camera on our lot. I hope we get it soon.

On another note, our windows were delivered today so I am assuming that they will be installed tomorrow.

We are getting close now.....

Today I received an email from our CSA advising us that the linen plan has been lodged with the LPI (Land and Property Information Division) to be examined pending registration. They expect LPI to provide registration very soon.

While I am unfamiliar with the process for land registration, it gives me reason to believe we are only weeks away from registration and settlement on our block of land.

Then we can get started on the fun stuff.

I will keep you posted.

Fast forward almost a year

I have been trying to go back and do this blog from the beginning of our journey to be able to show the time frame in which it took from deposit of our house to the actual construction. However, I thought I would fast forward almost a year and give you an update as at today.

Today is Tuesday the 8th April 2014 and our land is still not registered.  Sad and a little shocking to say this but there it is.

The latest update received from Eden Brae regarding registration (we purchased a H & L package through Eden Brae, I don't think I previously mentioned this) is that it would happen at the end of March 2014. Mind you, this has been about the 8th month we have been given since our initial deposit.  

1. January 2013 registration with construction commencing March 2013
2. March 2013
3. May 2013 
4. July 2013
5. October 2013
6. December 2013
7. January 2014
8. March 2014

This is where I tell you that Capital Corporation are the developers and it is my opinion that they have poorly managed this project. There have been countless delays and set backs, all of which have not been communicated to us. We have constantly had to call either Capital Corp or EBH to try and obtain any information from them. There was a thread started on Homeone by another purchaser of land in the same estate and from there we all managed to vent our frustrations. A positive that came out of this long wait is knowing that there were other people going through the same thing, and we all managed to give each other strength to get through it.

Today I read on Facebook (we moved from Homeone and created a group for our estate) that the subdivision certificate was signed off on Friday but the certificate is with typing and will be sent to the Land Titles Office upon receipt (by EBH maybe??). Nobody knows anything, and our  amended construction site start date provided by EBH a few months back has been set for 30th April 2014. I don't think we will be meeting this as the land may or may not even be registered by the end of the month.

I see a light at the end of the tunnel now though. We have finalised all of our administrative requirements apart from proof of finance as CBA won't do anything until the land registers. We are waiting on our final drawings to be sent to us by our CSA so we can thoroughly review them and sign them off ready for construction and then it is just a waiting game for this final hurdle.

Our estate is going to be great. By forming the Facebook group, it has brought us all together, we have had a few meet ups at the land and I think we are going to have a great little community with so many lovely people once it is finished.

There is a stage 2 that has just commenced. I hope that they have a better run that what stage 1 did.

NBN

We found out today that we should not have been charged for NBN pre-wiring, thanks to all the folks on Homeone.

We had pre-wiring for NBN included in our quotation with HSI under their guidance. But as it turns out, this is paid by the government and should have been included free of charge in our contract, which it wasn't.

So I emailed our CSA whom advised us to take it up with HSI to arrange a credit. HSI issued a credit of $675 and EBH added it into our contract by way of PCV.

Just a note to anyone building a home, no matter who the builder is, to double check everything, do as much research as you can, question anything that doesn't appear right, and I highly recommend Homeone. I found this site invaluable, receiving so much advice from other people having been through the same experience.

Eden Grange

It was only a month later that J stumbled across house and land packages by Eden Brae Homes on Realestate.com.au.  Prices for land seemed very reasonable so we took a drive out to the sales office on site to take a look at the master plan for "Eden Grange".  It was a quiet area, somewhat rural and old but with a lot of potential and definitely a place we could imagine raising our children in, so we headed down to Homeworld at Kellyville to take a look at the display homes and find out a little more information on the proposed development.

We spoke with Gaven, whom told us that the land was expecting to register in January 2013, with construction to commence approximately 2 months later (March 2013). He advised that we could choose any style of house, you weren't locked into the advertised house on each particular block. So we took a look through the homes that they have on display. We entered the Drysdale and instantly fell in love with it. We loved the floor plan and I particularly liked the gallery kitchen. I am a firm believer that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and the Drysdale's kitchen is right in the centre of the house. It was perfect. 

To cut a long story short, Gaven provided us with a fixed price package, taking advantage of $1 promotions at the time.  On the 3rd July 2012 we put down our deposit on the house and land package with EBH. This time we knew we had made the right decision.