Despite being an enormous country with abundant land mass we still source the majority of our wood from overseas. Which is an odd arrangement given that now in the middle of a pandemic we are suffering from a timber shortage which has not only increased the costs of timber and housing builds but has also led to the increase in people stealing timber from people's lots.
After a lengthy delay we have finally got our load of Timber yesterday and the builders went straight to work erecting our frame with the hopes of having it completed by weeks end. Unfortunately due to weather it has delayed the construction but the builders were able to erect pretty much the entire first floor.
I've had to swing past multiple times in the middle of the night to ensure my timber remains. One of our neighbours had his timber stolen twice and decided to switch to a steel frame as it was cheaper than having to replace and pay more for timber. Due to the current situation I think many are not replacing or waiting until prices reduce so he shelled out more for steel.
It's important to note that I selected a slightly smaller double story build in order to maintain land size and have a garage extension with a drive through to the back. But as we peer down the front door we can see right down to the back where the kitchen is. On our right is our study and separate lounge which will be where I most likely work from and the kids play room.
Standing in the back looking back towards the front door I'm standing where the dining room will be kitchen to the right alfresco and down stairs family room to the left. The stairs are also located to the left and I've boxed them in to create a store room to store things under the stairs. You can walk into it where no doubt alot of kids toys and miss will be stored. I also have a walk in pantry that continues to the laundry.
This whole level has been designed for functionality for our home and how we live. Office out the front, extended garage for my gym and a car while a drive through garage will enable us to secure more cars once our kids get older and don't need to rely on street parking. As we have a no parking area infront of our home due to wetlands it was a necessity to enable vehicle access. I also have plans of getting a caravan which will most likely take the space at the back.
As you can see the garage extension and shifting the house to the right enables a 4 meter drive through access to the back yard. I won't have full access to the back as the heating and cooling unit will be located further down and you won't be able to get past it but there will be atleast 6 - 7 meters down the side (estimate).
I'll also pop in a nice tropical garden as the kitchen window looks out to this space and it would be nice to have something beautiful to look at while preparing dinner.
It's taken just over 13 months to get to this stage due to COVID and all its head aches but I'm getting excited now that things are actually moving and I can't stop looking at our design image of that the facade will look like once completed.
I've already got a headache looking at that glass balcony and how hard it is going to be to keep it clean!
Stay tuned for more updates as the second floor is completed. I can not wait!
