To all of our family ~ friends ~ workmates ~ business associates in the United States of America – United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Australia ~ New Zealand (especially NZ) who have been reading our blog (curious about architecture/contractors/materials), we have been amazed with the comments/feedback about the home building experience.
Those of you in New Zealand who are contemplating building your own home (conventional/kitset) or renovating an existing house, we hope the businesses that worked and products used on our home have helped you in deciding what your options can be.
Thursday, 9th September, 2010 (Spring) Toilets are ordered by Mico Bathrooms from an Australian manufacturer. The Company had the “pans” in stock but not the “cisterns”. A 6 week delivery time schedule.
October, 2010 (Spring) Oak Construction Ltd. returns to the building site to install the remaining two bedroom windows from Fairview Windows & Doors Napier /Greytown.
Wednesday, 6th October, 2010 (Spring) Hintzen/Ritch must move into their uncompleted home. Over one year from when Hintzen/Ritch first started the process with Mr. Peter Mintoft of The Kitset Company Ltd. Trading as Highmark Homes Hawkes Bay. Mr. Mintoft estimated time of completion on the house was end of December 2009.
Monday, 1st November, 2010 (Spring) Oak Construction Ltd. returns to the building site with an army of ONE to continue work.
Monday, 1st November, 2010 (Spring) Australian manufacturer informs Mico Bathrooms the toilets may be in by mid December 2010. The order is cancelled/replaced by bargain-basement plastic toilets to stop further delaying the already over budget and behind schedule project!
Wednesday, 1st December, 2010 will be the first official day of Summer in New Zealand……we enter a new season.
Saturday, 18th December, 2010 (Summer) this is the last day Oak Construction Ltd. is on the building site.
Wednesday, 2nd February, 2011 (Summer) The last inspection for “Plumbing & Drainage/Building” from the Hastings District Council ~ it passed. We now wait for the “Code Compliance Certificate”.
Tuesday, 8th February 2011 (Summer) Lifestyle Specialist Real Estate Agent Shaun Tong of Property Brokers estimates the value of our “Winton Modified Design – Homestead Series” on our 1.3150 hectares (3.25 acres) .
Thursday, 10th February 2011 (Summer) Rural Sales Consultant John Simmons of Tremains Real Estate Ltd. estimates the value of our “Winton Modified Design – Homestead Series” on our 1.3150 hectares (3.25 acres).
Tuesday, 1st March 2011 will be the first official day of Autumn in New Zealand……we enter a new season.
Friday, 11th March 2011 (Autumn) the Code Compliance Certificate arrives.
Monday, 14th March 2011 (Autumn) Letter of 30 Day Notice mailed to Highmark Homes Bay of Plenty (Central Office) & Oak Construction Ltd.
Sunday, 20th March 2011 (Autumn) the last valuation by W.R.Hawkins FNZIV FPINZ of Williams’ Harvey Ltd.
We both are immensely appreciative to all the people and businesses who worked with us to get our home to this point. We could not have done this without everyone’s patience and understanding of how this process works.
This has been an exceedingly unpleasant period in our lives. We have both been placed under incalculable stress during what should be a very “happy” time! The daily posting to our blog was a discouraging reminder that the “system” does not work and if the people involved building the house do not work together, how easily the homeowner can quickly become a “statistic” - fall through the cracks and is the one who pays the price dealing with an industry which is unregulated by the government. We will continue to post entries in 2011.
The only aspect seeing us through this disquietude is the knowledge our dog Xander appears to be over the worst of his injuries that took place Monday, 22nd February, 2010……and slowly on the mend.
