Ever had that feeling where you want something so bad, or are so close to reaching a goal that you physically can’t keep still, you can’t sleep and you almost feel like dancing in the street?

That’s the feeling we’ve got now with the display in Darlington as it reaches it’s final stages. The action has been non-stop on site with the home changing every day.The air con has been installed and upon testing - the home is cool. So cool that Supervisor Cookie was tempted to stay the night after seeing how good the system was compared to his evaporative at home. Due to our homes having the higher ceilings, its often a good idea to check with your preferred air con company as to how it will cope on those hot summer days, especially with the amount of glass in our homes. All of our homes come with E-vents as standard to remove the hot air from the roof space, with people often installing awning windows for their high windows to increase air circulation throughout the home. Sadly this is part of the price you pay when having loft style homes or high ceilings. The trade off is that you get a magnificent feeling of space and for most people, the trade off is worth it. That’s not to say your home can’t be cool in summer. Zoning your home is also a good idea as it gives you the flexibility to close off sections of the home which in all reality, is how we should live as it’s not necessary to heat or cool an entire home at once.

The driveway is all finished complete with turning circle and visitors bays looking absolutely fantastic. There’s something so nice about walking on a property when everything is so nice and new - similar to buying a new car i guess. The decking has also been oiled and words can’t describe how fantastic it looks - walking on it i’m envious of the person who’ll end up buying this home as the height has meant when you’re sitting on the deck, you almost feel like you are up amongst the trees. A great spot for an outdoor recliner or wicker chairs to enjoy with a glass of wine in the evenings. It really is about lifestlye with our homes and to be honest, i find myself getting jealous when i see some of the homes we build.

If you’ve ever thought cleaning your home was bad, try cleaning a home that’s been under construction. Throughout the build process a supervisor will always endeavour to keep the home as clean as possible, and major items like wrappers etc will always be binned but sadly, things like dust can’t be avoided. Every nook, cranny, drawer, door jam will experience a coat of dust and with the cleaners in this week, you wonder how long after they’ve done a job that they start to feel their finger tips again. They do a magnificent job though and it’s always great to see the home before its handed over to the client in such a clean state.

When i last visited the blinds and curtains were getting installed and its great to see the difference it makes. Without them, the home is beautifully light and bright but to a degree, you feel a bit insecure about privacy and protection. With the use of timber venetians and shears, it really starts to make the place feel like home. Coupled with the feeling of walking on freshly laid carpet and newly polished timber floors.

Over this week, all the minor little touches are happening with last minute shelving, glass splashbacks, light switch plates etc all being installed. It’s an exciting time but it sure starts to feel like forever.

Landscaping has begun and Peter Rowe from Garden Art with his team are already making serious headway in the garden. We’re quite excited with the landscaping of the home as Peter (Who does all of our displays) has some fantastic creativity and always manages to surprise us with some tricks up his sleeve. Furniture has been installed and i have to say it, Jodie gets it right every time. The brief of our homes is to always highlight warmth. When people come through we want them to feel at home, and feel comfortable to walk around and take a great look at what The Rural Building Company designs are all about. Some of the furniture she’s used is absolutely stunning and i find myself often asking her where she got pieces so i can track them down and put them in my home. It’s funny how a piece in a shop may not look so fantastic but once you see it in a home, it looks brilliant. Designers must definitely see something that the rest of us don’t!

Anywho, next time i post on here the home will hopefully be finished and i hope to post up nothing but heaps of pics of the finished result. Of course, i’d expect many of you to come check it out for yourself!

Jay W

The Rural Building Company’s next display home is fast approaching completion with the looming target date in March getting very close.

Since the last update, Supervisor Cookie has been hard at it. As a normal client home under construction, we would be approaching a point now where we would be ready to hand the home over, where they would get their keys and from there they tee up the finishing trades with flooring, blinds etc. As a display, it’s a little different as many different people descend on site to get things finished. Similar to our last update, we’ve had painters, decking people, flooring guys, tilers and electricians all working at the home which can get pretty hectic.

The timber floors have been completed with just the trim to go around the fireplace. A lot of people often ask if skirting is included in the build of a home with it most often not included. It’s not usually included as it is very dependant on the type of flooring that people put down. Some put down tiles, others carpet, and some timber. There’s also the few that do polished concrete. Because of these different types and styles, the height at which the skirting is installed will vary, therefore the builder will often leave it as the client may still be deciding.

Outside, the decking is near completion with just the balustrading to go in which is being fabricated as we speak. We chose to do timber decking around the front and paving around the rear to break it up a bit for something different. The timber alfresco at the front coming off the free form living will have balustrading due to height and safety requirements, but along the front verandahs we’ve chosen to keep it open so the view will be less interrupted and will hopefully make for a cleaner look. The steps were also made this week leading up to the decking making quite the grand entrance and approach to the home.

Prep work began yesterday for the driveway and landscaping which is quite a big job for the size block the home is on. In compliance with shire guidelines we are putting in a number of parking bays to the side of the block, which will be a great space for visitors for the future owners of the home once sold.

It’s all getting very exciting now as the home is well and truly coming together, and with landscaping starting in the next week or so, the contrast against the home will be fantastic to see. Speaking with trades who have been working on the home, they mentioned they have been getting a lot of visitors to the site who are anxious to see the new home open to the public in Darlington.

I guess there was no other way to put a title to our update this week of the Darlington display home. I visited on Friday with Construction Manager Michael for the first time this year and it’s amazing to see just how much progress has happened. We’ve reached that point of the build process where it starts to get quite busy on site as there’s a mixture of trades working there.

At previous stages and throughout most of the process, you tend to only see one trade on site at a time whether it be the brickies, carpenters etc. Right now we’ve had the cabinet makers, timber floor guys, painters, tilers and glass company.

It’s at times like this where a lot of care and patience needs to be exercised as there’s a lot of people walking around, and there’s a higher chance of things getting damaged.

Approaching the site from Coulston Road in Darlington, you certainly get an appreciation of grandeur of the elevation, with some of the locals commenting that they thought it was a 2-storey home. The external painting is mostly complete with the bushland green weatherboards contrasting beautifully with the surrounding scenery. The framework for the timber decked alfresco and verandah out the front is complete and looks to make for a stunning area to enjoy. We changed our minds at the last minute on the timber decking - originally opting for treated pine, we have changed to Batu. Slightly more expensive but has a nicer finish and look to it which will compliment the brickwork.

With the glass in the windows and doors, it’s really come together and feels like a home at lock-up stage. In the free form living area, the timber floors have been laid and received their first sand - i’m hanging out to see them sealed and polished! As something a little different which we also did in our Settlers View display home in Settlers Hills Baldivis, rather than take the timber flooring to the edges of the room we’ve done a tiled border with the timber inset. It creates a point of difference to the usual timber floors you see and really accentuates the shape of the room. It costs a little more but worth doing if you can. The tiles we’ve used for the perimeter have also been used on the fireplace so really brings the room together. We chose to go with an ash/charcoal sort of colour with a bit of a gradient for extra character. I’m in love with the fireplace already and know that whoever purchases the home, will definitely be using it in the winter as it will really add to the warm feeling of the home.

It was a real spin out seeing the kitchen cupboards in after a lot of to and fro over what to do. Myself, our Interior Decorator and our Construction Administration Manager Adrian spent a bit of time chopping and changing the plans as we really wanted to maximise the storage and usability of the kitchen. We’re now seeing a lot more people put in large pot drawers opposed to cupboards, as they are a lot easier to access (especially with big pots and woks) and are fantastic for those who plan to stay in their home for a long time. Thought is also put into things like retractable rangehoods, and electrical cupboards as people wish to keep their kitchen looking neat whilst having easy access to certain things. With the culmination of appliances people have these days, it also means plenty of extra powerpoints, also installed in the pantry for people stowing breadmakers etc. For the benchtops we’ve gone with Corian and are putting it out there to have a Corian splashback as well. As mentioned before, we haven’t done anything too drastic with the colour selections as we find that neutral colours add to the warmth of the home and it’s easy to add character by adding vases etc. Even a simple appliance like a toaster can make a difference with brands offering an array of colours such as red, yellow and green.

The bathrooms are progressing nicely with basins, sinks, mirrors, showerheads and shower screens installed. I had only seen a small sample of the feature tile we have installed and it’s come up looking fantastic. Our Decorator has a great eye for things like this so I often sit back and let her roll with it rather than interfere.

Looking to the landscaping, the back of the block has been raked as we plan to have a sloping sort of garden which will make the home look like its nestling into the side of the hill, and provide a good view from the back bedroom windows. The driveway is being prepared at the moment ready for when the asphalt will be poured so at this point it’s full steam ahead as we plan to open early March.

Will post some pics up shortly.

Sadly, vandalism can’t always be avoided and its always heart breaking to see what damage can be done to peoples homes under construction.

If you witness theft or vandalism on building sites, be sure to contact ‘Dob in a dumper’ or your builder. In some instances you will be rewarded for your efforts.

Well it’s certainly been a while since our last update on the home, and there’s definitely been a bit of action happening out on site.

Sadly, over the Christmas break the home was broken into with some of the rear windows smashed and a bit more damage ensued from there. Black tile grout waiting to be used by the tiler was thrown around the house marking the white walls and ceiling. In the New Year after a bit of cleaning we sadly had to get the home repainted. It’s heart breaking to see this sort of destruction happening out on site and despite a lot of effort to reduce it, we sadly can’t catch them all.

So with the bad news over we can move onto the exciting stuff. After getting more tile grout, the tiling in the wet areas (ensuite, bathroom, laundry) has been completed and come up looking fantastic. I forgot to get pictures so when i’m up there next will be sure to take some so you can see the colour scheme we’ve gone with. Based on experience, i find it best to pick neutral or subtle colours, and to add character and personality to each room use furniture and for really bright or individual characters, use objects that can be replaced easily. Over time your tastes and preferences will change so it’s best to use things that can be replaced easily. Furniture is quite cheap to replace when you compare it to the cost of tiling.

Outside we are starting to do more work which will tie in with the landscaping. Around the home we will be having paving in the back and timber decking out the front. We had previously selected pine but decided to splash out a bit and will now be using Batu. The frame for the decking has been complete and should provide a fantastic front alfresco area which will literally have you off the ground and closer to the trees. It wasn’t until we had started building the home that we really got to appreciate just how high the decking was going to be  - at one point we considered installing a spa into the deck. As another point, if you are considering adding a pool, spa or water feature later on, it’s definitely a good idea to at least put a provision in for the plumbing and electrical. We won’t be doing too much lighting externally but have run a number of conduits so that future owners have the ability should they choose to do so.

The floors were sealed in the main living areas ready for the timber flooring to be laid which should have been started this week. A question we often get is what we use in our homes. We’ve previously used Marri Oak for quite a few displays and find it a great hardy floor. Bamboo is becoming a lot more popular and very price competitive. It’s definitely worth doing your research on different floor products as it depends on the lifestyle you lead, and who’ll be living in the home.

This week we also get a little closer to finishing with all of the electrical. What had previously just been plastic switches on the wall will be replaced with their main faceplates which for some reason always gets people very excited. I think it’s one of those things where you start to see your personal choices coming through in the home. The same goes with plumbing fixtures and its that point where people can rest a little easier with their choices matching the tiling etc in the bathroom. It does amaze me how stressed out people can get with these items when i think about how if they were buying an established home, it wouldn’t matter as much. In all reality, it’s quite hard to get wrong unless you are picking the more unusual varieties of tapware and electrical switches.

I’ve posted a few pics of the vandalism done, but will hopefully have some more glamorous pics next week showing the tiling and the frame for our timber decking.

Jay W

It’s amazing how much of a difference the white plaster set makes with brightening up the home. By having the open activity area coming into the hallway, it’s made what could be a dull and dark area very light and bright.

Also note the internal doors we have used - more expensive than standard internal doors but make a huge difference. Items like this can be fitted later down the track or even then, only used for certain doorways such as entrances to hallways and passages to make it feel more open.

Well Christmas is well and truly around the corner and we’ve been going gangbusters to get this home built ready for a February open.

Admittedly i’ve been a bit slack on the updates on here but that doesn’t mean progress has faltered on the display. Quite the opposite in fact with the home definitely starting to look more like the finished product.

The main windows were completed last week in the main portal frames and changed the appearance of the elevation quite dramatically. Its these sorts of windows that make The Rural Building Company homes stand out and add that point of difference. You’ll see a lot of other builders with farmhouses and farmhouse ranges but you’ll struggle to see some like ours. We focus on lots of large windows as when you live on a rural block, you want to connect with the outside as much as possible. It may add a bit of cost to the home with engineering details, but the finished product is definitely worth it.

The white plaster set was completed on the walls with the raking ceilings installed last Friday. Again this free form living space has been transformed and feels incredibly open, light and bright. If you’ve ever lived in an open home before, if you then went to a closed in home you’ll definitely appreciate the difference.

We focus on bright and open spaces to create a home that feels spacious and by using larger windows, the home feels bigger as it’s bringing the open space outside inside. For rooms such as living spaces it’s definitely worthwhile - pending budget i recommend large windows for bedrooms, even if it’s just the master.

The raking ceiling and catherdral style central fireplace in the Argye home definitely proves to be a stunning feature and means that even we the simplest furniture and colours used, it will be a very individual home and an intereting space to be in.

The doors and mouldings were also delivered last week with the Carpenter booked in for fitting. Inside, we’ve chosen to use timber internal doors and for some of the rooms we have glass fitted on the inserts to keep the home light and bright and not close in the hallways. If you’ve seen our Display homes you may have noticed on a lot of our internal doors we use timber frames with frosted glass inserts. Though they are more expensive, they are definitely a worthwhile upgrade especially if you have a hallway with lots of rooms coming off it. In most homes you’ll often find the hallways the darkest spaces in the home and most people try to address this with the utilisation of a skylight, which often only lights up certain parts of the hallway. The doors with frosted glass mean that even in the bedroom with the door closed, the light coming from that room will go through to the hallway. The issue of privacy is also covered as the frosted glass can’t be seen through yet still lets light in.

So onto wha’ts happened this week!

The bricks were cleaned and washed down and look amazing. On a site with little greenery at the moment, plenty of sand and a lot of workers and vehicles the home has been getting very dusty. With less workers on site now and the landscaping already starting to move, we have been able to give the home a bit of a wash down on the outside. If you look at the pics you’ll see how much the home has taken shape to appreciate what a good clean will do.

The painters are starting today and i can’t wait to see what the home looks like in a couple of days. With plenty of timber to stain and varnish i can’t wait to see the difference it will make. Too often i see homes with plenty of brick and plaster which don’t offer too much character and you’ll now see plenty of bland homes around the place which all look too similar. Smaller features with the use of wood can really add a lot of warmth and character to a home and provide a stunning feature. Even spending the extra dollars and upgrading the wood species can really create a stunning visual impact to your home. Simple things like internal doors, or even a feature beam can create a point of difference. If you have a free form living area with plenty of windows, when doing the landscaping create a timber wall panel privacy screen and plant plenty of greenery around it to create a stunning contrast.

The cabinets will also be going in this week and i can’t wait to see what Jodie has picked. Our displays are fitted out by Jodie Cooper Design who also chooses our internal selections. One thing i love about working with Jodie is that she has a great ability to get into our head space and work out what we want. She’s been doing our displays for years and because of this, has a great feel for the different types of homes we do along with bringing in different elements. She has the ability to pick tiles and types of laminex that as a swatch i would most likely look past and bring them together to look brilliant. Places like the Laminex Showroom are great to visit as the staff there are really helpful and can give you advice on what will work. It’s easy to pick a stark white kitchen but if you are wanting to mix things up a little bit, i recommend speaking to them as Laminex have some awesome ideas. As a personal experience, earlier this year my fiance and i renovated our kitchen and with the laminate we chose for our overhead cupboards, by running the grain horizontal as opposed to vertical it has made our kitchen look a bit wider and we often get a lot of cimpliments on the selection.

Anywho - some more pics and hopefully over the break the tiling and painting will get finished which should definitely start bringing the home together. I’m hanging out for the decking to be done out front and the landscaping to take shape.

Well it’s nearly been a couple of weeks since my update and the home has been ticking along beautifully - our biggest fear is what will happen over the Christmas break with everybody on holidays.

If you’ve been following us from the beginning, you might remember me explaining the tight deadline we were up against as we wanted the home to be open to the public in late January, or early February (at the very latest). The dry winter months were almost a saving grace for us as it meant we could get solid production the whole way through, and the biggest obstacle we were going to come up against with delays would be the Christmas period when a lot of people go on holidays.

So over the last couple of weeks, we had the site tidied up with basic forming taking place on the block for what will be the landscaping and driveway. Already we are putting a lot of thought into how we want the home to look once finished with the landscaping needing to blend in with the surrounding environment. Whilst the dozer was there pushing dirt around 3 soakwells were also installed around certain parts of the home. These are plumbed in to the downpipes so that we direct the rainwater away from the home and in such a fashion that we won’t have a landslide or a breakdown with the sand. The soakwells are also big enough so that they can be buried near the driveway and still have a car drive over them without collapsing which is very important - believe it or not it can happen!

The float coat has been finished with the home looking very grey on the inside, but is really starting to feel like a home and take a lot of shape as to what the finished product will look like. The ducting for the airconditioning has been installed with the ceilings all installed apart from the raking section of the free form living. We often see a lot of people install airconditioning after handover or put in downlights at a later date. Definitely a good way to go but always be mindful of rooms with raking ceilings. Due to the rake, the ceiling sheets are right up against the insulation and roof battons which have the roof sheets or tiles on the other side. With not a lot of room to work in, it’s very difficult and timely to install downlights and air con ducts at a later date. If you plan to put a particular style of light or air conditioning in a room with a raking ceiling, we recommend you do this during construction or speak to the builder about what your intentions are so they can guide you as to the best way.

The raking section has been left until last as they plan to plaster the walls then do the ceiling in order to get a better finish for the shadow line cornicing. The things people don’t always think about until prestart - cornicing being one of them - can change the overall look of a room. Square cornices or shadow line can look more contemporary whilst the curves can look a little more traditional. Shadow line cornices are the most expensive option but generally look quite spectacular with the ceiling almost looking like it’s hovering in the edges. In case i’ve lost anyone - cornices are the plaster moulds or refers to the edging between the ceiling and the walls. By doing this you can provide a bit more character to the room and give it a neater looking finish.

Last week we also had a smaller dozer out on site digging trenches for the cabling that will run externally from the home. If you plan to have outdoor lighting, powerpoints, speakers, water features etc it’s important to let your builder know during construction as they can run a simple conduit from the home which will save you the work later. A 5 minute job during construction can become a 5 hour job once the home is complete, hence why it’s always important to talk to the builder as much as possible with what the plans are for your home.

With a couple of large trees around the block we thought it would provide quite a stunning evening backdrop if we had some uplights shining through the branches and leaves. Our electrician has installed conduits to the foot of the trees for this, along with a conduit to the front of the block in case we ever wanted to have an illuminated letter box or electric gate on the property.

Will hopefully have some more pics this week otherwise i’ll need to head up one morning and take a few more. At this time of year it’s becoming very difficult to get to the block as much as i’d like but on the plus side, when i go there’s always a lot of progress to catch up on!