Still here, busying away

I've been absent, I know.

I promised an update on features, I know.  

I have been battling the Builder, still.  We are arguing over the variation for stone benchtops in the kitchen and the (my) calculation of liquidated damages.  The reality is, it's a couple of thousand dollars we are bickering over.  We could probably write it off, but it's the principle, y'know? 

I also love a good fight ;-P   And it is really challenging on the contract law, front.  Which I love. It's what I do at work (when I'm not referee-ing the internal politics!) and it's the reason I signed up to do a law degree ... which, I've not been terribly dedicated to of late (I've actually taken a brief hiatus).   But our contract issue has turned into a matter of dishonesty.  Fraud, actually.  An amendment occurred to a variation, post signing.  Following lots of discussions regarding, it seems it wasn't the builder, but the sales company who we signed the contract with (they sub the work out to the building companies who we then deal with and pay etc).

Now that it has been pointed out to the Builder, we are part way there.  We are however, still disputing the approval date given by the council (ridiculous, I know!).  

But, despite all that, Dear Husband and I have been madly trying to get time to do all the other things.  I think I have almost finished designing my vegetable patch, we've picked a fence and gate that we both agree on and we are starting to work out how we are going to design the path/garden between the front stairs and the pedestrian gate.  

This is what I'd love my vege garden to look like:
 

Courtesy of  http://kellymccaleb.tumblr.com/

I think I'd actually raise the garden beds a little, maybe 2 sleeper widths high.  I'd add some obelisks as features.  I was thinking of having some fruit trees beyond the fences at the back.  And there may actually be a need for a scarecrow - although I want something that is not so typically ghastly.  Am on the hunt for ideas...

And the front fence will hopefully look something like this:

We like the second top rail with feature paling as something a little different.  And in white, although we're a bit worried at how much white is featured on the house already.  Hopefully a lily pilly hedge will peak between the bottom rail and top rail to break up the whiteness, but I don't want it peaking way over the top like it is in the pic above.

And our fence will hopefully have these front gates, or something very similar:

 

 

The debate continues whether to have these on a sliding mechanism, or open as farm gates.  I prefer the latter but Dear Husband and the children like the idea of them sliding behind the fence.

And hopefully, we'll put in a cobblestone path to our front pedestrian gate.

I like this colour and style:

Courtesy of http://www.featurepics.com/

 Laid in a pattern similar to this, maybe even with a feature of some kind ....

 

Courtesy of http://www.split-rok.com

Dear Husband is also still keen to lay a concrete slab under the house, but wants an engineer to look over our plans - the hope is, if we get pipework laid and the concrete reinforced, we could build in underneath (down the track).

So obviously, still heaps to research and consider.  

It can be quite overwhelming but exciting all at the same time!

Suz x