The Block NZ 2012 winner Ben Crawford and his fiance Kylie are building their dream home. Share their proud moments and pitfalls every week.
The Block NZ 2012 winner Ben Crawford and his fiancé Kylie are building their dream home. Share their proud moments and pitfalls here every week.
It has been all action this week. In the space of seven days, the living pod has gone from a shell to a nearly completed home. It's remarkable how quickly we've achieved this, and a huge thanks goes out to all our tradies who worked around each other and over the weekend to get the jobs done.
Because of delays, our schedule has compacted a lot. With booking lead times of more than four weeks for the likes of our floor installers, we couldn't afford to lose our slot, so we had to make it work and we owe the whole team a bunch of beers.
First up, Darren and his Wall Doctor team did a sterling job plastering the cavernous space in record time, but it wasn't at the expense of quality. Their workmanship was brilliant, especially since we don't have architraves or cornices. This meant the doors and windows and along the ceiling needed square stopping, which is a specialist skill. They nailed it, getting the sleek, modern finish we're after.
Then the baton was handed to me. With the floor installers due the following day, I had to paint through the night. Boy, oh boy, the memories that brought back from my time on The Block NZ. I don't know how we did it for eight gruelling weeks because after one all-nighter I was completely spent and almost hallucinating. But at least the Carpet Court contractors could come in to install our timber laminate floors.
Their first day was spent prepping the floor and in a testament to the skill of our Haven Renovations building team, the flooring guys said they have never come across a more level floor. There was still work to build up areas around doorways to ensure a flush transition between rooms. A couple of spots needed grinding down because of variances in the particle board, but that was it.
It's seems like forever since Kylie and I walked into Carpet Court to scope out our flooring options so we were super-excited to watch the guys finally lay it in the house. True to its name, the Quick Step laminate went down in our entire living pod and bedroom pod hallway in rapid fashion. Wow, what a transformation. Good-bye ugly, beaten up sub-floor, hello beautiful oak and European elegance.
After giving it a thorough test, including a slide down the hall in my socks a la Hugh Grant in Love Actually, we couldn't be happier with our choice. Under foot it feels incredibly solid and natural and the soft browny-grey complements the rest of the house sublimely.
We also had the Carpet Court installation team in to lay the carpets in our bedrooms. Once again the impact these floor finishes had in the rooms was phenomenal; reinforcing just how vital great flooring is. As soon as the Smart Strand Silk carpet was down, our three bedrooms became luxurious havens. I'm not kidding. The extra-thick underlay, combined with the plush pile, is so decadent that you could curl up and sleep on it.
Kylie gets super excited to try out the newly laid Smart Strand Silk carpet in our bedroom. Photo / Ben Crawford
The first thing Kylie did when she set foot in our bedroom was roll around on it with a giant grin on her face, content with its spongey goodness, not to mention it being the first full room officially completed in the house.
As the week started to draw to an end, the installation of our kitchen began. In an afternoon, Dean and his DL Cabinetmaking team set out the bones of our culinary headquarters. It was another exciting sign that we really are close to completion.
What is left to do before we can move in? Once the kitchen is fully installed and the benchtops put in place, the tilers, plumbers and electricians have quite a bit of work fitting everything off.
Then outside, our garage, drive and front access needs to be finished.
Then to the sixty- four-million-dollar question. When is the big date? I'm a little scared to put it in writing should I jinx it, but I reckon four more Design & Build columns should do it.
Our Quick Step laminate being laid in the hallway of our bedroom pod. Photo / Ben Crawford
There's no place like home
Ben and Kylie's dream home is really coming together-you can almost hear the popping of the celebratory champagne!
Getting into the right home is one of life's big milestones. If you've been inspired to take on your own build or renovation, or you're working towards buying a house, the Kiwibank First Home Buyer's Guide can help you on your way. We can help you with the whole journey from finding a house to funding a house, as well as tips on everything from setting your savings goal to making your moving day as streamlined as possible. Check out our handy hints and calculators by searching 'first home' at kiwibank.co.nz.
If you're ready to put your own dream home plans into action, contact us to see how Kiwibank can support you. Visit your local Kiwibank or check out kiwibank.co.nz/home-loans
