On top of that is the frustration of having to go back and redo things because they have been damaged during the fit-out and installation.
It has been doing my head in. To be honest, I have no idea how our builders can go through this stage of a build time and time again. They have been troopers, going above and beyond to systematically tick items off the list while still finishing them to their typically high standards.
But the mind is incredibly powerful. After giving myself a pep talk, I picked my bottom lip up off the floor, pulled myself out of the doldrums and put one final concerted effort into seeing the project through.
The past two weeks have been incredibly draining, physically and emotionally, but now they are behind us, Kylie and I are extremely excited. So much has been achieved and the house looks incredible. All the finishing touches have elevated it to the next level.
It was chaotic to get to this point. At one stage I counted 20 men working inside the house. We had cabinetmakers installing the kitchen, electricians fitting off all things electrical, our plumbers finishing off the pipe work and the stair installers fitting treads and handrails. Not to mention the builders, tilers and deck balustrade guys working in, around and over each other.
As you can imagine, a lot was achieved in a very short time with so many hands on deck but the house turned from an organised, nearly finished home to one resembling a bomb site, with packaging, tools and debris strewn everywhere.
Once the dust had settled, it was time to have a huge clean up. It's amazing where rubbish, sawdust and dried plaster can hide.
Thanks to Kylie and her Mum in particular, the rubble was systematically hunted down and blitzed from every nook and cranny in the house, rapidly bringing order to the chaos.
Since our bedroom pod was so much further ahead, it was ready for furniture before the living pod. I couldn't hold Kylie back.
She was so excited to begin setting up the rooms that last weekend we brought in the first boxes and began unpacking. We set up both bathrooms and the three bedrooms and they look amazing.
Finally, it feels like our home, but you will have to take my word for it, as we will save the photos for the grand reveal in two weeks, when the whole house is finished and we have moved everything in.
To end the week on another high note, our custom-made curtains and blinds from Kresta were installed, completing each room like a cherry on top of an already drool-inducing cake.
We absolutely love how luxurious and cosy the curtains make the bedrooms feel, especially the generous pooling onto the carpet.
In the living room, I can't stop playing with the motorised roller blinds. They're so cool!
I'm glad we went with the double-view option because the independent sun-screen and black-out blinds give us full control over the amount of light we let in. Not to mention how stylish they look with the separate grey and white layers.
With only our driveway and front access left to go, we're aiming to move the rest of our furniture into the house this week.
All going well, we'll be spending the first night in our dream home next weekend.
You beauty!
• Find out more about Ben and Kylie's dream home at ourdreamhome.co.nz
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For more information on the Kiwibank First Home Buyer's Guide visit: kiwibank.co.nz and search for "first home".
