We took a few photographs outside, and HM is looking like a special place to live.
We had mixed feelings about the graffiti along the eastern wall of the road. Some might like the distinctive 'street art', a bit of inner city character and grunge. But will it encourage more graffiti if left in place? What do others think?
Hi Elana, Graham and All,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your inspection comments and photos. We inspected our apartment today and fully agree with you - the apartment is nice and spacious. The inspection time was extremely short, so we didn't have the opportunity to look around the building but here are some additional observations:
1) Loved the bright mosaic tiles on the floor at the entrance
2) The atrium certainly is terrific, so much sunlight
3) Schmick lifts. However, Ceerose said they need to fix the buttons corresponding to the correct floors (as level 4 is missing, but the lifts haven't been adjusted so if you want to go to level 8, you need to press 7 etc.)
4) On the high level glazing - it is half there. The glazing is definitely missing from the kitchens. However, for the apartments which are 1 bedroom + study = the glazing window is done in the study and there is extra light/ventilation glazed opening from the study into the kitchen/living area. For one bedroom apartments - the glazing is done just above the entry door. So, what the glazing is sort of there and it does provide light and cross-ventilation for the apartments.
5) Our apartment is facing west to Wentworth park. It appeared today that we could hear absolutely no traffic noise even standing outside on the balcony - it was very quiet. However, I can't recall exactly because we were very rushed so will have to test noise levels further after moving in
6) Now the bad news: the deadlines estimated in the advice sent to all purchasers/solicitors 2 weeks ago have not been met. The occupancy certificate has not yet been received. CBRE told me that settlement is expected in the first week of December (!!!). One of the Ceerose guys, his name is Kevin, said that occupancy certificate is expected in about 2 weeks from now. On further questioning, CBRE said that from their experience, strata plan registration takes between 2 weeks and 6 weeks and that this is out of everyone's hands right now as this was already lodged 2 weeks ago and we all not have to wait for the government departments to process this. Our contracts state that Settlement has to occur 14 days after strata plan registration. I don't know what everyone elses's experience is with lenders, but our lender is not able to even commence the valuation before either an occupancy certificate or strata plan is registered and the lender will need at least 14 days after this to get everything done and dusted for the settlement. Our solicitor has asked Ceerose for an update and here is what they received today:
"...At this stage we do not have the occupation certificate. Relevant inspections in respect to the occupation certificate are taking place early this week.
We are waiting on registration of the strata plan, at present our surveyor is addressing requisitions by the LPI. We are unable to estimate the time frame for that process but expect it should not be a lengthy process."
Re: graffiti - I think it actually looks interesting in your photos - probably better than just concrete. However, I would need to see it in reality to say for sure!
ReplyDeleteRe graffiti , i think the graffiti trumps the bare wall, but not the amateur ones on the wall now. we need artistic graffiti bondi beach quality.
DeleteElena -
ReplyDeleteRe Valuation: My valuer had already did his valuation today ! it can be done , both Westpac and BOQ have been very efficient.
Re move in - i'd be lucky if i could sit in my lounge at HM by x'mas , i managed my expectation already.
Re Settlement: it is a bit rush for 14 days esp when it come to end of Nov or early Dec, my finance is done about 75% in process.
my unit is facing south , fair bit of noise from the highway. i think i need to put something on the window in my bedroom so i could sleep, looking at options to get another layer of glass.
Re. balcony, not sure if you guys noticed , there are holes drilled in the top of the balcony steel structure , looks like there are some installation is happening but i do not know what.
my unit has been completely redesigned for the layout , i got a much much smaller living room and very awkward positioning for kitchen. Now the whole living room and kitchen area is combined only 3.1m wide. i was not informed by solicitor.
so much typing i could use a glass now
Which unit type do you have? (e.g. 1 bedder on the south east corner? 2 bedder facing south in the middle?) It may well be that others with your unit type will have the same layout issues.
DeleteIt doesn't seem the other guys who have responded so far have had any layout issues.
I can confirm that 1 bed plus study was pretty much exactly like the display unit, no issues.
DeleteWe have 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, corner apartment and it is exactly as expected.
Deletei have 3 beds facing south....my living room only 3.1m wide :(
DeleteNathan I just asked for those drill holes in the top of the balustrade to be capped off. There were some that were capped on the sides.
DeleteAlso had my inspection today; Level 6, facing the highway... quite noisy when on the balcony but nothing surprising there. Inside, with sliding doors closed, it was quiet enough (but can't really remember).
ReplyDeleteInspection wise, a few of the cabinet doors were scratched (lightly but permanently). Maybe something for others to look out for. I think that was the only issue I had. Very happy overall.
Agree with Nathan about the graffiti, could have been good but the stuff that's there now is rubbish.
Overall, Ceerose met my expectations.
ReplyDeleteLaundry: on measurement it doesn't look like all washing machine options (with hoses affixed) will fit in the laundry with the door closed. Did anyone else come across this?
In the main atrium, I saw obvious water and mould damage of some sort, on questioning it was due to some accidental workmanship error. Will need to keep an eye on it as it's common property.
Regarding strata, at least Netstrata is a member of Strata Community Australia (NSW), which is the peak not for profit industry body for Strata Managers and companies.
For anyone who is interested, there are free strata workshops held by City of Sydney - http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/residents/apartment-living
Looking forward to moving in :)
Hi Viliala,
DeleteI agree the laundry space for the washing machine looked very small, so I measured it - 69cm in length and 67 wide up to the closed door. We have a rather large 8kg front loader washing machine - it seems to fit these dimensions with hoses included and will be touching the door. But will have to test it in reality...
Hi Elena,
DeleteJust wondering what type of room/layout you have? When I measured the washing room space I measured it 70cm wide, and 55cm long from wall to door. Problem is I can't find any new washing machines that are 55cm long or less, so I'm hoping my measurement is wrong. We have a 1 + study on level 3. Layout identical to the display home. Thanks
Hi Rosemarie & Bernard,
DeleteWe're in the same boat. My measurements are 620W x 560D x 1300H (mm). We were concerned since we have the same layout yet measurements were less than Elena's and different still to yours. So not sure if the mirrored 1 + study layout is different too.
Try appliancesonline.com.au it has a dimensions filter. When window shopping we use the tiny FP 4kg dryer as a guide too. Overall it is a seriously small space so we're stuck with very limited options.
Hi Rosemarie, Bernard and Viliala,
DeleteWe also have a 1 bed plus study -same layout as the display unit was. You now got me worried if my measuremt was right! In our unit, the washing machine cavity was a rectangle 55cm wide but there was extra space of c.10+ cm up to the shut door. If I was to fit the machine just into this cavity, then the measurements are 72cm long and 55cm wide. However, if the machine was to "stick out" a bit up to the shut door - the measurement became 69cm long and 67cm wide (I don't know how to explain this properly!). Naybe my measurement was wrong, as I was doing this in a hurry...
PS Our unit layout is as per display but mirrored on level 7. This is very strange why 3 of us got varying measurements!
DeleteJust got an idea how to explain: there was a big rectangle cavity measuring 72cm by 55cm and then if you imagine an extra smaller rectangle put at the front measuring 69cm by 12cm, as a few centimeteres were cut off at the wall where the laundry door hinges were... Viliala and Rosemary - was your landry space similar or just a straight one rectangle?
DeleteThanks for the responses. Our space was more of a straight rectangle from memory, but we didn't pay that much attention. Funnily, the only measurement that we have in common (at least with Viliala) is the 130mm height. Not the dimension we are concerned about though...
DeleteIn hindsight I should've paid more attention to the space because it looked tight on first impression, but the inspection time was limited. Stressing us more is a comment made by a sales person we spoke to. He said all front loaders are l roughly built to a standard size of 60cm by 60cm. If he is right and our first measurement was accurate then I'll have a very hard time finding the right machine.
Does anyone remember the brand of the dryer? I think we saw it in the store and it did stand out from the rest of the washers and dryers by being noticeably small
Hi All, I took a couple of pictures of the laundry space which I am happy to send to you, so you can see what I mean. This may help resolve the issue, as I believe you may have measured the depth up to the "extra bit of the wall to which the door hinges are affixed" - this was certainly 55cm, but this extra bit adds 10+ cm to the overall width up to the door. Let me know if ou want the picture? Also, in the photo I can see the dryer is Fisher & Paykel "Aerodry 4kg". It looked very narrow and I am not sure it will be enough for us -
Deletei always knew we would have to replace it wih a better one (probably). There are dryers that accumulate all the steam and drip the water out, instead of the hot steam going all over the bathroom. I will be looking at these after we move in.
Hi Elena, Would really appreciate if you can share the photos here or via our email roseynard@gmail.com. That would clarify a lot of things for us.
DeleteYep we did see the Aerodry 4kg in the store. I also remember clearly the dyer fitting easily into the washing room space with room to spare. The specifications on the Fisher & Paykel site confirm this too:
Width (mm): 565
Height (mm): 795
Depth (mm): 440
Hi Rosemary,
DeleteI don't think I have access to photo posting functionality on this blog, so I will email you the photos. Please let us know here on the blog what you think after seeing the photos. i do hope my measurements were right, otherwise we are all in trouble. We just purchased a super expensive Miele washing machine which is a fron loader 8kg 6 months ago!!! It will be a disaster if it doesn't fit, as this machine is fantastic and so kuch was spent on it... Cheers, Elena
Thanks Elena.
DeleteThe space you photographed looks identical to what we remember. I don't think we measured the smaller rectangle you refer to which means your measurements are more accurate than mine. Based on this info, a standard size 60x60cm machine would fit in this space with the door closed flush. However, the machine would take up some of the area aligning with the door hinge, some of this room taken by the main unit itself, but more by the actual door of the front loader machine.
Either way, it looks like a tight fit for everyone with hoses and doors considered. But at least a machine should fit in the cavity with the door closed which is the important thing.
Sorry for the late response, I've been offline. Ours is a single rectangular space? When I measured, I closed the laundry door and measured from the back of the door to the wall for the depth. It's still possible that we all just have different sizes.
DeleteSorry I should have said FP stood for Fisher & Paykel. On a side note, our dryer is mounted onto some board on top of the gyprock. But I don't know the thickness of that board. So we're sticking to 560mm for depth and we'll just have to work with it.
Hi Viliala,
DeleteBefore you stick with your 560mm assumption, let me know if you want me to send you the photos of our laundry? To me it seems unlikely that each unit has such different measurements (and our units are the same) and a standard washing machine is 600mm wide - it doesn't seem right that Ceerose would not allow this much space in the laundry.
Kind regards,
Elena
Thanks Elena,
DeleteI'm pretty certain about the depth but happy to compare pics. Please let me know your email and I'll send it over.
Hi Viliala,
DeleteThanks - my email is elena.akhromova@gmail.com
Thank you for sending me the pics Elena. I'm even more confident now that we don't all have the same measurements for the laundry space (i.e. for owners with the 1 bed + study layouts). You've definitely got more space than I do Elena, which is good for you. Approx. half a tile plus in terms of more depth. Overall it's roughly the same, but for those that got stuck with the smaller space, there are a couple of 7kg front loader options that will fit. Yay for bigger than 5kg!
DeleteI can now calmly go and focus on the next topic - the before Xmas or after Xmas settlement ☺️
Hi Viliala,
DeleteSorry to hear you think your laundry is smaller. However, hopefully this means your study room is a bit bigger! It is really strange, though, as I thought our units must be the same.
Our studio on third level is up to expectations, floor slightly uneven where it meets skirting board but told floor has to settle. Happy with noise level from road when balcony door closed and the balcony itself is a reasonable width..
ReplyDeleteOverall quality of the apartment met expectations, there were a few rough edges such as a cracked tile etc but I assume it will be fixed before final delivery.
ReplyDeleteThe main issue I have is the apparent redesign of the mini garden adjacent to the highway, I have a G level apartment and only purchased on the fact is was meant to be accessed by residents only however it is now a public space in which 4 apartments now face onto! Very unsecure in my opinion and hoping a easy fix can be made (seems unlikely)
Hi Menura, I assume you mean the paved area on level G east, not the garden right next to the highway.
DeleteI can understand why you expected this area to only be accessed by residents and indeed, that should be the intention. But when I look at the original design, the garden was always open to the lift area, and that was always open to the public from the stairs that lead to the light rail. I don't see any part of the plan that shows this area was closed off with a fence or door. In fact, the original plan showed a set of stairs from the south east corner near Jones Lane down into the garden, so at least that access point has been removed in the final structure.
I think the garden area on the G level looks good with the paving and bamboo. What I am disappointed by is that the original landscape plan showed dense planting of trees and bushes in the higher part of the garden between the building and the freeway, and now we have only low grasses. I have raised this with Ceerose and they say the landscape plan was changed. I intend asking the Body Corporate to plant this area more intensely as a type of screen to the highway.
Happy to be corrected if you know how the garden was meant to be secured.
Hi Graham, completely agree the area looks great with the bamboo. It was certainly a bit of oversight from my part as a first home buyer, in the original design there was no apparent security from the front entrance, CBRE agent told me it would occur. Interestingly during the inspection this week I asked the agent on site and they said was secured also, it was the building manager who confirmed it wouldn't be. Clear some confusion here.
DeleteHoping a small gate or even a security camera with a sign will be possible, to act as a deterrent. Fingers crossed....
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Menura and All,
ReplyDeleteI just didn't mention but we had the same small issues: skirting not properly affixed along the kitchen, floorboards squeak slightly, some scratches, some dents in the glass panels of the study room - but overall these are not big issues in my opinion, just a small fix required and I was not too pedantic about all this. Oversll the quality was good. As the inspection time was incredibly short, I did not test the air con or any of the appliances - hope they are all working! Also agree that the balcony is of good width, would even fit a small table and chairs probably - it was actually wider than I remembered from the display suite.
The common terrace looks awesome, but shame about no pre-installed BBQs. I guess the idea of bringing up your own and then packing it up each time ensures proper maintenance.
ReplyDeleteHi Viliala, they would not allow us up there during our inspection. Do you have any photos? We did go into the northern garden and it was catching the sunshine beautifully at about 3.30pm. On the terrace, the Body Corporate could decide to install a BBQ, but the question of who keeps it clean and maintained is then an issue.
ReplyDeleteHi Graham, we never got a chance to view it either. However everyone can have a look at the pics found from a leasing site:
Deletehttp://www.stripe.com.au/505280-jones-st-pyrmont
I have 1 bedroom+study, and the high level glazing disappeared from the study and kitchen, which made me really disappointed! No natural light, so the study looks very terrible. Good thing is that my lender has finished the valuation.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are lucky - our lender is not going to even start the valuation until the occupancy certificate!
ReplyDeleteDo let me know if you need my lender info. It's NAB.
DeleteHi Wing,
DeleteThanks a lot for your suggestion. We will ask you for the cobtact details if needed. Our lender is CBA, we will stay with them for now, as hopefully they will move fast when the certificate of occupancy is done. But good to know that you are happy with NAB. Did the valuation come at a decent % above the purchase price? I am slightly worried the big 4 banks may be extremely conservative on the valuation for the home loan purposes, hope it will be well above the purchase price.
Hi Elana,
DeleteI bank with CBA and had my valuation done 2 weeks ago. I purchased a resale lot ($100k higher than developers price) the valuation came in at Contract price.
Hi David,
DeleteThanks for this insight - I will speak with our mortgage broker to see what is going on, as he says it is CBA policy not to do the valuation until the strata plan is registered. He got CBA to change this to do the valuation when the occupancy certificate is issued (as this isually comes in before the strata plan). But he insisted the CBA never does valuations before the occupancy certificate. This is very strange indeed.
Hi All
ReplyDeleteCompleted our inspection on 1br unit and quite satisfied with the final results although the floor plan were changed slightly. Checked taps, air-con and most of kitchen appliances and all seems to work well.
The major drawback to me is not inside the unit: the "grafiti" on south eastern site seems to cheapen the whole area and neighbourhood, which is ashamed. Regarding noise, I think it is acceptable when the window shuts.
In all, happy with overall quality of the unit.
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteThis is Mei and Eric from Apartment 610.
Firstly, a huge "Thank You" to Elana and Graham for running this blog for the benefit of all of us. It's been fantastic. Mei and I are currently based in London so being able to go onto the blog during the long construction period and see progress and comments has been excellent.
Now to the actual inspection comments:
We are extremely disappointed following our inspection (via Skype video) of the apartment - 2 bed, 2 bath, 1 parking - on the south-west corner of level 6.
Following is a list of the major/significant issues we found - the minor issues like marks on walls and paint splashes and microwave cord too short to plug into power point and uncapped holes in the balcony steel framework and the like, have not been included.
Issues 1 and 4 are so significant (to us at least) they impact the whole value and utility of the apartment in a major way. (Note: We have sent these issues to our solicitor but seems they are being pushed off by Ceerose just saying these things happen with off the plan purchases, so get over it.)
1. *Major* The planned doorway from Bedroom 2 to the south-west corner balcony is not there - it's just a solid wall. This removes a huge piece of the purpose and value of that balcony. The only access at the moment is through Bedroom 1. It was meant to be a balcony shared by Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2. That's what the original design showed.
2. & 3. The hide-away sliding sunshade panels which were a major design and marketing feature of the building and meant to provide movable sun and wind protection for (2) the western and (3) the south-western balconies have not been provided.
4. *Major* The southern side of the south-west corner balcony is a full solid wall, with just a single fixed glass panel less than a metre wide next to Bedroom 2. This is just crazy. There is now no views to the south from this balcony at all now. It is totally wrong - both the western and southern sides were meant to be open. That's what the original design was.
Does anyone else have these sort of issues compared to the designs we were given pre-contract and again at the time of signing our contracts?
Regards ... Mei and Eric
Hi Mei and Eric,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you are disappointed in your apartment. I am not sure if there are any Pirchasers out here (who know about the blog) with corner 2-bedders like yours or it may be that there are but they haven't seen the comment as it is not easy to track comments here. I know that what I say will not change the situation and will probably not make you feel better about it, but I will say a few things... Personally, my husband and I love corner 2 bedroom apartments exactly in the south western corner and we wish we had bought one of these! However, at the time it seemed too risky to us to buy off the plan and we went with a smaller version - a one bed plus study like the display unit on level 7 and it faces the park, same as your apartment. I inspected the apartment myself (husband couldn't be there) and took lots of photos and videos. All I can say is - the apartment certainly looks much better in reality then on videos or photos. I hope you will discover the same thing (as you only could view yours on skype). I also assure you that the view out west is absolutely stunning. I took a video of it and it just wasn't the same compared to when you are there. The view is so green and bright and you can't tell there are busy roads around. You don't have anyone looking in so you can walk around naked :-))) Regarding your comments on the layout change - we noticed this with the corner apartments long ago when the covers were taken off. It seemed strange to us too, but we thought this may have been done in this way because of the buikding design to be like a chess board. I agree with you, this is a big change to the floor plan. I am not sure what your contract says, but our contract has a specific clause which states that Vendor can change the layout. Basically, as long as the total area of the lot is within a 5% variation, the Vendor complies with the contract. I remember this claise very well as we argues about it with solicitors, but had to accept and and sign :-( Personally for us - we would be happy to sell our apartment and buy a corner 2 bedder despite this layout change, if there was a way to avoid stamp duty, cgt etc!
Hi Elena,
DeleteThank you for your kind, considerate, and comforting reply. It is very much appreciated.
Our contract, like yours, does say the vendor can change the layout, but two such big changes, especially closing in one whole side of the south-west corner balcony, if it was to give a visual chessboard pattern to the building, surely should have been picked up and included in the original design if the architects were worth their salt. We may well have bought a different unit had we known that both balconies were going to be just west facing, with no southern views as well from the balcony on that south-west corner. That was a significant attraction for us.
Oh well, such is life I guess. Unfortunately, it's just become a bit more territory where we can walk around naked without anyone seeing in. :-)))
Looking forward to seeing the apartment in real life some time in the not too distant future, but probably not for a couple of years yet. We will need to lease it out while we are still based here in London.
Here's hoping settlement and move-in happens smoothly this week or next week at the latest for everyone ready and waiting, and wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and a happy and prosperous new year 2016.
Regards ... Mei and Eric