Our last day @ the house
Personally I think we have excelled. For the limited time we had there I think we have walked away leaving something that people would really want to reside in. Family Kennett should walk away from Our last day @ the house with heads held high. Of course the people who would want to reside here, clearly includes us, and make that happen ASAP again please. Yep there are a few things more to be done though, such as;
- Front garden – fake grass landscaping – we have a quote and we shall decide soon – I’ll share a photo of another house completed;
- Bamboo fencing to go up all around the walls that were just skimmed – we have a number of whom to speak to about this from our mate Marjoe;
- New fence and gate – we already have down-payment and we should have it finished in 2 weeks – again an example to follow from another house;
- The owner has committed AGAIN – yep indirectly like the third time to level all around the house – then we can tile. Let’s see how this one pans out;
- We bought bed-sheets – they just need to go on the beds;
- Wall fan to go in the guest bedroom – the bunk-bed one;
- We bought a couple of blinds too to test on the windows, so just need to buy another 12 of them and have them fitted; and finally
- We need to get a shit-load of the picture hooks with sticker backs as the walls in this place are like SOLID concrete. We need to get some art up on the walls!!! We have it we just need to get it up on the walls – only success I had was the mirror tiles up the stairs.
Personally I think that is amazing that we walk away from what was an empty house in need of repair 8 days ago. We had a wedding in between. I went to Hong Kong in between. So to be able to exit on Our last day @ the house with only that list above of things to do on our next trip is exceptional! Much thanks of course to wifey for being my rock through all the stress and being alone when I had to scoot to HK for work, but also to my Philippines Mum & Dad for helping so much, all the kids for being so bloody good, Ruthers and Stacey for baby-sitting the big man, Painey for the snag-list never to be forgotten – and at the end of day despite my bitching, to the crew at Chateau de Paz.
On the latter – still a few bitches to go to our friends at Chateau de Paz – but if they sort out the promised and committed levelling of the garden, and the water leaks we had today during the rain, then rock-‘n’-roll – I’ll be giving a massive BIG UP in social!!! We also found out today from the guys that apparently not only will there be a communal swimming pool, club-house, basket-ball court and picnic area opening before the year-end – but there will be a lagoon being built with a restaurant all around it. Like in Singapore with prawn-fishing, you go to the lake and fish. The fish you catch, you take the restaurant and they cook it how you want it. I am loving this place more and more.
Let’s have a look shall we? A montage from day #1 to Our last day @ the house. Hoping you like it. Again so proud of what we did!!!
Remember day #1, the OMG moment from Jude. Well we bought more, a lot more. Furniture in – now all the living in a house stuff. Here she comes!!!
When we shop we shop LARGE. This is Saturday morning – just a few more bits. Did I say a few, jeeze!!!
And more and more and more….
One delivery was already made before I got back from Hong Kong, and someone seemed to really like it.
We get to the house. All is looking spick and span apart from the levelling of the back area, which was committed. Another argument with the team and the architect, and then the owner. “I am not cutting any ribbon as it is not finished as you committed!!!”, said I, which I thought was fairly reasonable. Off I walk, off the owner walks and as usual the remaining crew stand there smiling and nodding heads. 10 minutes later the owner comes back and commits he’ll do it. OK let’s cut that bloody ribbon!!!
Papang and the owner testing out the new furniture on the patio – well mini patio, part of the need for the levelling as we then move this out from the windows, and put the ‘sail’ awning over the top. Noice!
And finally it is getting cut – weeeeeee!!!! A kilo of keys is handed over. We sign about 280 pieces of paper. Some celebratory Coca-Cola and a chocolate biscuit, a pose of flowers for Mary and we’re done!!!
So you can see from the previous photo the front of the house, and the sides. The sides have been skimmed which is ace and likely we’ll be putting that bamboo screening up. But here is one of our neighbours places that shows how we will be grassing the front up to the new gates we’re having made.
And then on either side of the house we will have a fence and gate, very similar to this at our neighbours, and the fence we have upstairs on the big patio/balcony. What you think? I think it will look so so cool.
Snip. A snip I didn’t actually mind doing. And hey presto the place is handed over to us.
I feel like I have won The Voice of the Philippines. “And here is your prize Mr Kennett, a house in Pangloa…”
The Chateau de Paz gang want in on it now bless them!!! It is a bloody nice looking house. The owner was saying I chose really well as I have the uninterrupted sea-view from the balcony… Yes indeed!!!
Come on then let’s have the owner in too. Bury the hatchet and all that. Will do in his back if I don’t get my back area levelled as he promised, and the others did before ha ha! Nice guy actually.
“You said you’d do the levelling of the back so many times. SO MANY TIMES!!! But you have not done it yet. My brain is about to EXPLODE!!! Do you hear me….”
Now this is hysterical. They brought this sign over and stuck it on the drive way. I then had to explain that for any English customer perhaps they should change the wording to HANDED OVER UNIT. I then had to explain what being turned over meant. You gotta love the English language. So any newbies looking to buy here, sent me a picture of your sign. This was my lasting memory of Our last day @ the house. See the photo in the rain.
No my love, you cannot keep the big key. I know you really like it though…
Now let’s get some looks inside. Sorry re the photos. It was dark dark night-time. On Panglao there is no light-pollution, believe me it gets DARK. So only the room lights and camera flash to shed some light on things. But anyways here we go. This is literally locked door time show off following Our last day @ the house. Let us know what you think…? Starting at the back, downstairs.
OK helpers room for us is going to be utilities room. In here we have the fridge freezer, washing machine and a wardrobe for bits and pieces. The toilet area will be storage.
Our wee little kitchen, now looking like a kitchen. I am planning to have an awning out over the back patio too so we can have a dry and wet kitchen set up. Next time for that. It’s small, but believe me it’s functional. Upstairs on the balcony we will have a BBQ too. Loads of space up there! Gas bottle plumbed in thanks Papang. Water bottle missing from the cooler, have to work out where to get that… Jude chose the pans – love the green, blue and red. Good choices matey!
Range is in. That’s what they call the oven and hob here. It’s small but it is a cracker. We also have microwave, rice cooker etc. still in the boxes to go out next time. We’re also planning to have some sort of construction on the kitchen ‘wall’ behind the range. Maybe wine bottles, glasses type thing. We shall see. For another time and trip!!!
Re-purposed TV cabinet. Now kitchen storage for the table-mats, glasses, utensils and other bits and bobs. Probably where we will have rice-cooker etc. too. Loving the writing desk in the background too.
Hold on a minute… OK the picture is clearly supposed to be on the wall, and will be once I get the sticky-back hooks. Such a cool writing/PC desk. Little bit of UK in the chair of course. Have to have that!!! Just need a lamp and we’re done.
OK OK – yes the ‘guest’ room is the unfinished for this trip projects ha ha. All the pictures, clocks, wall-art, bed linen, fan to go on the wall of tis very room, microwave, rice-cooker, blinds etc. all in here for the time being. Mind you go back to how it was day #1 on 21st, again I think pretty remarkable to be to this state.
Blinds will be going up on all these windows, but that does not look too bad right. Kitchen area, dining table. Outside the doors is the other outdoor 4-seater dining table and chairs – the one Papang was sitting at, so plan is to open the doors and have enough seating for eight at one time – NICE!!! Looks good right. Nice and clean!!! Do you like the buffet cabinet and our little ‘dream’ statue thingy… nice touch!!!
Spin round and here is book case, suitably decked out in nick-nacks, and the living room. Starting to really look like a house now. And definitely a house you could live in for sure. Again blinds will be up on all windows to give privacy. We have already chosen them, we just need to buy more of them and have them fitted.
This is what Mamang won for us when we put down the deposit for the house. Uber cool 5 seater sofa set and coffee table. We got the scatter cushions today, including the leopard (tiger according to Jude) cushions that Jude chose. I think that looks very homely. Like a lot.
Again spin round and here is TV #1, and the reason the TV cabinet became redundant. Yep the TV is 8′ in the air, and we needed something tall to place the cable box onto. Hey presto I bought and built this today. Nice right. TV is all live too, two dishes out the back on the wall (don’t tell the agent).
Upstairs we go. The second redundant TV cabinet in its new home. Yes the artwork will be on the wall above eventually. This cabinet now I think is going to be towels, linen storage – I think so. And some artsy stuff on top of it.
Amy’s room, now with added rug. Nice. Wait a minute though, there’s a secret…
Well hello there – it’s sleepover bed time. Awesome. Hence leaving that rather large gap to the bed side. Pretty damned good I think!
And yes the white-space will be broken up with some wall art. Amy has chosen green for her room. It’s gonna look nice. Next time, next time…
I hate loo shots, but just to share that Chateau de Paz did indeed change ALL the taps, showers etc. to gleaming new appliances. Awesome!!! Water will be being changed to filtered too soon, as its the salt in it that corrodes. Good news.
Room #2 upstairs. Already showed this one before. No change, just night-time.
OK OK one new photo then. It’s a single bed but with loads of storage beneath. Yep maximising the space we have for future, and for future guests!
And yes some art work to be put up on the wall of course.
Master bedroom, now minus the ‘end of bed storage’, AKA TV cabinet that didn’t fit, now AKA storage on the landing. Much more space given to the room and a new floor lamp and TV added in. Noice!!! Some art to go up of course, and blinds all over too!
Sheets to go on and blinds to go up and this room is finished!!! Drawers underneath too – loads and loads of storage.
Another loo shot. On-suite with shower. All new taps etc. What we will be adding in to all four bathrooms is cabinets above the sinks. We found that they are crap here, so we’ll buy in Singapore and ship over for the next trip.
Our beautiful balcony on a rainy night time. New umbrella in-situ. Cushions in storage. Imagine this with BBQ and a swinging chair for my Mary. COOL!!!
Remember day-time shot? Add one umbrella and a cleaned deck area and hey presto we are there. Playground to the left and sea to the right. Now that is not bad is it. And that restaurant and lagoon os going to be to the right too – boy did we choose well for this unit. Ding Dong!!!
Lading looking down the stairs – yes this is a blank canvass all the wall art. It’s going to look so so cool.
First bit of wall art is up, because it was sticky back. This is an abstract mirror design. I like a lot, silver and copper mirrors.
New crockery set is in the buffet cabinet. We are truly sorted!!!
New cutlery set is in too. If we had some food I could have cooked dinner here tonight. Next time will not be so far away, as it’s only flights from now on. Long weekends at the holiday home here come!!!
Hppy Happy families inside the house. We just had one massive thunder and lightening storm so we are a little house locked. BUT lucky we were as we found some leaks that we immediately reported to Chateau de Paz to fix immediately! How lucky was that! But 2x tricycles are on thier way to take us back to the hotel for dinner, a very late dinner. It’s sad to say goodbye to the house, truly it is. Oh yes, absolutely blinds for this window too!!!
Must get that levelling done to allow me to move this table and chairs out from the door itself. Anyways still looks pretty cool down the side there. I have this kite awning to go over the top – from the house to the wall. Shade is good! Another next time job.
- And the final photo is our new sign. I love my new sign. I just hope we truly have NOT been turned over. It makes me giggle does this!!!
