We have been approved!

So, a big cause for celebration..... we have the approval in our possession. Yeah!

So to celebrate here is a look at the floor plans, it's not big but is sure is pretty. Of course it sailed through the Basix needed these days.

We went to the block on Sunday and chose the tree for the tree house and also the hammock. Don't be surprised if an application for a pool goes in soon as well.The block is beautiful and green from the rain, I will post a new photo soon.

Calls from council

So I did actually get a call from council last night, 6.15pm to be exact. Yes your plans are finalised, signed off etc. Yes I will put them in the post and have a good day!

Today I get a call from council, yes the plans are finalised, signed off and would you like to come out and pick them up? Mmmm a well oiled machine if ever I have seen one.

"Perhaps you could pop them in the mail for me like the kind gentleman said he would last nigh". Oh OK I wonder how many days it will take?

How does council talk to your husband when you know he is in a meeting?

How clever the council people are.... they are able to talk to my husband on the phone even though he is in a meeting in another state at the time of their conversation.

Let me explain something council people, I don't know about you but my husband does not make calls to council to see where the DA is up to or ask any other questions. That is what I do, he doesn't know your phone number or the DA number. Do you all think it may be time to consider there may be two people with the last surname building in the estate or that you are giving the wrong information to the wrong person (scary)

The sad part is this is the second time I have had the conversation with them......

How long does approval take?

So now we are at June 25th and guess what.... still nothing.

Every time we speak with favourite council lady it is a different story. The fire place is fine, the plans have, from what we are told, passed everything they need to. They must have been shown to everyone in the state by now. Last week they were signed off by the "last person" who needs to sign off on them. So what is the hold up? Maybe it is the environmental group wondering why we need to cut down a few trees, One would hope not considering there are over 40 new ones already planted.

I just wish they would hurry up, long gone is the dream of being in by Christmas, Easter is now more the plan.

The builder, Leslie Paton, is off overseas on Friday for 3 weeks, will it never end? Maybe council will have their act together by then. Oh lets hope so.

Our second "are you kidding me story"

So council said on May 6th that we should be ready any day now for approval! Well we are now at May 26th and still going. We have had a few conversations along the way and at this stage 10cm stand in our way of approval. Shouldn't be too hard......

I did have a lovely conversation with my favourite council employee last week that went something like this... " Hello it's Julie here I am just calling about Da xyz123 can you tell me where it is up to' Oh OK just wait a minute and I will check for you, Oh I have your husband on another line you can ask him where your DA is up to" mmmmmmm doubtful so deep breath and continue " really I am not sure it would be my husband as he is in another state and in a meeting as we speak and would have no idea what your phone number even is' 'well I am telling you that we have just told him the details and you will have to ask him" Grrrrrrr End of that conversation.

So I called hubby, whose phone is off because he is in meetings all day, leave a message that should make his day and wait for a call back. He calls and "no of course I have not called council" Right....

I called back favourite council employee and ask her who she may have been discussing my plans with as my husband has just confirmed he did NOT call them! "Oh I am sure he said he was your husband, it was definitely your DA number, oh I wonder who it was" is she for real?

Yes I think she was........

Our very first "are you kidding me" story

it occurred to me as I hung up the phone from speaking to Yass council the other day that I had had my first "are you kidding me experience" You know the one you might celebrate as a couple after you have your first fight! No make up sex going on here folks let me tell you!

The story goes like this..........
Our beautiful plans are finally ready to put into council (more on that later) MOH and myself travel out to yass and lodge the plans. We speak to a very friendly lady behind the counter about our plans, she shares our dreams and ohhhs and arhs in all the right places. Gives us some advice on weather we should lodge our pool at the same time, "no just put proposed as you don't really have all the details just yet, don't want to hold up the process" So we write proposed and pay our money and off we go.

2 weeks later we have a letter saying "please provide all details of the pool before we can advance any further" So I pick up the phone to talk to "she who must be obeyed" and get told that she doesn't really care what we were told at the time if we don't have all the details for the pool our only option is to DRIVE back out to Yass in the VW (lucky it is soooo comfortable) and liquid paper it off the plans ourselves as they cannot! mmmm blood is boiling and I really want to tell her what she can do with her liquid paper but don't.

Next day I do exactly that, drive out liquid paper in handbag and ask at the desk for plans to correct. Lovely lady at the desk remembers me, makes fatal mistake of asking me how I am...... I tell her! her face drops, not happy Jan! Lovely young man gets plans and happily explains that if this had been his building he would have just asked the builder to fax over a new copy minus the pool, death stare and explain that he is not helping the situation or their reputation.

Now this is not a post to just complain but if you must, leave a comment here!