Howdy,

Straying away from the house build posts today because (as usual) no progress has been made. So instead of getting frustrated, I am putting all of my creative energy into content creating and teaching.

If you didn't know, on the first weekend of the QLD School holidays, Alex (from @whattheteacherwears) hosted a fantastic Brisbane Teachers 'insta' meet event. 

It was held at 'Darling & Co' and it was just absolutely lovely to see Brisbane's gorgeous teachers out in force. Seriously though? Who knew Brisbane's teachers were so stunning and fashion forward?

I had a brilliant day meeting other like-minded people and seeing fellow bloggers and teachers, it was truly a unique little experience. Well done Alex on a wonderfully successful event! I almost forgot to mention - we all received a goody bag with a range of marvy gifts inside. The posters from TeachStarter were a stand out of me. Great day: check. Classroom Decor: Check.

Hi all,

A lot of you guys have been asking for a house update. So here I am with a quick one, because absolutely nothing new has happened. My letter of commencement was sent to Homes By CMA last week by the bank. I had to send an email to get them to confirm this and then they mentioned they were in the process of finding me a site supervisor. This must take a long time (anybody know?) because I am still yet to hear from them and I have been given no dates as to when my house build is actually going to commence.

Right now I am feeling like my money has been taken and now I don't really matter.

In saying that, it has been Easter and people are allowed to enjoy their holidays but still... communication is key people!

Even if it was just an email saying 'Hi Maddie, we will be out of office on this day, your site supervisor will be assigned to you on this day and your land will be scrapped on this day'. 

Maybe as a teacher this is just something that I continually do and something that I am just used to.

I am still (in saying this) very happy with Homes by CMA thus far - lets just hope this is a general hick up or something that is unavoidable due to the Easter Holidays.

As always wonderful people, leave your comments or questions below - don't have an account? Email me at maddielouisemedia@gmail.com

Love,

Maddie

x

If you haven't seen the live action Beauty and the Beast yet, you are kidding yourself.

As probably the biggest fan of B&B ever - yes I know the whole movie off by heart, word for word (and not even slightly kidding) I had to get on the Mink Pink bandwagon and grab one of the pieces from the new collection. Mink Pink have collaborated with Disney to make probably the best clothing collection I have ever experienced. 

So really, this is just an appreciation post, to let you guys know how amazing the movie was (I was set up for disappointment, so trust me) and to let you guys know that this AMAZING MINK PINK collection exists. Go. Buy. It. All. Now.

I am desperate for the jeans with the roses on! What do you guys think? 

Yes, I wore this EXACT outfit to the cinema to watch the movie and I am going again soon.

Hello all,

So yesterday (under all of that rain) I received my approved plans by the Council. I haven't had too much of a look at them yet - I kind of saw 'congratulations plans approved' and lost it with excitement.

Communication after I signed the HIA Contract seemed to stop from CMA, but I managed to get a hold of somebody (Lisa) who has been pretty consistent with replying to my emails and queries. I completely understand that I am not their only client and they probably receive an insane amount of calls and emails from clients every day, so it is refreshing that they are making the effort.

That being said, I actually asked Lisa if I could be CC'd into all communication - although that wasn't done, I did received a confirmation that my plans had been sent off to Council for approval. She told me it normally takes 4 weeks to get approval back.. but guess what? The Universe was clearly on my side, because it took less than a week! WHAT?!

I was emailed last Thursday to confirm my plans would be sent for approval the following day (that Friday). I then emailed this Tuesday (just been) to ask for confirmation that my plans had actually been sent (for my records). And then on Wednesday afternoon BAM - there it was. My plans had been approved, just like that.

I managed to ignore everyone else around me saying 'it will take a month, it will be the end of April before you even get round to building' etc etc, I have sent out positive vibes.. and really today I couldn't be happier. 

THANK YOU CMA!

Now we play the waiting game with the bank... (again, what's new?)

The bank are the ones who have really caused issues and this is due to the bank itself and not the people working in the branch that I am using. I now have to wait for my loan documents to sign (still because they said they had arrived last week and they hadn't, they said they had arrived yesterday and they hadn't and now they said they had arrived today and they hadn't). The new excuse today is 'the storm yesterday meant that we got no mail' - valid I guess, but lucky for them that they can use that excuse, because it's been weeks already anyway.

Lets just all send out positive vibes guys! MY HOUSE WILL START ASAP. MY HOUSE WILL START ASAP! I am started to lose hope... 

As always, any questions or comments leave below - and if you do fancy checking out 'Homes By CMA' see Paul at the Burpengary Display home and tell him Maddie-Louise sent you (make sure you let me know you mentioned me).

Maddie x

Howdy,

So I am back with another blogpost about my house building (does that even make sense?).  I have noticed when doing my research or when my young, single friends have been asking me questions about my my first home and how I could possibly be building by myself, the main question (or I guess statement) that I have been getting is 'but aren't all the builders super expensive and you only end up with a basic shell and nothing like the display home'. 

This is something that is quite big, because yes, most display homes you walk around.. well it is not, what you see is what you get, it is more like 'this is an extra, this is an extra.. oh no sorry that's an extra inclusion too' and yes, on a small budget, you do then essentially end up with a cave of a home, basic, not what you expected and disappointed.

The builders I am going with are 'HOMES BY CMA' and the main reason I picked them (out of many) was because they offer an absolutely amazing turn key package. Pay close attention to that term, turn key.

The lovely salesmen Paul, took me around the display home and pointed out all of the things that were indeed extra, add-on or luxury inclusions, and compared to other display homes, there weren't many, because with Homes By CMA, it is what you see, is what you get - more or less, give or take.

Their display home doesn't have WOW FACTOR, it doesn't blow you off of your feet. but it is apples, for apples. I could see that they were legit in the fact that they don't want to sale you a dream, or something that is beyond your reach, but something that is affordable and perfect for the first home buyer.

With just the basic price, I have a stand alone bath, a walk in pantry with ample space and shelving,  gorgeous large tiles with a stunning sheen and more - more than what I can imagine at 24.

In fact, the inclusions were so good, it left me a small amount of money that I could use towards upgrading bits and pieces that I wanted to. I upgraded my kitchen island bench (plus pantry) to waterfall ends, and a gorgeous marble effect SmartStone for just $1700 because by getting rid of certain bits and pieces, I actually had credit.

Paul made it really easy to customise my home at a fraction of the price as other big builders like Metricon or Plantation. And trust me, you guys know me and I DID my research, for 6 months I went round display home after display home by my lonesome, umming and arrring.

I could go on (and I will another time) but hopefully this gives you just a brief overview of why I chose Homes By CMA and why I am optimistic that they will produce my first home of my dreams. YES there are negatives that I have come across with this company thus far, but the 'sales' process and the planning was all smooth. I really do think, for ease, support and 'a family feeling' this small builder is perfect for a 'first home buyer'.... and hopefully I am not eating my words in a few weeks time.

If you do like the sound of Homes By CMA and have done a lot of research like I have/did, head on into one of their display homes. I am building a version of the Endeavor which is their display home in Burpengary. If you do go and decided you love them, be sure to ask for PAUL and mention my full name: Maddie-Louise - building the Endevour 

Any questions, ask below!

Speak to you guys soon!

Maddie,

WOW.

So this is what blogging feels like? I almost forgot. 

Guys, I must apologise immensely for being absent for the best part of a year. It has been quite literally crazy in Maddie's World. I made the decision not long ago, to focus on my life, my social life, my work life and my family.. meaning stopping blogging and Youtube altogether. 

But I'm back on Maddieslifestyle, and for the first time in a year - it feels right! 

Today I am starting a new series about my house build (WOO) - if you didn't know, back in October I bought a block of land using all of my savings.. and well, the rest is history. I am so beyond proud of myself and I also want to highlight to the young ladies out there that it IS possible to be independent, own your own assets and YES, build a house in your early twenties. 

Week 1

I'm calling this week one, because even though I have been paying my bills and mortgage since October, this to me counts truly as week 1 of my journey, because this week.. I chose my COLOURS etc! I have decided to go with 'Homes by CMA' a small building company situated in North Brisbane. This decision was not an easy one, and months of research went into it. On Thursday after School, I arrived at their small, personal offices in North Lakes (North Brisbane) to go through all things house.

I have inserted some pictures of some of the colours and shades that I ended up picking.

This is a hard process, so all the advice I can give you, is to take a friend or family member with you. Particularly if you are as indecisive as I am. Remember, the sales people are not your friends, they are sales people, don't let them sway you into anything, no matter how nice they may seem. You will often find that they try and push their personal tastes on you - refrain from being nice and just agreeing. It's okay if this step of the process takes you more than one visit. Do not rush yourself. Once you've signed that final contract - THAT'S IT! - unless you want thousands upon thousands of extra payouts. 

So, the next step of this process is going to commence on Thursday (and hopefully possibly Friday) this week coming. I am now going to meet with Homes by CMA again, sign the MAIN and final contract (I will talk about this in the future) and head to the bank to get the second half of my loan. 

For now, it is the waiting game.

If you have any questions about the whole process, leave a comment below or contact me via my Instagram. 

Love,

Maddie x