A Very Productive Day.

What a few busy days it has been, in particularly, today. We can now cross off the list: Electrical rough-in, heating unit and ducts, alarm pre-wire and house bricked except for garage and portico.

Yesterday, the brickies finished around the sides of the house, and began on the front:







There was also a fresh delivery of sand and 3 (possibly 4) more pallets of bricks:



I received a call from my CSA on Tuesday to discuss the furry intruders! I suggested that I wanted to put some bait around the place as I didn't want them to chew through the wiring and possibly cause a fire if chewed wire was plastered up and no one knew about it. I was also concerned about the intruder getting plastered in the wall cavity, and having to live with the smell of a decomposing 'something' in a brand new house.

It was decided that I would leave the ratsack outside the porta loo for my SS to distribute around the place. So, site visit 1 today was around 10:30am to drop off the package!

I then received a phone call at about 2pm from my CSA explaining that my SS had put the baits around! I had queried on several occasions, if I could get the sparkies to put in an extra double power point in the laundry at bench height, and pay them on the day. It was suggested that it I'd have to go through head office and get the plans changed (meaning it could possibly cost me $500 for a PCV.) My CSA and SS gave me the OK to go on site and catch the sparkies before they finished the job and ask them to do it for me and pay them cash. Fantastic!

Site visit number 2 was to organise that! $65 later, and a $5 tip for being so accommodating at such short notice, and the deal was done!

Site visit number 3 was to sneak in and check on the wiring! I got down there just after 5pm as one of the tradies was packing up his car. I was 'hovering' out the front taking some pics and he wanted to know if I was the owner. I then asked him if he had installed the heating. He said, "No, I was installing the ducted vacuum". I looked very blankly at him and said, "But I'm not having ducted vacuum." I did actually pause for a nano second and thought maybe I shouldn't say anything in case I get it for free!!! His reply was, "I got you there for a minute, didn't I? I was installing the alarm!!" Drats.... ;-)

He said I was quite welcome to go in, and he wouldn't tell anyone!!! I did wander through, and was amazed at the mass of wiring and ducts everywhere! It was getting darkish, and difficult to take photos, so I will try and get there earlier tomorrow. One thing I did also notice, was the cold water point which was residing in the pot drawer has been moved to it's correct position in the fridge space!

The downpipe here Will have to be moved, as it will interfere with the light! According to the plans, the pipe should run down the wall quite close to the right edge of the brickwork, not in the middle:



Here is my first "Why the hell didn't I pick that up!" moment:



It's wired exactly according to the electrical plan, but why I didn't pick it up that it was not in the middle of the wall is beyond me! It's only a light, but I think I'll have to put a big pot/urn/plant thingy in the corner to balance the misaligned light...D'OH!

Lots of ducts and wiring:








All the front facade photos I took today were pretty average, being towards the sun. I'll just have to go back tomorrow morning and take some more while the brickies are there!

Network Cabling and Completed Wrapping.

Last Friday the green sisilation was installed for the remaining brickwork on the top storey...and I didn't even notice when I drove past!! It wasn't until Saturday when we drove past that we realised!

Saturday morning was fairly busy with the return of the brickies who were busy loading up the scaffolding with bricks and organising things ready to start today. The 'Cable Guy' was busy installing the network, speaker and telephone cables, but because the brickies were there we didn't go in...just a bit too dangerous with piles of bricks everywhere!

It wasn't until Sunday when we didn't have the kids and no one was working when we had a quiet look around. The cable work all looks good, and is exactly as we requested. There are 16 network points around the house, including 2 in each bedroom next to the double power points. This gives the kids the option of changing the furniture around in their rooms without having long lengths of cable about the place! Of course, there is always the option of wireless, but I've had bad experiences with it in the past with constant drop outs, so much easier to do as much cabling now before the plaster goes up, than try and do it later!

We also have 3 phone points. 1 in the study, 1 in the kitchen, and the last upstairs for the alarm system. We do plan on having a phone with 3 separate cordless handsets, but this gives us the option of 2 places to put the base set with the answering machine. We've also added some speaker cabling, so we can have quiet ambient music in the lounge or the alfresco whilst entertaining!

Here she is all wrapped in green, ready for the brickies:





I poked my head out of the ensuite window to take this photo. There is no way I am getting out there!!:



Cables in the study:



Cables running between the floors:



All to a box which will be under the stairs:



If you look closely, you can see 2 speaker cables dangling down in the alfresco:



Our visit on Sunday was the first chance we had to go upstairs for a few weeks, and saw that plaster had also been delivered upstairs as well. In the TV area...:



...and the Master Bedroom:



We have had a furry intruder!




The last thing I would want is a rat to be 'plastered' in the wall of our brand new house! I've had to deal with an unlocatable decaying possum in the roof or wall cavity of our old house. It's not a pretty smell, I can assure you, particularly in the heat of Summer! I will ask about buying some Ratsack to put around the place. My only guess is they have jumped off a nearby tree and onto the scaffolding to gain entry that way. We have not noticed any droppings before.

I'm not sure how much bricking they will get done today. It's not raining, and being 'ready' to go, I'm sure they'll knock it all off in no time at all!

Second storey scaffold up.

The title says it all, really! The scaffolding for the second storey bricking, eaves, roof flashing and weatherboards went up today.







I've also been shopping again (suprise, suprise...), and have found a couple of things that I will most likely put in the powder room. I have a 'thing' for glass jars at the moment, and apart from my 3 large and 1 small apothecary jars, I found these little beauties, the larger one on sale! Don't you just love a bargain!! The larger one was less than 50% off ;-)



The 2 hand towels I picked up recently as well, and they should look lovely in the Powder Room also, and blend in with the colours of the Caesar Stone, floor tiles and Paint.



I have a few other little goodies tucked away in the remaining space in the laundry cupboard, but I haven't photographed them yet! ;-)

I can't wait to start unpacking things I'm sure I've forgotten I have, and start decorating my home. Still a long way to go, but closer than what it was last week!!

Good news on the couch front too. They are delayed, so delivery (and storage) will not take place until June. The longer they hold on to them the better!!

Plaster Delivery!

On my drive by this morning after the school drop off, I was greeted to a large truck parked in the street stacked full of plaster sheets and cornice!

I returned a little later with my camera...

This is our standard cove 75mm cornice. We could have upgraded, but decided there was nothing wrong with the standard and upgraded the skirts and archs instead, which will be more 'on display' around the windows and doors, and more noticeable.



We are unsure where this plaster will go. It looks slightly thicker than the standard 10mm, and is in smaller blocks. Perhaps around the 'reveals' to the lounge and/or dining (which have no doors), or around the bulkheads in the entrance hall?? Stay tuned!



Our large pile of plaster board dumped in the middle of the family/kitchen! Unfortunately, the roof isn't finished under half of the room (you can see sun poking through!), and it rained a little today, didn't it! There was a little puddle on top of the plaster under a missing roof tile. Hopefully it will be OK...



There will be plenty more plaster to be delivered, and the 5mm board they use around the curve of the stair walls isn't here yet.

Lots happening in the next 2 weeks, and soon we will be locked out:(

Brick update and site meeting.

It's been a few days since I have been able to update...I've been a tad busy!

The brickies only worked 4 days this week, but they still made steady progress with some of the remaining window sills, the remaining section of the alfresco and began work on the garage boundary wall and the portico. They even worked in the occasional rain we had on Monday and Tuesday! Have to be happy with that!

Loving my large alfresco! How great will it be on balmy summer evenings watching the cricket on TV out here with a few drinks!



Up goes the garage wall, and the frame is in for the external door as well:



The beginnings of our double storey portico:



More progress on the garage wall:



My CSA called me with an update yesterday, so I called her back just to double check a few things. I also mentioned to her that there were a few brick issues I had. She asked me to send off an email and she would forward it on to my SS to see if it warrants a meeting. She called this morning, and asked if I was available this afternoon to meet with the SS on site. Fabulous! She said it was easier to discuss any concerns as they arose, rather than waiting (if only the pre- start admin worked as efficiently...).

Anyway, I met my SS on site and spent over half an hour chatting away and discussing any concerns that I had.

* The infill above the front doors will be painted black - the same as the doors and the door frame. Because bricks differ in height between brands, it is almost impossible to get a door (or a window for that matter) to fit within an exact number of brick courses and mortar beds. The display homes, and the majority of homes now have this, so there is nothing that can be done about it. Once it's all done, it won't be noticeable.

* The above also applies to the windows, hence the need for a 'half' filler brick. The sills that Henley design are fairly flush to the rest of the brickwork, which is why the half brick is more noticeable. Same on the displays (if you can find one that isn't completely rendered!)

* According to the SS today, the 'perpends', or joins between the bricks do not actually have to line up, and in some cases this is unavoidable...particularly with the rustic and odd sized bricks I have chosen. The sizes of the perpends can vary considerably, also particularly with these type of bricks, and it's all 'within tolerances' and not considered a defect. I'm prepared to wear it, as no one else can see it unless it's pointed out, and it's not at eye level.

* The powder room toilet outlet will be fixed so there is no longer a 'shelf' in it!

The agi drains, which currently have pools of water sitting on them, will all be serviced and replaced if necessary. They don't do it now, but wait until all the rest of the plumbing and storm water drains are checked.

He also explained the straightening of the frame with planing back some studs and packing others, and also explained the 'missing' range hood vent on the exterior. This will be added by the sparkies when they install the rangehood at handover.

Apart from all of this, he gave me a run down on what is expected to happen in the next 2 weeks!

Briefly, scaffolding for the brickies goes up, brickies are due back on the 11th May, Plaster delivery, electrical rough in (due 12th May), organise cabler to come in for network, telephone and speakers, fixing carpenter in to fix frame, batts and sound proofing installed, plaster begins roughly on 15th May, weatherboards on the back top storey are installed around the 17th, roof flashing for single storey section out the back is installed, brickies finish, eaves go in and are painted, bricks are cleaned on the top storey, scaffolding comes down and remaining bricks are cleaned. Not much, really!!

I'll keep you all posted!! Although photos might be a little scarce. It will be a dangerous place with bricks sitting on the scaffolding, so outside the fence visits mainly for a while!

Yet another brick update!

There is a little bit of catching up to do with photos, as bricking continues at a steady pace. As of yesterday (Friday), they have pretty much finished bricking up to 40 courses around the entire perimeter, and as high as they will go without sturdier scaffolding.

Here is a close up of my lovely matching fixed windows!





Thursdays efforts included bricking up to 40 courses along the south wall...



....and on some rather interesting looking scaffolding supported by bricks, framing and cement sheeting. Do not try this at home!



Looking good! Although if I was going to be really picky (more than what I have been...if that is possible), then there are far more orange bricks on the ground floor than the second storey. This 'should' be covered by a hedge, or perhaps roses, so in a few years I will hardly notice it. ;-)



Friday saw the window sills installed around most of the windows. I have another niggly issue with these too (Oh not another one, I can hear you all saying!!). If you remember the first window sills that went in below the ensuite windows here:



Well, these are the latest ones. Again, it's a case of 'spot the difference':





See it? The line of half bricks under the titled sill bricks in the above photo, but not the ensuite windows?

Apparently, it is pretty standard practice amongst builders, and I have seen it numerous times. You would think, though, that windows would be made to a specific size that would match a certain number of brick courses, allowing for mortar joins, and eliminating the need for the 'half' brick. But no, that would be too sensible, wouldn't it?

The above photo is on the front facade, and all window sills except for the ensuite ones are exactly the same. Not a lot I can do about it without ripping out the windows, changing them to slightly smaller or bigger, re framing around the windows, ripping out all the sills and re bricking those. Arghhhhh....why don't things just match up in the first place? And why don't builders just provide the windows that will match up in the original plans? It's a no brainer, if you ask me...

This issue also applies to door frames.



There is a small gap above what will be our lovely shiny black 'cricket bat' doors. Why? Because the size of the door frame does not match with a number of brick courses and mortar joins. It was impossible to install the lintel in the brick course below, as the door frame is in the way, so they have to put it in the next course, and leave a whopping great big gap above the door frame. This will be filled in with cement sheeting (or similar), and will be painted. What colour, I have no idea, as the brickwork surrounding the front door and on the portico will be rendered. I'm hoping the cement sheet infill will sit flush with the brickwork and be covered in render, so it will be completely unnoticeable. I guess I'll find out!!

Bricking completed all the way around up to 40 courses. Next comes the serious scaffolding!

More progress inside and out.

I am still 'sitting' on my decision about the bricks, and I have had mixed comments about what to do about it. Part of me wants that section of the wall pulled down, and the brick in question replaced. Another part of me believes I am being far too pedantic and should just live with it, and not delay the build any longer than is absolutely necessary. I will certainly let my CSA and SS know that I have issues, but possibly willing to overlook it.

Yesterday, the chippies were back to fix up a couple of things. I had noticed a huge pile of saw dust in the rubbish cage. Parts of the frame have been planed, and others have had 5mm packing stapled to it....all to make it even for the plaster board to go on. Hopefully, it's all standard practice, but will check with the SS at our 'lock-up' meeting. Sections of particle board have also been attached to parts of the frame to make a nice even surface for the plaster board (or maybe it's instead of the gyprock, and the wood will be painted...). These areas include the opening to the entrance hall where a bulk head will be, the opening to the lounge and the dining (no doors), and also the opening to the family/meals/kitchen from the hallway. We are having doors here, though!







The chippies also did a wonderful job of sweeping the floors! They are lovely and grit free now!

The bricking continued along the long wall, the front facade, into the garage and they began work on the alfresco roof supports.



First of the window sills go in:





They have even installed the vent (spider entrance point...) for the powder room exhaust fan above the laundry door. I must remember to spray surface spray here periodically:



They've bricked all the way around now! This is on the south wall:



We arrived late at the house this evening, and the sun had all but set (bring back day light savings for the sake of house photo taking opportunities!), so the pics aren't terribly good...but you get the idea!

This is the part that MUST be perfect. It is the front, and the section that will not be rendered:



I took a trip up stairs tonight, as I didn't yesterday, and we have a bath frame!!



This is in the kids bathroom. We deleted the bath in our ensuite to make the WIR and shower larger. We could have changed it over to a spa, but we wouldn't use it for what we would have to have paid for it. We thought about re-sale value...but we plan on staying here for at least 25 years, so re-sale value does not enter the equation at all. I'd much rather have stone benches and gorgeous bricks than a spa in the ensuite that overlooks our neighbours kitchen!

So, here she is tonight in the dark with the sun setting behind her. Notice anything different??



Compare with this picture:



HINT: Look at the 2 windows above the 'not yet built' garage...They match!! Whoo Hoo!!! Would you believe I was so focused on the bricks I didn't even notice as I was standing looking up at her. I only realised once I had the photos open on my computer...