Birthday Weekend

So Friday was spent on the phone to the client liaison person trying to point out that the contract did not define the terms of the insulation intuitively so they should put insulation in the garage wall. We argued around this for about half an hour I asked her where the external walls where then, and she said the living/dining wall adjoining the garage. I stated that we had already put insulation in that wall as I had thought it wouldn’t be done, and because I had done that, could they just use the insulation they where going to put in there and put it in the garage wall instead. The answer “Ok we can do that” I had a big lung full of air ready for my argument, so I was a bit knocked over when she said Ok. So Monday morning hubby drove by and Yes we have insulation in the garage wall!

It was my husbands birthday on Sunday, I totally forgot, my Mum rang me on Saturday and said “What does he want for his birthday tomorrow” *eek* So Mum came over and looked after the kids while I dashed of to the shops to buy a last minute birthday present.

I made him scones for breakfast then convinced him to go visit the Japanese gardens in town to get inspiration for our garden. Himeji Gardens brochure link.

I like the tiered tree look, but think it is probably to hard to do.

I think I can do this though, the wrap the tree up and only let it grow out the top look.

We didn’t really get to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the gardens to much, you see the hooded terror leaving the corner of this picture. That ones mine.

So hubby suggested that we grow little mini hedges in front of the retaining walls that we use out the front, that way it won’t matter what we use for the retaining wall as it won’t be seen. He wanted to use the fancy besa block type retaining walls. I have had to point out to him that because the retaining wall closest to the house has to hold the house back it has to be a heavy duty retaining wall which the besa block ones aren't. Seems he was actually listening to me, and has been thinking about it and come up with the hedge solution. Which I think will look quite good actually.

We went to Hogs Breath for dinner as a special birthday treat. They had a Happy Birthday sign up for him and a cool birthday headband. For my birthday in Feb I would love to be in the new house.

Upon arriving home I officially declared his birthday over and we set up the Christmas tree *yay* we let the kids decorate, so most of the decorations ended up at the one level, and on the one branch.

Plastered

The plasterers put up the external wall insulation yesterday, and didn’t do the garage!  So now I have to contact the builder to discuss the finer detail of the contract and what they define ‘external’ walls as.

I went up to the house early this morning on my way to work, to make sure they didn’t plaster the garage wall. The guy I spoke to said they would be doing it on Monday.  The client liaison wasn’t in the office today, so tomorrow I will have to discuss it with her.

When I went to the house to see there progress this afternoon I noticed they had done the pantry, but then I was walking around thinking “They haven't done anything, a whole day and they haven't done anything.”

Then I looked up.  We have a ceiling!

So here are some pictures of our wall insulation and some ceilings.

Before

After

Yes cutting out all those pieces was like some sort of demented jigsaw puzzle!

Some massive fat ceiling batts

The pantry, where my bits of insulation have started falling out.  I hope the gyprockers put it back in :(

The beginnings of a ceiling

Electrical Wiring and Data Cables

I went up to the house on Thursday and noticed that all the electrical wiring had been done.  I rang the SS and asked when the gyprocking was happening his reply was "They should be there now" *eek* I was at work, and freaking out because we hadn't done the data cabling or put in the extra sound insulation that we wanted.

There was no action at the built site as I headed home.  So Sunday we got the Jim's Antenna guy out and we cabled the whole house up with data cables.  Two points in each room of the house.  We have them terminating in the WIR in our room.  Hubby says he can buy a switch and we can choose if the points are data points or phone points.

 

So rang the SS again, "yep definitely that are starting Wednesday"
So that gives me Tuesday, my day off to organise the extra insulation that we want. 

Monday at work I rang a few places and worked out the cheapest place to buy it. Tuesday I asked my Dad to meet me at the store I had chosen, with his van.  There where 21 bags of insulation total.  We had to do it in two trips.

Halfway back to the house on the 2nd trip my Dad’s van engine blew up!  Smoke pouring out everywhere, here we were on Main South Rd, with a van full of insulation! Dad was following me, he pulls out like this chicken wire and says “You can tow me!” WHAT!!! with this little piece of wire!!!

Luckily this guy in a courier van saw what was going on and lent us his tow rope. Thank God.  Well sort of not really, I only have a little Hyundai – it’s sole purpose in life is to drive me to around the city nothing as insane as towing this massive van.  I have to turn the air-con off to go up a hill!

Scariest 15 mins of my life towing the van.  I totally blew a red light, because I just wasn’t stopping, it took so much effort to get the car moving, the smell! I can only imagine the damage I’ve done to the gear box.  My tow bar is now an extra 15cm out from the car.

But at least we got the insulation to the new house.

I took Dad home, then went home and had dinner.  Mum and Dad met us back at the house at 7pm and we worked until it was to dark to see.  It was as surprisingly easy as everyone says it is.  I bought a cheap knife from Big W, and the batts just ‘sat’ inside the frame we didn’t need to secure it with anything.

It was to dark to take photos, I will take some later today.

We didn’t quite finish it, I figured I would go up there today and try asking the gyprockers into doing it for me.  I get a phone call from my Mum at 7am this morning.  “Get dressed and meet us at the house”.  So we finished it all off this morning. 

I’ve just rang the SS and he tells me they have been delayed and won’t be doing it until next week now :( 

I just hope all the stuff doesn’t blow out before then :(   As the bricking isn’t finished and one whole wall is exposed.

Bricks, Bricks and more Bricks

Just lots of photos of the latest brick work, because I just love how it looks, and it is all that is going on at the moment.  Oh the skip has a flowerpot, some old roof tiles and a suitcase in it!

The front of the house – You have to squint your eyes and imagine the guttering is black – no idea why they put it up and _then_ paint it.

 

Left hand side of the house, looking toward the front of the house, then looking toward the back of the house

Across the back of the house – It has been so long since we have seen it, and it hasn’t been covered in brick pallets that I almost forgot what it looks like.

They make a bit of a mess on the inside

Right near the front door we have this anomaly in the bricks, it is raised.  I think it looks like a head, my husband thinks it looks like something a little more phallic, hopefully it will come off when the brickies do there clean!.  

I hope they have enough bricks to finish!

November – Roof and Bricks start

The weather has not been kind to our tradesmen, they have been working from 5am to 10am, and on the weekends.  The week after these temperatures it got to 42 degrees two days in a row.

November 5th – Roof tiles arrive

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November 9th – They are working fast despite the heat

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November 13th – The bricks have been magically re-arranged

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November 14th – It is so hot, nothing is happening.  We are sleeping in the lounge, as this photo by my 3 year old shows. No idea what ungodly hour of the morning he took this photo as we are all asleep, except the baby that is.

November 17th – Brick work starts!

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I am not happy with the brown ends that are showing.  Have spoken to the SS about getting them replaced.  My Mum thinks they give the house ‘character’ I didn’t pay $6500 extra for brown bricks. We want, grey, grey and more grey!

November 20th – More bricks, and a power box.

November 23rd – Am suffering a severe bout of gastro. Hubby took some progress pictures for me. I would have sent him back for more today, but he has gastro to :(  Hopefully tomorrow I will be alright to drive.

We are having black guttering and down pipes, so hopefully that will break the grey up enough.

We deliberately choose grey roof tiles to reflect heat and to lower heat absorption.

October 20th – 31st / Frame and Windows

I have been slack in updating the blog. 

So here we go October 20, wood arrives and frame starts.

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October 21 – They are working fast.

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October 24 – Frame is finished – Check out all the excess nails we cleaned up

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October 25th We had an independent inspection done.

All the red marks are where they missed extra bits of wood, or extra bracing.

They have all been fixed now.  Some other things we noticed was that the cut-outs didn’t match the door height, and the porch post was put right in front of the window.

October 26th – Windows arrive – Termite protection done.

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October 27th – Plumbing is done. Apparently the guys doing the frame squished the pipe that had been nicely done through the slab, so the plumber had to do some dodgy coming out the side of the house ugly thing.

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October 28th  - Windows go in.

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October 31st – Brickies Sand and Shed arrives. – White Sand and Bright White mortar

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OMG BRICKS!! We have bricks

Bricks are the one thing you spend so long agonizing over, so many conversations with my husband, so many trips to display villages and looking at houses built with different bricks.  To have them actually arrive is so thrilling and exciting.

On the homeone forum I have read so many people go “My bricks have arrived and I hate them, they totally where not what I was expecting” 

I spent so much time and effort choosing my bricks, and paid $6000 extra to have my bricks that I was confident that I would love them on site.

My bricks have arrived and I hate them!! They are totally not what I was expecting!

Worse then that, the guy who delivered the bricks was totally useless (according to my neighbour) and dropped a whole pallet of bricks down the slope.

I’ve grabbed a few bricks to take the display home and compare against.

I’ve put the brick out on the back footpath so that I have to pass it on my way to the washing line.  I need to fall in love with it again.