Things are Taking Shape

Looking Good!

After a slow start, our bricklayers have kept us beaming this week! A visit each night after work has left us ecstatic, and pleasantly surprised with the progress they are making!

Things are looking good to have bricks finished earlier than the 4 weeks originally anticipated,so hopefully the continue on at the same pace!

We have a front entry!

Front Entry

We also have a bedroom, study and the WIR/Ensuite just needs the dividing wall bricked in.

Games Room Wall / Master Bedroom Passage on Left | Study on Right

The rooms look small, which is fairly standard when its just brickwork, but it is very deceiving. As we stepped out the size of our bed in the Master Bedroom, we realised the rooms will be quite spacious, so fingers crossed they work the way we are envisaging in our minds!

Door from WIR to Ensuite, and WC door

We have the majority of a Games Room, with just the top courses to be bricked up over the opening to the passage which leads to our bedroom.

Games Room

And we have the makings of Bedroom 2 underway! 

Bed 2

Its all happening! 

Brick by Brick...

... Building up the walls!

After having the bricks on site for just short of two weeks, I decided to email the builder to ask when we could expect to see the bricklayers on site. She replied that I must be psychic because she was just about to contact us to arrange the standard Brick Meeting on site with the supervisor.

So we met with the supervisor on Tuesday 18 Feb, where we discussed the process, asked a few questions to make sure things happen the way we want them to, and got the answer we'd been waiting two weeks to hear:

"The brickies start tomorrow!"

"Fantastic", we said, secretly thinking 'About bloody time!' 

Despite a 4am start and a diversion through the countryside due to a large truck crash on the highway to get myself home from a day spent in Perth, I managed to swing past on my way home, just before the sun went down, to check things out. The husband had already given me a run down of the progress, but I needed to see it for myself, impatient as I am, not wanting to wait til the next day! 

Progress!

The bricklayers had made light work of getting the front elevation underway. The two windows on the left are the Study and the three on the right are the Master Bedroom. And a lovely pink glow in the background as the sun goes down!

Study

They have done the internal leaf and started the external leaf across almost the entire front elevation, excluding the garage.

Master Bedroom

So whilst the site looks like a bit of a bomb site right now, we were very happy to see some movement happening!

Looking from near the Dining room back toward the front

The site supervisor seemed to think it would take around 4 weeks to brick up a house this size. We thought maybe 2 to 3 - we hope he is exaggerating so we don't hold him to anything, date-wise. 

A drive-by today, however, did show us that the brickies hadn't done anything today, so maybe the 4 weeks is accurate, based on an every-second day workload. Hopefully they just had to finish off something at another job and tomorrow will see them get into it and make some good progress! 

So, as the sun sets on another day, we keep our fingers crossed! 

Sunset from the detour through the countryside

Build It Up, Build It Up,

Build it Higher!

Today's progress brings the arrival of the bricks on site. The Limestone bricks will be the external brickwork, except for the front elevation which is rendered, and the brown common bricks will be used to form the internal walls which are plastered down the track.

Bricks

The slab has been marked out, ready for the bricklayers to start, so we are hoping that will happen tomorrow.

Marking Out, complete with Manitou tyre marks

The timber frame for the entry has also been delivered. The timber is really lovely, so we are looking forward to seeing that all stained up and pretty when the time comes for paintwork!

Double Entry Frame

And the Laundry side has been levelled somewhat, by the wonderful neighbour and his bobcat!

Fancy Bobcat work!

Until next time....

Next Step: Bricklaying

Time for Retaining

...Hold me back!

After christening the slab on Sunday with a couple of cheeky beverages, there has not been a lot of movement on site this week, but that was to be expected, as the slab needs to cure before the bricks can be loaded. 

This afternoon there is a manitou on site, so it looks like the bricks are due to arrive on site tomorrow, which is exciting! 

The actual reason I was on site was to meet a retaining wall contractor to discuss the issue with the levels on site, and arrange to get a quote so we have a better idea of what we're really dealing with.

As I was waiting for the contractor, I noticed a local Bobcat company's truck drive past the block, and reverse down the driveway across the road. I decided to be a bit of a stalker, googled his phone number and gave him a call! Turns out he lives there, and was actually unloading his bobcat to come over and smooth out a little bit on the side of the house for the builder, so it gave me the opportunity to get a price sorted for the shed pad at the same time. Multitasking, baby! 

Hopefully his price comes in very reasonable because it would be very handy to make friends with him given the multitude of potential siteworks we are facing right now!!

So, the retaining wall contractor has given me some good info, and whilst the price won't change whether we do in one or two levels because at the end of the day we're retaining the same height, he's recommending that we step the levels, and create a garden-bed type situation on the first level and step it up to the top level.I asked for steps also so I envisage it will look something like this.

[source]

I need to get in touch with the local council to discuss how lenient they will be with the building envelope. Ideally, we'd like to have the side wall right on the boundary of the envelope, but that does mean that the stepped blocks which are buried behind the wall to form the strength, would encroach outside the building envelope, so I am unsure if that will be allowed. If not, we will have to sit the wall inside the building envelope by approx a metre. Looks like I have some sweet talking to do! 

I have also asked the retaining company if we can have some seats built into the wall, to create an outdoor area as an alternative to the alfresco for those balmy summer evenings. I am a little excited about the possibilities with these blocks now that I've accepted we're going to need it done. Now we just need to hope the quotes are not as high as we're expecting! 

[source]

 

 

 

^ This is the idea of the seat style, but obviously from limestone blocks not gabion retaining blocks.

Hopefully next post will be some brickwork movement!

A Tablespoon of Concrete

...and its Hardening Up!

As promised, the concrete slab was poured yesterday (31 Jan 2014). A drive-by at lunch time had the grano team finishing off the top with the helicopter, but not wanting to be those clients, we decided against stopping for a look while they were still there.

Home, Sweet Home

It looks tiny right now, but I assure you, its not!

Pier footing for the Alfresco

Today's visit has given us a chance to get a really good look at the work. The finish looks very even so we are very happy with the quality. No little cracks in the concrete at all, so it will be interesting to see if it stays like that after the cure time.

The site supervisor tells me the bricklayers are due on site on Monday to start setting out, before the bricks are loaded mid week and the brickies starting to lay bricks toward the end of the week! 

[source]

In other news, we have also officially put our current house on the market. That's right, we don't do things by halves around here! The agent we have selected is local to the area and has been in the game for a long time. His fees are also approximately 30% cheaper than the last agency we tried to sell through [before we bought the block, waaaaay back when!] and he has given us confidence that he will be able to not only sell, but get us a decent price. We hope so, as any profit we make will go toward those unforseen retaining costs!

[source]

 

 

Fingers crossed for a smooth selling journey. And a good price, of course!

Next Step: Brickwork