First wall frame goes up

I got to see the first wall frame going up ... and the sudden realisation of how tall it is going to be! The old section that was demolished had much lower ceilings. Though we've hit another architect problem - due to one of the roof lines (the one I have hated all along and wish wasn't there) there is going to have to be a lower internal hallway section (and therefore a bulkhead where I don't want one to be), and it isn't going to have the neat outside lines I wanted - where it wasn't possible to see the join between the old and new section. Nothing I can do about it.

Ensuite shower was SUPPOSED to be working last night ... but no hot water!! eeekk!!! They've promised me today!

That's my heated towel rail (which is working) to the left ... it is going to be a bit squishier than I wanted getting in and out of the shower, but I couldn't see the point of having the towel rail on the other side of the bathroom! Oh - and the electricians thought I might have overkilled the heater in the bathroom - nooooooo way :-) Not at this time of year!

A slab, painting and still no phone!

The slab was poured on Friday ... standing on the outside of it, the house seems small ... once it was dry and I walked on it ... house seems large! HUGE in fact! Neighbours must think I'm mad as I "walk" through the house working out where things go.

My little cat had his first house explore ... he thinks it may be suitable for his requirements!


Ensuite - the painters were in on both Saturday and Sunday ... not quite sure if it has the final coat on yet, there was a bit of a mix up with paint colours (once again, lucky I was there) but all was sorted. I'm really really really hoping I'll be allowed to use the shower soon!

Look ... I have a new luxury ...

Yes, that's an INDOOR toilet that actually works!!!!! Can't wait for the next luxurious thing on the list - hot and cold running water!! There might be a possibility the shower could be working for the weekend - there are taps, there is a showerhead, there was water on the floor ... could these add up to a working shower?!

I think the builders will be as happy as I will be when the ensuite is working - the portable ensuite thing is just not working out and they spend lots of time fiddling with the hot water to try to make it work (which it doesn't) ... and ... they wont have me asking questions about how much longer!!

As I left this morning the builders were on site early ... apparently at 7:30 the big cement trucks were arriving ... the slab is being poured. I'm hoping the fact that it was below zero and completely frozen everywhere isn't going to cause a problem. Tonight when I get home it will all be done - hope I get there before it dries too much so I can put a date in the concrete.

The first "inside" photos

I had a thought as I was walking around after the builders left yesterday ... I can actually stand IN the extension and take photos of what it will be like - yes I know it probably isn't that amazing a thought to many, but it was the change from "I'm standing on a piece of dirt" to "I'm standing IN my house"!!!

So ... the first photos that will soon become reality!

The view from the back door:

The lounge area window seat (got to think of a new name for that area of the house, already have a living room so that doesn't fit!):

The kitchen bench to be:

The part of living room:

Still waiting on the ensuite - those drying times are just taking the time - grouting all done (thought I might have picked a colour that was too dark, but it seems to have dried much lighter and looks great), now have to wait until the seal is dry, then they can sand off the plasterwork, then painting, more drying time ... THEN they might be able to fit it out! So ... unlikely to be this weekend (sorry friends, I'll be visiting for more showers!).

Friday they hope to lay the slab - weather is looking ok ... just hoping not too much rain to ruin their preparations. Apparently the electrician is booked for next Thursday to start putting the wiring in - which means the frames will be up by then!

I'm still just amazed at the concept of IN the house!!!

Mud - glorious mud!

Once they get going, they certainly do some amazing changes in a short period of time. They have nearly finished excavating the main extension site ... cutting my phone line in the process (try calling the mobile instead!). Below is a photo showing where the rooms are going to go ... it is looking small at the moment ... I'm sure it will grow in perception once there are walls. (click on the picture to enlarge it to see the room labels)

The dining room ... with doggie in my windowseat / bay window!

The ensuite is slowly coming along - this week will be about waiting for drying times ... if all goes to plan: grouting today, sealing Tuesday, Wednesday painting, Thursday (maybe) fitting out with toilet etc ... so I may have a bathroom by the weekend. I'll be much much happier then (and all my friends can breathe a sigh of relief I wont be visiting borrowing a bathroom!!).

The dogs just LOVE the excavations - great tunnels for them to race around in and jump on each other ... of course they come back covered in mud!!!

OMG - it's a gonna!!

Seriously huge changes at home ... in two days they totally removed the back section of the house .... GONE!!! Smash and crash ... and I'm still without a finished ensuite.

They did begin tiling in the ensuite yesterday - another one of those "so glad I was at home" moments ... I went in to look at what was going on, asked the tiler if he could show me the two different tiles (floor vs wall) as I hadn't seen them together yet, and his response was "I didn't know there were two different tiles"!!! eeekkk!!! Luckily he'd only put up one tile - a floor tile on the wall - so it was in the nick of time and no major problems.

They've left me with a portable ensuite - ugh! It is fairly awful and I will go visit neighbours/friends/family/anyone rather than use the shower (I turned it on and the hot water stopped after a short time ... no way I'm standing under there in the cold waiting for the water to stop or it only occasionally working!!!). The tiling should only take a couple more days, then a day or so to fit in the other bits ... crossing my fingers before the end of the week I'll have my gorgeous heated ensuite!!

A roof!

The ensuite is coming along - should be done by next week. There is an actual roof on it now vs the tarp, which is much better and less noise for me - and less likely to blow off in all the rain/wind we're having.

The builder has said that tonight I might get home to find the entire back of the house gone - and I'll have a temporary bathroom - ICK! But ... hopefully just for a week or so until the ensuite is completed. Not looking forward to going out in the rain to get to the bathroom.

Meeting with the builder yesterday we've changed some of the windows - two of which I'm really glad will change, until I saw how small the ensuite window was, I didn't realise how tiny the rest of them were going to be. It wasn't what I had imagined at all.

Discussion with the electrician yesterday about the electrical layout - I'm going to have to do some deciding on lights and pendants - the sort of thing I thought I could put off longer. I'm wondering if I'm brave enough to do something different in the main bathroom vs normal downlights!

Expecting no walls tonight!

I'm expecting to get home tonight to find I have an "outside" bathroom. The builder is getting all the asbestos taken off today - which will leave me with no walls (well, there better be internal walls for the bathroom ... the neighbours might complain!!).

Didn't get photos on the weekend - too much rain! But the roof on the ensuite was on, which was probably a good thing since the tarps would have blown off in the wind. Builder said the roof will come off again today (they haven't actually put in the exhaust fan for the shower) ... and hopefully by the end of the week the ensuite might be done.

I'm fuming - WRONG septic installed

Got home on Wednesday and looked out in the dark by torchlight ... hoping they'd have installed the septic during the day ... they had ... just the WRONG ONE!!!!

I'd done quite a bit of research when decided on the water treatment system I wanted, I'd asked around ... and made sure it was in the contract documents.

But ... not much help when they've dug a massive hole in the ground and installed it. Calling in the lawyers is not exactly going to help.

So who's fault is it?! well ... a little bit of a couple of people ... the builder for sending details on the wrong system (whilst all the while telling me "yes the xxx guy has been and checked it over, it isn't a problem to have the xxx system") and the architect for sending off the permit for the wrong system.

They're of course now selling me on the benefits of the other system ... but I'm just fuming at being presented with something that I've had no choice in and that they've done this behind my back ... and not the "accidental" we forgot to check the specs they're pretending.

Good things about being on site yesterday - tiler was there and we discussed the direction of the tiles (I'll get what I want) and he's going to do up a tile with some different grout colours so I can choose the one I like.

Had a meeting with builder and architect and, apart from my fuming, quite a few things were sorted - my worry with the windows not looking right seems to not be an issue and the builder is on it. There is a slight issue with the way the windows are hung - as I want them to be either opened at the top OR the bottom - not counterlevered by each other.

They poured some more concrete - just a small section of front veranda ... and some was left over so they've done a mini path for my dog enclosure ... I waited until it was nearly set and let the dogs run on it - cute little footie prints!! Not quite so cute: little puppy must have run across the front veranda when I wasn't looking - oops!!

Architect finally came up with the electrical plans ... which are all wrong!! Electrician is going to meet up with me next week and go through them all. Hopefully we'll be able to get them finalised quickly ... though I'm having a hard time looking through lighting websites - too many choices!!!

Ensuite is coming along nicely - they are saying possibly mid-next week for it to be complete.

Then they will smash the remaining part of the house down ... not that there is too much left to go, they've cleared out the inside. It is quite amusing, standing in the shower and, other than I've only got a lamp for light, it could be just like the house was before ... then I step out the door to chaos!

Wish they'd left the keys for the tractor

Yesterday they finished removing the laundry
and have installed the pipe for the septic


but I wished they'd left the keys for the nice big tractor! I could have done some arena grading in the evening ;-) :-) !!!


Last night was probably the most uncomfortable for me so far ... the builders had disconnected most of the electrics in the house, so I was down to three power points and lots of extension leads. No power at all in the bathroom ... other than the lead coming in ... so I had a shower at night by lamp light - with the blow heater going. I had issues with trying to keep the heaters going and not short out the powerboards! Trying to run the necessities (fridge, heater and TV) was a bit of fun but I worked it out. Had to freeze whilst I plugged in the toaster!! Luckily - the most important things - hot water, electric blanket and fridge worked!

Apparently the ensuite should be complete mid-next week ... the tiler is the slowest part.

Tomorrow is a meeting of the architect, builder and I - lots of things on the agenda.

Just one more day would have been nice

A bit of a theme in my life at the moment ... just one more day would have been nice, just notice that that was the day would have helped ... but ... so much for my post of yesterday ... LOTS happening on site yesterday.

This is what I arrived home to find (in the dark of course)

before ->

No more kitchen

before->

No more laundry

before ->

The reason I was getting a bit frantic about getting this renovation done, even through winter (because really, renovating really isn't something I wanted to do, especially in the freezing cold) ... but I've had the feeling that one day, very soon, I was going to suddenly find myself standing on the ground as the floor collapsed underneath me ..........

looks like I was right! That's the floor where the kitchen walkway was ...oops! Completely rotted underneath, and goes straight to the ground.

One little stressed cat though ... poor boy. He loses his best friend and half his house in under a week ... at least I can understand and rationalise both.

Very little happening!

The weather has been awful and things have basically stopped on site ... but today the weather might be a tiny bit nicer and the builders might be around. Last week the plumber did the rough-in for the ensuite and the builders dug another small section for where the concrete is to go ... but have put off installation of the split system until the concrete is actually laid (as that is where the outside bit will go).