28-07-10 Frame, Windows and Copper Pipes, Done

The frame was started on Monday with the walls and windows in place that evening.

My understanding is that the roof went up on Tuesday.

And the copper plumbing to the wet areas finished on Wednesday. It is a bit hard to see but there are two more distinct and dark lines behind the mesh fence running down the house.

This was lucky because today it poured almost everywhere in Sydney!

Wind Rain Humid Min Max

FRI		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	10 km/h NNW	-	70%	11	20
SAT		Light Rain. Morning Clouds. Mild.	11 km/h W	4mm (53%)	82%	12	19
SUN		Mostly Sunny. Mild.	15 km/h WNW	-	55%	8	18
MON		Light Rain Early. Mostly Cloudy. Cool.	13 km/h W	1mm (33%)	70%	7	13
TUE		Morning Clouds. Cool.	23 km/h SW	-	62%	6	16
WED		Mostly Sunny. Cool.	13 km/h W	-	50%	6	15
THU		Mostly Sunny. Cool.	6 km/h SSW	-	64%	5	15

I didn't get to speak to SS2 this week but fingers crossed that since the work has been continuing along nicely that the bricks will be delivered either tomorrow or early next week with the brickies work commenced by the end of next week. Some other Allworth bloggers have reported incredible speeds of the bricking being completed so I look forward to having the same benefit and having that finished within the fortnight. If the roof tiling is commenced thereafter I might be able to show the family the progress when we celebrate my Nan's 80th birthday at my Uncle' house in nearby Harrington Park on 21 August 2010?

Frame pictures

The frame was delivered on Wednesday last week but having spoken to SS2 it is not scheduled to be put up until Monday >:o(
SS2 is not yet familiar with my incessant need to know when, where and everything in between, but I anticipate that he will learn of it very quickly commencing this week coming. On Monday I am ringing to confirm the frame went up and when the windows and bricks will be delivered and installation commenced.



T-R enjoys riding with her head out the window, even when it is below 10.

Frame Delivered Today

The frame was delivered today but I struggled to negotiate the public transport system from Liverpool to Parramatta as well as the new my-multi ticketing system so I didn't get home until a bit too late. So I waited to go out to SF to check what happened today until 9pm so I have pictures but not sure about the quality.

Not happy though, as the house across the road and up a few was started later and now is a steady day ahead. Their frame went up today so I am hoping that when I check it tomorrow night after TAFE my frame will be up.

Tomorrow's task is to contact SS2 to confirm next weeks activities as I am away at a work retreat Tuesday and overnight, so will not be able to check until afternoon or evening Wednesday.

20-07-10 Outdoor Plumbing

My local spy informs me that he saw the plumbers hard at it about midday. No pictures this time as it should have been finished and the trenches filled back in. From what I have seen it involves those white pipes being connected and laid around the house to do the things they are meant for.

Frame should be on site tomorrow. I start my new job so I am hoping I'll get an early mark and can head out before dark to check. Fingers crossed that it is put up before the weekend rain sets in.

The rain set in tonight and weather.com.au predicts:

Wind Rain Humid Min Max

WED		High Level Clouds. Cool.	5 km/h S	-	48%	6	15
THU		Mostly Sunny. Cool.	17 km/h SSW	-	63%	7	15
FRI		Showers Late. Mostly Cloudy. Cool.	12 km/h SSW	2mm (37%)	84%	7	16
SAT		Showers Early. Morning Clouds. Mild.	11 km/h SSW	4mm (47%)	85%	9	18
SUN		Mostly Sunny. Cool.	6 km/h SW	-	47%	7	15
MON		Sunny. Cool.	9 km/h SE	-	47%	4	14
TUE		Morning Clouds. Cool.	8 km/h NE	-	66%	4	15

Excess Dirt Gone!

It's gone!

T-R enjoyed watching the roofers a couple of blocks down. She is strange sometimes.

And I saw more ducks.

Upcoming Work and change of SS

The other revelation I got out of the SS is that SS1 handles all front end preparation until the frame is delivered. SS2 handles construction and fit-out. I think he told me this so I didn't make the mistake of hassling him after next Wednesday because he also told me that the plumbing of the drains will be done on Tuesday and the frame delivered Wednesday, hence the reason the dirt needs to be gone on Monday. This is good because other than a bit of rain expected Monday it will be fine for the rest of the week. Framing should hopefully be finished by Friday in that case.

I asked him about the availability of bricks and brickie teams as well. He said I'd have to ask SS2 but that a week delay is nothing to get worried about as it is reasonable. I said I'd been talking to other people (hello to all those bloggers out there) and delays had been 3-4 weeks and not related to weather so I wouldn't call this reasonable. He said to talk to SS2 about it. That might be a call for Monday.

The Saga of the Dirt continues

So after some nice tradies got back to my online queries at about 7am this morning I anxiously waited all day to hear back from Allworth after I emailed some pictures and a request for the land to be leveled last night. Well about 2pm I called the Construction Clerk and she said it had been handed on to the Construction Manager and SS and to wait to hear from either of them. After waiting some more it turned 430pm and so I called the SS.

Long story short he says its clay and not worth leveling and Allworth aren't going to level it.

I disputed this as what little I know of laying turf is if you try to smooth it over using the underlay then when you walk on it you'll easily know where all the ruts are as soon as you step in them as you'll likely break an ankle. This is because the underlay is pliable and gives underfoot. So even though clay isn't ideal I can work with this by throwing gypsum around over the next few months to give it time to be worked in and break down the clay, but it will still provide a firm base for the underlay. Ergo I want it leveled out some.

Monday 7am a guy will do it. He's charging $350 for the bobcat and he will level it. Then $350 for every load taken away, approx. 1-2. This fee seems on par for all earthmovers. I found them all on the Fairfax Classifieds online, which was good as you can search for all trades and services advertised in their large NSW publications as well as the local newspapers.

Now I come to think of it I might run around the block with some gypsum this weekend.

Slab pics

Front view:

Side view:

Going to ask for the excess soil to be redistributed around the block to level it off before I pay for any excess to be carted away as I'll just be buying more later to deal with this sort of stuff.

Other side view from rear:

Oh the excess dirt needs to be removed!

I've had a call from SS to advise the excess dirt needs to be removed by the end of the week as they start framing next week and need the access. So if he has to organise it Allworth charges a 20% fee on top of cost. He's given me contact but I want to compare it so I know what is a good deal.

Anyone had a good deal for removal and disposal of about 25 tonnes?

Weather for the coming week

Just to calm my nerves:

Wind Rain Humid Min Max

WED		Light Rain Early. Morning Clouds. Mild. Breezy.	29 km/h NNW	5mm (55%)	82%	11	17
THU		Light Rain Early. Mostly Sunny. Cool.	21 km/h W	1mm (30%)	64%	9	15
FRI		Morning Clouds. Cool.	10 km/h S	-	57%	6	16
SAT		Sunny. Cool.	9 km/h NNE	-	50%	7	17
SUN		Light Rain Late. Afternoon Clouds. Mild.	23 km/h NNW	1mm (33%)	68%	7	18
MON		Morning Clouds. Cool.	23 km/h W	-	63%	8	14
TUE		Mostly Sunny. Cool. Breezy.	26 km/h W	-	52%	6	14

Slab Poured 13-07-10

Today the slab was poured just in time for showers to hit SW Sydney. Someone I know who is building on the same block but on Minorca Circuit went past his house today as I let him know that his roof tiles were completed yesterday, and today he let me know the slab was done. He said he is surprised how high it is but is probably as high as I anticipate as there will be 3 steps from the garage into the house.

But just in case I didn't know about the slab it would have been alright because Allworth called to let me know the invoice is in the mail and to ensure the authority to pay is submitted the the lender ASAP. My gosh, I haven't heard from them except for when I called the SS but now because they will need to be paid they are quick on the phone the same day. Mind you my friend's builder had the hide of submitting the invoice a week before his slab went down and he called to say thanks but he wouldn't be paying until they had done the work. The hide of them, seriously.

I was out with a friend for lunch today and because of the rain there was no point trying to get out to SF by dark, so tomorrow I'm going to take pics and post them later.

Slab Prep continues

Yesterday I went back out to SF to see if anything changed over the weekend and get daytime shots of the slab prep regardless. I spoke with the contractor who explained that the preparation will be assessed this afternoon and the concrete poured in the morning. They start at about 7am in the morning so are able to wrap up by about midday. As you can see the waffle pods and reo have been put in place, but also the formwork has doubled in height.

Standing next to it I felt like the front porch, just outside the shot on the above right was about my knee height (I'm 5'3"). The contractor explained the porch will have a lip of tiles around the side, then bricks down to almost the ground. He said this is a good feature that Allworth do, as compared to some other builder's that leave the concrete sides exposed.

I am a bit surprised by the alfresco that Allworth included as part of a special offer. It is under the roofline and has a feature brick column at the exposed corner. I knew that the floor wouldn't be concreted but I was imagining something a little larger than this (see below). As I will have a separate entertainment area installed it is not a major dilemma, but now worried that the 4 piece outdoor lounge I have purchased is going to be too much clutter for the space. It looks to me it is meant really to only hold a bistro setting. Might be an optical illusion, so will have to wait and see. But I am inclined to think if it is as small as I anticipate then I would skip it altogether if I were to do it again because the column will interrupt the flow of the entertaining space.

The picture below is looking across the slab prep from the rear. The lower rectangle is where the rainwater tank will sit. I am very happy that Allworth provides a slimline one as many neighbouring properties have these large silo types in the rear corner, which look imposing and difficult to incorporate into landscaping.

As I drove off I saw one of my favourite features of SF - the ducks! This lovely little couple were on the corner block at the Richardson Road roundabout. Mr Duck kept his eye on me as I took this photo. There have also been some waterfowl running around recently. I have conversations with T-R when she spots them to ensure she knows that she can look but must sit and not touch. Her cousin is a small shih tzu cross terrier so she is good around small dogs but still likes to have a rumble and I'm not sure when she sees ducks whether they are looking like play companions or a meal, so all I can teach her is to leave them alone.

When I drove home I stopped in on the Hume Highway at Casula at a shed and pot place. I found out the kind of shed I'm looking at will be about $380-$500 depending on size, colour and number of shelves. Next door they had some glazed pots and water features that I'll go back and have another look at closer to landscaping.

Formwork and Delivery of Reo + Waffle Pods

My afternoon trip was a little too late, so it was a bit dark as you can see in the pics, but I like to get out there daily at the moment to make sure the building is staying on track. That way I can speak to the SS immediately and have any delay resolved as quickly as possible. My biggest concern at the moment is that Allworth may begin to drag their feet as I have read other bloggers frustrations that progress comes to a halt due to the unavailability of a brickie team or, even worse, the bricks. So I would expect if they are aware of any forthcoming issues that might slow down the initial work to ensure the progress to the time to raise it is delayed. Call me paranoid if you wish but having gone through what I have with them to date I believe I am entitled to a little jaded. My back-up plan as I have advised other bloggers is to ask if the roof tiling can happen first.

However today's activities appear to have been the completion of the formwork, the laying of the plastic sheeting, and the delivery of the waffle pods and reinforced mesh.

T-R also took some interest in the port-a-loo. I'll be going back out on Sunday afternoon to see if anything has changed and anticipate what will happen and when on Monday.

Underground Plumbing Connections 08-07-10

Despite some mid-morning drizzle the plumbing connections appear to have gone ahead on schedule.

There has also been the appearance of the some formwork, the security fence and the beloved trademen's friend, the port-a-loo! The middle picture below is looking across the front window of the main lounge towards the portico. In the third picture can you see the pile of dirt? I can't believe we had one like that hauled away already and now there is the same again. A friend of a friend building nearby said that because the dirt wasn't carted away immediately neighbouring lots dumped their excess on his pile, and then he was quoted $17,000 to cart it away. He argued with the builder and the developer and not sure of the details of the arrangement reached but it was agreed that as it was the result of dumping he wouldn't be charged above the excess. Apparently the lesson to observe from this is if the builder hasn't agreed to remove it immediately go and take some pictures of the size and shape, or if it is not covered in the contract arrange to have it taken away ASAP and again take pictures.

I start a new job on the 19th so my random late afternoon trips will stop but hopefully by then the frame will be going up, then the guttering, and the bricking or roofing commenced thereafter, so the new visual changes will be less frequent and weekend trips should suffice. The slab will be laid on Monday/Tuesday coming, then some more plumbing and then usually the frame goes up about the end of the following week.

The picture below and left is of the garage looking towards the main lounge and back. Once it is done the builder provides 3 steps from the garage into the house. I still have no real sense of what the final height will be, but it makes me confident that at least the same will be needed in the front yard up to the portico.

The second picture is looking from the right hand side across the backyard. It is 4m deep to the back fence, but that narrowing is caused by the rainwater tank. The shed will also be positioned on the rear wall as it has no windows looking out, ad otherwise Camden Council guidelines are that sheds must be positioned 900m off the boundary, so really encroaching too much. It's only going to be a narrow under eaves version with a sliding door just big enough to make sure the mower and the like don't have to be stored in the garage. But as you can see they have excavated so much at what appears to be about 1m from the rear fenceline so I am inclined to retain it at this point and garden behind it. The entertainment area is around the corner to the left, and because the house is set 2m from the Peach Palace I am guessing that the dog will have a grass patch to do her business around there somewhere near the garage, adjacent to the car washing bay Camden Council requires you to have in the front yard.

Evidence of concrete piers

Went out to have a look late this afternoon to ensure they got the piers in as the plumber should be working on it Thursday. I was a bit worried about the rain in case they didn't get them in but it's all good, see:


After the measurement experience, I think I forgot to mention the hit the hard clay, rock platform at about 900mm at the front and 300mm on one side, but overall mostly they were 400mm on average.