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.