DAY 34 - Rough in continues

A bit quieter today, Tuesday 18th September... the plumbers finished off their work and the electrician continued to wire us up. 

I took a few pics with my phone so they're not great quality - I'll get some better ones to replace them.

Pipes in the master bedroom wall

Ensuite pipes

 

The roof ventilators (whirlybirds) were also installed and were spinning happily in the breeze.  Our colours document says they will be colourbond but they're actually a polymer (plastic) which I'm suprised at given our BAL rating.  I queried with the site super before they went in and he was checking... they're in so I guess they're the right ones?  This model is supposed to be better than the steel ones and spin even in a light breeze so here's hoping they help keep the house cooler.

 

The first phone point was also installed but they didn't see my position on the wall (I thought it was clear but I did forget the flashing lights!) and they put it 3m away.  So tomorrow I'll meet them there to get it moved.

164 days and counting down...

DAY 33 - Solar installed and rough in begins!

A busy day onsite today - Monday 17th September.  It reminded me of The Block where there's lots of trades on site at once all working around each other.


To meet the energy efficiency requirements, Plantation install solar hot water and solar electricity (1.5kW) as standard on their houses.  We have upgraded the inverter to 3kW so we can add additional panels in the future if we want to.  Today the panels installed.  They look huge on the ground but normal once they're up.  They look really heavy to have to carry up a ladder and onto the scaffolding.  Glad it's not my job!

Rails for solar panels

Solar panels intsalled

Rails for solar hot water

Solar hot water installed

 

The plumbers also began all the pipes, drains, gas connections etc.  It's really interesting as you don't normally get to see what goes inside the wall.  Good luck to the insulation guy fitting the batts around all of that...


Our electrician also began wiring the house today.  It's a big job and he'll take a few days to do it as he's there by himself.  Up and down the ladder all day.

Green is cold water, black is hot water pipes

Hot water storage tank - wish we had of extended the slab for it to sit on

An extra pipe installed for future trickle feed direct to sink

165 days to go!

DAY 30 - A closer inspection of our roof

The solar panels & hot water didn't go up today, so I guess it will be early next week.  The only new thing is the temporary plastic downpipe hoses they put on.

We had a better look at the roof today, inside and outside.  Thankfully Daniel was the photographer for the outside!

Is that how they leave it?  I had thought what they stick the capping tiles down with would match the roof colour.

I hope they clean their rubbish off the roof so it doesn't end up in our tank.

There's a few broken tiles that they should fix next week.  Not sure how we bring that up with them if they don't...
'oh - by the way, when we were up on the scaffold we saw some broken tiles'.  That will go down well!

We also retrieved the offending tyre from the neighbouring property.  That as a bit of a workout...

The rogue tyre!

Looking up to our land from the gully

Today the house burnt down of a family in our ward.  How devastating for them - they pretty much lost everything.  But the family is safe, and that's all that really matters.  We love our new home and the land, but it's just 'stuff'.  We would be really sad if we lost it.  But we could build another house - you can't replace family...



168 days left but I hope it's less!

DAY 29 - Roofing begins...

Today the upper roof was put on - these guys are fast!  Tomorrow the solar panels and solar hot water should be installed and next week the lower roof will be added.  I think this is so the trades working on the upper roof (tomorrow) don't damage the lower roof whilst they are climbing up and down.  But then they have scaffold up top, so maybe I don't really know what I'm talking about and there's another reason all together?  The roofers were friendly so I'll ask them if I see them next week.

The tiles look darker on the roof than the do on the ground.  It looks like a big hat on the top of our frame :)  More house-like...

9am - the sarking is on and the tiles being ferried up on the really cool $10k machine.

I'm sure these guys wish they could do it the old fashioned way & carry them up by hand!

3.30pm - the workers are long gone and the roof is done.  And looking very stylish I think :)

I took a few rushed pics this afternoon (forgot the flash) as I was running late to meet Daniel at the lighting shop.  The funniest thing happened though.  I had got 2 new tyres on the car this morning and asked to keep the old ones for the garden.  As I was getting them out of the 4x4, the first one bounced and then fell over, as expected.  The second one bounced and kept on going!  I was in a skirt and thongs so not real practical for chasing a tyre.  I thought it would go a couple of metres and then fall over... but it kept on rolling and I was stuck in place watching it roll and bounce down our hill!  It went all the way down, through the fence and into the gully on the next block over.  It was so funny - wish I had of recorded it!  So when I am wearing more practical atire, I will venture down into the gully to retrieve the rogue tyre and somehow wheel it uphill :)

After about 3 hours at lighting stores this morning, and another 1 1/2 hrs with Daniel & the kids after work and the tyre incident, we may just have figured out all our internal & external lighting & fans for our house.  Because our access will be limited downstairs after it's all complete, we really want to get it done properly now with good quality fittings that are energy efficient and we won't need to replace or upgrade in the time we're in the house (we hope).  It seems that noone ever sticks to their budget where lighting is concerned.  We're waiting on the quote so we'll see...


another day down...

169 days to go

DAY 28 - Gutters & facia, at last!

It was Wednesday, 12th September when I began this post :)

I dropped by after school drop off hoping to see someone there working, but driving into the estate telling myself it was ok if noone was there... you hope each day brings you closer to moving in.

To my surprise, no gutter people, but a roofing man instead.  He thought the gutters would be partly done.  When I came back after lunch, no roofing man but two busy men putting up facia and gutters!  Yay!

The upper roof will now start tomorrow and it takes them about 2 days.  Not sure if that will push back the solar power & hot water panels being installed Friday.

Our poor neighbours are praying for rain as their tanks are running dry, and we're praying for no rain until we're at lock up.  She said one of our prayers will be answered, and so far it's ours.  28 days and only a light shower.  Once we're water tight and have our downpipes connected to the tanks - bring on the rain!

I also met with the aircon man today to check out the roof trusses and floor joints for the aircon ducting and outlet placement.  The house has several voids for the aircon duct to go between upstairs & downstairs, but some turkey put noggins over the voids which will make it a little tricky for access.  I guess they will figure that out...


170 days (just over 100 until Christmas... but who's counting?)

DAY 27 - When is a noggin not a noggin?

Tuesday 11th September, and the 'non noggins' finally go on.  The gutters & facia were meant to go on yesterday, but the noggins were not on so it's pushed it back a couple of days.  More timber had to be ordered.  Perhaps cause they used our treated timber as bracing instead of as noggins!  It seems that instead of cutting and attaching noggins between the end of each roof truss, it's easier to trim the ends off the trusses and attach a long length of timber across the whole lenght of the roof.  Guess it works just as well.

The noggins are requirement of our BAL (Bushfire Attack Level).  After the devastating bushfires in Victoria in 2009 the Building Code was amended to provide increased protection for homes in bushfire areas.  Each block of land is now assessed as to it's level of attack.  It depends on vegetation, elevation, wind, slope and others stuff.  The BAL levels are Low (basically nil), 12.5, 19, 29, 40 & FZ (flame zone - you don't want to live there!).  We're level 29 which is on the med/high side of the scale.  I've had someone suggest we're close to hell :)

Each BAL has different requirements for the building.  Ours includes toughened glass in the windows, stainless steel fly screens over all opening windows, noggins, roof sarking, roof ventilators, BAL approved doors (restrictions on glazing and door construction), merbau timber door frames (burns slower), stainless steel grates to all vents and weepholes (hope this keeps creepy crawlies out too), and a fire seal to the garage roller door.  What this really means is lots of $$$ we hadn't anticipated when we found the block and signed up for the house.

So basically I think we should be able to sit by our windows, eat popcorn and watch the bushfire go by ;)  Seriously though, we hope that it will all provide more protection from our home, but if there's a serious fire, we won't be staying to watch!

I'm not 100% sure what the noggins do though I have some theories. It provides a solid backing to the facia.  Maybe it melts in high heat?  If embers get into the gutters and catch dry leaves on fire, perhaps it makes it harder for it to spread into the roof? 

I just know it's the price of living in such beautiful bushy surrounds.

Now the frame is finished, the gutters & facia can go on and then the roof!  The roof tiles were delivered today - how exciting!
 

Looks lighter than I thought, but I don't mind it.  Hoping it will match well with the gutters.

All lined up, waiting to go on our roof :)

Sarking for our roof - a BAL requirement.  It will also provide added insulation.

Yet to find out what this bag of smelly sticky foam is for.

I asked the site supervisor what they do if they're almost finished leading up to Christmas.  Do they push ahead or shut down and finish in the new year.  He thinks, all going well (weather/supplies/trades) we may be in for Christmas?  It's too soon to know for sure...


171 days, but maybe sooner?