Saturday 8th July 2023. Two important milestones have been reached: first the flooring was laid, then the Final Building Inspection was approved in principle. Raoul and Greg will have to do the final tedious paperwork to get the Compliance Certificate but when they file that the actual issue is just a formality. Excellent. The Inspector made us put down vinyl which can look a bit commercial, but we chose a neutral concrete effect which works quite well. This allowed me to choose a really bright rug to define and warm the sitting area. There is also potential to change the look by switching out the carpet in the future. Thinking of spring when we will make the garden we also got 3 hebe speciosa which is a variety which grows to 2 metres to create a backdrop. The poor things were mis-delivered first so are a little under the weather. This will improve when we get them in the ground soon. Come spring they will be settled and ready to thrive, just like me. So lucky.
Thursday, 18 May 2023. It’s annoying when you have a run of bad health and get behind with everything. Sorry about the long delay in updating. But I am so lucky that the building and finishing has been going along steadily, and we are really getting there, with even the first couple of arty things hung on the walls. The Building Inspector is due tomorrow and we should get signed off. Final inspection. Hurrah! After that there are only a few things to do, like the flooring and doors for the storage area and blinds and bathroom cabinet to install. Then hanging up lots more pictures and finishing off outside with paths front and back, doors in the bedroom painted, and that will be it. Fabulous. We will also make a small garden – it will be fun to do that. So we are now in great shape, and ready for visitors, so come along – as soon as possible please. Hugs all round!
Wednesday 11th January. I am in post-Covid mode after a bus trip to the shops prior to Christmas took me out of circulation. Luckily I did not pass it on to anyone else. I am extremely weak and tired, but improving. We are in post-holiday mood, after it rained a lot, defeating people’s beach visits and fishing plans. But we are all well and very lucky. Greg continued to work hard throughout the “break” when there was not a Tradie in sight, and has made great progress. We expect the electrician next week and are waiting for Magic Kitchens to return for some finishing work. The removals people will deliver my furniture on Friday 13th so Greg is painting madly to complete the living area decorating by then. He is also wrangling lighting and other electricals and building steps and doing multiple other tasks. he is a whirlwind. I can never adequately thank him.
Friday, 9th December 2022. Here I am at 47 where there are too many activities to mention. In brief, we have windows and doors and the bathroom hardware has been installed. Importantly we got signed off yesterday for the final inspection. The brickie is going great guns and we could lose the scaffolding on Thursday if all goes to plan. Sadly our lovely plumber tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday and so did a close contact of Shelley’s. So we are masked, watching for symptoms and holding thumbs. We wave to each other in the distance and text. Who knows, we may escape. Stay safe everyone! xxx
16th November, 2022
We have a roof over our heads and a lot of things to be happy about. Fully insulated, shower and loo plumbing inlets are ready, aircon ducting and power board connections are installed, soffits installed, guttering happening. Bedroom is insulated and lined. All the lighting points are marked and the mains power cable has been moved. Ceiling board is on site, and the mortar is here. There are rumours of a brickie coming in the morning. Various signoffs are in the pipeline and more kitchenware has been delivered. It’s hard to find space to walk around Shelley & Greg’s house and yard, as deliveries keep rolling in. I am delivering myself to their house on 2nd December as my room here is booked up after that, so I am a real troublemaker, added to the mix. I have somehow acquired a few items since coming to Auckland in January, so I will begin to pack. OMG!
2nd November 2022
Yesterday we had an exciting visit to Switch Lighting Showroom in Ponsonby. Dave and Aaron demonstrated the sophisticated technology that modern lighting can bring. It can change a mood, change a look, even seem to change shapes, while adding to your safety and security. We were totally impressed by the amazing options and range of products that can enhance your everyday life. Greg had everything at his fingertips to enable the lighting plan to be created on the spot – then off he went to show the sparkie where to place the wiring. Fantastic progress. Greg had already installed the AV and Ethernet connections so all kinds of things are happening. This includes the delivery of 6 pallets of bricks, which could barely fit on the front section. Fingers crossed for the windows to come soon so that lining and bricklaying can proceed. We’re obviously on a roll, so I’m sure this will happen. Kitchen cabinetry is on schedule. How many red-letter days can I have?
26th October, 2022
Lots of things were done while we waited for the framing inspection, as you will have seen from the photos. It was however frustrating that the roofing people didn’t turn up a couple of times, because we want to get the scaffolding down ASAP. But today the roofers did arrive. So did the tiles, offloaded by a little red tractor. Hurrah! They have already installed the roofing underlay and purlins. So if they come again tomorrow we should see some tiles go up. So exciting! Yesterday Greg got the framing inspection “all clear” which is another important milestone. It meant that they were able to start wrapping the walls today. They are working so hard. Insulation and wallboard will be next to arrive – colour us pleased as punch.
7th October, 2022
We got wrapped on 28th September against all the odds. The wrap guy has been unable to work a single day since then due to the adverse weather conditions, so we are incredibly lucky. A huge amount has been achieved since then: strengthening, junctions, internal framing, trusses, eaves and all the nailing off and nail plates, to mention a few. That means we are now ready for Inspection Number 386 or so – honestly we have had so many inspections by so many agencies it makes your head spin. The roofer and the bricklayer are standing by, ready to start as soon as sign-off is confirmed. Miracles abound. Thanks guys, you are amazing.
25th September, 2022
Perched, as we are, near the brim of the Onepoto volcano crater, we are subject to winds, breezes, air currents and updraughts. (This is great during hot weather.) Nearshore diurnal winds may also be an influence. Add to this scenario that it is spring, that season of unpredictability. It’s not a recipe for calm and dry, which is what we need in order to wrap the scaffolding. Our lovely scaffolder tried to do the work on Friday, but the wind was in the wrong quarter. To-day’s weather forecasts are not predicting suitable conditions for about 10 days, so we may well have to wait at least that long. The contractors are doing their utmost, and we are grateful. We now have on standby: Scaffolders, builders, roofers, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, floorers, cabinetmakers and others.
22nd September, 2022
People have asked whether it’s now a double storey or why there is so much scaffolding. It is still a single storey. Safety regulations and practical considerations mean we need to continue the building process within the scaffolded area. It needs to be so high because of the roof work. The whole exterior of the scaffolding is about to be encased in safety mesh and in strong plastic building wrap. It will be made watertight – as soon as weather permits. Only then can the existing roofline be broken into. The old roofline and the new roof trusses will be tied together and made ready for the roofing tiles. Once the new roof is complete the scaffolding will come down and building will carry on from the ground. Obviously that is some weeks away. Please make your submissions to all the weather gods and goddesses for a calm dry spell. Yes, I know it’s Spring, but it can’t hurt to ask.
9th September, 2022
Raoul and Greg are working like demons to frame the apartment, and have achieved such a lot in a very short time. We have had a couple of days of dry weather which is a help. The hope is that the nogging, nailing, bolting, lintels and even the interior framing may be completed soon, which would really be something. The time-consuming straightening and some design changes will be incorporated. We are moving the back door! Next week the trusses are scheduled for delivery. After that we need the scaffolding to come in before the trusses can be lifted into place and tied. This is quite a complicated process and involves a few different stages and more people. Watch this space for more exciting developments. Thanks Raoul and Greg!
11th August, 2022
The Truss plan has been signed off, and the frames are not far away. We no longer have a moat. It is all very exciting. We have deferred fence replacement to make it easier to wrangle long scaffolding poles. We have chosen the window profiles and ordered them.
Dave, The Lighting Man has a plan ready for us to sign off. I have ordered a sofa which will take six months to arrive. Don’t judge me, it’s a really nice one. The aircon guy says we probably don’t need aircon because of the insulated foundations, walls and windows etc… so we will defer that, and just install conduits so that it can be added later if necessary. Window coverings need to be decided soon in case of long lead times. Yes things are happening. Sending love to everyone!
Saturday 23rd July
We are relieved to have completed the foundation work, avoiding what could have been a delay of several weeks. It rained hard after the pour, but not for so long that it couldn’t be saved. Everyone worked so hard and did a perfect job. We were so happy that we went to the pub!
Now we can order the frames and trusses, and get on with firming up choices in bricks and windows and roofing and so forth. We can also replace the missing fence.
There will be a lot happening even if you don’t see a lot of photos. It’s full steam ahead.
Wednesday, 20th July 2022
The slab guy made an early call to go ahead. At dawn on a wet, wet morning, he was reading the rain radar and ventured that the dry window likely this morning would come true. Because it WILL rain later today, for sure. We need no heavy rain for the next two hours so that the concrete forms a skin, and will not be pock-marked. That’s important because we are using vinyl flooring which needs a smooth surface, and we don’t want to have to do any patching and grinding work later.
Thank you to everyone involved in all the planning preparation and execution. Now over to the elements to finish a brilliant effort.
Thursday 14th, and the storm-water and sewer connections have been inspected and certified. Tomorrow we hope the slab steel reinforcing mesh and insulation will go in, so that there can be a pre-pour inspection on Tuesday. If all goes well the slab will be poured on Wednesday 20th July. Positive thoughts everyone please 🙂
Tuesday, 12th July. Steel done, inspection done, footings poured, blocks built, blocks filled, even with dodgy weather, over the last 10 days. Then this morning at dawn, literally, the bobcat and truck arrived and they are working madly. Base Course and damp course and gravel and compacting and more layers and more compacting, it’s all happening. During heavy rain and gusty weather… amazing. See pics on “Recently” and videos on “Action”
Tuesday, 28th June. We are good to go again, and the digger was delivered on Saturday ready for the Operator to recommence on Monday morning. What a productive day, even with it being just past the shortest day, when sundown was 5.13pm – because our dedicated Operator kept on going – by streetlight – to finish up around 6pm. So grateful to this kind man.
And now we have this stage completed we are ready for the men of steel who will arrive today. Brilliant.
Friday, 17th June. OK guys, hold everything, these levels are wrong. Call the surveyor, call the Council, call the transporter and bye digger! Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. As Trevor would say “you get that on the big jobs”. The floor level had been recorded wrongly as it turns out, surveyor’s mistake, and it looks like we may have to change the foundation structure to blocks instead of pouring concrete. Council will tell us more at the site meeting on Monday, and hopefully we will get sign-off on a new departure and will be digging again soon.
Tuesday, 14th June,2022. Red Peg Day – we have the surveyor on site. Trevor would be stoked.
This progress is terrific, in view of the Covid-19 problems, and the weather conditions. We have had squalls, torrential rain, sun, hail and wind gusts which have closed the Harbour bridge multiple times. The rest of the country was in even worse shape, with mini tornadoes, hail, snow and inundation. We count ourselves lucky.
More excitements: we own 3,000 bricks, and all the bathroom-ware. These are being held in stock for us by the suppliers for a few weeks. The bricks will meld in beautifully with the existing house and will be quite smart. The bathroom fittings and fixtures are high quality with clean simple lines – excellent.
Saturday, 21st May 2022. What an eye-opener it was to visit Magic Kitchens and view the products they supply. There is a huge range of options and an overwhelming number of choices.
Modern kitchen design includes many clever features to make life easier and to streamline the design. All the materials are high quality and stylish as well as extremely practical.
The features included are a pull-out pantry that just glides with a gentle touch, beautiful drawer inserts and hidden rubbish and recycling bins. Do I need this? Not really, but do I want it? OMG yes, why not get luxury and ease when it’s within reach, the kitchen of your dreams.
I have had a lot of kitchens in my life, some were terrible when we moved in, all were hugely improved, thanks to Trevor’s diverse skills, by the time we moved out. Most of the makeovers were done on a budget with very happy results. This design starts from scratch rather than being a renovation, and there are many more modern options now, so it will be outstanding.
I am so lucky!
Tuesday, 17th May 2022. Red Letter Day – we broke ground. Two diggers came to prepare the site and the truck took loads of topsoil away. Skilled operators made short work of it all, and they were finished by the end of the day. These machines are compact and agile and incredibly strong. The operators can judge depth and angle to a very precise degree and it is fascinating to watch.
We really missed Trevor even more today because he would have been so chuffed that we started.
We were very lucky that the rain held off. The slab guy is going to start soon.
On Saturday we are going to look at kitchen materials as we are now pretty happy with the kitchen design.
It feels like it will all really happen.