Saturday 19 May 2012

The lowest of the low

We hit the nadir this week.  At least I hope it's the nadir, or we are in trouble.  It's mainly to do with the never-ending clutter and inability to move freely.  Just when you think we've got all the crap the house can handle, the builder brings in some gib or something to clutter up the hall some more.  Also, it's very frustrating that not one single aspect of this project has been finished.  And therefore we still have the basement, garden, kitchen, dining room, hall, laundry, and front bedroom  (to a greater or lesser degree) out of action.  The only untouched room is the bathroom.  But even that suffers plastery footprints and lots of dust and needs constant cleaning.

The valuer came in this week - we await his verdict with baited breath...

Progress this week centred around the walls of the main kitchen/diner.  The gib is starting to go up and the electrician has been in.  We now have no lights in the room as they've gibbed over the ceiling.


New window to go in to the left - it's the horrible one out of the kitchen but will  be all done up and double glazed and will match the blue one to the right
I noticed that the builders have sourced some extra tall gib - normally it comes in 2.4m long sheets, but our ceilings are 3.6m and it goes right up to the ceiling.

The electrician came in and started putting the wiring in.  Having counted the number of plugs currently in use behind our telly - 11 (Modem * 2, digibox, TV, VCR, DVD, Xbox, Playstation, Amp, CD player, PC) - we asked for that many sockets in the new TV corner but were told it would be inordinately expensive as a new RCD (residual current device) would be required.  So we had to settle for 6.
extra tall gib - 3.6m with wiring - only 3 double sockets, we wanted  6


The builders' home made scaffold for gibbing the ceiling.
builders don't hire scaffold, they build it!
The deck looks good, but still needs its stairs

the nearly finished deck
 I wish they'd just get on and fill in the trench already.  Don't know what they're waiting for now but it makes me nervous, the house next door is not supported by much with the trench like this.

The nearly finished retaining wall complete with drain
 Pantry is getting there.  I think it will be really good eventually...

half gibbed pantry plus wiring
 Day to day life in the hall...

just when you think the house couldn't possibly get any more crowded... the radiators arrive (behind box at left)

oh and then the gib arrives too
Sunday has been sunny so I thought I'd work outside.  As we have so many bricks I am working on edging the house.  Apparently the building code says earth shouldn't touch weatherboards so I am working my way along the front of the house digging down to the bottom of the weatherboards and then putting a brick edge in and leaving a gap so the boards can breathe, or whatever they do.


my sunday afternoon project.  Original front of house with grass hard up against weatherboards

 Steve says this project of mine is a waste of time, but it's good to keep busy and not have to look at all the clutter inside for a while.  And it will make mowing the lawn much easier.

New border to house, bricks and a gap to the base of the weatherboards

Steve contemplates the devastation.  At least it is a sunny day
The washing up area.  Sink is too low and there's no draining board.  And the cold tap doesn't work.  And if you're not careful you hit your head on the shelf above.  But apart from that, it's fine.

To finish on a positive note, the leadlights are looking great now we have winter sun on them.





And finally.  Someone is really enjoying our building work.  Our mice are back and loving the fact that there is food everywhere.  We hear them scuttling around behind the boxes of food conveniently left on the floor for them. Enjoy it while you can, mice!

Sunday 6 May 2012

And the walls came tumbling down.


Last Sunday night we bade farewell to our kitchen and moved all of the stuff out of it. We now eat our meals in the living room where we have put the kitchen table, microwave, toaster and the George Foreman grill. Funnily enough the living room is now bit like the living area we are trying to create in the kitchen, except there's no oven, fridge or sink. The fridge is in the hall. And the rest of the kitchen is in the front bedroom, along with our bikes which are still living in the house because the basement is out of action. So we have a few rooms full of stuff, but have managed to keep our bedroom free of any of it. It is our haven.


Hasta la vista, kitchen





Another joyful discovery - the sink held up with a bottle and piece of wood.



On Monday the kitchen units are all unfixed from the walls. Apparently the sink dropped out as soon as it was moved.


We talked about selling the kitchen units on trademe, then we came to our senses.

On Tuesday we came home and went into meltdown as the kitchen wall and ceiling had been removed!!! The kitchen and dining room were now one space. The false ceiling hid a wooden ceiling of many different shades (it is very dark in place, possibly damaged by fire?), and a bit of old wall paper. We had electrical wires hanging down all over the place.


The ceiling and kitchen wall are removed. It was like Christmas come early.

Where the wall was, as seen from the ex-kitchen
Where the wall was, as seen from the ex-dining room








David Hasselhof singing about the day the wall came down


Not a place for small children - bare wires on this hanging plug socket.


The oven still outstaying its welcome.
The other main focus this week was the deck. It was attached to the house and the framework for the floor was laid. It has about 100 bolts in it according to Phil, which is quite a lot but the council insist on these things. The west wing wall had concrete poured into it, and all that is needed for that now is timber for the top and the trench filled in.


The deck has 100 big bolts in it so that we can have hordes of people dancing on it

Unfortunately it has been cold in Wellington this week and with the various holes and missing gib on walls, the house has been FREEZING. At the end of the week Phil put some insulation in the draughtiest bits, as he had noticed it had been a bit chilly when he was standing by a big hole making his tea.