Making a Date with a Builder

I feel quite buoyed tonight as we met with the architect tonight and finally, finally have a date for the build to start, having secured the builders only last week. What we need now is to gather the final bits and pieces in order to get the building certificate. This means getting an engineer to do a dilapidation report of all of our neighbours, which is security for them in the event that our building causes damage to their property; ensuring the builders organise their insurance and paying yet more fees to the council.

 

The date is June 15th when the old garage, part of which you can see here that has definitely seen better days, will be demolished along with what's left of the house, aside from the sandstone and concrete paths that we are going to recycle. And you know, looking at this close-up of the number two I think we should keep it too, as a reminder of the old house.

It will be goodbye chocolate brown bricks and hello, white weatherboard and sandstone. The builders have allocated 65 weeks for the build, taking into account wet weather days, which seems a long time and an age away - basically September 2011. Wow. But I can't wait.

This is the original letterbox that hasn't been used for goodness knows how long as you can tell by the spiderwebs (there may even be something living inside, who knows?!)

I'm now wondering whether we should keep this, too. Give it a spruce up and turn it into a bird house or something ..? Any ideas anyone?