What is that doing there?

Hugh the Digger has been hard at work removing the rubble that had built up to gargantuan proportions on the front garden and preparing the site for the entrance walkway and lower lawn.

But we got an unexpected visitor. Yep, you guessed it, a vast expanse of pipe - which actually looks bigger than this in person! We were horrified.

Now, I know what I am about to tell you sounds unbelievable but it's true. Everyone knew there was a water pipe running through our property but when Sydney Water was initially consulted about the pipe's exact  depth and measurements, they said they had no record of it even though its end is visible outside our property on council land. Despite this, we (ie the architect) had to work around it re the landscaping and submit the plans to Sydney Water for their approval - which we got without a hitch.

Until Hugh got to work. The pipe was way higher in the ground than anyone expected. Oh dear. But, thankfully, not only is the exposed part going to be mostly under the walkway but our architect has come up with a great solution to build a sandstone wall around it that will blend in with what will be raised garden beds in sandstone, to extend the garden bed to the right of the lawn and  raise the height of the lawn a little so it is fully submerged.

Looking at it now, it's hard to believe it could ever be made to disappear but let's hope it vanishes forever otherwise mowing the lawn could be a nightmare!

Hard to believe, I know, but this will be the front lawn with trees lining the back fence and garden beds and/or vege patch to the back and sides.

News from the Building Site

Popped down to the site today for a meeting with the architect and project manager. And this is where they're at ...

The brick work on the lower level living area is complete.

This is a view from the rumpus room through to the guest bedroom.

The rumpus room wall and windows (which will be louvres), east-side.

The guest bedroom ensuite (I know it looks a little prison-like, but squint a little and you'll get the idea).

You walk in and there's a window to your left, the vanity and mirror straight ahead and the toilet and shower to your right.

5.5-tonne Deb takes a break in the guest bedroom.

The old garage is gone and is now replaced with excess soil from the levelling of the second 'wing'.

A pile of old bricks ready to be used on the second wing.

The pool is formed.

Yipee for progress! Have a happy weekend folks ...

Week Three of the Build

Back from our week away it was exciting to take a trip back to the site (I can no longer call it 'The House') and see what's been done in the past week.

It's easy when we're not there to keep thinking of the build in the abstract but when I visit, I get little butterfly flutters in my stomach at the realisation that it's really happening and progress is being made every day.

The house has completely gone, apart from the bricks we are re-using, which are in a pile next to the site office at the back of the property and the sewer has been encased and re-covered in soil.

The native ferns that lined the middle of the property have been moved to the front fence-line in the hope they will survive (apparently they don't like being transplanted) and can stay in the garden.

And a nice pile of rock and the sandstone from the house lies next to the ferns that will be used in the landscaping.

Week Two of the Build

We've just been over to the house and wow, what a transformation in only a week!
 

The only problem is, of course, we have a slight hitch. I suppose it's not surprising for unexpected things to crop up but this one is going to be even more costly than it was already going to be! Basically, as a sewer pipe runs across the property at the front, we have to encase it to ensure that it is not damaged at any point during the build and so it can be easily accessed by the council if required (which hopefully will be unlikely).

The whole exercise had been assessed by the appropriate people and a contractor employed to undertake the job for a specified quote. When they started work on it yesterday, they discovered that the pipe is further into the ground than they thought: that the high end is 2.7 metres rather 1.6 metres deep as originally thought and the low end, which was originally thought to be 0.8 metres deep, is 3 metres deep. How they could have got it so wrong, I don't know. And now they're saying it's going to cost nearly double than originally quoted!!

View down the side with the hole where the sewer pipe lies

We are, of course, going to dispute the huge increase but they do have us by the short and curlies (as hubby would say) as they are already in the middle of the job and it really, really needs to get done before any other work can commence. The last thing we, and everyone else, wants is a popped sewer pipe. The thought doesn't bear thinking about.

Last wall still standing

I guess the moral of this story, is to try and have some extra money squirrelled away in the event that things don't go as planned (which I don't think they ever do on builds or renos). As, even with a fixed contract, as we have, the budget can implode.

The pipes for the sewer

The offending site of the sewer pipe

View of the view

What can I say, except let's hope our builder project manager can do some good negotiating on Monday.

I hope you all have fantabulous weekend!

Week One of the Build

The build has officially been going for one week now - yipee! It feels surreal not being there. Although I could pop down daily, I don't want to get in the way and I also want to keep an element of surprise. My plan is weekly visits unless I'm urgently needed. So far, the front fence and garage are gone.

Now, they are merely a pile of rubble on the front lawn.

The beautiful bricks we can re-use.

Pretty isn't it?

With the garage gone, the builders have erected a 'bridge over rubbled waters' to the house.

Where you'll find a roof-less kitchen ...

a roofless master bedroom (it's amazing how much bigger and lighter everything looks without a ceiling!) ...

a non-room with a view...

and a floor-less, roof-less living space.

But I promise I won't keep posting pictures of rubble and muck and roof-less rooms forever. Even the kookaburra in the neighbour's tree looked non-plussed ...

Over the next week I'm going to scout around for some rubble-less, muck-less, homes with roofs that will be far more visually appealing, eye-catching and inspirational.

Watch this space!
LOL :)