Week 24: All hands on deck - Electrical Rough-in, Carpentry and More Roofing (5 - 10 October)

Week 24: All hands on deck - Electrical Rough in, Carpentry and Roofing (5 - 10 October)

You know the supervisor is under the pump when the site has multiple trades working at once. He is still telling us we'll be in by Christmas, but making lots of quips about handover during Christmas dinner at our place. It really looks too tight to me, and we keep reassuring him it's quality over pace that matters, but the way deadlines keep whooshing by, it's not a bad thing for him to be working to a deadline. If we go past 22 Dec, then Fowler shuts down to 11 Jan (and some trades even longer) so we won't be moving in until February. I'm on site most days directing trades on the fine print things like positioning of power for heated towel rails to try and move things along faster. Both the carpenter and roofer were working late on Saturday!

ELECTRICAL ROUGH IN
This is what an electrical rough in looks like - pink graffiti all over the floor to direct a team of about 6 where to cut in the power and switches, lights, fan wiring.

 Upper living showing BN (bullnose plates for TV wiring), data switches,, downlights and power points. This is looking through to bedroom 4 where you can see markings for downlights and fan.

 The kids main 3-way bathroom - vanity room on the left with markings for switches around the double basin. On the left is the WC room with markings for downlights, exhaust and courtesy LED light low to the ground to guide people to the loo at night (I love this energy efficient and kid friendly feature). Looking through to the shower/bath room with heated towel rail, underfloor heating thermostat, IXL heat light, downlights (on a dimmer so you can drop the lighting if soaking in the tub - love it!).

 So complicated for a simple WC room!

The first wires on day 1 of wiring - 2 more days to go!

CARPENTER
More trouble in paradise, with the other carpenter taking a more lucrative job and having to be replaced mid way (despite us leaving them with two slabs of beer to thank them in advance for doing our extra fireplace frame - doh!). Our new guy Luke says all he does is cut wood - takes the plans home and cuts it all at night so he can be speedy with install. He was there from 7am - 4pm on a Saturday to fit us in at short notice so I believe him! He said it was no trouble to add in an extra storage cupboard frame in the guest room so we thought some Gold Class movie tickets were in order to thank him. We also ditched the coffered ceiling, partly because we were not confident it would look right and partly because he was running out of time.

Here is his handiwork on our fireplace frame

 and a heap of small adjustments with noggins in various places to reinforce the study desk, to mount the Dyson in the walk in pantry, to wall mount TVs, to mount heated towel rails and cupboard internals and light fitting areas and where I want to put up picture frames (like the entry to the master bedroom). Mostly he did things that were important tweaks before the frames inspection by Fowler's inspector and our own inspector next Wed (Tyrrells - Carl Le Breton). He also swept up (bless him!). I've been itching to go clean my house but I am not allowed!

 View from alfresco into the meals room, then playroom to the left behind it and family room to the right.

 View into the family room towards the fireplace and the staircase and guest room behind it.

 Looking toward what will be a 2 storey void (temporary flooring) where we will mount pendant lights visible from the street. Master bedroom behind it.

 From the master bedroom looking at our wardrobes and the ensuite beyond.

3 way ensuite...


ROOFER -

Busy Saturday with the roofer also doing the low roofs.

 Rear low roof

 Finally got a feeling for how the alfresco will feel - it's actually quite cool in the late afternoon despite being South West facing .

 Finished product - rear low roof

 And finished product the front low roof

Starting to look like a house!

Big few weeks ahead, scheduling looks something like this:
Week 25 (12-17 Oct):

• Jay finishing stone cladding (Mon, Tues), 
• Electrical rough in (Mon, Tues)
• Carpenter back to do more noggins and guest room/office storage frame (Wed), 
• two site inspections (Wed), 
• insulation (Thurs), 
• gyprockers starting (Fri). 
• Start kitchen cutting off site - about 3 weeks lead time

Week 26 (19-24 Oct):

• Gyprockers continuing (4 days work, unless they work through the weekend), 
• waterproofing bathrooms (Thurs), 
• carpentry (Thurs/Fri... wet areas and bathrooms first... hopefully in time for me to measure windows for plantation shutters on Friday - the last cut off date to fit before Christmas!), 
• laying underfloor heating (Fri), 
• check measure shutters (hopefully Fri). 
• We have also scheduled an excavator for the rear yard to start landscaping work there independent of Fowler so we will hopefully have lawn for the kids to play on when we move in (Sat 24th). 

Week 27 (26-31 Oct):

• Continuing carpentry work (I think a weeks worth?)
• tiling delivery (Thurs?)
• tiling wet areas commences (fri 30th Oct)
• garage door fitted sometime (was 3 weeks lead time from about 30 Sept)
• starting garden edges (Sat 31st... then hopefully play area and turf base Sat 7th, and assembling play area Sat 14th, ready to lay turf by end Nov).  

We're trying to get the back yard ready before move in so the kids can play.

Ideally we will also form up concrete steps and tile the porch and alfresco but will ahve to see how busy the site is and if Scott will stay so flexible as his stress levels increase. 

At this stage fence will have to wait until move in because the security fences are in the way and there will be some cutting in when the driveway is laid...