Week 19, day ninety-one

Friday, 3 June 2011

The last couple of days may have seen us hit our record tradies-on-site figures: we've had four builders, three brickies, two plasterboarders, two painters, two glass installers and one plumber. Have I forgotten anyone? Anyway, ALL action on The Block.

All glassed up and undercoated

The missing glass from our windows was finally installed today, about two weeks late – the hideously wet weather this week put a large wrenchy thing in the works as silicon sealing ain't so crash-hot in the wet, apparently. Seems a couple of panes have some marks that weren't noticed before and will need to be re-ordered, but for now we're almost fully glassed in. Lovely.

The boys have been busy on other jobs around the house so haven't managed to put hinges and locks on doors yet though, so lock-up looks like being delayed another week – we don't mind so much as lock-up = next bank payment!

Trent is back in da house now that the rain has disappeared for a day or two so we have some internal brick walls happening. Still to be painted white, of course (after some weeks of drying), but it gives a sense of 'solid' to the house to see them in place. I like.

Weds: prepping to start

Thurs: lounge walls half done

Bath/bed 3 divider done

Friday: two lounge walls finito

Bathroom boards (note new soap recess courtesy of Ivan)

And the plasterboard fellas did a quick day's work yesterday, whacking up some walls in the bathroom and laundry so the tiler can get cracking on Tuesday. Which means, yes, we've finally bitten the bullet and decided on tiles... seriously hope it all works! Warwick and Toby did the lovely green waterproofing layer today, council ticks it off (I hope) on Monday, then Stephane begins his tile artistry after that. For some reason I have it in my head that tilers are the prima donnas of the building world – is this just a vicious stereotype?

Insulation bling

Kitchen through slider to boarded laundry

Waterproofed laundry...

...and bathroom

Undercoating

Side pergola (on side, ha)

Ivan has also started on the great, big pergolas, and very impressive they look too. We have some extra space-age insulation (see gold bling–type pics) in place in the wall cavities where we have swapped brick internal walls for plasterboard, and the painters have started on an external undercoat which changes the look of the whole joint in my eyes yet again...

First prototype of possible pelmet lighting structure

Bit o' mud about

Feel like I'm ticking off decisions like nobody's business at the moment, so I just hope they're goodies. The next big ones are the kitchen plan (meeting with possible maker of said kitchen this weekend, finally, and picked up a stove and dishwasher at the Stinky Norman sale last weekend) and the lighting, the latter being where I feel completely and utterly out of my depth. Hoping for much professional help and a whole lot of luck.