The Looming Deadline

Some reassuring words from Ben The Builder this afternoon.
He reckons the house will be finished by the end of March - the outside at least.
Whoo-hooooo!
Nothing like the pressure of getting the spare room ready for my parents to spur the team into action.
I dropped by the house about 6 o'clock this evening and the guys were still on the job.
I didn't press them for an actual finish date and I haven't booked the removal van, but I have given notice at our rental house for the end of March.
Go boys! Go !!!

Going to plan

The plans on site

Wooden it be lovely ...

Our house will feature a lot of timber.

Spotted gum for the floors and deck and Vic Ash for the ceilings and some walls.

A weathered stain has been applied to the Vic Ash and the colouring is a smokey grey.

Ben has been cutting up lengths of timber for the external cladding on the back wall.

Some of the internal doors are now on site. This one (above) is the bathroom door.

Every man needs a ...

Shed!

Ben has made the frame and it's ready to be erected once the cement slab has cured.

Coffee House

This house has been built on a lot of coffee.

We might entomb a couple of the takeaway cups as part of a time capsule.

Eureka Coffee is our local.

Mark and his crew make a mean brew.

Looking in and looking out

The new bay window at the front of the house looks lovely.

All the rotten wood is gone, the front weatherboards are new and the old stucco has been pulled off and will be replaced.

The sashless double hung windows are now installed upstairs.

This is the view into the garden from the living room and dining room.

And the new windows, guttering and pristine weatherboards on the side of the house.

Looking good!

Tanked

I finally made it to the house today to take some pics.

Remember that bloody big hole?

Now there's a bloody big tank in it!

Well - bits of a tank.

The concrete has been poured forming the walls.

The tank will hold10,000 litres ... that's if it ever rains again.

The tank is right at the back sliding doors that lead into the living room.

The deck will be built over the top ...

And we'll step off the deck into the garden.

Sorry House ... I've been neglecting you

Just because haven't been blogging doesn't mean there's nothing happenning at the house.
In fact there has been heaps of progress. It's just that my camera battery has been flat, or I've left my camera at the office, or I've done a quick look and dash the last few times I've visited the site.
So to fill you in :

• Windows are in - the glass bits I mean.
• The weather boards on the front of the house, which were rotten, have been replaced. Looks fab
• The bay window in Eliza's new room has been replaced. Incredible.
• The box gutters and downpipes are in.
• The joiner is making good progress with all the cupboards off site.
• James has selected the limestone for the benchtops. They winched huge slabs of stone so he could select the perfect colour for our house.
• Some of the new internal doors have arrived on site. Beautiful.
• An old Italian guy is making the staircase.
• The form work has gone in that massive hole, for the tank.
• New oven ordered.
• New bathroom stuff - toilets, taps, shower base have arrived.
• The plasterer starts this week - so we'll have walls! Exciting.

Ben says he's going hell for leather to get the house finished by the end of March. He knows my folks are coming down from QLD in early April to stay!
Yes mum and dad, your room will be ready.