Episode 5 of web series… now in HD!

A little different to past episodes 🙂

Timelines, budgets… and missing them

So, in the real Grand Designs show, we’re constantly shown families who present a timeframe and a budget at the start of the show that Kevin McCloud scoffs at and and says they’ll never be able to meet. We, nod sagely and agree that there is no way that these people are ever going to meet those completely unrealistic goals, and then congratulate our wisdom when it turns out to be true.

But of course, we’d never do that ourselves would we?

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Episode 4 of the web series

Look Floorboards and plasterwork and paint, oh my!

All quiet on the Western front? Hardly!

Sorry for the lack of posts, it has got to that stage of the project where I’m working until stupidly late every night trying to get things ready for the tradies, or for the most part, painting… so getting stuff up onto the site has had to fall off a bit.

Not to fear though, there are videos and photos galore to share, they just need to be put up here with adequate explanations 🙂

What has happened since the last post? Glad you asked…

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Episode 2 of the Web Series

A bit longer this time, but giving a rundown of what we’re planning on doing, and showing what had been done by the first weekend.

Progress…

So, yesterday we had big family help. Belinda’s mum took Eibhlin for the day (she really is the most productivity sapping member of the family), and Belinda’s Dad & his partner (Helen, or Nanna Hutch to the kids) came and put in a huge effort painting.

Painted skirting boards

Painted skirting boards

So, thanks to all the help we now have the ceiling on three rooms and a hall painted and ALL the 130m of skirting boards done, 2 coats and all! So that is nice to have got a start on the painting as it’s a pretty huge task. Unfortunately, while there is a lot more to paint, not that much more can be done until the carpentry and plastering is done… which, fingers well and truly crossed, starts this week. (If not then there’s going to be cascade delay from that onto the flooring, and that would be bad.) (more…)

Lineal vs Square meters

So, when you get into buying wood and other such building materials, you’ll find that some things are quoted by lineal meter, and others by square meter. It can be a little hard to really envision the difference between these two types of measurement. So, maybe some photos might help 🙂 (more…)

Saved!! :)

Hooray for Lee from Lilydale Crane Trucks who took my panicked call at 8.30 last night and with great humour and skill picked up our floorboards & delivered them to the house this morning! Tiarnach, Eibhlin & I had a great time watching the crane deliver the massive bundles & especially loved watching the way Lee controlled the crane with his remote – every boy’s dream!! 😛 I was so grateful that he got them to us safely that I just wanted to give him a big kiss 🙂

He controlled it from a hip controller

So casually he guided 1.5 tonne of wood around

Simon & my dad had the delightful task of bringing the 3 tonnes of floorboard (yes thats right – 3 tonnes) inside! Took them over 2 hours and Dad slashed his hand in the process yet the job was done and now the boards are safely inside. Thanks Dad!!!!!!  The boards need to acclimatise for 2 weeks before they can be laid so now we wait…

Aside from the joy of the wood finally arriving today I also had 7 tradies come to quote jobs. 4 flooring guys, 2 plasterers and a plumber.

Floorboards

140 sq/m of Tasmanian Oak Floorboards

We’ve chosen our flooring man and now just need to source the Form Ply to go underneath the floorboards.

I must say that I do enjoy demolishing things!! Had a wonderful time today ripping up lino and pulling off skirting boards.. hehe! Cant wait to get stuck in to the garden.. but that will have to wait!

Stumble at the first hurdle

So, the day of settlement is over, it’s real now, as we have the house, we’ve been in it, it is ours.

And the feeling of the potential this house has is stronger than ever, so I’m absolutely thrilled and excited by what it’s going to be. As it is, it has a lot of work, a lot… but that only makes it all the more rewarding in the end (I hope).

We took in the 130 linear meters of new skirting board we bought from the Trading Post, we set up a temporary entertainment area for the kids (tv/dvd player and toys) to try to occupy them during the times they have to be there while we are, and brought in the basics to be able to make something to eat/drink while we’re there.

And we waited for our 145sq/m of Tasmanian Oak floorboards to arrive.

And waited.

They were due between 3pm-4pm… it was 5pm, the woodyard wasn’t answering calls… I called my friend Ben to say his brawny assistance getting the boards into the house would not be required as it seemed they would not be turning up. We had dinner, pulled up some lino, pulled a mantelpiece off… but still no floorboards.

Floorboards at wrong house

Those are floorboards, this is the wrong house

We took the kids home to the rental and lo and behold… there were two large wrapped packages in the driveway which looked suspiciously like floorboards. But nooo, they couldn’t be.

Yup. They were. Not a lot of use at a rental, but there you go. Belinda called the woodyard and got through, and they wouldn’t admit any fault, so we were stuck with the wood where it was. Some more ringing around and Belinda found another driver who can move them tomorrow. We’re out $200, but at least there’s no rain forecast for tonight.