Not much happening around here.......

No work was done that we could see today, I guess that the plaster can not go up until the ducts go in for the refrigerated air con.

We did notice that the window in Daniel's room has been replaced.

Our neighbours on the east side of our house have had their site scrape done so it is all about to begin for them. I was really happy to see them start, now all we need is our neighbours on the west side to get started. We are hoping that all the major constructions either side of us will be completed by the time we move in. Both houses behind us are past frame stage which is fantastic.

The plaster has arrived.

The brick laying has almost finished. All the window ledges are completed, the step to the alfresco is also done, the only thing that remains to be done is the brickwork above the front garage roller door which is being held up by the steel support beam that was welded incorrectly. Well done bricky Bob.

We have officially been locked out of our own home, I will have to get into contact with our site superman so that we can organise to go through the house and take photo's for the blog.

The plaster has now arrived on site and is stacked up in the dining as well as family room. The sheets are huge we can not imagine how they carried them in, I would dare say they came in via the alfresco.

Window ledges and steps

Bricky Bob has laid the bricks to the back of the garage, most of the window ledges, the laundry step and front door step. He completed the brick wall pillar to the master bedroom and the the two pillars at the alfresco.

The plaster bulkhead has also been delivered. I guess the plaster is not too far away now.

Having said that, where is my refrigerated air con ducts??

We met our neighbour today and he was very friendly and happy with his new facade choice, so all is sweat!

Bricks almost completed.

Bricky Bob has now laid the bricks to the roof line including the pillars to the portico and study walls. He has almost finished the master bedroom wall but was held up by the window just being installed, he has also set up to start on the master bedroom front veranda pillar. He has also laid more bricks to the alfresco pillars.

We have noticed that the electrical cable for the junction boxes on the pillars at the alfresco have been pulled out at the incorrect height 110cm and on the wrong side of the pillar facing inward to the alfresco, they should be 30cm at the base on the outer side of the pillars facing opposite the side fence. These points are to hard wire garden lights and I do not want them hanging off the middle of the pillar walls inside the alfresco. Not a good look I am sure you would will agree!

Where did the weekend go?

Grand'ma, Aunty Viv and Nonna looked after the boys while Martin and I spent the whole weekend running intercom, home theatre and speaker cables throughout the new house. We owe a big thank you to uncle Joe who climbed up onto the roof and walked through the trusses with the cables, he was a big help on Sunday and we would not have got the job done without him.

The master bedroom window has been installed so the bricky Bob will now be able to continue laying around it. He has completed laying bricks down the east side of the house and commenced laying around the master window.

The data cable guy came back and installed the missing data & TV points in the family room but did not swap the incorrect alarm sensor and night light from the home theatre to family room. Grrrrrrrr I am sure SS will fix him!

It was just one thing after another.........

What a day ......

Disaster list for today.....
1. Noticed cable guy mucked up the alarm sensors as well, he has put a night light in the home theatre and not in the family where it belongs.
2. Met electrician today, he was given the wrong plans and lucky I had mine with me. We went through the updates and I can see there will be no problems, he's is a real bright spark.
3. The steel beam that goes across the front of the garage to hold the bricks up was delivered but was welded incorrectly, so we now have to wait about 2 weeks before it can be replaced.
4. The window in Daniels bedroom was smashed ooooooooooppss I hope no one got injured.
5. We noticed there is a broken roof tile that was missed by the roof Bob's.

and finally on the way home from the site today the boys and I were run off the road by a semi-trailer, he almost killed us. Thankfully we are all alright but he was so close that he smashed my front windscreen. I really hope the B@$#%&D loses his licence and gets taken off the road, rotten mongrel.

The good news....
I met our site supervisor AKA "site superman" today and got the OK for the stuff we want to do on the weekend to lay cables, he looks after us really well.
The Alfresco doors have also been installed and they look amazing.
Our master bedroom front window has finally been delivered.
The have started to lay the wall insulation.
The bricky Bob has continued laying bricks completing the back wall and has begun laying around the corner.
The roof Bobs came and completed the pointing to the alfresco roof.

.........more bricks and doors.

Bricky Bob has now finished the west side of the house and has made a start on the back wall as well. The only bricks remaining to be laid on this side of the house are the ones under the windows on the ledge.

We had the Alfresco doors delivered, they look fantastic and the raw smell of cedar is even better. I can't wait to see them up.

The garage insulation has also been put up and now makes the garage look even bigger.

Carpet on order.

After hunting everywhere for a great price on carpet we found the best quality carpets for the best price at Western Distributors in Sunshine, see plugs for more details. The nearest quote was $1300 more expensive than they were so I highly recommend you pay them a visit.

We have chosen a Stainmaster Miracle twist pile, the colour is "deep sea blue" (a fairly dark navy) for the boys bedrooms as well as the spare bedroom and home theatre. The walls are a Wattyl 1/2 strength spun toffee, the tan walls and navy carpet will work nicely to achieve the nautical look we are going for. A darker carpet for the boys room is a good idea in it self really. For our master, retreat and walk in robe we have chosen a 100% nylon Stainmaster that they have in stock, therefore it is heavily reduced in price. It is really thick, lush and has a beautiful textured pattern in a cut and loop pile. The colour is "interior charm" a light caramel which is slightly darker than our wall colour and tiles to the adjoining ensuite. We have kept the colours in the master neutral and will decorate with throws, curtains, bedspreads and cushions as they are much easier to replace if we feel like a change in style.

We have chosen nylon carpets because we are all asthmatic so wool is out! we looked the solution dyed carpets but we just could not find the colour we were after.

We have gone for the highest quality foam underlay as this is one thing we did not want to skimp on.

More bricks and cables laid

Bricky Bob laid the bricks to the roof line outside the lounge, dining and around the alfresco. I can't wait until the bricks are washed so we can see how good they look. This Bob works hard in such heat don't know how you do it.

The "Cable Guy" was on site today he laid the ducted vac, data cables, phone cable, alarm cables and TV coax. A few changes had to me made. We went out to check that all was done and he forgot the TV and Data point in the family room so will have to come back. I have let probie know and she will pass it on to site superman.

Bricks round two....

The scaffold is up and the Bricky Bobs have completed the garage wall facing our neighbours. They have also continued along the scrap room, dining room and into the alfresco. They have inserted the steel beams above the windows frames for the bricks to be laid up to the roof.

Site superman agrees front portico facade is wonky and not square and is getting it fixed, the master window gets leveled by the carpenter when the frames are installed. There is an issue with the sand delivery and lucky we have photos of the sand for SS to show the supplier.

We noticed that the garage door has two different coloured hinges, they should both be brass but one is chrome, I am sure it will be fixed.

The roof safety barriers have also come down.

Brick by brick........

Bricky Bob's have made it totally around the house now. They have laid bricks around the study walls and into the right side of the portico they have also made a start on the alfresco pillars. They will now put up scaffolding and lap the house again laying the bricks right up to the roof.

I asked Bricky Bob in charge if he could brick in a metal box for our intercom at the entrance and he was happy to do it. Good on'ya Bob.

The Bricky Bob's were cooking gourmet hot dogs in our garage today, they come well prepared, no wonder they brick so fast!

Bricking continues.........

The bricky Bob's have laid bricks down the east side of the house and around the corner to the master bedroom window. They are bricking half way up around the whole house then they will put up scaffolding and continue to brick to the top.

I met internal carpenter Bob today and asked him to put up the extra noggins for the towel rail, speakers etc and the answer was "No problem". He has put up the Garage door, fixed the handles on, installed the alfresco frame and also made the frame for the bath tub.

Our master window.......yep still MIA.

I thought they had delivered the wrong entrance set for the front door, we asked for Antique brass not polished for the front door also as if we would choose a different entrance set to deadbolt. I spoke to site superman and he said they put a cheepy one on so my good one does not get damaged and then they replace it with our one at the end of construction.

We have also noticed the front portico facade does not look square so site superman will go take a look.

More bricks

The Bricky Bobs have laid more bricks to the alfresco wall all the way around the home theartre room. The also laid to the same height the bricks to the back wall of the house and have come around the corner to the east side wall. They are working away at an unbelievable pace.

Bush fire appeal.

I can't stand seeing the devastation of so much of Victoria anymore with out doing something to help. I have gathered baby clothes, blankets, towels and other items to take to those in need. Even our Little Daniel has donated some of his and his brothers toys for those who have lost everything. I am just waiting for the Whittlesea Shire to call back with a drop off point.

I can't help noticing the number of overseas guests that view this blog as well as fellow Aussies from around this beautiful country of ours. The fires here in our beloved state of Victoria has claimed 181 lives so far with that number set to rise even further. Thousands of have been left homeless some of which have also lost loved ones. Here are some images of these fires, http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/ some of these photos are just unbelievable as are some of the harrowing accounts of survival. The toll on our native wild life is just as devastating this photo moved me to tears.

Mirboo North volunteer CFA firefighter David Tree gives water to a distressed koala in burnt-out country in Mirboo North, Gippsland, in Victoria's east. Picture: Russell Vickery/Herald Sun.

You may think you are too far away to help but you are not. Please join us in making a donation to the Australian Red Cross, https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp all the proceeds go directly to these families and not a cent goes into administration fees. Please dig deep into your pockets and donate if you can, these people are hurting on a scale that we have not ever seen in this country.

Please post a link to the Red Cross on your blog and help spread the word that help is needed.

Just another brick in the wall.....

Bricky Bob is working hard and has made heaps of progress. They have laid bricks to the scrap room, dining and the lower part of the walls to the alfresco and home theatre. We are as thrilled with our choice of bricks as we are with the quality of the laying, thumbs up yet again Porter Davis.

The internal Carpenter Bob was on site today and has fixed the front door, back laundry door and installed the pantry cavity frame in place. He straightened all the walls and removed supports. He will be back out on site on Thursday, I have asked my SS if I can request a few extra noggins for towel rails, toilet roll holders, entry mirror and the speakers in the home theatre room, I have been given the thumbs up.

The alfresco bi-fold door frame has been delivered to site but our master bedroom window is still MIA.

Our frame invoice has been issued today and is on it's way.