We now have a concrete slab - YIPPEE ;-)

GOOD NEWS ! We now have a slab. We didn't think it would happen today, there was a massive storm last night, heaps of rain. Then this morning I went for a drive to the site and sure enough, the concrete pump and crew were there and then a concrete truck went past. I immediately called Tarin and the kids to let them know and they were all really excited!

Now for some pics:

BELOW: Josh had a sit in the big Boral Cement Mixer.

The very bottom picture is of the water tank slab.

Other things happened at the site today too...

The steel beams arrived today as well.
The green pieces will be used for above the alfresco triple stacker doors and across the centre of the lounge room to support the second floor brickwork. The zincalume square tube will be used as the upright supports for the lounge room 'I Beam'.

Also, today saw the Termite Preparation 'A' occur whereby the entire slab area is sprayed by the pest control dude. This happens due to the fact that the site has been disturbed and if there happens to be any termite nests around they will be eradicated.

Slab Preparation is Complete...Slab to be Poured Tomorrow

Today was a day of action at the site. A full day of slab formation occurred including all the additional work around the Deep Edge Beam (See first and second pics below, this shows the area formed ready for the concrete. The bottom pic is of the triple garage slab preparation.

The Steel Mesh Has Landed...

The steel mesh has arrived, now the concretors have everything they need to prepare the slab for pouring later this week (probably Thursday or Friday).

On site we now have:
- Waffle Pods,
- Steel reinforcement bars,
- Steel mesh stirrups,
- AND of course the Steel Mesh.

So tomorrow, weather permitting (not looking good at present), is planned to be the slab preparation i.e setting up the waffle pods and the rest of the formwork, deep edge beam formation and setting up the steel mesh over the pods.

Waffle Pods, Steel Parts & Accessories have arrived...

Drainage Now Certified...

Yass Valley Council's building inspector arrived this morning (Monday @ 9.00am) to inspect and certify the drainage work that was completed last Saturday. The Council Certifier is below wearing the 'business attire' ;-)

More Slab Preparation & Drainage Pictures

The Slab Prep is underway and the Drainage is in...We are ahead of schedule...

PROGRESS FOR YESTERDAY AND TODAY (Friday and Saturday)...

YESTERDAY:

To my surprise, I received an email from a neighbour yesterday to say that the Concretors were on-site, at 6am! Yesterday, the crew achieved the following:

- Formwork completed,

- Deep Edge Beam dug out and formed up,

- Strip footings excavated,

- Areas for the 9 metre high pylons formed up,

- Pier holes (1.8 metres deep x 450mm wide) dug out,

- Principal Certifier called and arrived on-site around 2.30pm to give the OK to pour the pier concrete,

- Concrete trucks arrive and fill-in the strip footings (for the front staircase) and the piers.

NOW THAT IS A FULL DAYS WORTH OF WORK, then the crew drove back to Sydney!

TODAY (Saturday):

- Drainer arrived and dug out and placed all the drainage pipework in the slab area.

The guys will return Tue/Wed next week to do the pouring of the slab. We are ready for the slab pour - Amazing!

UPDATED SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, 20th January 2009 - Waffle Pods and the Steel Mesh is due to arrive from Sydney. I am told by the Concretor that our house has one semi trailer load of stuff for the slab!

Tuesday, 27th January we should see the frames, trusses and windows arrive on-site.

Now for some pictures:

What's Next? The schedule explains...

Spoke with Mark (my Project Manager) yesterday afternoon, here is the updated schedule:

Monday, 19th January 2009 - Formwork for the concrete slab commences.
Tuesday, 20th January 2009 - Slab preparation activities (waffle pods, steel mesh, drainage).
Wednesday, 21st January 2009 - Slab preparation activities (waffle pods, steel mesh, drainage).
Thursday, 22nd January 2009 - Slab pour for main house, garages and the water tanks.
Friday, 23rd January 2009 - Completion of slab pour activities (if required).
Monday, 26th January 2009 - Australia Day Holiday
Tuesday, 27th January 2009 - Delivery of timber frames, roof trusses and windows.

I assume the framing contractors will arrive shortly thereafter.

John & Tarin.

Earthworks COMPLETE...

The Site Earthworks are now complete. The picture below shows the excavator and the truck leaving the estate (truck is almost above our site in the middle of the photo).
Click on photo to enlarge...

Day 3 of Site Works - Progress Pictures...

Hi All,

Today, the excavation work continued, and what a day it was. It was almost 39 degrees, as well as very dry and dusty.

Here are today's progress pictures, you will see the two slab levels - the garages and the main house platform:

BELOW: The two level platforms - the foreground is the triple garage and the rear is the house platform.















BELOW: Another angle of the two platforms.















BELOW: This is the triple garage platform which will also incorporate the ground floor balcony, which will be in the corner where I am waving ;-).















BELOW: Water tank excavation. This is where there will be 2 x 5500 litre Slimline Tanks in Merino (Paperbark) colour. The tank slab will be 6000mm x 1250mm and will also have piers and steel mesh reinforcement.

UPDATED: More Site Preparation Pics as @ 6pm today...

Go for Launch - Site works underway (as @ Noon today)

Finally, the excavator dude, who now has a name - Brendon, has turned up with his father and another worker.


Brendon is the excavator driver, Brendon's Dad hauls away all the excess spoil to landfill or other sites if required and the other guy was the 'Leveller Man', he uses the laser leveller to ensure the cut and fill is happening OK.


Here are some pics of progress as at Noon today:







< Left: The Site cut is now sloped to negate the requirement for engineered retaining walls.








BELOW: Joshua & Kevan - very excited to see the big diggers on the site working away...

Action Expected on Tuesday, 13th January 2009

This morning I met with my Project Manager, Mark.

We had a look around the site and the cut that is already there and we discussed it being cut back a little bit more so we have some walk-thru space behind the conservatory. Mark will also have the cut "stepped" so we don't have to go to the additional cost of engineered retaining walls (Mark thinks of everything for us :-).

So, tomorrow the excavator dude is back at around 8.30am. Mark will stay with him to do the site works and get it all done so by the end of the week we can have the slab poured - BEWDY! Hopefully no delays and the weather holds out...looks like it will.

Also, as we will have lots of fill leftover I have asked if the excavator dude can push the leftover fill forward of the fill area to an approx. height of 1metre so we can have a level 'upper-level' front lawn. Hopefully be will do this for me for a bit of a cashy :-)

Updates and photos tomorrow (I hope)...

Still No Action @ The Site

I expected plenty of action at the site today, but...you guessed it - nothing.

Today was the day in the original schedule that had the slab being poured, but the excavator guys still hasn't returned. I keep getting informed day by day that the site works will continue and when I check, nothing has happened.

The Project Manager (Mark) is on leave, I just hope he is not expecting more to have been done than has been done (bugger all).

I am sure Mark will be onto it all as soon as he returns to work.

JB

Still No Action @ The Site

The schedule below shows that a bit of work was due to have happened by now, but nothing has happened. The slab is supposed to be poured on Monday, 5th January, but this cannot happen as my mate the excavator driver has only completed a half-arsed job and is now probably sucking Coronas down the coast (hope he has lime in it too).

So, with compliments of the excavator dude we are now behind schedule.

JB

We are in the House-sit, and NOT HAPPY ! ! !

Happy New Year, everyone. Not a good start for the Browns of Yass...

Finally we have completed the move, 22 trailer-loads later...the old rental is now clean and spic 'n' span, more than I can say for the house-sit. It was an absolute filthy mess. I wish we hadn't of 'helped' out a friend in need (didn't want the house left empty, "empty" Haha far from it...) who promised the house would be emptied and cleaned. Far from it, actually. Tarin and I have had to clean the old rental and have had to come to the house-sit and give it a thorough 'Grade A' clean prior to us moving our stuff in. The state of this house is truly unbelievable - I do not understand how anyone can live like this, let alone let someone see that this is how they live - very depressing...Tarin and I are annoyed about all this, the kids don't care 'cause they have 1/2 an acre to run amok, ride their bikes and green-machines and see it as a bit of an adventure. Heck, our caravan is better than this place...it is clean and has clean appliances and flooring...the list goes on...All I can say is "At least Masterton Homes is in the process of constructing our lovely home, NOW I really wish Mark (the Builder) would do what he can to get it done as quickly as humanly possible...the light is at the end of the tunnel...very dim, but it is there (or is it a train ;-)" (Mark has already given me his work he would do this for us anyway...)

Below is a pic of what we had to clean - NOT HAPPY! Don't even imagine what was under that rug which the owner wanted packed as it had 'sentimental value', not sure if he meant the rug or the filth had the value. It is not like this now, there is NO way we would ever move into this sort of filth, especially with the young 'uns.

Shame you can't see the detail of all this filth, well, no, it is probaly a good thing...

Another picture (and there are plenty more where this came from) - this is like a museum of cleaning products. Filthy house, plenty of stuff to clean it, but none ever used. See the pink item called 'No Vac' - well, they obviously took this product literally ;-) hahaha. There is even an empty beer bottle in there, weird!. The next product there is 'Scrub Buds', you can see how pristine this item is, never used, never opened, why did they have it?:

Well, off for another day of scrubbing and detailed cleaning - will post pics of the cleaned result...I am sure you will be amazed...

John & Tarin