Monday 25 August 2014 – Construction Day 47 arrives with some bright sunshine, although the temperature is still a bit on the low teens side. Not really conducive to painting, as was the case yesterday, when Clayton and I tackled the re-paint of the existing wall above the kitchen window, to match the new weatherboards. Therefore I tried to occupy myself with non-construction issues.
Builder John arrives for a weekly meeting and we iron out a number of points which will be addressed in the next few days. So far, we seem to be on track, except for the time delays caused by the poor weather conditions – no surprises there….
John and a couple of his men then start measuring up for the footing supports of the outdoor timber deck. Because the deck is not high enough off the ground to need building consent compliance, we have no formally drawn plans, simply a mental directive for a deck in line with the deck of the main house, with a bench “seat” along the edge, and a large triangular step on the northern side. It is interesting to watch an experienced group as they figure out quite quickly where, what and how.
(Above): Measuring out to determine where the main support pillars ( four by fours) must be placed. The decking must, by law, run parallel to the main entry doorway. (This, apparently, minimises the risk of slipping and falling in the wet.)
(Above): A worker starts with the not-such-fun part of the deck, having to dig some of the twelve holes for the footing foundations to house the four by fours as support pillars, while others start drilling holes into the concrete of the building for the support beams.
(Above): After some hours of digging through the hard rock-strewn ground, the 500mm deep holes are eventually finished and ready for precise positioning and firmly anchoring in position. A bag of ready-to-mix concrete is brought for each hole to fix the support poles, which are further braced with timber stays, whilst the concrete is curing..
(Above): All the concrete mix has been filled into the holes.
(Above): The completed set-out in the slanting rays of the setting sun.
No comments:
Post a Comment