Buildlogue #13 – Concrete Stuff

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 July, Construction Days 12 and 13.

Thursday was devoted to fine-tuning the steelwork and foundations, followed by the planned first visit by KCDC inspectorate. A green light to proceed with concrete was most welcome.

Friday morning, American Independence Day, is clear and bright, brilliant sunshine, but brawny grown locals were trying to warm their hands and mumbling about how cold it was. At 10:00am in the morning!

Builder John and his men added some final extra support to their shuttering, and also drove in a number of fence pegs (to be able to beacon off the concreted area from the dog paws!) 

First to arrive was Hurricane Concrete Pumping service, with a 30 metre extension hose. He discusses the operation with Builder John and they come to the conclusion that a better solution would be to bring the vehicles into the narrow driveway, and then to pump the concrete over the roof of the house!

(Above): Hurricane pump-truck parked in position outside the garage door, while the driver raises the superstructure over the roof towards the rear of the house.

(Above): No sooner had he positioned his pump truck in front of the garage door, when two Terry Concrete trucks arrive in quick succession. It was quite a trick operation getting these trucks into the driveway and located, to be able to discharge the load into the pump hopper.

(Above): The Hurricane pump-truck lined up, with the driver using a remotely-controlled panel, so that his superstructure doesn’t accidentally damage the roofing sheets.

 
(Above): The two vehicles married up to be able to pump the concrete through the pipe, up and over the hose and along the ground behind the garage and kitchen to the destination site.

(Above): A close-up of the pump-truck’s hopper being fed from the chute from the pre-mix truck.

(Above): The thick rubber pressure pipe with metal unions runs the full 30 metres from the pump-truck, up and over the roof, down at the back of the garage and along the ground past the kitchen.

(Above): The pump guy dispensing the concrete slurry a-la-Kiwi-style.  Back-breaking work, like an All Black rugby prop!

(Above): The cement guy scrapes the bottom of the barrel and chute, before driving back to his depot in Te Horo for his next load.

(Above): With the first load done, they get on with the serious business of getting everything perfectly level and smooth.

(Above): Finally, the cast is complete and everything smoothed down, for the next stage of the process later today.

(Above) Builder John erects a barrier fence around the development to dog-proof the freshly-laid cement floor.

(Above) Later in the afternoon, the cement floor is polished smooth. A vinyl plank floor will be laid on top of the cured concrete surface in due course.

Buildlogue #10

Friday 27th and Monday 30th June, Construction Days 8 and 9 respectively. There was more of the same on Thursday afternoon and through the night. Friday morning and we find that we’ve had another 23mm rain overnight, and Saturday morning a further 10mm to add to the bog-like muddy conditions all round. The overflow water tank has also been overflowing into the ground to the point that there’s more muddy water than watery mud!

(Above): More rain on Friday and throughout the evening, causing the stagnant puddles all over to remain over the now-waterlogged substrate. What one might call quite damp.

(Above): The Chartwell daily rainfall for the period 1 to 28 June (in brown) and the cumulative total (in green):  I’m not bellying on about the rainfall because its especially high. On the contrary, the June fall is, in fact, some 15% lower than for the month of May. It is simply a combination of cold temperatures with no wind which means very little evaporation, and most of the June fall happening in the last couple of days of our construction period.

Monday starts off cloudy, but windless and dry. By 9:30, the picture changes and we’re back to Deluge Day. Nevertheless, Builder John and his son arrive followed shortly thereafter by Plumber Happy and his assistant.

The builders get on with completing the foundation shuttering on the north wall of the bedroom and the vertical extensions downwards where required. The plumbers get to work with the 110mm PVC waste piping in the bathroom. 

(Above): Nails: Always eager to learn about new stuff, I chatted to Builder John’s son about his nail gun and, in particular the nails themselves. In this photo is a cartridge of 40 90mm nails (I measure them at 88!). The clip is called a ‘belt’ and the red stuff is a friction-heat adhesive glue which, according to him, makes it extremely difficult to remove the nail after 24 hours in the timber. There are 3000 nails in a box.

Whilst the guys worked in the waterproofs during the steady showers all morning, by 12:00 noon the weather becomes completely uncooperative, causing them to be forced to take breaks under shelter from the heavy downpour. I hear the forecast on the radio, which promises more of the same, with a possible respite tomorrow afternoon.

(Above): The completed waste piping in place in the bathroom labelled 1 (wash-basin), 2 (shower trap), 3 (Bidet), and 4 (Toilet); in the laundry 5 (washing machine).

On a non-construction matter: in fact, a destruction matter.

Because the plumbing activity was so close to the dogs’ quarters, I thought it a good idea to leave them in the conservatory for the short while that plumbing work was done. As soon as the plumber left, guess what I found in the conservatory? Sophie seems to think that Benny did this, while Benny is convinced that Sophie is the culprit…

Buildlogue #8

Wednesday 25 June 2014: Construction Day 6

Yesterday morning, Gary of Bryce O’Sullivan Earthmoving completed his final clean-up of his tyre and track impressions and left for his next contract job. Today Builder John and his men are scheduled to start on the timber shutter-work around the perimeter of the slab. The weather is overcast, cool and breezy and the TV forecast is not promising, but, hey, who believes television these days?

Whilst writing this, I hear this “Chirp Chirp” above me. Strange… I’m indoors, seated at the dining-room table. I look up to be greeted by a friendly chirping Fantail.

(Above): A male fan-tail. The fantail [or piwakawaka] (Rhipidura fuliginosa) is one of New Zealand’s best known birds, with its distinctive fanned tail and loud song, and particularly because it often approaches within a metre or two of people. This little insect-eater hover helicopter-like to catch the smallest of small gnats and other almost invisible creatures. He is quite at home in doors, and doesn’t seem bothered in the least by furniture, curtains or windows. It’s quite a job persuading him to get out, before the little bird droppings fall on upholstered furniture or curtains!

John, his son and three other workers arrived and set up site under cloudy skies, but the oilskins had to be brought out quite soon as the sky opened and let them have some of her best. Things started getting pretty wet…

(Above): The carpentry team start with the eastern boundary at the laundry door down to the dressing room corner at the secret garden, where John’s son (with the brown jacket) is standing.

(Above): The floor plan, showing the work being done in the photo above (marked in red), the remaining boxing of a similar nature to be done (marked in green), and the special work, involving steel ties to be bolted into the existing foundation (marked in purple).

(Above and below): John and his assistant working on the “green” section of the shuttering, while others get on with trench-trimming chores.

(Above): Aerial view of progress as seen from Tyler’s upstairs bedroom window.

Dr Who In Reikorangi !

You need to believe me on this one.

On the far side of the overflow water-tank on the street-side boundary fence, I heard a strange noise – whirr, whirr, whirr, accompanied by a bright blue flashing light…

(Above): Lo and behold. There it stood, the TARDIS. Bennie smells the ground intently, obviously identifying the footsteps of Dr Who, as he alighted from his craft. Ooo, this is so exciting! I would give anything to take a ride in it, but I will have to get the Doctor to do the navigation, otherwise I am likely to remain lost in space and time forever. Hmm.. and forever is quite long.

(Above): Inside the TARDIS, which, they told me, is much larger on the inside than on the outside, but our minds simply cannot get around that concept. This time round, it is disguised as a.. would you believe it, a toilet and urinal…This Doctor is so resourceful.. what next will he think of, to protect his TARDIS from unwanted prying eyes… and inquisitive scientists.

I simply cannot wait to tell my fellow Who-ians. I’ll bet they will never believe me, or simply dismiss my story, by stating the obvious: It’s only a porta-loo! These non-believers!

Besides the TARDIS portaloo, Builder John arrived on time with his three assistants to do the preparatory work before the earthworks can commence tomorrow Thursday 19th. The workers were introduced, but (blush) I cannot remember their names – I will call them Barry, Harry and Larry. Their first job was to dig up obstructing paving slabs and stack them out of harm’s way  for possible use as lawn edging around the to-be-refurbished snake flowerbed.

(Above): Barry, Harry and Larry at work, removing obstructing paving slabs and setting out the site, in preparation of the earthworks, hopefully to-morrow

(Above and below): With the lengthening of the shadows on this sunny afternoon, it’s home-time for the workers, having completed all the levels and boundary lines marked out with luminescent spray paint, ready for a 7:30am start to-morrow by Bryce O’Sullivan (see their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bryce-OSullivan-Contracting-LTD/581566401875486 ). The bedroom/ sitting room is on the left, and on the right is the dressing room, bathroom and laundry, closest to the camera. Both photos were taken from Tyler’s upstairs bedroom window.