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.
