Moved In But....

We have all moved in and most rooms sorted.
Still a string of things to be finished before I can start providing information on how the house is performing. Contractors are back the week of 16th January to finish installing the features.

The solar water heating system is still to be installed, but is on site. The photo voltaic system is installed but can't be turned on until Meridian install the input/output meters. The rest of items are minor and will be finished in mid January.

Here are some recent photo's of the finished house.

Gardens in the front all finished, lawn down but still to be topped up and leveled. the color steel down pipes are all in place at last.

Front deck looking out over the lagoon, Porirua Harbour and out to Mana island. All finished with the glass balustrade completed, it looks awesome and gives a great viewing platform.

Garden down the side all in place ready for planting.

Lawn sown and deck wrapping around the house completed and laid out for outdoor dining with fantastic views.

Front of house all cleaned up ready for the water feature to be built early next year.

Family room and dining room looking on to the lounge all set up ready for Christmas.

View at dusk across the Aotea Lagoon, the Porirua Harbour and then through the Titahi Bay gap to Mana Island.

Finally In

Well on Friday 16th Dec 2011 we finally moved into the house, most things finished but not quite.

The weather in the last few weeks has served up lots of rain and this has definitely delayed the finish, but there have also been difficulty in getting things ordered, delivered or installed!!!

All of the raised gardens have now been built (by me and Jason) ready for the topsoil and planting. You can see in the garage the stack of solar water panels - they should be on the roof, but the rain slowed that down. Now due for installation in January.

The gardens around the house have their topsoil in and over this weekend we have planted the main shrubs and native plants. The lawn is nearly finished ready for planting, but needs more lawn mix and the drainage sump installed where the pipe is in the lawn.

Note the sustainable downpipes, another item that seems to be taking for ever to arrive. They should be in this week....

Down the side of the house the side gardens have been enclosed ready for topsoil this week. The deck down this side along with the steps is complete and looking really good. Note glass balustrade posts ready for the glass this week.

The deck is two days away from being finished. The steps to the top level are in and work on the top deck along with installation of the LED out door lights will now be completed. Should be sitting on the deck this weekend. The fence and raised gardens are all completed and the balustrade posts are in.

Inside the unpacking is making steady progress. Here you see the open plan family and dining room with access to the deck and lawn.

The kitchen area is also part of the open plan area. The concrete polished floor has come up a treat albeit it needs a clean. All whiteware installed, just the in wall Beam Vacuum system to be installed this week and the pantry light. The induction cooking hobs are in and I've still to work out how they provide their heat.

The entrance way now has a front door and the feature light is up. Still a few things to get in place but by the time you get the next update most of the features will be installed and hopefully fully functional.

Nearly Finished

This last week has been a rush of various trades to get things finished on time for Christmas. It looks as if we will move in on the 16th December as planned but won't have all of the features completed until early in January.

This week the LED lights were finished, the painting completed and plumbing installed. Kitchen partially finished waiting for a replacement bench top (the original is still on the Rena stuck on Astrolabe Reef).

Outside the driveway and paths are in, the deck is nearly ready to have its decking laid, the mowing strips are in and over the weekend with Jason's help I have installed the irrigation system which is connected to the water lillee system (see page on this system).

Here you can see the piping that is used, it is laid in a pattern to give maximum coverage under the lawn and every time we use the showers, bath or basins then the water goes out into the pump system and irrigates the lawn.

Here you can see the deck joists nearly finished and the front fence area starting to be installed.

By the end of the weekend I had installed the raised gardens and topsoil for the gardens and the lawn mix was starting to go down in preparation for the lawn seed to be sprayed on later this week. Here the front fence is partially up, just the gate and final corner to go in.

Looking back along the front you can see the final shape of the deck. The glass balustrade should be installed over this weekend along the front of the deck.

Things happening this week and weekend are, installation of the hot water system (but not the solar panels which will need to wait), downpipes finally to arrive, side fences and gates, catflap installed, carpets laid, kitchen finished, front door installed and painted, letter box, clothesline, deck finished, lawn mix down and gardens installed.  The house will get clean throughout in the next few days.Plants are being delivered this weekend and we will move in Friday afternoon...... Still plenty to do before Christmas.....

Nearly There

While it looks as if a lot hasn't happened this week from the outside, there has been frantic activity in the house getting the plastering and the painting finished. The whole house has had the ceilings, walls, doors, skirtings etc... all painted this week and the total painting should all be finished by end of Tuesday this coming week.

Spoutings are now in and the section has been leveled off ready for concrete drive and paths and then the lawns will also go down.

Outside the work on the deck has started and progressing well - and the plastering of the foundations is also nearing completion. The house now has power connected and the switchboard is nearly finished.

The deck will sweep around half of the house from the family room around the front, four steps down into the north west corner and then a couple of steps up to half way along the west side to the back door and clothes line area. There will be gardens along the side fence line and glass balustrade along the front from Provista Balustrades. See their range at  www.provista.co.nz

The deck is being installed by Steve Joss and his company Tierra Landscape Development - see their website for further info. www.tierra.co.nz

This coming week will have even more frantic activity as everything should be completed by the end of the week.... after all we are storing all of our household effects in the garage as of Friday morning ready for distribution through out the house once the carpet layer is finished. (The last thing to go in).

This week will see painting finished, plastering of the foundations completed, driveway and paths in, kitchen in, lights installed, bathrooms and laundry completed and the installation of the solar water heating system.

By Friday all should be ready for the carpet layers and cleaners to come in and hand over. Garden landscaping will also be completed in that last week except for my special rock garden which will go in later in January.

PLastered

A busy week for the house with the plasterers going flat out all week to complete ready for the painters on Monday. The skirting boards and some of the coving have now being installed ready for painting next week.

The family room, dining room kitchen area is finished ready for painting. Cardboard on the floor to protect the polished concrete

As is the entrance way and hall

Front door still to be installed, otherwise already for painting.

The Garage door (fully insulated) has been installed, just leaving the front door to arrive. The front door has to be specially made because of the height... must be for tall people to get in the door.

Whiteware is starting to be installed in the two bathrooms with the shower trays in, more to go in next week. The holes in the bathrooms have now been cleared for the plumbing and this photo shows the structure of the floor, with the concrete floor slab and then the polystyrene layer above the heat bank.

Next week will see outside the foundations plastered; the roof finished off along with the gutters and down-pipes, the ground all leveled off for decks, lawns, paths and driveway; the deck started, the lawn mowing strips going in and the concrete drive and paths poured and completed.

On the inside we will see painting well advanced, the electrical switchboard installed and the garage finished off with access into the roof.

Just 3 weeks to go

Good Progress

This week we have had good progress with the drains all in, painting outside finished for the moment, gibbing completed inside ready for the plastering and stopping, some electrics installed and the polished concrete floors in.

Here you can see the drains being dug and laid around the front and down the side of the house.

This is the water lille sump which collects the water from the bathrooms and pumps it into the irrigation field that is going to be installed under the lawn.

All the gibbing completed in the family and dining room. Starting to show the effect of the chapel ceiling and the kitchen area.

The excellent view out of the lounge windows. Great place to just sit and look across the harbour.

Visited on Thursday to find a team of eight painters painting the outside of the house. They has the second coat on by lunch time and then left. They will be back for the inside and will complete the little bits and pieces still not finished on the outside. Note still a couple of weather boards to install in the entrance way.

Special power generator for the machinery needed for the cutting and polishing of the floors in the kitchen, entrance way, laundry and bathrooms.  - see special page on concrete polishing.

Next week we will have the garage door in, all internal doors, plastering completed and they should be starting to paint inside.
The deck will probably also be started by the end of the week.
Still on target for the 16th December move in.

This is the effect we will get from the polished floors. Still plenty of dust to clean as yet!!

Roof, windows finished

This week has been good for progress with the roof finished, the weatherboarding nearly all finished and the uPVC windows and glass all in. The wiring for the electrics are in as is the in wall vac and most of the insulation.

In this shot you can see the photo-voltaic system on the roof, all installed and ready to make power once we connect to the grid. Note the panels are flush with the roof. - see the post page on the pv system. We will get some credits into the system once it's installed to the grid via Meridian Energy.

You can also see the piping for the water solar system which will be installed later on once the digital system is installed. Once its on the roof it will start generating hot water.

Here you get a good visual of the front of the house, with all the uPVC windows and doors, the roof and the pv solar panels. The uPVC windows and doors have come from Dunedin and are from Weathertight Windows and Doors Limited. - more info on the special page for the uPVC system.

The exterior painting of the house will start this week, weatherboards are Rakaia. Good view of the stacker door onto the side deck.

Insulation in the dining and family room all completed. The rest will be finished Monday and the gibbing also starts tomorrow. The house should be gibbed by middle of the week and then the plastering begins.

 Front of the house with garage and front door with temporary security. This week will see the security system wiring, the outside plumbing and drains, concrete floors polished inside, painting outside, gibbing and plastering. A busy week, but at least the site is now water proof......

Windows and Door frames in

Steady progress made all week with the roof nearly finished (held up by the wind) and weatherboards nearing completion.

All of the uPVC window and door frames have now been installed, but loo and behold the glass doesn't arrive until next week!

Next week will see plenty of action from the electrician, insulation, roof finished, glass in and internal cladding starting.

Outside the drain will be in and the building will start to see total closure.

Here you can see the ranch slider from the dining room/family room area looking across the harbour.

A view of the family room/kitchen area with the chapel ceiling.
The shot below gives you a feel for the height that will exist in the family/dining room with the kitchen being in the background.

Rain and Wind!!!

Another frustrating week, albeit a short week because of Labour day. Tuesday was high winds, Wednesday wind and rain, Thursday misty rain for part of the day and Friday misty rain all day.

Hence very little of the roof has been done, the windows have been put on hold until next week and the weatherboards could only be installed up to where the safety rail for the roofers starts.

The only part of the roof that has been installed is over the garage - it better be fine next week...

The weather boards have been installed right around the house up to just above the windows, so the installation should be completed quite quickly once the roof is completed.

Nearly all the decisions for the inside have now been made with LED lights selected, colour schemes completed, wiring for electrics etc... and security system. So next week should be a big week with the insulation and electrics being completed along with the plumbing, roof, windows, doors and weatherboards.

Or are we dreaming?

Progress and Confirmed finish date

This week has been one of catch up and getting prepared for the big push through to completion.
With our requirement for the house to be finished before Christmas the heat is now on to get things finished.
We are targeting moving in on the 16th December and there will be a lot of sub contractors on site in the weeks ahead.

The house is now fully wrapped all set for the  roof to go on next week along with the weatherboards and the windows.
The uPVC window and door frames are coming across the Cook Strait from Dunedin on Tuesday and should all be in by next weekend. The uPVC are European design and provide excellent insulation and have a significant advantage over aluminium. The price is nearly the same.

Here you can see the weatherboard all ready to go up and the long run roof steel for the roof.
Over Labour weekend we started on the landscaping to try and take advantage of spring. Over 70 plants have been planted down the bank designed eventually to give food to the native birds and provide ground cover for most of the bank.
 

Kakabeak in the fore ground, kowhai in the far left, hebes, native flax, lavenders and plenty of low ground cover with coprosma prostrata, cranberry bergman, acaena microphylla, vinca gertrude jekyll and veronica oxford blue.. It drizzled over night so a good start for them.

Along the top of the retaining wall we have planted a hebe waireka, rhododendrons, azalea's and  pieris japonica.

This week we have also placed a contract for the deck that sweeps around from the family room all the way to the study; agreed on the final selection of LED lights and our feature light for the hall way; arranged for the in wall vacuum system and settled on placement of all lights, switches, etc...
Contracts for the LED lights will be completed this week. - so all go and on track for the 16th December.