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.

A wet week

This week has been frustrating with plenty of rain slowing down progress. Most of the roof joists are now up, the bent steel rafter has returned from Christchurch and by the end of next week we should see the roof on and the weather boards starting to go up.

The LED lights have been selected along with the doors so things should start to hum shortly. Our landscaping starts next weekend (Labour weekend) with the bank above the retaining wall and the bank down to the road being planted.

The sheathing of the house has just started, with the whole house being wrapped before the weatherboards go up.

Here you can see the main beam in the family room, finally installed. The roof should go one fairly quickly next week.

Another shot of the rear wall starting to get covered in ready for weatherboards, roof and windows to be installed.

Here is a view from up Whitford Brown Road with the Elsdon hills in behind.

And here is the house looking up from Whitford Brown. The bank will get planted over Labour weekend and with an average spring should at least mean a good start to growth.

Baxters Knob behind the house.

Video Walk Through of the house

Here is a walk through of the house, a little messy given all the supporting wood etc... but does give you a feel for the layout.
This first one includes the entrance, the side hall and the bedrooms.

Back to the entrance way and down to the study on the left, the dining/family room and the lounge with the views across the harbour to Mana Island (not Kapiti).

The last one starts in the dining room looking toward the kitchen and the family room

Framing End of Week

Both wall framing and roof framing is well advanced with fascias and soffits starting to go in.

Front entrance with the two pillars installed.

Soffits and facsias going up at the street front.

The ranch slider gap for the dining room, and family room. Large beam and chapel ceiling structure/

Roof framing not complete in this corner as we wait for a steel beam for the chapel ceiling to come back from Christchurch. First one was bent in transport.!

Roof Trusses arrive

All of the roof trusses have now arrived on site and Jamie and Cody started to put them up Friday. They expect to be all up by middle of the coming week and then the roof and windows will go up.
Looking at the garage and then the back bedrooms.

The house quickly takes shape and you can start walking through rooms and seeing the shape that the final product will be like.
From the east looking at the master bedroom and the entrance to the family room, dining and lounge in back right.

Looking straight down the entrance way with the bedrooms on the right.