And he dug.
And he dug.
And he kept digging until he removed four layers of concrete! This was considerably more than the initial layer of concrete and a layer of bricks that was expected to be there. There were layers of tiles, more layers of bricks and more layers of tiles. And then they hit paydirt - rock! (on the other side of the hill we live on is the old Windsor Quarry so rock was expected - thank god we decided against a pool for the rock reason) Twelve truck loads of fill were removed - so that's the first cost variation!
Following all the excavation we had a few days delay as the timber order for the retaining walls and flooring joists was delayed. However, it was very exciting when it arrived and a big thank you has to go to Bretts Hardware at Windsor for the great prices they are providing.
Apparently he was a super duper delivery driver because it was a tricky delivery that he got spot on. We're on a hill and trying to place large, heavy pallets of timber as far as possible up a steep driveway with a swinging crane is no easy task. I watched this and then thought of the effort Ross and Shane will have to make carrying it all up the back and blessed my cotton socks for my air-conditioned office.
Plenty more has been done but it's taken me about 2 weeks to finish this post - so it's going up now like it or not!
Ahh progress - to see your renovation finally getting off the ground must be a splendid sight I bet. How is your temporary kitchen holding up? xx
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about you this afternoon and wondered how you were getting on. Brilliant to see such progress, cannot wait to see two more weeks worth of updates to get up to speed. I'm with Caroline, how is that bathroom/kitchen going? We are getting certifier and engineer next week, builders quotes back then too, hoping to start in January. mel x
ReplyDeleteHey Mel - fingers crossed the quotes are what you want them to be - ours ended up being more than what we had anticipated but we realised you get what you pay for! The kitchen is going well - it's been basic fare but the lack of a oven that cooks cakes and biscuits is turning out to be good for the waistline!
DeleteI have nominated you for a Liebster Award .... details are in this post http://westendcottage.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/me-liebster-award.html
ReplyDeleteOh what a lovely surprise! Thank you - I accept and look forward to responding to the questions - always nice to hear more about people. I was in West End yesterday down at the South Brisbane Sailing Club (my boys sail from there on a Saturday) and was thinking how lucky you are live in such a peaceful area. xcb
Delete