We're building!!!!

YAY! Words probably can't describe how excited we are to finally have started building our new house! As of the 22nd January, our builder was on site doing a site scrape, and preparing for the slab. We have visited the site quite regularly since, and as Oscar started school in Riverwalk in early February, we are now doing a little drive-by daily if we know something is happening.

The images below are from 28th January through to 14th February. 

Pool feature after site scrape. Big square to the left is where our garage will be, smaller square at the front is where our front porch will be.

Oscar and I went by the block on Tuesday 28th January after we had seen the excavator in full swing the previous week. We'd had a lot of rain over the weekend, and as a result we had a couple of swimming pool features where our slab was going in... I have put some description on the pictures.

Front porch area. The house next door is almost complete.

This is at the back of our block, as you can see our car is parked out the front, and I asked Oscar to stay out there so he didn't get muddy shoes. The pool feature here at the back will be our alfresco area.

Other side of our block where living room and bedrooms will go.

The following week, we went by after I picked up Oscar from school on his first day, Monday 3rd of February. Even though we still had a bit of a pool feature, you could see that the piers to secure the slab in place had been put in (the blue metal plates sticking up).

Metal piers have been installed 3rd February 2020.

Excavator there to do some more work on the following days...

At the end of the week, we checked in again to see if any progress, and all plumbing pipes and gravel base for the slab had been done. You start to get a feel for where the house will actually sit here.

plumbing and gravel base for slab has gone in 6th February 2020

Front seen from our neighbour's driveway

Electricity cabinet is up as well. You get a feel for here how close the houses sit... not much room down the sides of the house, but it's how they build here.

The very next day, we were so lucky to all go and check out the work, as Yasmin had been to an event all day, and wasn't sure if I could pick up Oscar in time from school, so Kasper worked from home in the afternoon so he could pick up Oscar (I was done in time though). 

We then decided to go by to see if anything had happened since yesterday (Thursday 6th February), and we were very surprised to see almost all the prep work for pouring the slab had been done. The workers were still fitting some metal sheeting inside where the concrete was going to be poured. 

Friday 7th February, frame for concrete slab being prepared with metal sheeting.

here you can see the waffle slab material being used.

We normally get an email update every Friday from our builder about the week's work and what they plan on doing the following week, but no email on Friday 7th February. However, as we had seen all the work going on, we though they might send us an update Monday, maybe they had been too busy Friday afternoon.

Surely enough, Monday morning 10th February at 7.20AM we receive the following two pictures from our site supervisor, sending us pictures of the slab being poured 😃 What an awesome start to the week! Oscar was just a little disappointed that there were no pictures of the concrete truck!!  

Slab being poured Monday 10th February at 7.20AM.

Obviously being quite excited about the slab pour in the morning, Oscar and I went to check it out after school pick-up. We didn't have time to go by in the morning because it's difficult enough to get out the door 30 minutes before school starts in order to get our 20-25 min peak hour drive in, and get there on time. 

We were very surprised to see the workers had already taken off most of the timber framework around the slab, and was cleaning it up nicely. Amazing that is actually dries so quickly. The longer the slab can sit and dry/cure, the better.

workers getting rid of the timber framework that was in place to shape the slab.

Now you can see where the front porch and garage will be, as it is slightly lower than the rest of the house.

Knowing that the slab will have to sit and cure for a while, we didn't expect anything else to happen this week, so did not visit every day, also because Oscar managed to pick up his first cold a week after starting school, so he was home sick from Tuesday to Thursday. Luckily, it was a quick cold to get over this time, and he was happy to go back to school Friday 14th February.

Friday morning after school drop off, I went by the block to see how everything was looking, and the slab looked nice and dry (this was before the massive thunderstorm and flash flooding we got Friday afternoon just in time for school pick up)...

Friday 14th February in the morning, slab looking good and dry.

We received an email from the builder that the next step next week is termite protection. This is a barrier they put in around the slab to prevent termites to get in and munch on the timber frame.

Kasper went to see the electric panel heater company on Saturday, so now all our heaters are the right sizes for the rooms, and a schedule is set up for that company to come and work with electricians to get the power points in the right spots for the heaters.

We are really excited to be off to a great start. From here on, it will be much more interesting when the frame starts going up and we can get a feel for how big the rooms are going to be 😄

I will try to update here regularly as the building continues!

Have a lovely weekend peeps 😘
Yasmin xx