Promises to Keep

Jim and I promised that, if it was at all possible, we would not spend another hot sweating summer in our cramped, dusty impossible to keep clean and tidy 'temporary accomodation'. The whole thing has just about reached it's use by date and things are falling apart and a bad summer thunderstorm could drive the nail into it's coffin. We thought if we can be in by Christmas that would be great so we have worked to this end, despite delays and me too-ing and fro-ing to Brisbane for my final eye surgery. Hooray!

Well, our promise has been kept.
Furniture was hauled out of the shed and 2 years accumulation of dirt, leaves, rodent and gecko poo was scrubbed off. Ya gotta love solid timber furniture that can stand this sort of treatment with a final blast off with the hose. Dried in the sun, and with the assistance of 'Bobby' and his fork tines, moved up to await entry on the front verandah. 
On Friday 29th November, yep that's right November at 6.30am, all the cold stuff came out of the fridge and the fridge was moved up to the house. Next followed our bed, the other couch from the shed, and the TV, the contents of the kitchen in the caravan, the furniture hauled off the verandah and put in their appointed places. 
Critical boxes were opened in the shed and contents washed, folding tables became work benches and voila!

 Our temporary kitchen and dining area.
The sink is outside and not a bad place to work, even if it is subject to the Currawongs pinching the kitchen sponges and the vagaries of the weather

 The other side of the kitchen.

 

 The other end of the kitchen/dining including the cocky with no feathers. He loves this spot - close to the kitchen and able to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the local birds.

One end of the lounge aka the 'media room', well media nook really.

The other end is pretty bare, but a rug and some creativity I have planned for a brass framed coffee table will help.

And look! we even have a bedspread and fancy cushion on our bed!

 Still lots to do on the interior including the hall, bedroom 2 and the bathroom as well as lots of boxes still to unpack, but we are IN and life is good!

SO BRING ON THE CHRISTMAS INVASION!!!!

The date for eye surgery was locked 'n' loaded so in order to placate the butterfly that was starting to flex it's wings in my stomach, I figured that eye surgery couldn't possibly be worse than a root canal and I was right, it is far better than a root canal. No stainless steel implements of torture filling your mouth, no drowning in saliva cos the suction is on the wrong side, no dentist that insists on asking you to tell him/her about your holidays - OH you're having a root canal next week is that right?

From prep time to off the table was about an hour. At the end of this time I was sporting a most fetching eye bandage consisting of a stonking great pad, big plastic dome and about 40 metres of micropore tape specifically placed to cover all eyebrows and any other area of skin containing hair follicles.
Abby and Isaac wanted to know why my eye was bandaged. I told them that Grandma had had an operation so she could be a pirate. Abby looked skeptical while Isaac was delighted with the notion. So pirate talking began. 
"Arrrrgh Jim lad, wherre be me poirate hat?" Abby, rising to the challenge appeared with a black tricorn hat, worthy of Cap'n Jack Sparrow hisself, which was duly placed on head at junty angle. "Arrrrgh matey and where be me poirate sworrrrd?" Isaac broke into a big grin bolted to his room and returned with a plastic sword. (The things kids have in their rooms) Much swashing and buckling, plank walking and aaaring ensued until Grandma conceded that pirating was quite exhausting.
Sometime during the night the local anaesthetic wore off and it felt like a gravel truck came by and dumped a load in my eye. Lots of fumbling around looking for the Panadol  which became my best friend ever.
Next morning the eye bandage was ripped off gently removed taking eyebrow hair and exfoliating my cheek.

WOOOOAAAHHH I was prepared for being able to see clearly like seeing the leaves on the trees. Hell I can even see the bugs on the leaves on the trees but I was totally unprepared for the light. The brilliant painful blinding light!
Am getting used to the "new eye" and I go back this weekend for a check and hopefully a date for the other eye.
Stay tuned for morrrre adventures me hearrrrties.

Boring Wall Shots

That's what I was going to inflict on you.

Lots and lots of walls and close ups of screws beautifully placed just below the surface of the gyprock, oh and shots of joint tape then acres of horizontal and vertical plastered joints and the subtle spotting of filled screw holes.
But then I took pity on you and decided on Boring Ceiling Shots instead!

The Feral Fossil Team's greatest challenge was to get the gyprock from floor level to ceiling height. We looked at hiring a panel lifter - $130 per week eeek at our pace we would need a morgtage. So bought one for 190 bucks - bargain!
Meet the 'Tangerine Dream Machine'

Tilt the head, lift a sheet onto the arms, lower head, wheel into position and crank it up. Too easy

First panel in place ready to screw off. (You won't believe how many screws are in this house)

Takes about an hour to measure, cut, check the fit, glue battens, re fit sheet and screw off.
Had this done by Sunday afternoon. Will have lounge finished this morning. 
To start the kitchen/dining we have to move the cornice somewhere so that we don't trip over it or damage it. You have no idea how many times we have to shift stuff

Getting Plastered

Yep that's the plan. 
After all, the white tangle of wires have been run from power points and light switches. 

The trench from the solar shed to the house has been dug and the power cable fed through bright orange conduit, and the trench back filled. 
The quilted foil insulation has been laid across the roof and the plumber has been and run the internal copper pipes, so we decided that getting plastered was the go.
Visions of champagne cocktails, bloody marys, Bundy'n'coke, copious quantities of XXXX and us rolling unsteadily out of the door of the local pub no doubt flashed upon your inner eye, but not so.
This morning a truck arrived and by 9am this was all over the front verandah and inside.

We didn't have to lift a finger. Everything was unloaded and place where we requested.

After lunch we got stuck into getting plastered

First of the 6 metre panels up against the wall.

We had a go at putting the second 6 metre sheet on the top of the wall BUT. . . so cut it down and put it up in two sections. Will mean more joints and filling, which is preferable to doing our backs in.

So the main wall in the lounge is done and it took us about 2 hours.
More wall tomorrow!
 

It's Easy Being GREEN!

Two weeks ago the house looked like this. . .

Then came this . . .

Followed by the whole front

 Back verandah in both directions

The house from the top of the drive

 And from the rear laundry corner

 WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!
 

Singin' da Blues

After 2 weeks with the assistance of Derrick, a German backpacker, the ceiling is now completed with all the plaster battens in place.

 Had the framing inspection and we are now able to start the cladding and organise the first fix for the plumbing and the wiring.
Then the sarking was started, silver side inside, blue facing out.

Next step - putting on the building's 'overcoat' and we will finally get to see what has been in our mind's eye for so long!

 

After the Gap

Yikes I can't believe it's been two months since I have updated the blog.
The weather over December and January has been so hot here and really all we wanted to do was sit somewhere cool and do as little as possible. In January I went to Melbourne for my nephew Lliam and Rachael's wedding. Fun week with my sister, daughter and people I haven't seen for years.
Arrived back and walked straight into ex-tropical cyclone Oscar. The rainfall was much worse then last year and our creek ran at 20m deep. Bundaberg had the worst flood in history and so many people totally lost their homes and businesses, some still recovering from the last flood.
We were OK, just some water in 'Our Gunyah' and the inconvenience of not being able to get out.

House Report 
We have finished all the internal framing and bracing.

Last Saturday this arrived . . .

 YAY - WINDOWS!!! All the way from CKA on the Gold Coast. Shane has been 'minding' our glass for 18 months and I bet he's glad to see it gone. Really pleased with the quality and coming so far. Thanks Shane.

The view through the above door.

And our bank of louvres

Now the windows are in we can measure for the cladding which will be delivered with the ceiling sections. Install the ceilings and we can get our framing inspection, then we get on with the build all the way up to the final!!