Extensions - External
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Demolishing the Old Verandah
Once upon a time our home was little, before we added a huge home to it. Building our ‘new home’ has been our focus for the past decade and blending the old and new has never been fully completed. Demolishing the old verandah is part of the process to complete the blending of the ‘two houses’, then we can finish painting the ‘old house’. A couple of weekends ago, whilst the verandah was being completed out the back, the rest of the workforce was demolishing the old verandah out the front. First step was the removal of the posts. The roofing iron had been removed years back, so as we…
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Completing the Verandah, We’re Thrilled
Completing the Verandah is so exciting! Finally a project begun years ago was taken back up and completed. We began the verandah in 2012. First cementing the piers, then bearers and joists, then laying the decking boards for the side and side and ‘front’ verandahs. Work then came to a halt as we pondered how to complete ‘section 3’ of our ‘front’ verandah. Life intervened, other building projects shifted our focus, in the meantime we made do with particleboard sheets on this last section. First tasks up was selecting, cutting and laying the joists. As the joists had been stored in the yard under sheets of roofing iron for nearly…
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Beating the Bushfires With Eaves
It was recently bought to my attention that I never did share our story of how we went about beating the bushfires with eaves. How installing eaves increased the protection our home from Bushfires. Originally we began installing eaves on our ‘front’ verandah and deck back in February 2019. This was a long project that spanned many, many months. Like with much of our building progress it had to fit around the margins of an increasingly overflowing life. Firstly PC had to prepare the boxing in, the cutting and installation of the battens in preparation for the cement sheeting to be nailed onto. Then with the aid of our…
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Walls Are Up!
It is mid winter here, so having no external walls on our kitchen created a strong desire to build the framing and get those walls up ‘post haste’. To this end PC ‘burnt the candles at both ends’ last week, arriving home after work only to turn his hand to building. His ability to create and solve anything as always continues to impress me and I’m always grateful for his talents. When in the midst of a project and your framing gun finally ‘bites the dust’, this of course means you must buy a new one, reporting that PC is most happy with his new gun. (Old gun pictured) The frames were both installed…
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An Unimpeded View
The weekend before last we began the next phase of our kitchen renovations. After impatiently patiently waiting for weeks our windows finally arrived. Before installing the windows, the external walls of the kitchen needed to be removed so new wall frames to include the windows could be built. Stripping walls back to their studs in our ‘old’ house is always illuminating and is guaranteed to bring forth plenty of comments about old building code practices and dodgy workmanship, the ‘enthusiasm’ is sufficient enough that even the younger children are conversant in head shaking and mutterings about framing and studs or their lack thereof. Take the window above, no supporting beam, the window sag is now explained. Attention…
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An Improved Appearance
As last year drew to a conclusion we embarked upon a mammoth month; preparing for and undertaking re-roofing our ‘old house,’ then a whirlwind of events taking us from home, including our oldest Son’s College Graduation, Christmas and holidaying in Sydney. Whilst we were away the two windows for the ‘new’ front wall were delivered. Once home we commenced installing the windows. The new windows help convey an ‘all one house’ appearance, externally there is no longer a big house, little house look about our home. Once the girls had nailed on the bracing, PC and team were able to install the second window. Next task was to measure, cut…
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Roof Completed!
Finally after two long, challenging weeks our roofing is complete! Through days of alternating 40C/104F temperatures and rains we persevered and made it through. Our old house/new house is no longer, it is all one house externally. I’ve already shared the ‘chronicles’ and now for the conclusion. Beams In Place Demolishing The Front Of The House Walls Go Up, Roof Comes Down Trusses Are On! First Stretch of Iron On! Monday thru to the following Thursday In other words a further week and a half After installing the ‘straight stretch’ of iron sheets on the front of the house on the Sunday, PC then had to return to work.…
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First Stretch of Iron On
We are owner builders, we’ve been building our home for six years now. Last week we began re-roofing our ‘old house’ though the intense heat of 40C/104F and then the rains have made this major project difficult but we have persevered. I’ve been keeping a record of our ‘chronicles’, so continuing the story. The previous chronicles are: Beams In Place Demolishing The Front Of The House Walls Go Up, Roof Comes Down Trusses Are On! Saturday & Sunday Saturday we began screwing the sarking into place. The race was on to complete this task before the afternoon as my brother D was leaving then. He was an incredible help all week,…
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Trusses Are On!
We are currently re-roofing our ‘old house’. Chronicling the days here for us to remember and for you, those keen to know the details. Thus far in chronological order we have; Beams In Place Demolishing The Front Of The House Walls Go Up, Roof Comes Down Thursday & Friday As Thursday was forecasted to be yet another extremely hot 40C/104F+ day, 6am saw us all awake and beginning to lift the trusses onto the roof, this was a rather exciting moment in the building schedule, trusses have a strong visual impact. The race was on to complete before the weather became unbearably hot outside. As ‘many hands make light work,’ we managed…
