We Are Making Progress

I cannot believe I have not added to this blog since June. Well alot happens in a few months when you are building, day to day it seems like small advances take forever but when I look back we now have what most people recognise as a house.

We have external claddings, minus the 2.5km of battens Dave has to paint and nail up, we have windows and doors that lock, a roof (more of that drama later), garage doors, electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation and the ceilings are lined. Even some walls will be lined by this evening.

What have been the dramas? Well the biggest and most stressful and costly has been the roofing. Under guidance from our architect we opted to go with a Bondor manufactured roof for a good percentage of the roofing. It became apparent prior to building that the product was not suitable for the main living area and this had to be redesigned to conventional steel roofing but Bondor remained over the central area of the house. Two roof areas were on and we were very pleased with the striking black roof. The builder phoned Bondor to order the roof in black to be told to his amazement, after considerable consultation previously with them over the order, that they no longer manufactured black as they had been having problems with warping. They suggested they supply in a creamy colour and we paint it black, but with no guarantee. Well that was no solution so back to the architect and the council, more money and another conventional roof goes on. Looks great but more council fees, more architect and engineering expenses. It is just too embarrasing to declare how much we have been invoiced by these people. Needless to say a meeting has taken place to get a resolution between ourselves and the architect on the unexpected and unplanned for invoices. He has reduced the cost but we still feel agrieved by the whole process. Oh well as the French say C'est la vie.

The highlights - well definitely still the view, the space, the lovely internal layout, only one story, the future fires on a cold night - there is nothing like looking at logs burning on a winters night. And the town - I feel very at home, no traffic, no traffic lights, no crowds, loads of things to join and do. I went to patchwork last night and had a great laugh, they were a real bunch of down to earth honest women who cared about each other and what amazing quilts during show and tell. We have joined the hobby beekeepers club and once you have tasted real live honey there is no going back.

That snow appeared after the winter was officially over, you know that huge storm that killed so many southern lambs, well we got this dumping that weekend too. The Tararuas had been pretty much snow free all winter, but what a sight from our living areas. I think they call it Paradise - well Paul Henry does when he is not making verbal blunders of another kind.

Some further photos -

 The stud farm that borders our land has so many horses and to see them grazing happily in the paddock is lovely.
God I sound like a soppy love story author, but it is truely relaxing to watch animals in a paddock after being around masses of people and cars on motorways.

Don't look too closely at the clay for miles out the front of the house. That will be a major getting a digger to move all the topsoil piled up at the back of the house and spreading it to sow grass. We have missed the spring sow so will have to be an autumn new lawn. Well that is once again Dave's problem.

Oh and yes that is a concrete table with benches on the deck, they needed somewhere to eat their lunch in the sun.

This is all lined with wallboard now. Do you like the corner opening doors?  Imagine the summer evenings sitting on the deck with a cold pinot gris. The girls here are already organising the house warming. I am just wanting a house to warm. A place of my own I can call home that doesn't involve paying rent. A garden I can wander in, pull out a few weeds, plant my own veges, fruit trees and canes of raspberries. I have them all you know, pots and pots ready for the big event.

Ok Au re voire to you all until the next blog.