One of the challenging aspects of this build has been the downtime caused by rain.  I guess that's what happens when building starts at the beginning of the wet season.  My last post was optimistic.  In fact, over the past couple of weeks we have seen storms and rain squalls on a fairly regular basis.  Our road was too boggy and slippery in a couple of sections to allow any traffic to come up.  I think we rescheduled the delivery of the water tanks at least three times and had to push back the plumber's start date because we still couldn't get our roof started.  

During this time we were liasing fairly regularly with Nick (our building mentor) who offered to get a quote for the roofing materials.  I had chased up three quotes in all but it was the supplier Nick had approached that won the day with a very good price.   There were a couple of days of fine weather which allowed us to get Josh, our preferred excavator operator, to come and prepare the pads for the tanks.  Only a minor cut was required to level the pad for the four biggest tanks (4 x 22,700 litres) and none for our smaller tank (13,638 litres).  At the same time, we had 5 cubic metres of crusher dust delivered and then Josh packed it down and levelled it. 

Paul and his brother Mark, who was visiting from Perth, also got into the swing of it.  Now all we had to do was wait for the tanks to be delivered.  They were coming from a depot in Dalby.  

Finally, this week, a reprieve in the weather.  We didn't waste time.  On Thursday 16th we had the roofing materials delivered. 















On Friday 17th we had the tanks delivered and placed on their pads.   















Also on Friday, Nick and Paul completed the fascia and guttering.  Nick had very cleverly designed a fascia flashing to take the guttering given I am not having soffits but opting for unlined eaves (the shed look).  They did a brilliant job.  






















Saturday 18th was R day - the day Mark, Anthony and Nick arrived to put the roof on.    While Mark and Anthony did the height work, Nick and Paul did their bidding on the ground cutting the insulation blanket, passing up sheets etc.    











I love the roof.  Mark and Anthony are such good tradesmen - their work is neat and accurate.  I'm also aware that the roof sheets will highlight any mistakes way back at the set out stage.  If the set out is too far out then the roof sheets can have a sawtooth effect.  Ours is perfect - thanks to Nick's brilliant setting out, Josh for his very expert excavation of the holes and Mark and crew doing such a perfect job on the construction of the subfloor.

And at the end of the day we had a roof over our house with temporary connections to the water tank until the plumber arrives and puts in the permanent connections.  In proper building tradition, we had to celebrate the roof....











Thanks Anthony...

 Nick...
. 

         

 Mark and Paul.  Well done guys. 

And now to the next stage....I'd like to say what's happening this week but a check of the weather sites tell us we're in for a wet week culminating in a predicted 50ml rainfall on Friday.  Never mind, there's always some tasks that can be worked on off site.   

The end of the first week of February and we have completed a major stage of the build - the complete frame is now up.  

The week commenced with putting up the last of the bracing sheets and getting the roof trusses on as well as the battens.  A smooth run to the finish was not to be with the rain cutting short one working day, cancelling another and on the other days causing many frustrating stops and starts for the framing guys.  








Still they had a goal and that was to finish by the end of the first week of February and perseverance got them there.  




That's my studio up there!






























 
It's done and the framing guys leave for the last time on Friday.  I think I'm going to miss having them around.  
























All weekend I have been walking around in the house getting a feel for the spaces and picturing what will go where.  Via a ladder I have been climbing up to my eyrie and loving the views.  I know exactly where I'm going to put my various art work tables and bits and pieces - oh and of course a comfy day bed to just take in the views.

We attempted to have our water tanks delivered this week - five in all.  Unfortunately, the truck came on a day of intermittent showers and there were sections of the track up the last part of the mountain that were proving a little testing.  There has been more traffic in the past three weeks on this track than I've seen in eighteen years.  While the work I had done to seal the track was holding up well enough other sections which I had not had sealed were becoming a bog or too slippery.  The truck driver delivering the tanks took the first two up and refused to take the second lot up, which were waiting further down on a trailer.   That is to be rescheduled to this week.   This weekend has been clear and hot so the boggy bits of the track have dried out nicely.  

The roof sheeting plan has changed in the last couple of days.  The contractor who I had chosen is unable to get on to the job for at least two weeks as they are now trying to catch up with all their work since the break in the weather.  That's too long for me as I need the roof on to get at least two tanks connected before any more rain comes.  The new plan is for Nick (our mentor and a retired builder), Anthony (son of Nick and one of the framing guys) and Paul to sheet the roof.  Nick is figuring out all the materials required and then I will be doing a very hurried whip around for quotes for supply.  Hopefully, the roof will start in a week or so.  

The plumber came up today to start measuring and figuring out pipe lines.  He will start work in the next week or so.   Meanwhile, I have to make final decisions on tapware and bathroom fixtures.  That's a fun bit.