Tuesday 20th December 2011

Tuesday 20^th December 2011

Two long days Friday and Saturday the team worked energetically marking out, digging and setting up reinforcing steel for the foundations. Three different machines were onsite, two at a time continually working on various activities, plus a truck carting away surplus fill as it was dug from the foundations. This is where unavoidable costs come in, you pay to have fill brought in to raise the levels then you pay to have it removed as they dig the foundations.

During Saturday morning a vehicle pulled up outside followed by a large truck with an excavator on it, another with a large concrete water tank and yet another large crane truck to lift the tank into place. The plan being that an underground 5000ltr water tank was to be installed at the rear of the house, why this wasn’t done before trenches were dug and steel work set up has got me beat, I guess the best of plans can go wrong. After a lot of pacing up and down measuring access for various sized trucks, a lot of irate gesticulation and heated discussions they decided they couldn’t do it and all disappeared so I presume plan B will be eventually carried out, whatever that may be. (wonder who picks up the tab for that lot?)

Just after lunch on Saturday a large concrete pump arrived and set up in our driveway (the cottage) and for the next few hours a string of concrete agitators delivered concrete which was subsequently pumped around the site into the maize of trenches keeping the kids in the park opposite intrigued for ages.

When it was all over just on dark, and all but the concrete contractor had gone, I lent him a hand and hosed off the road and foot path, he told me he was pleased with how it had all gone but was pleased it was all over as it was one of the most complex jobs he had carried out due to the restriction on a narrow block, the fact that piers and bridging beams had to be established over the line of the sewer and the foundations had been engineered very deep because it was all on compacted fill, 46 cubic metres of concrete went into the footings and the slab is yet to be done, an average house of this size would normally take about 35 cubic metres for footings and slab.  The house shouldn’t fall over.

No more activity until the New Year although the surveyor was back onsite yesterday to re-establish all the key alignments. The concreter intends to start in the first week of the NY so if they get the slab done early at least the concrete won’t be quite so green when Casey’s crew start a couple of weeks later.

Someone posted an anonymous comment to my last post suggesting I should stop stressing as it will all happen. I couldn’t agree more, it will happen as the builder wants to get it done as much as anyone does. To be honest I don’t really stress over it, perhaps I make it sound as if I do, but I do get frustrated mainly with people procrastinating such as the Council and certifying engineers that nit pick and timing of activities that get affected by inclement weather, something we’ve got no control over but annoying just the same. Anyway as anonymous said, “it will happen”.

 Funny thing a large crane truck arrived a little while ago the driver wandered around for a while making phone calls he eventually asked me about access to the site via the cottage driveway, a few more phone calls and it disappeared for the second time, this is a well travelled water tank.

Don’t know if I have mentioned previously our family of four and one of Nancy’s sisters plus companion are joining us for Xmas Day lunch at the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club where there will be an emphasis on seafood plus the normal Xmas fare should be most enjoyable and a lot easier than the normal preparations. In the afternoon weather permitting other family members and our old neighbours are joining us at the cottage and if anyone reading this is in the area you will be most welcome to join us, bring your own chair and drinks.

Apart from all that I sincerely hope everybody has a most enjoyable and safe Christmas and the New Year brings us all good health and happiness.

Cheers for now.

Update since I started this post and hadn’t published it.  Around lunch time “the tank man” arrived and marked out where the notorious underground water tank had to go,  he then proceeded to bend down all the reo starter bars sticking up in the concrete, in a wide enough path for a truck to back over the site. With that an excavator arrived and they went about digging an almost 3 metre deep hole to accommodate the tank which suddenly re-appeared on a large crane truck and this time the driver promptly and carefully reversed across the site from front to back along the tight avenue of bent reo starter bars. While the crane truck was setting up to place the 5000ltr concrete water tank into the appointed hole a large tanker truck arrived with potable water so the tank could be partially filled to prevent it floating should ground water be present (just as they do with swimming pools). Once in place with its content of water and connecting points temporarily capped, the hole was backfilled to ground level. Thankfully it all went very smoothly.