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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 28th April 2015 |
Tuesday 28 April 2015
Framing Day 10
On the 10th day, the grand old lady of the street received her windows.
Sunday 26 April 2015
Framing Day 8
The framers had really wanted to get on with the job, so did some weekend work. This is what they had achieved by the end of the weekend.
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| 2:30pm 26th April 2015 |
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| 2:30pm 26th April 2015 |
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| 2:30pm 26th April 2015 |
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| 2:30pm 26th April 2015 |
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| 2:30pm 26th April 2015 |
Friday 24 April 2015
Wednesday 22 April 2015
Framing Day 5
This is what I found at the end of the 5th day of framing, 22nd April, 2015.
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| 5pm 22nd April 2015 |
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| 5pm 22nd April 2015 |
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| 5pm 22nd April 2015 |
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| 5pm 22nd April 2015 |
Tuesday 21 April 2015
Framing Day 4
By the middle of the fourth day of framing, the downstairs had been completed and the celing/floor of the first floor had been completed.
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| The 4th day of framing. |
Friday 17 April 2015
Frame overhang issues
I've seen a lot of posts on the forums about frame overhang, where the frame overhangs the slab by an amount, sometimes in excess of the building standards.
A lot of the owners are getting very upset by this.
We had one location where this happened to us (the front corner of the study).
I asked our independent inspector about it: "Should I be concerned?".
His answer was interesting, not quite what I expected, so I thought I'd share it here, hopefully to alleviate some stress and anxiety of owners.
Even if it is not to standard, even if it should proceed to VCAT/legal action, essentially what it boils down too, is this: will it functionally work?
Quite unexpectedly, pragmatism wins!
In the case above, I'd suggest that the overhang does not functionally impare the overall functional requirements of the frame. The inspector was not worried about it. No rectification was performed.
So hopefully, this real world example provides some information that helps ease any stress and anxiety that other owners many find themselves facing, should they experience a similar situation.
A lot of the owners are getting very upset by this.
We had one location where this happened to us (the front corner of the study).
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| A small amount of overhang. |
His answer was interesting, not quite what I expected, so I thought I'd share it here, hopefully to alleviate some stress and anxiety of owners.
Even if it is not to standard, even if it should proceed to VCAT/legal action, essentially what it boils down too, is this: will it functionally work?
Quite unexpectedly, pragmatism wins!
In the case above, I'd suggest that the overhang does not functionally impare the overall functional requirements of the frame. The inspector was not worried about it. No rectification was performed.
So hopefully, this real world example provides some information that helps ease any stress and anxiety that other owners many find themselves facing, should they experience a similar situation.
Thursday 16 April 2015
First days of framing!
True to form, the day after the first timber had been delivered, the framers started.
They did not muck around.
I spoke to the framer in charge. A young guy. He was happy to talk to us, for 5-10 minutes, but beyond that, he got itchy and wanted to get on with the job. He told us that we were one of the very few who actually got out of our cars and actually spoke to them. Most take pictures from their cars, some get out to take pictures and even fewer still talk to them. I was really surprised by this. They were even more surprised when we dropped off a carton of beers that night to them. "No one does that anymore!" They were happy enough to receive them, and personally, I don't think that it hurts to treat them as people.
I informed him that we'd be getting an independent inspector to review every stage of the build. His response was interesting: "I'm glad you told me. Now I have to do everything properly." (well, I've paraphrased his response to clean it up). Clearly he was not happy at the prospect of having his work critically examined. I asked the obvious question: "well, given the amount we are spending, shouldn't you be doing it right anyway?" That question went unanswered... He did whine a bit about "having to do it right" and that the inspectors "always pick up on bits that are not important" [to him at least]. Evidently he had a different opinion on the interpretation of the Australian Building Standards with respect to straps, tie downs and bracing. I'm glad that the independent inspector and our site supervisor sees things differently "code is code, and that's how it will be done".
It took them only an hour to add the frame for the dining room and alfresco!
By the end of the second day, even though it had rained, they had accomplished a lot.
Skipping ahead to the end of the frame stage, post frame inspection report: Yep. As expected, the issues that the framer whinged about were indeed what the inspector did pick up on. Our site supervisor made sure that they were rectified. I spoke to him about the issues that he was fixing. Whilst he was going to fix them, he did say "I was never taught this way of doing things...". Clearly the thought that he'd possibly been taught incorrectly had never crossed his mind. Although, I do wonder if it had been done deliberately, as an act of defiance.
Anyway, it is certainly not something that we have gotten stressed over. There is a good relationship between our site supervisor and our inspector, so I trust them to deliver what is needed. Our overall mandate to our site supervisor: we are not in a rush for this house, just do it right.
They did not muck around.
I spoke to the framer in charge. A young guy. He was happy to talk to us, for 5-10 minutes, but beyond that, he got itchy and wanted to get on with the job. He told us that we were one of the very few who actually got out of our cars and actually spoke to them. Most take pictures from their cars, some get out to take pictures and even fewer still talk to them. I was really surprised by this. They were even more surprised when we dropped off a carton of beers that night to them. "No one does that anymore!" They were happy enough to receive them, and personally, I don't think that it hurts to treat them as people.
I informed him that we'd be getting an independent inspector to review every stage of the build. His response was interesting: "I'm glad you told me. Now I have to do everything properly." (well, I've paraphrased his response to clean it up). Clearly he was not happy at the prospect of having his work critically examined. I asked the obvious question: "well, given the amount we are spending, shouldn't you be doing it right anyway?" That question went unanswered... He did whine a bit about "having to do it right" and that the inspectors "always pick up on bits that are not important" [to him at least]. Evidently he had a different opinion on the interpretation of the Australian Building Standards with respect to straps, tie downs and bracing. I'm glad that the independent inspector and our site supervisor sees things differently "code is code, and that's how it will be done".
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| 10am 16th April 2015 |
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| 10am 16th April 2015 |
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| 8:45am 17th April 2015 |
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| 10am 17th April 2015 |
By the end of the second day, even though it had rained, they had accomplished a lot.
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
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| 4pm 17th April 2015 |
Skipping ahead to the end of the frame stage, post frame inspection report: Yep. As expected, the issues that the framer whinged about were indeed what the inspector did pick up on. Our site supervisor made sure that they were rectified. I spoke to him about the issues that he was fixing. Whilst he was going to fix them, he did say "I was never taught this way of doing things...". Clearly the thought that he'd possibly been taught incorrectly had never crossed his mind. Although, I do wonder if it had been done deliberately, as an act of defiance.
Anyway, it is certainly not something that we have gotten stressed over. There is a good relationship between our site supervisor and our inspector, so I trust them to deliver what is needed. Our overall mandate to our site supervisor: we are not in a rush for this house, just do it right.
Wednesday 15 April 2015
First timber delivery
I had been informed that the first (of many to come) timber delivery was scheduled to arrive today. Sure enough, at 4pm, just as I was about to leave, a truck came rumbling along and made the first delivery. Yey!
Once it had been off loaded, the driver closed the gates, and took a picture of the load delivered and the address. Just to be able to prove that the load had indeed been delivered to the correct address!
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| The first of many deliveries to come. |
Once it had been off loaded, the driver closed the gates, and took a picture of the load delivered and the address. Just to be able to prove that the load had indeed been delivered to the correct address!
Monday 13 April 2015
Post Slab Pour Site Preparation.
The slab had been allowed to cure over the weekend. I drove past the block on Monday afternoon, not expecting to see anything, however, I was surprised.
There was some post site pour site preparation going on. The ground the house is on is primarily clay, so to make the builders life easier, they spreading gravel around the edges of the slab. I hope that it will be removed by the time that they finish, as it's one more thing that I'll be digging through...
There was some post site pour site preparation going on. The ground the house is on is primarily clay, so to make the builders life easier, they spreading gravel around the edges of the slab. I hope that it will be removed by the time that they finish, as it's one more thing that I'll be digging through...
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| A baby one! Can I have one? |
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| The gravel to help with the clay. |
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| A once clean slab is no more... |
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| The edge of the garage. |
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| The alfresco, looking towards where the pool will be. |
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| Looking into the garage. |
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| The entrance. |
Friday 10 April 2015
Quality Control of the Slab's Concrete
For those of you who have paid attention to the recent press about slab issues (particularly out west of Melbourne), you may, as I have, wondered about what, if any quality control was in place for the slab and it's concrete.
Our particular slab was thicker than normal. This particular thickness that I'm talking about is the thickness of the concrete above the waffle pod. Most are 85mm or 100mm. Ours was 125mm.
In addition, the comments from both our independent inspector and the guys who put it in place also said that it was a very heavily engineered slab. More so than usual. This was in relation to the amount, and gauge of mesh put in place.
The engineers who designed the slab, it's piering etc had their reasons for doing so. Who knows! I'm not an Mech/Civil Engineer. But both my brother (Mech Eng) and my father (Mech Eng and Metalurgist) are engineers...
All of that is fine, but the engineer would also have specified the strength of the concrete itself. It is specified in MPa (Mega Pascals). What if the concrete itself was not up to specification?
I was most surprised, and utterly thrilled to see that the concrete itself being tested.
How? They take samples, let them set, and the test them. Destructively. Which is the only way that it can be tested properly.
There was a man from Boral who was taking samples of the concrete, from each truck and making testing samples.
Samples from each truck were taken and placed into these setting pots. They each had a base and split down the middle.
They were then vibrated to allow the concrete to settle and then get rid of all air bubbles etc.
All of the samples were gathered together, and would be allowed to fully cure for seven days before being destructively tested to verify the concrete strength.
I asked the man taking the samples, how you would fix the concrete if it was not up to strength. He smiled and simply said "With a jack hammer!". Which would be the only thing you could do, as there is nothing that you can do once it's set.
So, with all of this engineering and testing, I'm hopeful that the slab issues that have plagued the building industry of late have been put to rest.
NOTE: As a follow up, please read Frame Overhang Issues for a discussion about slab issues and how they can be resolved.
Another follow up NOTE: The quality report has been received! Please read Quality Control of the Slab's Concrete - The Report for details.
Our particular slab was thicker than normal. This particular thickness that I'm talking about is the thickness of the concrete above the waffle pod. Most are 85mm or 100mm. Ours was 125mm.
In addition, the comments from both our independent inspector and the guys who put it in place also said that it was a very heavily engineered slab. More so than usual. This was in relation to the amount, and gauge of mesh put in place.
The engineers who designed the slab, it's piering etc had their reasons for doing so. Who knows! I'm not an Mech/Civil Engineer. But both my brother (Mech Eng) and my father (Mech Eng and Metalurgist) are engineers...
All of that is fine, but the engineer would also have specified the strength of the concrete itself. It is specified in MPa (Mega Pascals). What if the concrete itself was not up to specification?
I was most surprised, and utterly thrilled to see that the concrete itself being tested.
How? They take samples, let them set, and the test them. Destructively. Which is the only way that it can be tested properly.
There was a man from Boral who was taking samples of the concrete, from each truck and making testing samples.
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| Ever seen a thermometer in concrete? Now you have. |
They were then vibrated to allow the concrete to settle and then get rid of all air bubbles etc.
All of the samples were gathered together, and would be allowed to fully cure for seven days before being destructively tested to verify the concrete strength.
I asked the man taking the samples, how you would fix the concrete if it was not up to strength. He smiled and simply said "With a jack hammer!". Which would be the only thing you could do, as there is nothing that you can do once it's set.
So, with all of this engineering and testing, I'm hopeful that the slab issues that have plagued the building industry of late have been put to rest.
NOTE: As a follow up, please read Frame Overhang Issues for a discussion about slab issues and how they can be resolved.
Another follow up NOTE: The quality report has been received! Please read Quality Control of the Slab's Concrete - The Report for details.
Slab Pour Day!
The day started early, at 7am, with a call from Matt, PD's Slab Mgr telling me that all issues had been rectified (as expected) and had also been checked by their engineer (most unexpected). He also said that there were several concrete trucks lined up and ready to go!
We had a look at around 9am to see what progress had been made. There was one truck filling a line pumper, with another one waiting.
We stopped to talk to one of the Boral concrete truck drivers. I asked him how much they held. If I remember correctly, he said that he can hold 5.8 cubic meters, but they only allow him 5.4. I do not know why.
I asked Matt how much concrete went into the slab. 84 cubic meters! I also found out that they went over double (25.8 instead of 12 cubic meters) the amount of concrete for the piers.
We next popped around at 3:20pm. The slab had been poured and they were now applying detailing finishes (edging, finalising the surface etc). As some of the concrete had set enough for the support boxing to be removed.
We came back around around 5pm, to see how much things had progressed.
We were there until 6pm, and they were only just finishing up. That's an 11 hour day, of hard, back breaking work. It's not a job I could do (or want to do for that matter).
Earlier in the day, we got them all a large subway platter of food and some drinks. We ended the day with a carton of Crown Lager. They were totally gob-smacked! But happy enough to receive it as well. Evidently it does happen very often... I don't think that it hurts to show a little appreciation.
Matt gave me a call late in the afternoon letting us know that he was done, and that we'd soon be contacted by our site supervisor who would oversee the rest of the build. I gave Matt some positive feedback, which he greatly appreciated.
The day did not end there though. We arrived home to find an email in my in box. It was the invoice for the slab...
We had a look at around 9am to see what progress had been made. There was one truck filling a line pumper, with another one waiting.
We stopped to talk to one of the Boral concrete truck drivers. I asked him how much they held. If I remember correctly, he said that he can hold 5.8 cubic meters, but they only allow him 5.4. I do not know why.
I asked Matt how much concrete went into the slab. 84 cubic meters! I also found out that they went over double (25.8 instead of 12 cubic meters) the amount of concrete for the piers.
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| The back of the slab had been poured, starting on the garage. The second guy is using a vibrator that helps settle the concrete. |
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| Lots to do. |
We next popped around at 3:20pm. The slab had been poured and they were now applying detailing finishes (edging, finalising the surface etc). As some of the concrete had set enough for the support boxing to be removed.
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| Detailing the portico as it joins the house level. |
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| A little more... |
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| Pulling down the supports. |
We came back around around 5pm, to see how much things had progressed.
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| Sitting high above ground level. The rear of the house is even higher. |
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| The garage. |
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| Looking across the garage to the rear. |
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| The alfresco. There is meant to be a drain somewhere in there... |
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| Looking from the rear to the front. |
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| Looking from the rear to the garage. |
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| Looking through the garage to the rear. |
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| All detailing finished. |
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| Finally! A wide enough angle to show everything! All done! |
We were there until 6pm, and they were only just finishing up. That's an 11 hour day, of hard, back breaking work. It's not a job I could do (or want to do for that matter).
Earlier in the day, we got them all a large subway platter of food and some drinks. We ended the day with a carton of Crown Lager. They were totally gob-smacked! But happy enough to receive it as well. Evidently it does happen very often... I don't think that it hurts to show a little appreciation.
Matt gave me a call late in the afternoon letting us know that he was done, and that we'd soon be contacted by our site supervisor who would oversee the rest of the build. I gave Matt some positive feedback, which he greatly appreciated.
The day did not end there though. We arrived home to find an email in my in box. It was the invoice for the slab...
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