formwork for roof slab

Formwork supports for the roof slab went up yesterday, so we can now see the finished extents of the box that is the apartment house. We have decided (for the time being) to leave the internal ceiling as exposed soffit to see how we go with concrete floor and concrete ceilings...so the office kids designed up a layout for the form-boards and lighting conduits...hopefully the boys on site follow the plan first go, or I will be on site with a crow-bar!


Zac also managed to clamber on top of the building in the early evening to snap some pics of the view and the sunset - turns out we have an even better view than we hoped. Good progress.

bricks to plate height

The handy thing about building a house so small is that things happened very, very quickly. Within 3 days of brick-laying (including one day off for bad weather) the external walls of the apartment house area all but complete, and the bathroom is all but bricked-up. The steel columns to support the roof and the north facade are also in place.

The space is really starting to take shape, though the roof will make a major difference to the feel and the light when it goes on in the following weeks. But for now we have distinguishable rooms and some sense of accomplishment ...

first day's bricks

Zac swung by the block yesterday afternoon to check the progress:

brickies, brickies everywhere

After a 2 day delay, and just in time for the rain, the brickies have arrived on site. Met them on site this morning with the builder, Chris, and talked through the tricky detailing issues that result from using uncommon face-finish bricks. The solutions should present as nice little details in the finished walls.


Depending on the weather, the bricks should take 4 days to complete...cross fingers, people.

slab party

Last night Zac and I threw a small Slab Party to say thanks to our families, friends and colleagues who have helped us get this project off the ground. So it was champagne and beers on the slab under candle-light (power not hooked up yet). The photos aren't great but they commemorate an important stage in this undertaking.

concrete pour day

Well, we have a floor...we have big, wet ground floor. A couple of hiccups with the pour but all-in-all a straight forward and successful day. You can see where the bathroom will be and the pipework for the sanitary ware and the kitchen appliances - who would've imagined that pvc piping could be so exciting!


Curing, then steel, then blockwork.

footings pt.2

Footings are done, termites are done, reo is done. Nerves haven't dissipated yet, but I couldn't stop it if I wanted to! Bring on the floor slab, people!