Week 2

Last week I joked about rain and flooding given all we had between us and Mother Nature was some heavy duty tarp. That 'ole tarp seems to be doing its job, and I am happy to say there have been no leaks. Fingers-crossed we remain this lucky, until we have an actual roof on the upper floor.

This week was all about flooring and structural beams. Despite the inconsistent weather, the days when we do have builders onsite, things happen at lighting speed. The new windows also arrived this week - and my gosh, I love the colonial bars. It will bring a real farmhouse feel to the space, which we adore.

What impresses me the most of all the construction activities, is the sheer agility of builders as they traverse their way up and down, and around a 0.5m wide ledge of ramp and scaffold. At one point I even saw a builder (just one!) hoist one of the steel beams on his shoulder and run up the ramp like he was going to pole vault that baby onto the roof! It's like the Cirque de Soleil of construction!

Dust management has been okay this week, but the noise is something else. It's constant, and loud and we are lucky to be at work and school while the bulk of the construction work is happening. People genuinely looked at us like we were crazy when we said we were going to stay in the house throughout the build, unless it became a safety hazard. Missing out on the build would be akin to getting on a plane, falling asleep, and then waking up in another country! You miss the journey! And I really didn't want to miss our renovation journey - after all we are only doing it once (you can quote me on that).

I also think it's so important for children to see hard work and effort, and I hope that by deciding to stay and see the progress of our home, they have a new found appreciation of the effort it took to transform it into a space that works for all of us. The packing up stage before this was equally vital, as sometimes, I believe it's okay for kids to 'rough' it and go without to truly appreciate what they have. Watching them donate their old toys, and pack away their keep toys was very much a lesson in valuing what you have, and what others don't. It will also make their own belongings all the more precious to them when they place it in their new, individual spaces.

To say that we are keen to be in our new space is an understatement! Next week, we will enter a new phase of transformation when our wall and roof frames go up, and it starts looking like an actual structure.

images: Shelley Stephens for Little Elm House

Week 1

It's been a long, rainy week in Sydney to mark the beginning of construction. The sun made an appearance later in the week so work could progress on site, and slowly and surely the front facade of the house disappeared amongst framing and scaffolding. It has made the house look very small and vulnerable and I am trying to focus on the bigger picture as it gets swallowed by construction materials.

Naturally with constructions, we have taken over the whole street with trucks coming and going and I really hope my neighbours take it in their stride with all the activity and noise. We live in a quiet street most of the time, but not so much at the moment thanks to the Stephens family. Better remember to send them all Christmas cards thanking them for their patience and tolerance!

As of Friday, the roof has been off and the house exposed to the elements. If there was ever a time to pray for the rain to stay away, this was it!

A meeting with the external cladding company late in the week had us looking to change the colour to a lighter grey, and let's hope some savings for even more exciting things like decorating and furniture. We would have loved a darker grey but for the sake of efficiency a lighter colour is probably a more wise selection.

The rate at which the project has been moving along is both scary and exciting. To give you an indication: 7:30am builders started constructing an external ramp to access the roof, 8:45am ramp was constructed and excess materials loaded onto truck for removal, and 10:15am roof was off and morning tea was on the cards. Having said that, the rest of the day was not without its issues including delivery of the wrong windows and a section of the ceiling falling in! While these can cause frustration and concern, knowing you have a responsive team of builders goes a long way.

Timewise, if the weather behaves we may be cladding the exterior mid September followed by some scaffolding coming down, and continuation of internal work on the first floor. The cut in for the internal staircase will also happen at this point so the kids will be bunking in with mum and dad - heaven help us all!

Watch this space for next week's post on flooding and internal water damage due to rain....joking...I hope...

images: Shelley Stephens for Little Elm House