AIM: To build an architect-designed 3 bedroom timber house in the Blue Mountains within a total building budget of $250,000 + driveway costs.

Follow me along the journey – I'll be calling on the experts from Tyrrells Property Inspections for help along the way.

If you have any tips or suggestions for owner-building, please contact me by email at Tyrrells.com.

Here we go... to skip to a topic use the index below.

May 1999

Purchase land in Leura, in the Blue Mountains – land approx ¼ acre. Beautiful treed block. Climb crabapple to look at possible southerly view of the escarpment. Settlement goes smoothly.

August 1999

Get local surveyor to put boundary pegs on block and mark trees on site plan .

September 1999 to November 1999

Investigate possibilities for building a kit or project house on block – assuming this would be a more economical method of building. One reputable project builder (who will remain nameless) very tardy in drawing up plans so decide to get architect to design house. A second project builder provides quote for lovely architect-designed timber home but it is in the $260,000 range + GST+ some excavation costs+ pcs. Unfortunately it’s too expensive.

November 1999

Contact council to discuss building – get copy of Council’s LEP (local environment plan) – meet with council (pre-pay $60 to Council to arrange meeting) on block to look at where the house would be best positioned and any particular issues that Council may have about the block. Council says must build at the back of block where there is a natural space and also to avoid removing beautiful oak tree – fine with me!!

Meet next door neighbours – a retired couple – very nice. Keen on the garden.

Feb/March 2000

Search for suitable/recommended architect and decide to use the architect recommended by the second project builder. Like the architect and he is local to me in Sydney – he’s experienced in domestic architecture.

March 2000

Meet with architect and look at some of the houses he has designed (mainly around Pittwater in Sydney’s north) Take a trip on boat to look at same – quite fun and Pittwater is lovely in the early morning – but definitely not as nice as the blue mountains in the morning mist – well to me anyway. Discuss a flat fee for drawing up the plans – 3% which in this case is $6,000 + GST. Ensure that this includes submitting the plans to Council (but not the council fees) and negotiating with council prior to submission. Take a trip to Leura and meet the architect on the block. Discuss position of the house on the block – must capture filtered view to the south – relay conversations with Council and provide architect with details of who to contact at Council. Mention that driveway position must avoid bowerbird nest in northwest corner – the nest has marvellous collection of blue lids, bottle tops, pegs and straws. And, of course, a bower bird.

Find a place to have a cup of coffee – the first of many.

April 2000

Confirm arrangements with architect in writing and document all the details required in the house, eg fireplace, underfloor heating, water tank, doubleglazing, timber etc. And of course the building budget. Decide to only use the architect to design the house – not for supervision during the process. Shall use Tyrrells for the supervision.

May 2000

Meet architect to look at first draft of plans – make revisions. Decide to have ensuite – this makes 3 bathrooms. Architect thinks this will be expensive – but I prefer not to share bathroom with guests on a cold night. Take trip to mountains with architect to see Council – discover that council will not allow three levels even if house is within 8 metre high building envelope. Back to the drawing board to unstack house to two levels.

June/July 2000

Architect revises plans and adjusts. Outcome is probably better, not so much like telephone box (ie tall and thin) – house now stretched out. Have reduced size of garage from double to single. Also it is better to discuss any issues with Council prior to submitting plans because resubmitting can be costly – both from the architect’s fees and Council fees – plus of course the hassle.

House area is approximately 185 square metres; garage is about 28 square metres and verandah area is 60 square metres. Making a total of about 270 square metres.

August 2000

Get Tyrrells Property Inspections to do a PlanCheck on the plans. Tyrrells suggest a few revisions and point out some things to consider – change the entry slightly – good idea. Architect does final revisions. Check the plans again. Give architect a cheque for Council fees (roughly in the $2000 range) which includes approval and development and construction certificate costs.

September 2000

Architect submits plans and specifications to Council. Plans expected to take 4 to 6 weeks. Received letter from Council acknowledging receipt of plans. Sent a copy of plans (with covering note) to neighbour on South boundary (the only one I know) – although Council will notify neighbours and send them a copy of the plans – so that any objections they may have can be dealt with. Architect handles one or two comments from neighbour on west boundary to do with a window on the west and a slight error on the plan which said that the fence/hedge would be replaced – agree not to replace hedge (this gives west neighbour privacy).

November 2000

Plans approved – view plans below .

Basement

Ground Floor

Loft

North-east elevation

South-east elevation

North-west elevation

South-west elevation

Fantastic – Not as difficult as one might have expected owing to good architect and dealing with problems early and discussions with Tyrrells. Council sends other information Construction and Development Certificates which should be read carefully. They contain important info that must be adhered to when building, ie details of when you need to have a council inspection, what parts of the building require engineers drawings, etc. Building approval lasts for two years…so I have to get started soon.

December 2000

Get surveyor to peg out house on block – must be pegged out exactly where it is on the approved plans. Also put pegs for driveway entrance and peg levels. Surveyor gives me a few names of builders and tradesmen in the area.

January 2001 to February 2001

Look for a builder in the mountains. Meet with friends who live in Leura to discuss their building experiences. Get names of good tradespeople from locals.

Contacted a couple of builders – meet them on the block and give them a copy of the plans. Find that the building slump has not hit the mountains. No-one can build the house until later in the year, ie start August/September, if that. Think about becoming an owner/builder but put it in the too hard basket. Discuss with Tyrrells who are very positive and offer help.

March 2001

• Contacted local structural engineer and asked him for a quote to do the drawings for the slab and the footings. Sent a copy of the plans to him. Got quote and gave engineer the go ahead. Engineer will submit engineer’s drawing to council direct.
• Contact local well recommended excavator – send him a copy of the plans and arrange to meet him on site on the weekend – often difficult to drag people like the excavator away from a job in the middle of the week.
• Call Dept of Fair Trading on 13 32 20 and ask them to send an application to become owner builder form to fill out.
• Make 5 copies of the plans – go to a specialist plan printer. It costs approx $2-$3 a sheet but it’s amazing how many copies of the plans you need. Also get a couple of sets of plans reduced to A3 size – easy to copy and handle

April 2001

• Contacted electrician and plumber and sent them the plans. Meet electrician on block – same day as meet excavator. Need to have power connected. Excavator says I must check with services, gas, electricity, water, sewer, phone to ensure there are no services underground where the driveway comes off the road – he is concerned about damaging services with his excavator.
• Owner-builder form and booklet from Dept of Fair Trading arrives. Booklet is very useful sets out details of what your responsibilities as an owner builder will be – such as insurance, the need to use minor works contracts for tradework costing more than $5, 000 and ensuring you comply with all the relevant building laws. I don’t fill out the form immediately – read it all and think about it first because it is a huge step.
• Sent off owner-builder application to Dept of Fair Trading – plus fee ($37) plus copy of plans and approval documents. I must be mad!
• Get more copies of plans – have one set laminated. Remember you can laminate the plans back-to-back – saves a bit of money. I didn’t think of doing this till some bright spark pointed it out to me after the event! Oh well!

9 April 2001

• Call Dial Before You Dig – they arrange for the utilities to send me details by fax showing where the services are. Sewer at south-east corner – water across road, electricity and telephone above drive (telephone wires seem a little low), gas across driveway entrance – not very deep so must be careful. Neighbour reinforced where gas was. Also garden pipe on block which needs plumber to deal with – excavator contacted owner to deal with this.
• Need to sort out windows. With Tyrrells help we numbered all the windows and sliding doors on plans and coloured them in blue highlighter. All windows to be double glazed and powder coated. Found a couple suppliers on internet. Contacted window suppliers and sent marked up set of plans.
• Underfloor heating suppliers sourced from internet – had to make a couple of calls. Sent set of plans to get quote for the downstairs entry, bunkroom and bathroom. Sydney supplier relayed my enquiry to a local electrician in the mountains. Much better to use local supplier – accepted quote and have asked him to also quote on the rest of the electrical work, including installing the post. (Note Underfloor heating wiring should be done after the formwork has been put in for the slab, but before the concrete poured.)

19 April 2001

Receive permit from DFT. I’m now an owner builder!!

20 April 2001

• Talk to excavator again and get rough quote from him – too hard to get firm quote because he’s not sure whether he’ll hit rock. First quote is for the clearing of the block, taking the rubbish away and cutting driveway. He’ll then give me a quote for the excavation of the house. The cost of dumping the rubbish is also extra depending on how much. His price sounds OK. And he is very well recommended.
• Before the clearing can start I need some trees lopped so that when they are knocked over by the drot they don’t damage existing trees. Excavator arranges this with tree lopper. Two maples need to be moved – excavator says he can do this.
• Ring around insurance companies to get construction insurance. With HIH collapse not many companies providing this cover – went through broker. Got public liability and construction insurance – not cheap but essential. Tyrrells say I don't need to get owner-builder insurance until I sell. May need to get workers compensation policy – just a minimum one to cover any labourers on the site who may not be covered by their own employer’s workers comp policy. The main thing to do is to check with all the contractors that their employees and themselves are covered by workers comp. If you’re unsure, you should ask to have a look at the policy to check that it’s current.
• I mark trees that need to be lopped with spray paint.
• Engineer’s drawings for slab need revision (Tyrrells suggestion which will save a little on costs) – spoke to engineer and sent plans off with sketch of revision needed.
• Contact recommended concreter – send off plans and engineer’s drawings with revisions marked. Colour in area to be concreted in green and mark piers.
• Excavator says he can start on 1 May. Hurrah!
• Call tree lopper to ensure he can do the trees in the next few days – ie before the excavator.
• Arrange to meet plumber and electrician on site on 1 May and pick up revised engineer’s drawings on the way.

25 April 2001

Fax owner-builder permit to Council.

28 April 2001

• Take a trip up to the block to check on trees that have been cleared – looks totally different -- so much light. Meet neighbour on north side. They're keen gardeners too. Get take-away coffee and a roll from Leura shops. Also need to put some barricading up to secure the site from the neighbours – I have some green mesh metre wide material and orange barricade plastic mesh material and some star stakes.
• Put barricading around trees I want to keep so that they are not damaged too much by the machinery and put stakes to hold the barricading down the north boundary.

1 May 2001 –

• Start day. It’s wet. Take a trip up anyway because of arrangements to meet everyone. Driveway opening/cut has been made from the street.
• Excavator has come and gone because of the rain but thankfully returns to discuss where the driveway goes. It must wind around the oak tree and avoid bowerbird nest. Lots of soil to be removed to make levels correct. I mark which maple trees are to be moved and where they should go by putting a peg/stake in the ground
• Talk to electrician about the underfloor heating and the plumber about the sewer connection and the plumbing/drainage to the slab. I need a site toilet (must do this to adhere to the occupational health and safety regs) so decide to get a shed and put the toilet on the boundary trap riser – rather than get a Porta Loo which is expensive and sometimes hard to get.

3 May 2001 –

• Take a trip to the site to see the excavator. He has done the cut for the driveway and cleared/moved the trees already… need to put some gravel on the driveway and a mesh filter to reduce any sedimentation – ie water running off material from the driveway into the storm water system. Council can impose substantial fine if you let this happen.
• Tyrrells' representative comes to site to talk to excavator about the levels and driveway. Also asked the surveyor to check the levels before the work starts – it’s important not to excavate too much or too little. Too much will require too much concrete – too little would mean the excavator machine has to come back to the job.
• On the advice of surveyor I order gravel 40-50 mm – excavator spreads this on driveway.
• Go to Council and pay fee for a gutter crossing. Contact surveyor and ask him to do gutter crossing drawing.
• Excavator strikes some rock – which is a good and bad thing – it will cost a little more, but it’s good to know the house will be built on a very solid foundation.

6 May 2001

Buy ring binder to store the paperwork – keep it all together. Program mobile phone with phone numbers of trades people I’m using.

7 May 2001

• Take a trip up to meet the concreter and watch the excavation for the house. A lot of soil has to be taken away.
• Buy a site toilet from Hardware House and a second-hand basin from a demolition site. Ask plumber to install the toilet.
• Call window maker and chase up quote – a couple more days. I said not to bother about triangular windows. These can be done later from a template.
• Open account at the local hardware/builder supply yard. This will make it easier for some of the trades to put the things they needs on the account.

8 May 2001

Excavator has to look for the water pipe across the road! Life isn’t meant to be easy.

9 May 2001

• Go to Waterboard in Katoomba to arrange for sewer fee to be paid. Water Board stamp plans. Give cheque to plumber for the water connection fee. Talk to the plumber who is doing the sewer connection – excavator hits more rock while digging the trench for the sewer. Soil removal needs to happen.
• Give plumber revised layout for basement bathroom. Tyrrells representative suggested a rearrangement and it's much better.
• Buy a shed for the site toilet – arrange to have it delivered that afternoon. What luck! Excavator takes delivery of shed and cuts out a platform – plumber connects sewer – hurray! We now have a site toilet. Plumber also gives me garden tap -- so the water is now connected to the site.

10 May 2001 –

• Work with excavator to ensure site is fit for the concretor who is starting on Monday – more soil removed to another local building site… so thankfully I do not have to pay council tipping fees – which could make it very expensive. Excavator cleans road to ensure no fine from council.
• Set up spreadsheet for costs – estimate and actual. Keep track of payments.

13 May 2001

• Leave Sydney home at 5.30 for 7am on site meeting with concreter about footings , Tyrrells' representative, excavator (who is now going to dig the footings for the concreter) and engineer and plumber. This finalises the set out for the house and the levels and the drainage. Decide to lower the floor by 200mm to allow me to increase head height to at least 2400 mm. This has been a useful/successful meeting. Action – site starts to be pegged out.
• Give the plumber a revised sketch of the bathroom layout.
• Call Termimesh to arrange for termite mesh to be put around the pipes in the laundry. Book that up tentatively for Friday.
• Call AGL to arrange gas connection.

14 May 2001

Order bricks from Austral -- 10,000 commons -- send a cheque. Bricks have to be prepaid. Ask them to hold the bricks until the bricklayer (or me) contacts them to arrange delivery to the site.

15 May 2001

• Tell electrician that concreter will have the slab formed up by the end of the week and that the electric work for the underfloor heating will need to be done on Friday (because they plan to pour the slab and footings on Saturday). Electrician says he can fit in with this timing. I also chase up about the electricity connection pole. He said he’ll be doing this today.
• Concreter has requested inspection about 1 pm on Friday. Call Council to arrange first progress inspection (the conditions of building from the Council list the inspections that are required. It's absolutely essential than none of the inspections are missed. At each visit Council will also check on erosion and sediment control measures and site management. Hence the need to have the toilet in place. OHS legislation requires this.
• Council gives me the inspecto'rs direct line so I call him to ask for specific time on Friday. He asks me to call back on Friday morning when he has his list of inspections for the day. But it seems OK.
• Call Termimesh to confirm the installation of the flanges on Friday.
• Call engineer to ask him to come and inspect the slab about midday Friday and provide me with certificate.
• Call concreter to confirm that all this is in place.
• Window quote is faxed to me – it will require checking but on the surface looks good.

18 May 2001

• Check the windows – there are a couple of discrepancies – I didn’t mark up some of the windows clearly… which made it a bit confusing. I think there is a window missing. Shall make a trip to window supplier go through the quote.
• Call from Council inspector – I need to put some more gravel on the drive. I call the excavator to arrange – he can’t come till next week.

19 May 2001

Concrete pour is expected to happen today. But it’s raining and will have to be postponed until the weather is perfect. I’m disappointed.

21 May 2001

• Go to timber yard and look at recycled boards for the flooring… lovely stuff but the wide hardwood boards, ie 170mm- 230mm are expensive – not quite sure whether the budget will cope. Might need to do more shopping around.
• Go to plumber supplier and look at toilets – it’s hard to get excited about what sort of toilet to buy – although I never realised the different styles they come in… close coupled or wall mounted…and many are made by my favourite crockery manufacturers – hard to imagine toilets and matching dinnersets!
• Go to tile place to look at bathroom tiles – find the choice a little overwhelming. Am planning to do the three bathrooms the same tiles on floor and walls. This should simplify it and cut down on the cost.
• Called Telstra to arrange phone line to be installed – made second call to contractor of Telstra. Want line to be placed in service trench. Do not need to have trench dug by Telstra as this would be costly. It’s useful to have all services in the one trench.

22 May 2001

• Take a trip to the framemakers – Valley Timbers – at Penrith. Invite Tyrrells representative and take plans and go through the job with them. Will put sheet flooring down and put the wide hardwood boards on the top. Remembered to note the change in one of the windows. Ask them to add weatherboards and lining to eaves. Check if they can recommend a carpenter to put up the frame – they can!
• Called in to Wideline at their Parramatta office – went through the window schedule. It was essential to go through it item by item. It would be very expensive to make a mistake with the sizes. Need to check on a couple of matters – shall fax off reply to Wideline. Have chosen window colour – a dark grey/blue. This is a standard colour, so it should be even a little cheaper than the original quote.
• Spoke to excavator to arrange for him to come back and remove some of the soil from the footing excavation and dig the service line for the trench and spread more gravel on the drive. Hoped to do this this Friday but he’s busy on another job and can’t do it until next Wednesday.
• Received certificate from engineer re the slab and footings. Important to keep this.
• Cancelled Telstra phone line contractor for Monday because trench not dug yet. Rebooked for Friday, 1 June.

23 May 2001

• Concrete footings and slab poured today. Very exciting. It looks a little overcast, but it doesn’t rain. Four large trucks of concrete. Driveway is a bit of a mess – have asked concretors to clean up the road a little before they leave as I can’t stay late.
• Put up owner-builder sign with name, permit no and phone number. This is a requirement of Council.

24 May 2001

• Called plumber, electrician and telephone installer to tell status of job – and ask that they put in services in trench (and plumber to do stormwater drainage) late next week, after trench is dug.
• Brickie arranged – probably start early June – take about 2 weeks. Still to confirm tradesman to put up frame.

25 May 2001

• Did a little bit of cleaning up around the site after the concreting has been done. Looks great. Some of the formwork still has to be removed. Put some more barricading up between the northern side neighbours to secure the site. Tidied up the driveway.
• Got quote for frame and trusses and just about everything – except weatherboards. But it seems OK.
• Check measurements on plans and estimate quantity of tiles for hall, laundry and bathrooms… estimate quantity of weatherboard and roof area.

29 May 2001

• Need to get quotes for gyprocking – make call and send off plans. Chase up final quote for windows – expected this afternoon or tomorrow.
• Looked at bathroom tiles briefly and found quite a nice one which comes in three different sizes – small for trim, medium (10x10cm)for the bathroom floors and large (30x30)for the entry and hearth. They are a slate looking type of tile in greyish/bluish/greenish -- very nice. I'll team these with white on the walls and white fittings. They're a bit expensive but I don't need a huge quantity and because I'm doing all the bathrooms/laundry the same they'll be no wastage.

30 May 2001

• Spent day on block with excavator tidying up round site and footings and removing excess soil. Also had more gravel and roadbase bought in – and excavator spread this on the drive – with the heavier gravel on the lower part – essential to reduce any sedimentation from runoff from the drive.
• Excavator levelled and removed soil around the footings (well as much as possible). Footings have to be cleaned up from soil before bricking is done – so I shall do that on the weekend. Excavator platform for the water tank – not sure whether tank will now fit under the house.
• No time today to dig the trench – asked excavator if he could come back tomorrow – thankfully he said yes (despite fact he had other jobs to go to). Plumber arrived and we marked out where drainage and services trench should go – but he’ll be back tomorrow with his offsiders to lay the pipes. Called electrician to say trench to be dug Thursday and could he call on to the site to talk to the excavator.

31 May 2001

Called plumber -- Services trench is difficult because of shrubbery and rock – but all done by mid-afternoon. Electrician was a great help—sent his offsider to clear the rock while rock hammering being done. These guys are good.

Had message from Telstra contractor about laying cable tomorrow. Seems to be a mix up shall have to call first thing and find out what’s happening. It’s essential to lay cable on Friday because excavator is coming back on Saturday to fill in the trench.

1 June 2001

Called office of Telstra contractor – customer service was very helpful – and realise the difficulty if cable can’t be laid today. Contractor to ring when he's about to go to the job. I'm feeling a bit anxious about fine timing...there's not much room to spare.

Called bricklayer . He can start Tuesday week (just after the long weekend).

I will call Austral and have the bricks delivered to the site.Had to make last minute trip to the block late Friday afternoon... Telstra contractor unable to confirm that the cable had been laid – so I needed to see for myself. Yes all services in – phone (though it looks as if it's only one line when I arranged for two – another thing to chase up) water and electricity. Confirmed with all that required inspections had taken place then confirmed with excavator for tomorrow.

Spoke to Tyrrells about bricks -- I need to find out where the brickie wants them put on the site – this will save quite a lot of extra work if they are put strategically. Will need to call the brickie on the weekend. Also will need to call Austral to halve the order and have it delivered in two batches. Will have to be up there to take delivery.

2 June 2001

Arrived very early to work with excavator moving soil around the block... very successful and I'm pleased that I was there. Also spent some time chipping cut branches with my muncher -- this cleared up the site quite well. Have started to clean the soil off the footings and piers – a spade and broom job – will do more next weekend before the bricking starts.

3 June 2001

Had successful visit to Harvey Norman. They had a tile special so went to look at tiles for the walls – just plain white 20x20mm ones. Ended up ordering all the bathroom stuff – bath, toilets taps laundry tub – everything. It took hours but because there was a sale I saved heaps.

4 June 2001

• Rang Austral Bricks to halve the order – too many to get delivered at the one time – confirmed that bricks will be delivered early tomorrow. I'll have to make an early start if I want to be there to take delivery. Called the bricklayer who will have a look at the site and advise where they should go. By the way Austral have a great website www.australbrick.com.au – it's worth a look at.
• Faxed the plumber with the dimensions for the toilets – just to check that they will be suitable.
• Faxed the window supplier to chase up on final quote and to notify of minor change to back door – to include doggie flap.
• Gave a copy of the plans to the tile shop to estimate the quantity and price for the floor tiles
• Had a call from Harvey Norman asking a couple of questions about the bathroom vanities, ie the knobs and which side would the drawers be on and where the pump for the spar will go. I'm going to put that outside because the bathroom is very small.

5 June 2001

• Arrived on site just in time to see a big truck, a six wheeler, reversing up the drive. The truck had a hoist to swing the bricks onto the ground. (I was hoping they'd bring one of the little forklifts – oh well!!) Called the bricklayer about where to put the bricks on the site – he'd said to ask the driver to put the bricks on the left hand side of the driveway – not on the slab but near the piers.
• Did a little more clearing up and removed branch that had been damaged by the brick truck. It was waiting to happen, but next time I'll prune off branches before they are ripped off -- makes for far less damage to the tree..
• Had call from tile shop re bathroom tiles – shall call back tomorrow to get the quote.
• Received quote from frame installers – it's a little expensive mainly because the roof trusses have to be made on site. But these bods are good, their availability fits in with my timing and most importantly I should get a trouble-free job. Ask them to a give a revised quote which includes installing the windows.

6 June 2001

• Need to contact carpenter to follow on from the frame installers and also arrange for the metal roofer to quote.
• Chased up window final quote...promised I'd have it today.

8 June 2001

• Window q uote arrived and I checked it – a couple of little things to clarify. Made a time to visit sales rep and showroom and went through it all and signed off. Rep still concerned about measurement for diningroom bay window and wants to check on site.
• Went to look at doors at Doors Plus and they gave me a quote for a prepared door called surefit – it comes made up in door jamb. Quite an economical way to go. Will think about it.
• Contacted carpenter and will take plans to him when I next visit the site. Same for the roofer.
• Bought a letter box so that brickies can build it into the pier at the front driveway entrance

12 June 2001

• Bricking to start today – very exciting. Met Jerry Tyrrell on site and he did all the set out – ie marked on the footings and slab exactly where the walls should go (checking square) and checking levels – marking where the windows go/stairs. This measuring stuff is not for the faint hearted. It took a bit of time but it made the brickies job easier and will ensure that I get a perfect job. I was also available to do a little shopping for the brickies – things like ant caps and waterproofing material.
• Also discussed colour for bagging of the brickwork. Shall put colour into the mortar so that it won't need painting. Hope to get a light cement colour -- creamish/grey??
• Ordered next batch of bricks for Friday.
• Brickies ordered sand and cement from the hardware where I had set up an account.
• Decided tank will go in back corner – it will need a stand to be built for it.

15 June 2001

Went to the block to see the brickies. It was quite exciting to see some real walls and to see the height. It will be quite a high house -- which I knew of course, but it is always different in practice.

Harvey Norman Lighting and bought some brick lights -- these are simply shaped like a brick and will fit into my brick piers at the entrance. I will need to paint them Mountain Blue to match the colorbond colour I've chosen for the windows.

17 June 2001

Went to block to do some cleaning up and took another load to the tip...mainly the packaging from the bricks. Picked up lots of the broken bricks and put them aside because these will be used for the rubble. Started digging the hole for the piers at the front fence. It's difficult to do without a string line and a level. Not sure how deep to go. On one side I struck rock, so that's it for that part.

21 June 2001

Met Jerry Tyrrell on site with the framemaker, Valley Timbers. Warren from Valley Timbers had come up to check measure for the frame off the almost completed brickwork. We also went through the window schedule together because since the original drawings there have been minor changes to the window sizes. Discussed the colour of the render (bagging). We will use a mix of sand and cement and off white cement which put on lightly should come out a warm sand colour. It will be hard to tell the exact colour until a few days after the render has dried. Putting on render mixed to a colour using a mix of sand and cement will mean that the brickwork will not need to be painted. Looked at the position of the front drive piers and Jerry did a drawing which I left with the bricklayer.

Called a timber mill to get a price on the weatherboard -- cypress pine dressed rusticated wide board -- approx 170 cover. Quite expensive. Shall ask Valley Timber to order the board for me. Frame expected to come 4 July.

Contacted plumber and told him the brickies would finish mid next week and asked him to do the drain behind the retaining wall. He can't do it till after the brickies go because the scaffolding is still up for the bagging.

Contacted excavator and asked him to come back Tuesday week (3 July) to do a little reshaping and push the gravel etc behind the retaining wall.

23 June 2001

Did a bit of clearing on the block and took rubbish to the tip. Mountain weather beautiful, especially in the sun. Dug the front driveway piers wider and deeper–rock a bit of a problem needed a bolster to cut it. Brickwork looks great and there's not a lot of waste. Painted letterbox and bricklights Colorbond Mountain Blue, which is the window trim colour on the house.

26 June 2001

Went to block. Front piers done. They look fabulous. Spaces left for bricklights but installed letterbox. Paid brickie for work done. Bagging should be finished tomorrow. At hardware, chased up waterproof membrane for behind the wall. They assured me it would be ready to pick up on the weekend. There are a few bricks left which will be useful for the piers for the tankstand. There's another 2,000 on hold at Austral which I have pre-paid. I will call and ask for a refund.

Stopped on way back from mountains at a kitchen shop at Seven Hills. Gave them a copy of the kitchen plan and chatted about style and materials and appliances. I will probably get the appliances separately but would like to see what they come up with first. They will give me an estimate before going too far with the final drawings. This is fine.

Talked to Warren at Valley Timbers about whether I wanted the roof over the deck lined. I don't. Not a problem they just need to know about the roof timbers.

30 June 2001

There are probably better ways to spend the weekend that painting the waterproofing compound on the outside of the garage walls. The compound "Durum" is a polyurethane and has quite a smell...it's also a black rubbery substance and is almost impossible to get off. And we needed to put two coats on!! We did take precautions re the fumes by using a simple mask and naturally wore gloves and clothes that didn't matter -- next time I'll put plastic bags over my shoes. Even coming home in the car the smell from the bits of Durum on gloves, etc was horrid.

We had to be careful to apply it evenly and used a paint roller and touched up with a brush. We also had to ensure we only painted to a certain height (ie the height that we expected the backfilling to go). Any higher would just have left a nasty black mark on the beautifully bagged walls.

Plumber hadn't been to put the drain along the back of the wall, so I called him and left a message. Hopefully he can still do it Monday or I'll have to change the time with the excavator on Tuesday, which would muck us all up.

1 July 2001

Second coat of Durum on walls. It was easier to apply this time.

3 July 2001

Met the excavator on site early morning. The 20mm gravel I'd ordered yesterday had arrived and the plumber had put the 100m slot drain (with stocking) behind the retaining wall. Collected the GEOTEC waterproof fabric from the hardware. It was not quite what I expected and a much lighter fabric and not the one with a honeycomb appearance...oh well I had better make do!

the hardware suggested I put some fibro on the outside of the fabric to protect it from the gravel, or it will rip...so I ordered some to be delivered asap because I didn't want to waste the excavator's time or my money. Put the fabric in place on the wall against the waterproofed area, put the fibro next to it. Excavator very helpful in bracing the fibro with some timber so that it would withstand a bucket or so of gravel being poured next to it. The first bucket collapsed the whole lot, but after that it went well. Excavator had to drive through the garage and dump the gravel over the back of the wall...but it worked. We put some filter fabric over the gravel before backfilling with soil. Then excavator did a bit of reshaping and tidying up. It looks pretty good and all ready for the frame on Thursday.

5 July 2001

The people putting the frame up will now be coming tomorrow. The first delivery of the frame is arriving from Valley Timbers also tomorrow. Chased up the carpenter and confirmed he can starte 23 July. That's good. Paid a deposit on the floor tiles. They'll store them till I need them.

6 July 2001

Met Jerry Tyrrell on site. He spent some time talking to the frame guys, who had already made a good start. Jerry sorted out a couple of errors on the plan, particularly where the head height for the entry stairs was too low. Glad he was there to do this as it would be so much harder afterwards. We also discussed making the loft wall on the southwest side full height because I don't want kitchen smells to drift up. He also drew the detail of the stairs so that I can order the stair timber from the recycled timber place at Rozelle. The stairs will match the hardwood flooring...very nice.

Over coffee with Jerry and Frank Bresci from Valley Timbers, Jerry drew up a schedule for me of dates we'll need the different trades, so I have a bit of ringing around next week to book them in. Frank gave me some names of local tradesmen for the gyprocking and the tiling. The most important thing is to secure the roofer who already has a copy of the plans but seems a little hard to get in touch with. Contacted another metal roofing company to get another quote.

11 July 2001

Received quote from roofing company for Colorbond Roof, etc. Seems pretty good and a few thousand less than another quote. I have given them the go ahead. Expect to meet them on the block next week. They are likely to be able to do it by the end of the month.

Went to Rozelle ordered stair timber from Recycled Iron Products at Rozelle. It is spotted gum and blackbutt. It will be delivered to the site end of next week. Paid deposit and will pay balance by credit card.

Forgot to order the stair timber risers, so did that over the phone.

12 July 2001

Booked Council inspection for tomorrow. Contacted frame guys to tell them that it will be happening. They don't need to be there.

13 July 2001

Met inspector on site and walked around with her. She needed us to do a couple of things -- bolt the frame to the slab with dynabolts, a certificate from the timber yard certifying the timber and put ant caps on the top of the garage wall. She was happy with the look of the job and the site. Phew!

17 July 2001

Frame almost completed. Waiting on some more timbers to come for the deck. Did some hardware shopping for dampcourse. I needed heavy duty and it was not easy to get in the mountains. Called Bradmill technical centre to get advice on insulation.Called two local insulation companies to ask for quotes. One said it was too early in the job, but the other seemed interested. Windows arrived.

22 July 2001

Marked the electricals on the stud walls in red crayon. Will also supply a list for the electrician. Went to Harvey Norman lighting and looked at lights and was shocked at how expensive they are.

23 July 2001

Met Jerry Tyrrell on site. Climbed up ladder to the loft room to look at the view. There is a view of the valley which is great. Also arranged for the insulation guy to come to quote and discuss what insulation to have. Jerry Tyrrell was helpful here. Roofing company also came and Jerry discussed the roof over the garage (it goes under the deck). This is also in colorbond. We've now asked them to quote for this. It's a bit of a fiddle. Fascias and gutters are expected to go up next week. The safety rail should come too. Jerry also talked to the carpenter who is expecting to start by the end of the week. The first thing he will do is the internal stairs.Gutters and fascias have arrived. They are the same colorbond colour as the windows and look fine.. Expect these to be put on next week.

31 July 2001

Gutters booked to go on today, but it is raining. No work for three or four days.

1 August 2001

Faxed the kitchen plan to three kitchen manufacturers. Only one replied immediately (another one called to say I had to have a 2 hour appointment before they would give an estimate). The other didn't call for two weeks (their showroom was under renovation! This doesn't suit at the moment as I have some time constraints. Had an estimate of around $15,000 for just the cupboards and island bench, mainly all in laminex but with a glulam top on the island bench.

3 August 2001

Went to site primarily to paint the weatherboards, cyprus pine. These need to be painted on both sides, but before that the knots need to be separately primed with a special sealer to prevent them bleeding through the timber. Contacted Dulux to find out what kind. Had help from a labourer. This is not a quick job mainly because the boards are quite long and difficult to handle. We didn't get through a great number, but have made a start.

6 August 2001

Called firm that make doors and mouldings. Representative will come up to the house tomorrow to quote. This will be a good comparison with the prefab ones, so I will be interested.

7 August 2001

• Jerry came to site and talked through the plumbing with the plumber for the rough in. I needed to work out where the taps go, etc. Plumber needed diagram for the spa bath...he actually would have liked the bath installed, but that wasn't possible, so I got the bath specifications from the supplier and faxed them to him. Also gave him the details for the toilet. The spa bath motor goes outside the house, so I must get the carpenter to build a little platform for it to sit on.
• More weatherboard painting, only one-third of the boards have arrived, but it looks a bit daunting.
• Door company came to quote. They can also supply skirtings and wardrobe fittings and fixtures. Frame in main bed still needs to be made up.
• Made a list of all the extra timber we needed, bits and pieces and will fax that to the timber yard tomorrow. Also need lining for eaves. Will get pine sheeting.
• Jerry made a list of all the remaining things the frame carpenters need to do. They only need to come back for the day.
• Carpenter doing a lovely job on the stairs. He needs some more sheet flooring to do the landing so hasn't quite finished, but they look fabulous. When he has done the stairs the frame carpenters need to put up the stair wall. Then the frame will be done.
• Fellows arrived to put up safety rails on the roof. This is a requirement with roofs over a certain pitch. In any event I'd prefer to pay that little extra to ensure the tradesmen are safe.

8 August 2001

Roof supposed to go on today but it is too windy.

10 August 2001

Went to block, more painting. On the way back I popped in to Harvey Norman showroom at Auburn to look at kitchens. It is quite an impressive place.

11 August 2001

Carpenters working today to put up eave lining in places that are inaccessible once the roof is on. The delay in the roof has in some regards been a benefit. I painted the eaves boards, some prepainted, as these will be hard to access. Not quite sure whether I have the colour right. Might need to be darker. I've chosen a half tone of the external wall paint. Remember to put some mould retardant in the eave paint.

Had help painting the boards, but it's very slow work.

13 August 2001

Called Harvery Norman kitchens and made appointment with designer for tomorrow. Also discussed stainless steel benchtops. This will add approx $5,000.

Roof is on and looks good. It is a little lighter than the swatch but still quite a nice colour. Not that the swatch is wrong it is just that a large expanse looks much lighter than a small piece. Called insulation fellow and asked for a quote on insulating the underfloor area, the underside of the floor that is exposed to the ground. The roof over the verandah looks particularly good with the clear section on the northwest side which will let in the light.

14 August 2001

More running around getting hardware for the frame carpenters. This is their last day here.They did the frame for the wardrobe and stair walls and the window in the lounge (which had been an oversight). They've been pretty good and very pleasant to deal with.

Did some more painting of the boards. Tried a top coat of the boards so that these are prepainted when put in difficult areas, eg the side of the loft. Not quite sure whether I like the colour I've chosen. Shall look at further samples.

Met the electrician on site and walked through the electrics with him. He can also do the telephone and TV wiring. I seem to have a huge number of power points (about 30). He can do the wiring next Tuesday. I'll make sure I'm there that day in case they have any queries.

16 August 2001

Got quote from Harvey Norman for the kitchen. I'll need to make some adjustments to reduce the price. Called Wideline to request windows and doors to be installed/hung and triangle window in lounge to be measured.

17 August 2001

Jerry Tyrrrell visited the site again and checked over the frame prior to the Council inspection. There is about a day's work for the carpenter to do...to put in some more support for one of the beams, etc. Carpenter doing external stairs and some of the concrete holes are not in the right place. Need to dig four extra holes for the stair posts.

Discussed size of island bench with Jerry. There'll be room for a bench 1200 wide. Jerry also said to ensure the sink (which is integrated with the stainless steel benchtop) has a wet edge (ie a lip to stop water falling on the floor).

Plumbing has been done but only the water pipes. Nothing for the waste or sewer. shall need to ring the plumber and chase this up.

More painting. Booked bin for tomorrow because there's quite a lot of mess around. Signed up for the kitchen with Harvey Norman. I need to choose the appliances before they come to check measure. The stove I want is very pricey, so will have to look further.

18 August 2001

Bin arrived and almost filled it. Felt happy cleaning up the site. Moved some of the weatherboards onto the covered deck on to a tarpaulin. Shall paint from up here. Had some labouring help to dug the holes for the stair posts. Ordered some concrete for Tuesday. Called the engineer to check up on how big the holes had to be. He said about 300 deep and 450 wide. I took photos of the holes.

20 August 2001

Made a lot of phone calls to plumber, timber yard (rest of weatherboard coming this Friday), door manufacturer for mold around doors and window (coming Wednesday). Called the carpenter. It's very windy still. He's doing the eave lining today while waiting for the timber molds.

21 August 2001

Went to block for concrete pour. This was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I had asked however for a small mixer, but a huge one arrived. Anyway they put a chute on the end of the mixer and just poured the concrete directly into two of the holes. Then I just barrowed (with some help) the concrete into the other holes. The Millars' doors fellow arrived and I talked through some of the doors with him and revised the list of doors and skirtings etc that I will need. Plumber here but there is a small problem in the bathrooms...there's a joist underneath two of the toilets, so these will have to be replaced.

22 August 2001

Went to local showroom and looked at kitchen appliances, etc. Found a less expensive oven. Should manage to get all appliances, kitchen and laundry for about $8,000 ish.

24 August 2001

Had to chase up the weatherboards which were supposed to come today because the ones we have are now used. The carpenter has almost finished the external stairs and his offsiders have been doint the eaves lining and resetting all the windows and doors. Called to have the bin removed. The electrician came and started doing all the wiring... almost half of it complete. I was glad to be there because they had a number of questions for me.

25 August 2001

Did a little more cleaning up on the block and a lot of sweeping. A couple of friends came with me and we managed to move some extra pieces of the stair timber upstairs (out of harms way and the rain). These pieces will be fine for the stair railing. Met some neighbours who live down the road and showed them through the house. The gyprock/plasterer came to the house to do a final measure... this is good because he can start in a fortnight. It is a little more than I thought, but that is because the ceilings are so high and scaffolding will have to be used.

28 August 2001

Back to block to meet with the kitchen check measurer. We made a few alterations and I should expect to receive a revised plan which I should sign off on before the kitchen goes to the factory. I booked the inspection for Friday. This is a major inspection of the frame, so I hope it goes well. I think we've done everything that is needed. The carpenter is still putting up the cladding. I did some painting to try and catch up. Asked the carpenter if he had a labourer who could paint for a couple of days. Yes!! He'll come on Thursday. Called in to Valley Timbers to get some batons (for the brick walls so that the lining boards can go on them) and to collect the letter certifying the quality of the timber used in the house. This is needed for the Council. The plumber came back to do the pipe work now that the

31 August 2001

The inspection is set for mid-morning. The electricians have come back to do the balance of the electrical work. The carpenter has now hung all the doors and we find that two panels are definitely missing. The cladding looks very good. Have asked the carpenter to concentrate on the cladding because of the insulation that will be installed next week. The garage ceiling in metal was supposed to be done today but has now been moved to Monday. At least they always call. The inspection went well: Council would like a letter certifying the laminated beam in the loft and a couple of other things. Nothing major. I feel relieved it went well.

2 September 2001

Had some help painting more boards today. Glad to be doing it under cover because the weather looks a little overcast.

3 September 2001

Faxed the window company with some of the problems with the windows. They replied immediately and will come and have a look tomorrow. Looked around for the type of wire I'll need on the balcony and ballustrades. Called a few places. Also checked with the waterproofer, who will be coming on Thursday.

4 September 2001

The insulation people were a little late which suited us because the fellows were still doing the cladding on the very high loft wall. Very glad that has now finished and not much more to do and much easier access.

6 September 2001

Metro bathrooms came to do the waterproofing in the bathrooms. they use a welded PVC, supposedly a very new product.

Cladding pretty much finished except for a little bit outside the downstairs bunkroom where we are waiting for more corner moulding. Ordered bin for Saturday.

8 September 2001

Met at block to do a clean up. It's a bit overwhelming – lots of sawdust and mess. And still some boards to paint. Fortunately a couple of members of the family came up to see the house and stayed to help. Finished painting all the boards and helped with the clean up. Looks great now, ready for the gyprock.

10 September 2001

Gyprocking supposed to start today... but now moved to start tomorrow but all the gyprock has been delivered. They wanted to take a railing off the balcony to hoist it up to the deck...but fortunately Mick, the carpenter, said no.

11 September 2001

Noticed that a small section of bunkroom wall hadn't been insulated – called the insulation guy who fortunately happened to be up at the mountains and will come later today.

14 September 2001

They started yesterday but no gyprocking being done today – they are a little delayed on another job but still promise to be finished Tues/Wednesday next week.

All the doors/skirtings/architraves arrived from Millars Timbers plus the timber for the cupboard fitout.

Received drawing from Harvey Norman kitchens. I have to sign off on it. There are a few changes/corrections and I need a little more detail – shall spend weekend going over it and then fax on Monday.

Weatherboard cladding finished...well just about. Looks great.. Still needs an undercoat on a lot of it but the high areas are done (precoated) so it's a start.

17 September 2001

Carpenter started with the fitout for all the cupboards and doors. Gyprocking almost finished. It is a very good job.

Called me because the flooring timber had arrived. It wasn't supposed to be delivered until NEXT Monday, so I called them and asked them to take it back. This might seem a little extreme but the truck had to be unloaded and the boards moved under cover and no one was there to do it.

Had quote from fellow to sand the floors prior to the boards being laid. This is because the floor has to be totally smooth and there's a bit of a bulge where the seams are in the sheet flooring. Also need to take off any bits of gyprock.

Had a call from Harvey Norman kitchens in response to my faxed changes. Talked through them and contractor quite helpful –- have asked to receive a new drawing to sign off on it .

18 September 2001

Went to pay fellow for timber molding. Carpenter had to leave a little early so didn't see him but handed over the stainless steel hinges – about 75 of them...three hinges per door. Have had a little trouble getting the stainless steel screws. There's a place in Artarmon called Coventry Fasterners that I believe have them. Bought a box there.

21 September 2001

Timber flooring arrived and daughter and friend stacked it up on the deck. Quite a strenuous job because it is quite heavy. But it's quite beautiful too. It's come originally from Dubbo wool barn.

Had a call from AGL contractor about gas installation..couldn't do it up the side, but would up the drive do. I said fine and asked whether we could put electricity conduit for driveway lights in the same trench. Fine. Called electrical contractor to arrange for electrician to do this first thing Tuesday.

Window people came to fix the windows and did as much as they could. Much better. Still have to come back and finish off but have taken measurments of any pieces they need. We're getting there. The two missing panels should arrive on Tuesday.... shall call to confirm

22 September 2001

Came to site to get quote on fence between neighbour on southside and my place. They feel they want a little privacy. I'll put up a lattice fence.

24 September 2001

• Plumber came to do/finish stack work for pipes under the house.
• Went to Keeler Hardware for door handles (on order) and bought a deadlock so that we can lock off the garage.
• Called the sander – he said that he would come this Friday. He will need to sand the entire floor, not just the seams so that it is perfectly smooth for the recycled flooring.
• The revised kitchen plan arrived. It looks good

25 September 2001

• Gas people (AGL) were very quick and efficient. One of their contractors who was digging the trench for the gas pipe had a little free time and helped me put the gyprock in the bin. It was a huge help. AGL subsidises the entire connection so it is quite reasonable.
• Plumber also there doing work under the house – he'll be back again next week to install the bath. Called Harvey Norman to arrange delivery of the bathroom fittings.
• Called the fencing contractor to ask about quote, but no success. Does he want the job?
• I did a little cleaning up on the roadway to remove any dirt and replaced a little gravel.
• Missing window panels have been delivered. But we still need to install them

26 September 2001

Garage door is now installed – it was a bit tricky because of the blocking needed on the ceiling to support the door mechanism, but fortunately carpenter helped out. Carpenter also put deadlock on the door into the garage, so now at least I can lock up the garage. Went to Harvey Norman to pay for the bathroom, tiles, fittings and fixtures...there's slight a hitch re delivery but they are doing what they can to deliver them next week.

27 September 2001

Carpenter still doing doors and door jambs, so its starting to take shape.The built ins are almost done. Although I forgot about the built-in in the bunkroom and the hall cupboard. This is a bit of a problem because the frame has to be made up and we've missed gyprocking it...oh well...more timber. I had saved a little gyprock so we won't need to buy it.

Had council inspection of the wet areas –- I need to send them a certificate for the bunkroom bathroom, just to say that it complies with the Aust standard. Otherwise all ok. I asked whether I could move in without the driveway being done and was told I needed an interim certificate.

Fellow doing the sanding arrived, but his power cord, which is a jumbo one, didn't reach from the power box to the house. Unfortunately he has to come back tomorrow which complicates things a little because I have the painter coming at 7am. Called the sander back and asked him to come earlier. That's fine. Called another local fencing crowd because the first contractor never returned. Have decided to go with a 1.8 metre fence because any higher requires council approval and (after phone call to them) they said that even with the parties agreeing it could take 4 weeks plus. I don't want my neighbours to have to wait that long...and nor do I.

28 September 2001

Back up to the mountains very early to see the sander and painter. The spray painting is being done of all the ceilings and the first two coats on the walls. Then after the doors have been hung, the painter will come back and do the undercoat on the doors and roll the final coat on the walls. Have chosen 'white birch' as the colour for the walls. Hope it is OK? Did some cleaning up. Bins ready to be picked up again on Tuesday.

2 October 2001

Valley Timbers came to pick up the sling of weatherboards that we had over...so I'm glad its gone...and I'll get a bit of a credit. Mick the carpenter has been laying the flooring but it's very dry hardwood (but beautiful). It blunts his saw and he needs more nails so he won't be here tomorrow until he can get more supplies.

3 October 2001

Arrived very very early because Harvey Norman were delivering the bathroom stuff...and they did exactly when they said they would be there.The timber floors are looking great. I had also bought a load of floor tiles up to the house so unpacked them into the garage. I need to remember to tell the tiler to choose randomly from 6 different boxes when laying the floor tiles so that I get a good mix. Called the window people about the repairs – that's not happening until next week so I'll ask Mick the carpenter to put the windows in.

Called the builder I hope will be doing the wire ballustrading. He's got the plans and I'm going to meet him next week and look at a couple of the jobs he's done.

Also called a couple of asphalt driveway people just so I can get an idea of the cost. Jerry said he'd come up in a couple of weeks and help me with the final shaping of the driveway and the other parts of the block. I'll need to call Ashley the excavator to help.

4 October 2001

Called the plumber to say that he could install the bath on Friday as planned. The tiler is starting Monday so it's a little tight. Mick is finishing off the architraves in the bathrooms tomorrow so that the tiler can start. Hope the tiles are coming early Monday. Harvey Norman chasing up time for me.

5 October 2001

Bath installed. It will need to be bricked in. Hopefully the tiler can do this. The other alternative was to frame it up but Mick didn't want to nail through the waterproof membrane. Picked up the balance of the floor tiles to take up on the weekend.

7 October 2001

Took a trip up to prepaint the skirtings before they are put on...but it snowed!! So spent the time filling nail holes prior to painting the outside and scraping the gyprock off the stairs. The floor looks fab.

Local fence contractor came to measure up.He's going to fax me with the final quote which includes taking away the old fence. Also spoke to neighbour on North boundary about what to do with a fence on that side. We'll just have a simple cyclone fence and grow stuff over it. Don (neighbour) took me over his garden which he is reconstructing and it is just beautiful with thousands of tulips.

8 October 2001

Had another earlish start because the tiler was arriving at 7am. Went through how I want the tiling done, but the wall tiles aren't arriving until 12ish. So the tiler left and is coming back tomorrow. Had to get the floor wastes locally...thought I already had them but couldn't find them on the HN list or in the box. Called into the lighting shop and bought/ordered three exhaust fans that vent through the wall. Fortunately the electrician could come and make the holes in the wall for the fans because I didn't want the tiles cracked. Also discussed the kitchen rangehood with the electricians who suggested I call SMEG...good idea.

I'd booked up a local house heating place to come to finalise the quote for the slow combustion stove. Need also to position it perfectly so that the tiler can tile the hearth. The flue will go up through the loft room and must obviously miss the joists and rafters, so positioning it wasn't as easy as I thought. Mick will put the fibre cement sheet down and secure it and the tiler will tile on top. I will get a stove that opens on both sides, ie one to the dining and one to the lounge. Also discussed where to position the gas bayonets with the heating man. I filled in more nail holes too!! There are a lot of them.

9 October 2001

Called SMEG who were very helpful and faxed me out a rangehood that would be suitable, although they did feel that an entire wall with just a rangehood on it might look a little funny. Also called James Hardie about some fibro sheet lattice that could be used to line under the verandah. They rang around several Hardware Houses to find it which was very helpful. So I checked it out at Belrose and I think it will be fine. I need to paint the underside of the verandah black and then when the sheeting goes on (also prepainted) it will look great and you won't see behind it.

Picked up the door handles from Keeler. Also looked at cupboard handles and saw some cute ones which are made out of stainless steel wire. Need to count up how many I need.

11 October 2001

Met with builder who will be stringing the wire ballustrade and he showed me a few jobs he had done. It is quite expensive mainly because of the cost of the stainless steel fittings.so have asked him to look at cost savings. I cannot use the wire for the loft balcony, so need to work out another solution there.

Paid deposit for slow combustion stove. Bathroom tiles look just fabulous...thank heavens. Hearth still to be done. Will be done next week.Talked to plumber and asked him to put all the bathroom stuff in, ie toilets etc.

16 October 2001

Tiler back to do hearth. Mick had laid compressed fibro (we had to order another size because other piece not correct). We will lay the tiles in a diamond pattern and Mick will edge with timber. Must allow 500 mm from fire door(s). This stove opens on both sides. Checked up with Hardware House about the lining boards. They'll be delivered later this week.

Discovered that we did not have one of the fittings for one of the toilets, so had to go to Kohler at Wetherill Park to collect...well I didn't have to go but thought it would be quicker.

19 October 2001