I hope you all had a Blessed Christmas, and while I am at it, we wish you a very happy and fulfilling New Year..
With all the family and friends around, nothing has happened to the house in the last month.
We will be touring South Island for nearly three weeks after new year's, so there will be no updates for another month.
Have happy holidays!!!
Sunday
30 November 2014
The booster pump turned out to be Mickey Mouse, the pressure drops away as soon as you increase the flow, so it turned out to be a waste of time. The only proper solution will be to install a gas flow through heater, which will not happen before Christmas.
I sold some scrap metal, and dumped some scrap. I try to combine the two, the proceeds from one covers the cost of the other.
Apart from mowing the grass, it was a very restful week.
I sold some scrap metal, and dumped some scrap. I try to combine the two, the proceeds from one covers the cost of the other.
Apart from mowing the grass, it was a very restful week.
23 November 2014
We had a new book published on the history of Waipa, that is our local district. I went to buy the book yesterday, in the hope of finding something interesting. It turned out that there is a lot of information about William Jackson, who built our house, most of it we already know. There was even a photo of the house, taken on April 1, when the Battle of Orakau was commemorated, 150 years ago. The author came around while we were working on the deck. His caption reads: "William Jackson's house in Grey Street, Kihikihi has recently undergone extensive renovations." We are very pleased.
I visited my doctor, and after that we went to visit the goat farming friends. A delightful day.
Some time ago I bought a booster pump to improve the pressure of out hot water system off a frind, but never put it to use. When I tried it, it was frozen solid. I took it apart and got it working again, but has not had the opportunity to test it on a low pressure system. Saturday was spent mowing grass and trimming edges, which I don't like.
The rest of the week was restful, with us not being able to do any major work because of a full house.
16 November 2014
The wall got painted and the architraves got painted and fitted. Around the window I used some timber I had in my pile, but that is not painted yet. Sorry, we have no updated pictures.
Barco and Jeamien needed some storage space, so the room is already in use, and will most likely not be finished before January.
I spent some time tidying my workshop, it became difficult to move around. There is still a lot more to clean up.
We started looking at gas water heating in the new bathroom and kitchen, but cannot decide where to install the unit. It has to be out of the way of the south western winds we get from time to time, and conveniently close to the kitchen sink. Only time will tell. Luckily it is not an urgent matter.
I foresee that my productivity will be down in the coming weeks, so be prepared for me skipping some weeks.
Barco and Jeamien needed some storage space, so the room is already in use, and will most likely not be finished before January.
I spent some time tidying my workshop, it became difficult to move around. There is still a lot more to clean up.
We started looking at gas water heating in the new bathroom and kitchen, but cannot decide where to install the unit. It has to be out of the way of the south western winds we get from time to time, and conveniently close to the kitchen sink. Only time will tell. Luckily it is not an urgent matter.
I foresee that my productivity will be down in the coming weeks, so be prepared for me skipping some weeks.
9 November 2014
We have finished all the plasterboarding, including the ceiling, and started on Gibstopping (Bring die Polyfilla!) I also sealed most of the gaps with urethane foam. That is quite an expensive exercise. I used two cans in all, at $ 40 per can!
I also bought timber to do the architraves around the door and window. It is quicker than to rework and reuse old timber. Maybe I am getting lazy.
I sanded the new wall in anticipation of painting it. That will hopefully happen on Monday.
I think I have mentioned about our children living here while their house is being renovated. Well, it seems some of their furniture will be living here for a while as well. So we cleared out the "new room" for their use. We can still work on the exterior.
I also bought timber to do the architraves around the door and window. It is quicker than to rework and reuse old timber. Maybe I am getting lazy.
I sanded the new wall in anticipation of painting it. That will hopefully happen on Monday.
I think I have mentioned about our children living here while their house is being renovated. Well, it seems some of their furniture will be living here for a while as well. So we cleared out the "new room" for their use. We can still work on the exterior.
2 Novenber 2014
Things are speeding up on our side. The floor of the room on the deck is in and we have cut a hole in the wall on the eastern side for a window that we have bought about two years ago. The window is fitted, We had a problem deciding on the right door to install. I checked our existing supply, and was not satisfied. In the end we removed the door and frame between the old kitchen and the laundry. It is a nice solid Rimu door, although it is painted. Doors and window fitted, I started on the insulation in the outer walls and installing plasterboard with Elna's help. The last plasterboard was fitted yesterday, although not screwed in all positions yet. That is for tomorrow. Then I will start on the ceiling. It turns out to be a nice room.
The builders doing the renovation on Barco and Jeamien's house started last week with the intention of doing the outside first, but rainy weather forced them to work inside. They have already replaced the whole kitchen and done some plasterboarding. We went over on two days to assist in moving the kitchen contents and the lounge furniture into the garage. The whole family and menagerie has moved over, so we will have a full house, full of grandchildren and full of activity. I even had to build a fence to keep the dogs in.
Sorry, no pictures this week.
The builders doing the renovation on Barco and Jeamien's house started last week with the intention of doing the outside first, but rainy weather forced them to work inside. They have already replaced the whole kitchen and done some plasterboarding. We went over on two days to assist in moving the kitchen contents and the lounge furniture into the garage. The whole family and menagerie has moved over, so we will have a full house, full of grandchildren and full of activity. I even had to build a fence to keep the dogs in.
Sorry, no pictures this week.
19 October 2014
The assistance for Jeamien turned out to be on Friday. Then we had the kids over on Saturday and Sunday, not that we would consider working on Sunday.
The ride on got a new drive belt and a spark plug, working fine now. The only problem is that the grass needs mowing every week!! I haven't even started using the line trimmer on the boundry fences.
The framing for the floor got done, and we (Elna and myself) managed to cut two sheets of flooring and fit it, then we ran out of daylight. The schedule for the coming week is to finish the floor and pay more attention to the grass. It cannot be called a lawn- far from it! We even have Chicory growing in the grass. The Kiwis would call it a paddock.
Sorry there is not more progress to report on. Some weeks are just slower than others
Oh, a last remark. I have been on Statins, a medication to lower Cholesterol for the past four years. One day I Googled the medication and learned the following about possible side effects: It causes itches in the groin and armpits, it affects the liver, it causes muscle pains and wasting of muscles, it causes tiredness. I had all of these side effects. So I stopped taking the medication. Everything improved drastically, and guess what, my shaking is MUCH reduced, I even reduced the mediation for that. So when my time comes, I will much rather die from a heart attack than develop various infections and be bed ridden for who knows how long!
God bless
The ride on got a new drive belt and a spark plug, working fine now. The only problem is that the grass needs mowing every week!! I haven't even started using the line trimmer on the boundry fences.
The framing for the floor got done, and we (Elna and myself) managed to cut two sheets of flooring and fit it, then we ran out of daylight. The schedule for the coming week is to finish the floor and pay more attention to the grass. It cannot be called a lawn- far from it! We even have Chicory growing in the grass. The Kiwis would call it a paddock.
Sorry there is not more progress to report on. Some weeks are just slower than others
Oh, a last remark. I have been on Statins, a medication to lower Cholesterol for the past four years. One day I Googled the medication and learned the following about possible side effects: It causes itches in the groin and armpits, it affects the liver, it causes muscle pains and wasting of muscles, it causes tiredness. I had all of these side effects. So I stopped taking the medication. Everything improved drastically, and guess what, my shaking is MUCH reduced, I even reduced the mediation for that. So when my time comes, I will much rather die from a heart attack than develop various infections and be bed ridden for who knows how long!
God bless
12 October 2014
The promised pictures did not eventuate, so please be patient for a little while longer.
This last week we started work on the little corner room on the deck. First order of the day was to remove three years of junk. Then I removed the original decking to asses the condition of the framing underneath All of the old floor framing had to be removed, all the beams were rotten on the ends. So I bought new timber and started installing.
As you can see, I didn't get very far. At least all the planning and guesswork is done now. My cold turned into a full blown sinus infection, and I had to pay the doctor a visit on Friday. Energy levels very low. I would not want to repeat the bout of pneumonia I had two years back.
I also had a problem with the ride on. The drive belt keeps slipping, so when you see a cloud of blue smoke approaching, that is me. Another problem is that it runs unevenly. I will do the basic and replace the spark plug tomorrow.
Barco and Jeamien are having their house renovated, and need some assistance moving stuff about. I will spend some time there tomorrow. They will also live with us from the end of the month, and I have to provide a dog proof fence, for three dogs, varying in height from 35 cm, 18 cm and 11 cm. It might end up putting shade netting against the outer fence, and I do not know about the other limits.
Think of me, I am suffering!!
This last week we started work on the little corner room on the deck. First order of the day was to remove three years of junk. Then I removed the original decking to asses the condition of the framing underneath All of the old floor framing had to be removed, all the beams were rotten on the ends. So I bought new timber and started installing.
As you can see, I didn't get very far. At least all the planning and guesswork is done now. My cold turned into a full blown sinus infection, and I had to pay the doctor a visit on Friday. Energy levels very low. I would not want to repeat the bout of pneumonia I had two years back.
I also had a problem with the ride on. The drive belt keeps slipping, so when you see a cloud of blue smoke approaching, that is me. Another problem is that it runs unevenly. I will do the basic and replace the spark plug tomorrow.
Barco and Jeamien are having their house renovated, and need some assistance moving stuff about. I will spend some time there tomorrow. They will also live with us from the end of the month, and I have to provide a dog proof fence, for three dogs, varying in height from 35 cm, 18 cm and 11 cm. It might end up putting shade netting against the outer fence, and I do not know about the other limits.
Think of me, I am suffering!!
5 October 2014
Well, what a week! I picked up a cold from Jacqui on Friday, and I was not worth much during this last week. On Monday I removed the door and door frame toe the new kitchen, and laid the vinyl as promised. On Tuesday Jaco came to help and we removed the last nails of the wall panel, and moved it out of the way. Then we started moving the pantry. first we rolled it on broomsticks to the edge of the deck,and on to the trailer. I drove around to the large doors, and then I realised we could not do it by ourselves, so I asked Elna to call the next door neighbour, Allan. With his and Elna and Jeamien and Shaun's help, we got it off the trailer and towards the door. We built a ramp and it went smoothly over the threshold. After that it went easier. Inside the kitchen, we put a big block in front of it as not to break the plastic adjustable legs. All went well. On Wednesday I refitted the wall and door.
With all the activity, I could not take pictures myself, but Jeamien took some, and I will add it as soon as I get hold of it.
With all the activity, I could not take pictures myself, but Jeamien took some, and I will add it as soon as I get hold of it.
28 September 2014
WoW. I took nearly a month after the previous post!!!
We have been working in the new kitchen. We have manged to finish the painting. Then we tried fitting cheap vinyl on the floor. It turned out real sad. The vinyl got stretched along the edges, and is wobbly now. (Only the first half is fitted) Luckily the wobbles are under the kitchen cabinets, so we decided to leave it like that.
Barco/Barry has moved to the Chathams for work, and we ended up looking after the grandchildren from Friday night till Sunday morning. That means all work stops on Friday noon.
We have managed to fit most of the units on adjustable legs because we have a slope of about 50 mm over the width of the kitchen. We definitely need the adjustment.
The next phase is to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room to install the second part of the vinyl and install the large corner pantry. That will hopefully happen tomorrow (with help)
We have been working in the new kitchen. We have manged to finish the painting. Then we tried fitting cheap vinyl on the floor. It turned out real sad. The vinyl got stretched along the edges, and is wobbly now. (Only the first half is fitted) Luckily the wobbles are under the kitchen cabinets, so we decided to leave it like that.
Barco/Barry has moved to the Chathams for work, and we ended up looking after the grandchildren from Friday night till Sunday morning. That means all work stops on Friday noon.
We have managed to fit most of the units on adjustable legs because we have a slope of about 50 mm over the width of the kitchen. We definitely need the adjustment.
The next phase is to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room to install the second part of the vinyl and install the large corner pantry. That will hopefully happen tomorrow (with help)
31 August 2014
I got brave this week and cut the opening for the window on the street (southern) side. Then we fitted the large frame Funny how difficult it is to merge a window that is supposed to be plumb with a wall that is not. Got there in the end. We fitted the sliding sashes and the cleats holding them in position. We also fitted the outside architraves and made scribers, painted them and even managed to fit them. Apart from some touch up paint work, all is done on this window. We have bought and fitted new architraves for the inside. I even got some new latches for both windows.
We checked the original architraves for the original eastern window. They are in a sad state, but for the sake of authenticity we decided to fill the holes and reuse them.
We have made a list to prioritize our next tasks. The main task will be to finish painting the new kitchen walls.
We checked the original architraves for the original eastern window. They are in a sad state, but for the sake of authenticity we decided to fill the holes and reuse them.
We have made a list to prioritize our next tasks. The main task will be to finish painting the new kitchen walls.
24 August 2014
Yes, I have missed a week. It seems I bore people with minor details.
We have done most of the preparation for the two windows in the new kitchen. It is amazing how much work goes into restoring a window. The original cleat between the two sliding sashes is about 10 mm. This allows the sashes to rattle and allow wintry winds in. I have taken to remake these cleats, up to 14 mm thick to eliminate rattles. We also had to remake the beading on the insides, as the borer has eaten it all. Then everything has to be painted. Everything takes time.
We did manage to semi finish the old window, everything is installed and works well. The only exception is one window pane. I have cut this when we moved in, and it is too short Will have to replace this one. We bought a very large window, 2.4*2.1 m in Cambridge, and I have taken the two large panes out. That will have to be cut this week. I was getting ready to fit the four panes in the "new window when I realized that I have run out of "glaziers points", little metal pins used to hold the glass in position. Will go buy some more on Monday.
On Saturday we went to a "working bee". Our main street was redesigned about a year ago, and some of the plants were very dull. We have a large nursery in town, and they supplied replacement plants. Elna and I planted some, and then we were invited to a nice coffee. Then we sneaked off.
You will notice the nice brown reveals /architraves. I am convinced there will be continuous demands from visitors to paint the door and other window on the eastern deck now.
We have done most of the preparation for the two windows in the new kitchen. It is amazing how much work goes into restoring a window. The original cleat between the two sliding sashes is about 10 mm. This allows the sashes to rattle and allow wintry winds in. I have taken to remake these cleats, up to 14 mm thick to eliminate rattles. We also had to remake the beading on the insides, as the borer has eaten it all. Then everything has to be painted. Everything takes time.
We did manage to semi finish the old window, everything is installed and works well. The only exception is one window pane. I have cut this when we moved in, and it is too short Will have to replace this one. We bought a very large window, 2.4*2.1 m in Cambridge, and I have taken the two large panes out. That will have to be cut this week. I was getting ready to fit the four panes in the "new window when I realized that I have run out of "glaziers points", little metal pins used to hold the glass in position. Will go buy some more on Monday.
On Saturday we went to a "working bee". Our main street was redesigned about a year ago, and some of the plants were very dull. We have a large nursery in town, and they supplied replacement plants. Elna and I planted some, and then we were invited to a nice coffee. Then we sneaked off.
You will notice the nice brown reveals /architraves. I am convinced there will be continuous demands from visitors to paint the door and other window on the eastern deck now.
10 August 2014
As promised, the glass for the window was cut using the second hand glass we had. The cost was 10% of new glass. You really don't want to know what new glass would have cost. We did mange to get 5 panes, one to be used in the front window (later).
I managed to clean the sashes and the frame for the "new" window. Then we had rain. Saturday was a sunny day, but we have been invited to a "fairy party' for Jacqui. so no painting got done.
I also took out the sashes from the old window in the new kitchen. The idea was just to tidy up, but it ended in a complete paint strip and removing the glass for re puttying. Did I mention that my little sander's bearing has seized? Another little niggly task to keep me busy.
I also had a problem finding architraves around the 'new" window. I ended up buying a length (5.4m) that has got nearly the right profile. That will go on the outside.
I managed to clean the sashes and the frame for the "new" window. Then we had rain. Saturday was a sunny day, but we have been invited to a "fairy party' for Jacqui. so no painting got done.
I also took out the sashes from the old window in the new kitchen. The idea was just to tidy up, but it ended in a complete paint strip and removing the glass for re puttying. Did I mention that my little sander's bearing has seized? Another little niggly task to keep me busy.
I also had a problem finding architraves around the 'new" window. I ended up buying a length (5.4m) that has got nearly the right profile. That will go on the outside.
Monday
4 August 2014
Yes, shoot me! sorry, I missed a week and now I am late.
Apart from visiting friends and going to Hamilton, we did actually manage to get some work done, although not spectacular. I do find that I cannot do as much as I used to when we started, but that's life.
The ceiling of the new kitchen is finished, painted the lot. It is amazing how unsteady the scaffold has become in 3 years. I used to laugh at brother Ben when he was here and sent the scaffold in oscillations, now I am doing exactly the same. Must have something to do with getting older. (maybe the scaffold needs bracing)
The "new" window is nearly finished. Most of the paint has been scraped off, and I got hold of some old windows from which I removed the glass (successfully) It still needs to be cut to the right size. There are two cleats missing from the frame, and I will have to make new ones.
I haven't taken the plunge to remove the door and open the hatch, but that is also on the agenda.
Apart from visiting friends and going to Hamilton, we did actually manage to get some work done, although not spectacular. I do find that I cannot do as much as I used to when we started, but that's life.
The ceiling of the new kitchen is finished, painted the lot. It is amazing how unsteady the scaffold has become in 3 years. I used to laugh at brother Ben when he was here and sent the scaffold in oscillations, now I am doing exactly the same. Must have something to do with getting older. (maybe the scaffold needs bracing)
The "new" window is nearly finished. Most of the paint has been scraped off, and I got hold of some old windows from which I removed the glass (successfully) It still needs to be cut to the right size. There are two cleats missing from the frame, and I will have to make new ones.
I haven't taken the plunge to remove the door and open the hatch, but that is also on the agenda.
Sunday
20 July 2014
After a long period of inactivity, we rented a "Gib lift" and got Barco to assist. We managed to fit all three of the ceiling panels, as well as the one over the nook formed by the new bathroom wall being moved. We also fitted the Gib on that side.
Next we secured the lintel where the serving hatch will go. Suddenly I realised that we have never secured the studs on the other side, and the Gib is fitted now. Luckily we have a space from 2 m height to 3.4 m height which was built for access. I removed one of the sarking boards there and secured the studs.
We also started planning the positioning of lights, and had to lay wiring for that. That was easy with the sarking removed, but where the stove will be, we had to remove a Gib panel and lay the wiring.
The next job was to fit the last of the 3.5 m Gib panels, over the lintel where the hatch will go. With a lot of help from Above, Elna and myself managed that. We had to lift it 2 m. That is screwed down now.
Saturday I bought half rounds to replicate the original, and some cleats fir the corners, also as per the original. The plan was to start painting those, but the grandchildren came over and Shaun has been dreaming of a "box car" (kaskar). We selected material and designed the thing, and after he left I welded a frame. That meant that my work wad not done.
Next we secured the lintel where the serving hatch will go. Suddenly I realised that we have never secured the studs on the other side, and the Gib is fitted now. Luckily we have a space from 2 m height to 3.4 m height which was built for access. I removed one of the sarking boards there and secured the studs.
We also started planning the positioning of lights, and had to lay wiring for that. That was easy with the sarking removed, but where the stove will be, we had to remove a Gib panel and lay the wiring.
The next job was to fit the last of the 3.5 m Gib panels, over the lintel where the hatch will go. With a lot of help from Above, Elna and myself managed that. We had to lift it 2 m. That is screwed down now.
Saturday I bought half rounds to replicate the original, and some cleats fir the corners, also as per the original. The plan was to start painting those, but the grandchildren came over and Shaun has been dreaming of a "box car" (kaskar). We selected material and designed the thing, and after he left I welded a frame. That meant that my work wad not done.
13 July 2014
I have decided it is well time for the new kitchen to get attention. I commandeered Jaco to assist me, and we added battens to the old ceiling, The ones I fitted way back were not secure enough. the new ones are 40 *40 mm and screwed to the beams with 100 mm screws. I rented a gib lift and Barco assisted and the boards were fitted easily. I realised I cannot continue to do work on the cornices and half round battens (strips) before all the walls are done. That means I will need to cut the serving hatch and remove the door, as planned. It will also mean I cannot close the door on the job when I do not feel up to it.
Saturday was a very rainy day and I called on Jaco so we could work on his door and door frame he want to fit in his garage to change it to a play room for the kids. That is nearly done now.
Our article did appear in the paper, see attached
6 July 2014
We have had a lot of rain and rainy weather this past week. That meant that the work output as accordingly very low.
One day we had a litlle sunshine, and I managed to cut the grass, hopefully for the last time this season.
We did manage to clean all the architraves for the patio door, stain/varnish them and cut it to the right sizes. On all three sides we had to join the timber. In the end all was fitted and looks very nice.
We also removed the broken cement floor insert in front of the now closed fireplace in the lounge, and replaced that
I did manage to start work on the inspection door into the ceiling in the 'new" kitchen. That has been omitted during the lat work done there.
sorry for such an uninteresting report, but that's all folks!
One day we had a litlle sunshine, and I managed to cut the grass, hopefully for the last time this season.
We did manage to clean all the architraves for the patio door, stain/varnish them and cut it to the right sizes. On all three sides we had to join the timber. In the end all was fitted and looks very nice.
We also removed the broken cement floor insert in front of the now closed fireplace in the lounge, and replaced that
I did manage to start work on the inspection door into the ceiling in the 'new" kitchen. That has been omitted during the lat work done there.
sorry for such an uninteresting report, but that's all folks!
29 June 2014
I have taken a break after the rush to get the doors finished.
Firstly, I needed to upgrade my computer, and ended up with a new box and Windows 8.1 I made a mistake, everybody I spoke to says I should have gone for 7. VERY steep learning curve!
I also had to do a new WOF on our car to stay road legal, that took some time to fix a torn CV boot.
We had plenty of rain this month, and the profiles that will go around the door on the inside (the architraves), was paint stripped, and would not dry properly. As a last resort, I put them inside next to the fireplace. The last few bits are to be sanded, and then the process of cutting and joining the bits will start.
On Saturday I invited our grandson over to help me tidy up with all the rubbish lying around. That was done sweetly.
We have taken pictures of the outside of the patio door. This also shows the deck and veranda. Nice northerly aspect.
Firstly, I needed to upgrade my computer, and ended up with a new box and Windows 8.1 I made a mistake, everybody I spoke to says I should have gone for 7. VERY steep learning curve!
I also had to do a new WOF on our car to stay road legal, that took some time to fix a torn CV boot.
We had plenty of rain this month, and the profiles that will go around the door on the inside (the architraves), was paint stripped, and would not dry properly. As a last resort, I put them inside next to the fireplace. The last few bits are to be sanded, and then the process of cutting and joining the bits will start.
On Saturday I invited our grandson over to help me tidy up with all the rubbish lying around. That was done sweetly.
We have taken pictures of the outside of the patio door. This also shows the deck and veranda. Nice northerly aspect.
15 June 2014
Yes, we have made the first three years! Originally we have set ourselves a target of one room per year. We forgot about the outside. To date, we have done the front room, which is our temporary bedroom, and the living room with the dining room, and I nearly forgot about the bathroom! We have also done some work on the new kitchen to be. On the outside we have repainted 80 % of the outside walls, rebuilt the decks. I think we are about on target.
We did manage to sand and paint the interior wall by the patio door, and stain / varnished the Rimu door frame that Willie helped build a year ago. It blends in perfectly with the original stain on the doors and skirtings. We also sanded the rod for the curtains. I made it myself and it was a bit rough. I was not prepared to pay the price for a new one. I cut a plastic pipe in half, stuck a piece of sandpaper inside it, and got it as nice as a baby's arm ( no, not that part). That was also stain/ varnished as before.All four of the curtains we have been given are up now. The outside of the doors got a lick of paint in anticipation of a visit from the local newspaper on Tuesday.
Sorry, visually there is not enough progress to justify a picture.
We did manage to sand and paint the interior wall by the patio door, and stain / varnished the Rimu door frame that Willie helped build a year ago. It blends in perfectly with the original stain on the doors and skirtings. We also sanded the rod for the curtains. I made it myself and it was a bit rough. I was not prepared to pay the price for a new one. I cut a plastic pipe in half, stuck a piece of sandpaper inside it, and got it as nice as a baby's arm ( no, not that part). That was also stain/ varnished as before.All four of the curtains we have been given are up now. The outside of the doors got a lick of paint in anticipation of a visit from the local newspaper on Tuesday.
Sorry, visually there is not enough progress to justify a picture.
8 June 2014
YES! The grant for the deck has been paid out. We are very thankful to the Council and to our Lord. Everything worked out just fine.
We had a nice surprise on Thursday? Steve, a mate from Hamilton who we got to know through Peet, turned up to have a look at our progress. He follows the blog. It was nice to be able to show him around. And then he had a surprise for us. He had a lot of nails and screws and Rimu timber in surplus, and kindly gifted that to us. Thanks again Steve!
We had a lovely sunny week, and I realised that I have to clear grass in the garden. I spent two days spraying weedkiller in anticipation of cultivating the veggie patch. It has had very little attention during the last summer.
We have done some Gib stopping on the inside wall by the patio door, but it is not finished yet. We have decided to stain/varnish the Rimu door frame. That will have to be done before the architraves goes up.
Talking of the architraves, we have hunted around among our hoard and found (hopefully) enough to do the inside. We are in the process of cleaning it, with scrapers, heat gun, paint stripper. The final stage will be sandpaper before we stain/varnish them. On the outside we will be using smooth board.
We have been to Hamilton and bought the material for a roman blind behind the fancy curtains. That will help keeping the place warm in winter. We will be making that only after the other work is done.
Another week and we will be in our "new" house for three years now. It is VERY interesting to go back to the beginning and revisit where we started.
We had a nice surprise on Thursday? Steve, a mate from Hamilton who we got to know through Peet, turned up to have a look at our progress. He follows the blog. It was nice to be able to show him around. And then he had a surprise for us. He had a lot of nails and screws and Rimu timber in surplus, and kindly gifted that to us. Thanks again Steve!
We had a lovely sunny week, and I realised that I have to clear grass in the garden. I spent two days spraying weedkiller in anticipation of cultivating the veggie patch. It has had very little attention during the last summer.
We have done some Gib stopping on the inside wall by the patio door, but it is not finished yet. We have decided to stain/varnish the Rimu door frame. That will have to be done before the architraves goes up.
Talking of the architraves, we have hunted around among our hoard and found (hopefully) enough to do the inside. We are in the process of cleaning it, with scrapers, heat gun, paint stripper. The final stage will be sandpaper before we stain/varnish them. On the outside we will be using smooth board.
We have been to Hamilton and bought the material for a roman blind behind the fancy curtains. That will help keeping the place warm in winter. We will be making that only after the other work is done.
Another week and we will be in our "new" house for three years now. It is VERY interesting to go back to the beginning and revisit where we started.
25 May 2014
The most important news is that the people from council has been here on Friday, and they are happy with the work we have done. That implies we will be getting our grant in due time. Thank you Lord for all your mercies!.
Remember our camera failed, and we had to replace it. Some people could not wait for the latest pictures, so they had a sneak preview.
Both pictures were taken from the inside, the first one before all the glass was fitted. The white thing to the right is a light switch. The second picture gives an indication of the amount of light we are getting. Lovely.
The doors are double folding, and works very well. On the left hand from the inside, they fold flat against the wall, thanks to the parliament hinges we have used. On the other side it folds nicely against the opposing wall
Please!!!, don't think the job is done now, there is still a lot of work to be done. Last night we had a rainstorm with wind, and it is amazing the amount of wind that came in between the post on the right of the top picture and the wall. It will certainly need sealing. We also have to fit architraves on the inside and out. Did I mention that the glass was bedded in but not finished from the outside. The Gib stopping also awaits me.
On Friday afternoon we went to Hamilton to look for curtains. We will need them to cover 3.5 m wide and 2.6 m tall. Quite a hefty bill!! It has to be made on order and the making fee is twice that of the material.
Remember our camera failed, and we had to replace it. Some people could not wait for the latest pictures, so they had a sneak preview.
Both pictures were taken from the inside, the first one before all the glass was fitted. The white thing to the right is a light switch. The second picture gives an indication of the amount of light we are getting. Lovely.
The doors are double folding, and works very well. On the left hand from the inside, they fold flat against the wall, thanks to the parliament hinges we have used. On the other side it folds nicely against the opposing wall
Please!!!, don't think the job is done now, there is still a lot of work to be done. Last night we had a rainstorm with wind, and it is amazing the amount of wind that came in between the post on the right of the top picture and the wall. It will certainly need sealing. We also have to fit architraves on the inside and out. Did I mention that the glass was bedded in but not finished from the outside. The Gib stopping also awaits me.
On Friday afternoon we went to Hamilton to look for curtains. We will need them to cover 3.5 m wide and 2.6 m tall. Quite a hefty bill!! It has to be made on order and the making fee is twice that of the material.
18 May 2014
As suggested, I called in a favor and got the 3.5 m gib up. Then the two smaller pieces on either side followed. The finishing will follow after all the glass is fitted.
The weather was nice, and we decided to fit the doors without glass. That turned out to be a very good call, the doors were easily manhandled. All four doors were fitted with a bit of shimming here and there. And they fold back easily as planned, thank you. I got three "Necked bolts" (bolts with an offset as we have used in Cambridge as well) to be able to open only two doors if required, and obviously secure the inner ones as well.
Eventually I was forced to admit defeat and start glazing the doors. Up to Friday I have managed to finish 12 panes, with 7 more bedded and pinned down. Then we cut one of the hardboard sheets and tied the panels to the remaining doors so it can be opened and closed normally.
We tried taking a picture but the camera has died on me, so no pictures this week either. If we can manage to buy a new camera, I might add a photo during the week
The weather was nice, and we decided to fit the doors without glass. That turned out to be a very good call, the doors were easily manhandled. All four doors were fitted with a bit of shimming here and there. And they fold back easily as planned, thank you. I got three "Necked bolts" (bolts with an offset as we have used in Cambridge as well) to be able to open only two doors if required, and obviously secure the inner ones as well.
Eventually I was forced to admit defeat and start glazing the doors. Up to Friday I have managed to finish 12 panes, with 7 more bedded and pinned down. Then we cut one of the hardboard sheets and tied the panels to the remaining doors so it can be opened and closed normally.
We tried taking a picture but the camera has died on me, so no pictures this week either. If we can manage to buy a new camera, I might add a photo during the week
11 May 2014
We were out some time, so it was not a full week's progress.
We had a nice sunny week. That dictated that we do the door frame rather than glazing the doors. It made working outside a lot easier. I assembled the frame out on the deck. Elna happened to be out, so I decided to take the risk of lifting the frame upright by myself. I just managed. Shortly thereafter Elna came back. It took a lot of time to set the frame vertical and level. Eventually we had it all right. Then came the tricky part, to screw it on to the outside framing. That also took a lot of time, making spacers as we went along..
We also removed the jack post holding the lintel between the lounge and dining room, because at the time I used an old post and was not happy with the standard. We fitted a new post there and bolted it onto the outer frame.
Then came the surprise! The building is not true vertical any more, and we have to get the Gib board to fit around the door frame, but also to the house framing, and there were variations of over 10 mm. In the end we decided to use the door frame as reference, and made packers to fit onto the studs. Some turned out to be 1400 mm long, and taper down from 10 mm to 0 mm It was still sunny on Saturday and off I went to buy the Gib. The longest sheet being 3.6 m. That implies that we will need assistance from some friend(s) to put it up. With a ceiling height of 3.4 m, I am not going to take any chances.
We have also decided to fit the doors without glass, to make handling easier, then remove them and glaze them.
Sorry, no pictures this week.
We had a nice sunny week. That dictated that we do the door frame rather than glazing the doors. It made working outside a lot easier. I assembled the frame out on the deck. Elna happened to be out, so I decided to take the risk of lifting the frame upright by myself. I just managed. Shortly thereafter Elna came back. It took a lot of time to set the frame vertical and level. Eventually we had it all right. Then came the tricky part, to screw it on to the outside framing. That also took a lot of time, making spacers as we went along..
We also removed the jack post holding the lintel between the lounge and dining room, because at the time I used an old post and was not happy with the standard. We fitted a new post there and bolted it onto the outer frame.
Then came the surprise! The building is not true vertical any more, and we have to get the Gib board to fit around the door frame, but also to the house framing, and there were variations of over 10 mm. In the end we decided to use the door frame as reference, and made packers to fit onto the studs. Some turned out to be 1400 mm long, and taper down from 10 mm to 0 mm It was still sunny on Saturday and off I went to buy the Gib. The longest sheet being 3.6 m. That implies that we will need assistance from some friend(s) to put it up. With a ceiling height of 3.4 m, I am not going to take any chances.
We have also decided to fit the doors without glass, to make handling easier, then remove them and glaze them.
Sorry, no pictures this week.
4 May 2014
I was checking back on the blog. We (Willie and I ) started work on the patio doors in June. Then some other things popped up, and the doors were moved to the back burner. My biggest mistake was removing the glass panes, 4 doors, 10 panes per door, makes it 40 panes. Removing it was not so bad, but then I had to refit or replace the broken ones.
After finishing the veranda and deck, I decided that, if I ever want to have patio doors, I must get started NOW! Monday I started fitting glass, but with me being so shaky, it is a very tedious process. Then we saw the weather forecast for the week, which promised mostly sunshine, but at least no rain.
On Tuesday I started removing the offending window, and blocked the opening overnight. Then the big job started. Over the last 100 years plus, everybody did their piece. I basically had to strip all the studs down from the inside, and fit one jack post from timber I had in stock. Only on Friday I went to buy the lintel and more posts. All went on and we boarded up again overnight.
On Saturday we started work on positioning the thresh hold. Being 220 mm wide, it didn't sit properly on the floor joists, sticking out only 120 mm. In the end we resorted to joining pieces of timber to the joists,so the thresh hold sits properly now.
But wait! There is more! Through time the floor joists sagged, except for the middle one,which sits on the brick wall of the cellar. We have leveled the bed for the thresh hold, but now the height of our floorboards compared to the thresh hold, varies by up to 20 mm.
There is more work to be done, but at least we have got a start. Monday is supposed to be rainy, so we will go to Hamilton for some business.
My biggest worry is to get the glass fitted to the doors, but as they say: All good things come in time.
While working, we also uncovered some weatherboards that was still pained in the original colour, well, about 1920's. It will be good to show critics that the house did not start out as WHITE.
After finishing the veranda and deck, I decided that, if I ever want to have patio doors, I must get started NOW! Monday I started fitting glass, but with me being so shaky, it is a very tedious process. Then we saw the weather forecast for the week, which promised mostly sunshine, but at least no rain.
On Tuesday I started removing the offending window, and blocked the opening overnight. Then the big job started. Over the last 100 years plus, everybody did their piece. I basically had to strip all the studs down from the inside, and fit one jack post from timber I had in stock. Only on Friday I went to buy the lintel and more posts. All went on and we boarded up again overnight.
On Saturday we started work on positioning the thresh hold. Being 220 mm wide, it didn't sit properly on the floor joists, sticking out only 120 mm. In the end we resorted to joining pieces of timber to the joists,so the thresh hold sits properly now.
But wait! There is more! Through time the floor joists sagged, except for the middle one,which sits on the brick wall of the cellar. We have leveled the bed for the thresh hold, but now the height of our floorboards compared to the thresh hold, varies by up to 20 mm.
There is more work to be done, but at least we have got a start. Monday is supposed to be rainy, so we will go to Hamilton for some business.
My biggest worry is to get the glass fitted to the doors, but as they say: All good things come in time.
While working, we also uncovered some weatherboards that was still pained in the original colour, well, about 1920's. It will be good to show critics that the house did not start out as WHITE.
Saturday
26 April 2014
Today we can officially announce that we have finished the decks!! We started work four months ago!
With Easter and Anzac day, we lost two working days, but we have put the skirt on the old lady. All the gaps under the decks are closed now. Today was spent to fit the last of the posts, and secure the doubler over the extended deck. Sorry, we haven't painted that part of the wall yet, but that will have to wait fir the long awaited patio door to be installed. We also removed all our scrap and surplus material, an I even managed to mow the grass. We have had lovely rain since the beginning of April, and everything is green again.
With Easter and Anzac day, we lost two working days, but we have put the skirt on the old lady. All the gaps under the decks are closed now. Today was spent to fit the last of the posts, and secure the doubler over the extended deck. Sorry, we haven't painted that part of the wall yet, but that will have to wait fir the long awaited patio door to be installed. We also removed all our scrap and surplus material, an I even managed to mow the grass. We have had lovely rain since the beginning of April, and everything is green again.
Sunday
20 April 2014
The deck has been sealed, but there is a lot of work still to be done. Sorry, it is not a very good picture, it is a rainy day today. We have had 40 mm over the last week alone, and about that much again the previous week.
At the last section, towards the north, we initially put the veranda up over the original deck. When we rebuilt the deck, it did not end up at the same height, that means that the veranda height was out.. When I got up the ladder to work there, I found that we had a dip in the spouting, water was collecting there and did not run off properly. That meant that I had to cut the posts on that side to allow proper runoff. The last one, on the corner by the down pipe, was cut three times. Remember, although the posts are only bolted to the top beam, each of them has got an 8 mm rod inserted at the bottom to strengthen the original repair and also to locate them securely to the deck. That makes the cutting a bit tricky. After all is in place, I drill an additional 6 mm hole through the post into the bottom beam at an angle. Then a 6 mm rod gets hammered in. The combination of the two pins secures the post against wind It is looking good now.
We are planning to put a double beam over the extended deck, with only two heavy duty posts at the ends. Those are not finished yet. We are also planning to build a wind break to the western side, but that will be much later. That will replicate the original wind break. We also still need to cover the sides of the deck with fibre board.
We did receive the expected letter from Council. There were a lot of applications, but we were given 80% of our actual cost. Thank you Lord. Now we can breathe again.
At the last section, towards the north, we initially put the veranda up over the original deck. When we rebuilt the deck, it did not end up at the same height, that means that the veranda height was out.. When I got up the ladder to work there, I found that we had a dip in the spouting, water was collecting there and did not run off properly. That meant that I had to cut the posts on that side to allow proper runoff. The last one, on the corner by the down pipe, was cut three times. Remember, although the posts are only bolted to the top beam, each of them has got an 8 mm rod inserted at the bottom to strengthen the original repair and also to locate them securely to the deck. That makes the cutting a bit tricky. After all is in place, I drill an additional 6 mm hole through the post into the bottom beam at an angle. Then a 6 mm rod gets hammered in. The combination of the two pins secures the post against wind It is looking good now.
We are planning to put a double beam over the extended deck, with only two heavy duty posts at the ends. Those are not finished yet. We are also planning to build a wind break to the western side, but that will be much later. That will replicate the original wind break. We also still need to cover the sides of the deck with fibre board.
We did receive the expected letter from Council. There were a lot of applications, but we were given 80% of our actual cost. Thank you Lord. Now we can breathe again.
13 April 2014
After some prompting, the lady at Council told me that we were given a partial grant, but we have to wait until the letters has been written and signed. Fingers crossed.
We finished the deck, it is all good for sealing now. It took some planning to get the trapdoor right. We did have some rain in the week, so everything is wet, but we are thankful for the farmer's part. Having grown up in western Transvaal, I will never complain about rain.
The forecast is for a sunny Tuesday, so we hope to do the sealing then. We still want to do an extension on the larger deck at a lower level, but the plans are not clear in my head yet, so I might start with something else.
The trapdoor over the cellar works fine, but I still have to finish off handles to open it that I started yesterday. It involves welding, and with me being so shaky, it takes a lot of time.
Pictures to follow when the sealing is done!!
On Friday I did some necessary maintenance on our little car. I got some parts from a metal recycler and changed the RF seat covers, the RH sideshaft and the front wheels. The agreement is that I will only return the old parts, no cost involved. Thanks Michelle!!!!!!!!!
We finished the deck, it is all good for sealing now. It took some planning to get the trapdoor right. We did have some rain in the week, so everything is wet, but we are thankful for the farmer's part. Having grown up in western Transvaal, I will never complain about rain.
The forecast is for a sunny Tuesday, so we hope to do the sealing then. We still want to do an extension on the larger deck at a lower level, but the plans are not clear in my head yet, so I might start with something else.
The trapdoor over the cellar works fine, but I still have to finish off handles to open it that I started yesterday. It involves welding, and with me being so shaky, it takes a lot of time.
Pictures to follow when the sealing is done!!
On Friday I did some necessary maintenance on our little car. I got some parts from a metal recycler and changed the RF seat covers, the RH sideshaft and the front wheels. The agreement is that I will only return the old parts, no cost involved. Thanks Michelle!!!!!!!!!
6 April 2014
We made good progress this past week. We managed to seal the deck on the western side, and replaced most of the posts. We also had the 150th commemoration of the last battle of the Maori Land wars (when the whole of the Waikato region was confiscated from the Maori) That commemoration took place on Tuesday. We were surprised when a person turned up and asked if he could take pictures of us sealing the deck. Turned out he has written a lot of books on the local history. He said his next book will be on Major Jackson. We could not stop work, so he left quite soon.
We finished off the last framing for the northern deck, and started fitting boards. To make sure we would not have an odd board or an odd angle, I put the first board on the end of the extended deck, and worked back to the corner. It did mean that I ended up with a narrow filler, but it is very short and not very obvious. Yesterday I continued on the extended deck, and managed to fit 10 boards, which is just under half of that part. The next part will be more difficult, because I will need to cut in to allow for the trap door. Remember there is a food storage cellar down there, and we must keep it accessible. I am still not clear on how to make the trap door to open. Hopefully it will clarify itself as we go along. That ugly post is just a temporary prop until we have rounded the ends and sealed the whole side, then all the posts go back. Thinking of it, I still have not decided what posts to use on the extended deck. At the time when I repaired the original posts, there was no deck there.
Some time in the week, we fitted the scrolls for the eastern side. It looks very original, (maybe it is because it is original) There are still "collars" around the posts that need to be fitted, but that can come at a later date.
You must appreciate these pictures, I got up early, very early to take them. We went off daylight saving last night, that means I was up before seven, a big achievement for me.
I also had an email from the lady at Council, they will decide on Monday on our application for a grant for the decks. I might be given an opportunity to explain the application. I might even take these three photographs along.
We finished off the last framing for the northern deck, and started fitting boards. To make sure we would not have an odd board or an odd angle, I put the first board on the end of the extended deck, and worked back to the corner. It did mean that I ended up with a narrow filler, but it is very short and not very obvious. Yesterday I continued on the extended deck, and managed to fit 10 boards, which is just under half of that part. The next part will be more difficult, because I will need to cut in to allow for the trap door. Remember there is a food storage cellar down there, and we must keep it accessible. I am still not clear on how to make the trap door to open. Hopefully it will clarify itself as we go along. That ugly post is just a temporary prop until we have rounded the ends and sealed the whole side, then all the posts go back. Thinking of it, I still have not decided what posts to use on the extended deck. At the time when I repaired the original posts, there was no deck there.
Some time in the week, we fitted the scrolls for the eastern side. It looks very original, (maybe it is because it is original) There are still "collars" around the posts that need to be fitted, but that can come at a later date.
You must appreciate these pictures, I got up early, very early to take them. We went off daylight saving last night, that means I was up before seven, a big achievement for me.
I also had an email from the lady at Council, they will decide on Monday on our application for a grant for the decks. I might be given an opportunity to explain the application. I might even take these three photographs along.
30 March 2014
I was a bit under the weather this past week, so productivity was low.
We did manage to finish the decking on the western side, where the bay window is. The timber is freshly milled, and is still very wet. I found that I could router it only with the greatest difficulty. So, in the end I cut the boards to length, and left it to dry off a bit.
On Friday I managed to take a load of offcuts and other rubbish to the dump.
The weekend we spent visiting friends. (Nice to be retired and not need to work to a schedule)
We did an inspection today, and it seems the boards have dried off sufficiently to allow us to cut it tomorrow.
Hopefully we can supply pictures next week
We did manage to finish the decking on the western side, where the bay window is. The timber is freshly milled, and is still very wet. I found that I could router it only with the greatest difficulty. So, in the end I cut the boards to length, and left it to dry off a bit.
On Friday I managed to take a load of offcuts and other rubbish to the dump.
The weekend we spent visiting friends. (Nice to be retired and not need to work to a schedule)
We did an inspection today, and it seems the boards have dried off sufficiently to allow us to cut it tomorrow.
Hopefully we can supply pictures next week
23 March 2014
Repairing the joists and bearers took a lot of time. Mostly done now.
We have also recycled the rusted water tank that stood next to the kitchen. It is about 2000 gals, 9000 liters. When we got it, it was meant to replicate a tank that would have been there, but that would only have been 500 gals, 2250 liters. So the tank never fitted in properly. We decided to move it to behind the cookhouse and make a firewood shed from it. It is lying on its side now.
Using odd free times during the week we (Elna) painted the eight fretwork pieces It will be up to me to fit them now
Early in the week I threw my toys out of the cot We have ordered the decking material on the second of February It worked by Friday afternoon we had the timber delivered Guess what my next job will be?
We have also recycled the rusted water tank that stood next to the kitchen. It is about 2000 gals, 9000 liters. When we got it, it was meant to replicate a tank that would have been there, but that would only have been 500 gals, 2250 liters. So the tank never fitted in properly. We decided to move it to behind the cookhouse and make a firewood shed from it. It is lying on its side now.
Using odd free times during the week we (Elna) painted the eight fretwork pieces It will be up to me to fit them now
Early in the week I threw my toys out of the cot We have ordered the decking material on the second of February It worked by Friday afternoon we had the timber delivered Guess what my next job will be?
16 March 2014
On Monday we went to visit friends. No work done.
The next job was to replace the temporary joists for the "new" deck. When it was built as a temporary platform, I have used new bearers but timber that I had in stock for joists. Those were not treated for outdoor use and had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the temporary joists were 140 mm, and the new ones are 155 mm, a discrepancy of 15 mm. Because the height was calculated to fit the new patio door to be, I had to lower the bearers by 15 mm. That meant cutting a lot of piles shorter and removing some spacers. In the end it all worked out fine. The finishing touches will be done in due time. The opening you see is for the trapdoor to the cellar. We have to keep that accessible. The remainder of the decking has not been delivered yet. Fingers crossed.
We had a forecast of a tropical cyclone reaching us from the North, with winds up to 140 km/h and 100 mm rain. So, on Friday I battened the hatches. I tied a strap around our car port to the red car. I moved everything that could be blown away, and put weights on the others. The rain was forecast to start Friday night. In the morning, nothing has happened. Later in the day we had a fresh breeze, with wind in the afternoon. No rain. Obviously no work done either. Today, Sunday we had two light showers.
I have done a little bit of work on the fretwork. This was the worst one. Most of the flat sides are sanded now, but We still have to clean the openings in between. Then Elna will have to paint it with an artist's brush. Just for the record, Elna has been helping me quite a lot, and when she is there, I have to spark to keep up!
The next job was to replace the temporary joists for the "new" deck. When it was built as a temporary platform, I have used new bearers but timber that I had in stock for joists. Those were not treated for outdoor use and had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the temporary joists were 140 mm, and the new ones are 155 mm, a discrepancy of 15 mm. Because the height was calculated to fit the new patio door to be, I had to lower the bearers by 15 mm. That meant cutting a lot of piles shorter and removing some spacers. In the end it all worked out fine. The finishing touches will be done in due time. The opening you see is for the trapdoor to the cellar. We have to keep that accessible. The remainder of the decking has not been delivered yet. Fingers crossed.
We had a forecast of a tropical cyclone reaching us from the North, with winds up to 140 km/h and 100 mm rain. So, on Friday I battened the hatches. I tied a strap around our car port to the red car. I moved everything that could be blown away, and put weights on the others. The rain was forecast to start Friday night. In the morning, nothing has happened. Later in the day we had a fresh breeze, with wind in the afternoon. No rain. Obviously no work done either. Today, Sunday we had two light showers.
I have done a little bit of work on the fretwork. This was the worst one. Most of the flat sides are sanded now, but We still have to clean the openings in between. Then Elna will have to paint it with an artist's brush. Just for the record, Elna has been helping me quite a lot, and when she is there, I have to spark to keep up!
9 March 2014
The week started with a forecast for rain, so I decided to prepare for it.
Firstly, I put flashing on the storeroom and car port behind the "hoarding wall". Last season, every thing stored against that wall got wet. I was given some capping for such a wall, and with flashing salvaged from the veranda job, I managed to complete that job.
The next one was a leak in he "cookhouse" roof, just by the wall. In the past I have tried sealing leaks, to no avail. Together with the veranda job, we were given some iron sheets by the roofer. I cut three to size, Elna painted them, and i replaced some of the old sheets. It turns out that, if I ever want to repair that roof properly, I will have to add extra beams. The existing one where I opened up was half eaten by rats, and has snapped. Must admit, they were only 50 * 50 mm .
The next "rain job" was to provide for proper runoff from the down pipes from the new veranda. When the previous people cleared the land, they changed the contour as well. If I had left the water to run freely, all would run under the house. (I must admit it has been doing exactly that since the roof was replaced, before our time.) Because the veranda and decks had to be rebuilt, I could not really do anything about it before. Now the water drains into a flower bed on the northern side.
Next job was to put fibre board to close off the end of the new deck. Looks very nice now.
Part of Friday and part of Saturday was spent to repair the fretwork for the eastern side. Some pieces were missing, and some were in pieces. Still some work to do on that.
We also noticed that the old doors we have used to block of the opening where the chimney fell down were falling apart. We took some plywood and not only covered the opening, but also put a cover over the remaining brickwork. Now rain won't leak into the cookhouse any more.
We had a pleasant surprise on Saturday. About six o'clock we had a knock on the door. It was another "Jackson". His grandfather was a brother of William Jackson, who built our house. Turns out he has got a lot of information about William and the rest of the family. He also has a sword that belonged to Jackson, and a pocket watch. He has never been in the house before, and was very interested. His son plays polo in Kihikihi and he promised to pay us another visit and to show us the artifacts.
Needless to say, we haven't had any rain. Farmers are struggling,
Firstly, I put flashing on the storeroom and car port behind the "hoarding wall". Last season, every thing stored against that wall got wet. I was given some capping for such a wall, and with flashing salvaged from the veranda job, I managed to complete that job.
The next one was a leak in he "cookhouse" roof, just by the wall. In the past I have tried sealing leaks, to no avail. Together with the veranda job, we were given some iron sheets by the roofer. I cut three to size, Elna painted them, and i replaced some of the old sheets. It turns out that, if I ever want to repair that roof properly, I will have to add extra beams. The existing one where I opened up was half eaten by rats, and has snapped. Must admit, they were only 50 * 50 mm .
The next "rain job" was to provide for proper runoff from the down pipes from the new veranda. When the previous people cleared the land, they changed the contour as well. If I had left the water to run freely, all would run under the house. (I must admit it has been doing exactly that since the roof was replaced, before our time.) Because the veranda and decks had to be rebuilt, I could not really do anything about it before. Now the water drains into a flower bed on the northern side.
Next job was to put fibre board to close off the end of the new deck. Looks very nice now.
Part of Friday and part of Saturday was spent to repair the fretwork for the eastern side. Some pieces were missing, and some were in pieces. Still some work to do on that.
We also noticed that the old doors we have used to block of the opening where the chimney fell down were falling apart. We took some plywood and not only covered the opening, but also put a cover over the remaining brickwork. Now rain won't leak into the cookhouse any more.
We had a pleasant surprise on Saturday. About six o'clock we had a knock on the door. It was another "Jackson". His grandfather was a brother of William Jackson, who built our house. Turns out he has got a lot of information about William and the rest of the family. He also has a sword that belonged to Jackson, and a pocket watch. He has never been in the house before, and was very interested. His son plays polo in Kihikihi and he promised to pay us another visit and to show us the artifacts.
Needless to say, we haven't had any rain. Farmers are struggling,
2 March 2014
Wow!! I did neglect you!!!
Checking back on the last post, I only now realise how long it has been since I reported on progress.
Well, we rounded the ends of the board on the eastern side, and put up the fibre board. Then we sealed / stained the whole deck. It looks lovely. The timber looks better than our floorboards.
We had a lot of fun with the blimp sticking out from the deck. We had various explanations for it. In the event of a major flood, I can sit on the deck and do some fishing. The other one is that when I become frail, Elna can park a van next to it and I can drive in with my mobility scooter. The real explanation is that we want to build a ramp there, but it is a greater priority to get the other decks done.
Well, we need to have at least the street side (southern side) of the deck done by end of March. On the first of April we are having a 150 year commemoration of the last battle of the land wars which took place just outside of town.
I started looking for decking, but found it all had grooves, and we want to have it smooth. Also, I was not impressed with the quality. Eventually I called a dealer and asked what he had. Turned out they had a supply of 140 mm wide, 32 mm thick decking, properly treated. I went to have a look and was impressed. Most of it is clears both sides. We made a rough calculation as of quantity he has got available, and had it delivered the same day. Turned out they sent only 36 boards, the remainder is warped, etc. Lovely timber to work with and we started right away. There was a problem though, the thickness of 32 was different from the 25 mm spacers I have inserted under the posts. The spouting (gutters) was fitted with these spacers in place. If I liftted the veranda roof, the water would not run off from the spouting. This meant that I had to remove and cut each post down by 7 mm, keeping in mind that the posts each has a 8 mm steel rod glued into the foot to hold it in position. This meant I had to cut each post by hand, all 10 of them.
In the end the deck worked out quite nice. We did have a problem though, we did not have enough timber. I went by car and selected and cut another 8.5 meter of board. This allowed us to finish the street (southern) side. We could also seal the whole deck. We have not put the fibre board under the deck yet.
The remainder of the timber is on order. Let us hope it arrives soon.
Our rainy season is coming, and I have two roofs by the sheds that has no flashing yet. I have decided to do that tomorrow.
Checking back on the last post, I only now realise how long it has been since I reported on progress.
Well, we rounded the ends of the board on the eastern side, and put up the fibre board. Then we sealed / stained the whole deck. It looks lovely. The timber looks better than our floorboards.
We had a lot of fun with the blimp sticking out from the deck. We had various explanations for it. In the event of a major flood, I can sit on the deck and do some fishing. The other one is that when I become frail, Elna can park a van next to it and I can drive in with my mobility scooter. The real explanation is that we want to build a ramp there, but it is a greater priority to get the other decks done.
Well, we need to have at least the street side (southern side) of the deck done by end of March. On the first of April we are having a 150 year commemoration of the last battle of the land wars which took place just outside of town.
I started looking for decking, but found it all had grooves, and we want to have it smooth. Also, I was not impressed with the quality. Eventually I called a dealer and asked what he had. Turned out they had a supply of 140 mm wide, 32 mm thick decking, properly treated. I went to have a look and was impressed. Most of it is clears both sides. We made a rough calculation as of quantity he has got available, and had it delivered the same day. Turned out they sent only 36 boards, the remainder is warped, etc. Lovely timber to work with and we started right away. There was a problem though, the thickness of 32 was different from the 25 mm spacers I have inserted under the posts. The spouting (gutters) was fitted with these spacers in place. If I liftted the veranda roof, the water would not run off from the spouting. This meant that I had to remove and cut each post down by 7 mm, keeping in mind that the posts each has a 8 mm steel rod glued into the foot to hold it in position. This meant I had to cut each post by hand, all 10 of them.
In the end the deck worked out quite nice. We did have a problem though, we did not have enough timber. I went by car and selected and cut another 8.5 meter of board. This allowed us to finish the street (southern) side. We could also seal the whole deck. We have not put the fibre board under the deck yet.
The remainder of the timber is on order. Let us hope it arrives soon.
Our rainy season is coming, and I have two roofs by the sheds that has no flashing yet. I have decided to do that tomorrow.
9 February 2014
We had to re stack the hoard of timber under the deck, with the fact that we have sealed the under floor area. That took some time. Then we started fitting the deck boards, keeping our fingers crossed that we will have enough. One was mistakenly cut 5 mm short. Well, we just made it! The last of the boards was curved like a banana. We managed to fit the whole deck, using the last one cut straight, and requiring only 70 mm of it. We had slight rain through the day Saturday, and that delayed work somewhat. Not all of the nails are in yet, and we haven'trounded the outer edge. That will be for tomorrow. It looks a bit funny with the platform for the ramp sticking out, but the ramp will follow in due time. (That is for one day when we get old!)
We had some fibre board which Elna have painted in advance. That was fitted at is looking real good.
We have been looking at finishes, and it seems we will be using a water based deck sealer. We have tried oil on some samples, but we tend to get water spots on them.
The veranda posts are not done yet, we want to get all of the decks done before we start on that.
We had some fibre board which Elna have painted in advance. That was fitted at is looking real good.
We have been looking at finishes, and it seems we will be using a water based deck sealer. We have tried oil on some samples, but we tend to get water spots on them.
The veranda posts are not done yet, we want to get all of the decks done before we start on that.
2 February 2014
All of the framing for the decks is completed now, excluding the "braai deck".
We also received the last of the Torara order. We have enough for the eastern side now. We have decided to plane the timber, to get an even thickness. It is amazing to have a timber that has no direction when planing, you can start from either end. Well, we have about 60 boards, all planed roughly 4 times to save the life of the planer. Saturday I was planning on chamfering the edges with the router, but had to buy a router bit for the correct 5 mm radius.
Then Jaco called: Can he assist in putting up more of the fibre boards to covert the underside of the house? He could not come immediately, so Elna and myself removed our hoard of good timber from under the deck. Jaco turned up and we fitted the boards. Then the task of putting the hoard back. We did not manage to do it all yesterday, but tomorrow is a new day.
It does not seem much, but we did a lot of work this past week. I appreciate the chance to rest.
Enjoy your rest!
We also received the last of the Torara order. We have enough for the eastern side now. We have decided to plane the timber, to get an even thickness. It is amazing to have a timber that has no direction when planing, you can start from either end. Well, we have about 60 boards, all planed roughly 4 times to save the life of the planer. Saturday I was planning on chamfering the edges with the router, but had to buy a router bit for the correct 5 mm radius.
Then Jaco called: Can he assist in putting up more of the fibre boards to covert the underside of the house? He could not come immediately, so Elna and myself removed our hoard of good timber from under the deck. Jaco turned up and we fitted the boards. Then the task of putting the hoard back. We did not manage to do it all yesterday, but tomorrow is a new day.
It does not seem much, but we did a lot of work this past week. I appreciate the chance to rest.
Enjoy your rest!
26 January 2014
In the end we have demolished all of the old decks, except for the temporary "new deck". We still need some area to use for a braai. Now we are working on new joists and bearers. It is amazing how much timber is needed. The back and buttocks don't last, and progress is slow. I must say, I spent some time assisting friends on their projects as well during this week.
We have started to install Fibreboard to seal off the cold wintry wind that we are familiar with. It is intended to seal off the whole hose.
We have also learnt that rainwater is running under the house from the down pipes (spouting), instead of away from it. That will need some drainage pipes installed, but I want to get the framing finished first.
We have been in contact with the Totara decking supplier, and we did manage to buy the remainder to finish the eastern side. That should arrive about Wednesday. Looking at the cost of good timber from other suppliers, I think we will be using treated Pine on the other decks.
Since I have not much progress to report on, i thought to give you some pictures to look at!
We have started to install Fibreboard to seal off the cold wintry wind that we are familiar with. It is intended to seal off the whole hose.
We have also learnt that rainwater is running under the house from the down pipes (spouting), instead of away from it. That will need some drainage pipes installed, but I want to get the framing finished first.
We have been in contact with the Totara decking supplier, and we did manage to buy the remainder to finish the eastern side. That should arrive about Wednesday. Looking at the cost of good timber from other suppliers, I think we will be using treated Pine on the other decks.
Since I have not much progress to report on, i thought to give you some pictures to look at!
19 January 2014
In the end we demolished the whole of the old deck and fitted 125 * 125 mm bearers, with 100 *100 joists. Looking good. We had to cut the piles to get a proper slope on the deck. As it were, the water was running toward the house in one end. Everything is crooked, the house itself slopes 45 mm over the width of the deck.
We cut the Totara timber we have, and contacted the supplier for 160 lengths more. Turns out he had a large order and sold most of the stock. We are hoping to get enough to finish the deck on the eastern side.
We will need to run them all through a thicknesser, as there is some variation in thickness.
We also demolished the last of the old deck on the street side. Once again, all timber will have to be replaced.
That was our week in brief, not to mention sore backs and buttocks, but we got there in the end. Elna contributed a lot.
We cut the Totara timber we have, and contacted the supplier for 160 lengths more. Turns out he had a large order and sold most of the stock. We are hoping to get enough to finish the deck on the eastern side.
We will need to run them all through a thicknesser, as there is some variation in thickness.
We also demolished the last of the old deck on the street side. Once again, all timber will have to be replaced.
That was our week in brief, not to mention sore backs and buttocks, but we got there in the end. Elna contributed a lot.
12 January 2014
Well, and did we have a roaring time! The two daughters came for a visit over Christmas, and we chilled out, built puzzles, had huge meals and did all of those nice things. It took a while to get up to steam again, with all the other happenings happening.
I had some time on my hands and built a carport from curved iron I had, and steel framing which I have bought a while back. Now the car can fit in there, and will not get marked by the birds.
We have applied for another grant to rebuild the decks. In the meanwhile, I discovered some Totara boards, 150 *25, that is the closest to the original we can hope to get. (The original deck was built with Totara) I ordered 20 to see if it is right, with the idea to order a further 140 if it shapes up. Guess where these boards ended up? Yes, under the carport!
We started demolishing the old deck by the current entrance. It turns out none of the original timber is salvageable. I bought some house piles, 125 * 125 mm to replace the bearers. The joists will be replaced by fence posts. 100*100. I am limited by the height of the original deck and the little storage room on the corner. The piles are still in a good condition.
Thinking of it, I might just cut the timber piles 50 mm shorter, and remove and re position the concrete piles. That would allow me to use 150 mm joists. Nah.
I had some time on my hands and built a carport from curved iron I had, and steel framing which I have bought a while back. Now the car can fit in there, and will not get marked by the birds.
We have applied for another grant to rebuild the decks. In the meanwhile, I discovered some Totara boards, 150 *25, that is the closest to the original we can hope to get. (The original deck was built with Totara) I ordered 20 to see if it is right, with the idea to order a further 140 if it shapes up. Guess where these boards ended up? Yes, under the carport!
We started demolishing the old deck by the current entrance. It turns out none of the original timber is salvageable. I bought some house piles, 125 * 125 mm to replace the bearers. The joists will be replaced by fence posts. 100*100. I am limited by the height of the original deck and the little storage room on the corner. The piles are still in a good condition.
Thinking of it, I might just cut the timber piles 50 mm shorter, and remove and re position the concrete piles. That would allow me to use 150 mm joists. Nah.
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