22/05/20 Thinking that the brickies would not start for a few weeks I thought it would be all quiet on the western front, but there was movement. Outside, a (solitary) solar panel had been installed on the north facing portion of the roof, presumably enough to achieve the required energy rating. Potentially, will look to add more after we move in. They also connected temporary storm water hoses to the gutters. We were lucky that most of the leaves had dropped before the roof & gutters went on. However, for those who know Liquidambars, I wonder how the hoses will cope with the spikey gumballs that will now inevitably land on the roof for the next couple of weeks. I’m already getting quotes for gutter guards because I’m not climbing up 6m to clean gutters on a 30o pitch metallic roof!
Looking down the narrow (south) side supply lines for water & gas. Red = hot water, thin black = cold water, yellow = gas, thick black = from solar panel to where the hot water unit will sit. Inside the lines run through the roof cavities & down through noggins.
Whilst the plans show where the taps, sinks, etc are located there is nothing showing where the supply lines are running. Thought it might be useful to map that out just in case some work needs to be done later, and this way, hopefully, minimise the guesswork & exploratory holes that need to be punched. Sample below:
Inside they’ve nearly completed the wastewater connections. Upstairs waste goes down through yellow tongue, and then along & through the I-joists until they join one of two down pipes into the slab. I didn’t have a lot of faith in the flimsy looking I-joists before, and now, with holes through half of them, I have even less.
Duct material & drip pan was also delivered
25/05/20 Heating unit was installed in the upstairs ceiling, and they started hanging the insulated ducts through the trusses, and marking out vents upstairs
27/05/20 – void holes cut to the ground floor ceiling or some clever termites. It’s through these holes that the heating/cooling ducts will pass from the upstairs ceiling cavity to the ground floor ceiling.
Later in the day, scaffolding & 2-plank came down – it was nice to get a clear view of the roof from the street for the first time. This new roof might be noisier, but it’s a huge improvement on what we had. Our old roof, with rickety old concrete tiles, which acted like cat flaps for possums, made bone china look like titanium. And, every time I went up there to replace a broken tile, I would have to take 6 more with me to replace the ones I broke going to & from the one that I went up there to replace in the first place!
28/05/20 – started draggings ducts through the void holes to the ground floor
And plaster got delivered. Hmmm – doesn’t seem as thick as it used to be years ago. This measured at 6.5mm. And we have two boys that are just going to play rougher & rougher in the coming years – got a feeling I’ll be fixing a few holes.
29/05/20 – drove past at noon, and they had commenced wrapping the Vapour Tech membrane
In the afternoon they installed the upstairs windows …
And from the inside … on the left one of the façade feature windows (facing the street), and on the right looking to the rear yard.
01/06/20 The internal cooling component (below – left metal box) got added to the previously installed heating unit, and pipes fed out to where the external cooling unit will sit. The rest of the protruding pipes are for the hot water system.
Looks like they are now ready for the bricks … look out for the next post