In hot water ( well almost )

September saw the wood stove finally come out of storage and make the journey up to the house. This thing is seriously heavy, and it took four burly blokes to get it into position.

Right there.

And yes the floor is finished at last! A mammoth job. All the reds and browns will be much stronger once it's sealed.

Looking in the other direction......

Next job was to add a steel beam to take the weight of the solar water heater. Yes I should have put that in before I put the roof on but where's the fun in that?

Oh and then came the front doors. Probably won't stay white.

Solar hot water frame. In the lounge. Just like Meccano and soon to be pulled apart and re-assembled on the roof.

and just for a change, some steps to replace the slippery slope we've been putting up with for years. Ah the progress.

And comes the time when a plumber needs to come and to the clever stuff.

there are a few teething problems but we're almost there.

Here's another view of the steps and of the beginning of the rabbit proof fence. This will eventually go around all the garden areas; it's the only way we're going to get anything established. So far, it works.

And finally a sneak preview of the nearly completed bathroom. Sink by me, tiles by Michelle, soap by Murray and Tarn.

It's all about the bricks

Right, where were we? Winter was approaching, things got cold and damp, the days grew short and building slowed down a bit. But now we're off again, running.

Here's a re-cap on what went on in the dark months.

How to build a floor. Step one, empty the house.

Then bring in the gravel. Lots of gravel.

No doorframes or heads were harmed in this process.

Level the gravel. then level it again.

Then work through the night compacting it.

Lay down plastic, then add sand. More sand than you think, or more than I thought anyway.

so for a while there we had a beach inside! Just coz.

See!

Right! Time for those bricks. 2000 second hand reds arrived as ordered.

sorted and cleaned

and on to the fun part.

and on, and on. This is still happening, to be completed soon, but meanwhile, outside, just for something different...

I built a wall. Nice to stack bricks up for a change, rather than lay them down.

April already?

So the long summer came to an abrupt end and we were reminded what building is like when the weather turns to damp, as it does. Reluctantly I moved out of the comfort of my in-house workshop and focused on the outside bits, while I still could.

Joe the digger man came round and before long there were trenches going in all directions

which were swiftly filled with pipes and buried again.

In the bathroom, the shower, which I'd lined earlier, turned green. I like it. Pity it won't stay that way.

Then the hard working eave lining team reunited and finished off the jigsaw right the way around the back of the house.

Day one.

Joe the digger man also left me with a trench. The beginnings of something big.

wait for it

Wonderful stuff. The hard part is knowing how much to order.

Here's an example of too much.

So what does one do? Make pavers!

And then Michelle got involved.

Wall. The start of.

And some paving. Why not.

And finally some more sexy shots of the front of the house. It's now rendered and waterproofed, so next time you see it the plastic will be off the windows and there may even be some doors!

New year, same but different.

So, how did we end up at the end of the year? Externally not a lot has changed, but now the roof is connected to the water tank and that's filling up nicely. Michelle has started rendering around the windows and getting distracted with some cool arty bits that will be revealed soon.

Internally, I admit, may look like a bit of a shambles, and, well, it is.

The plumbing and wiring are in

But the big news is the batts we've had in storage ( and moved several times ) are finally making their last journey!

this one being numero uno.

and eventually the smallest room of the house was cozy.

and lined. About this time I cracked a rib and had to stop building for a couple weeks. Frustrating, as we're in the middle of five weeks holiday from work, but not much can be done about that.

                          

 and here's a taster of the fancy stuff to come.