Day 182 - March 27th (Day 38)

Worked on the deck this weekend, and also picked up some of the shutters that we accidently measured wrong. The guys at Shutterkits were great, cutting them down to size...luckily we measured to big!

I thought I might finish the deck this weekend but my father was sick, so I was left to work on it alone. It takes longer doing it by yourself. Anyway, got the ife to give me a hand today, and we almost completed it. we have another 40 cm to go and some timber to add around the posts and around the edge of the deck.

I took some photo of the progress thus far...Looking forward to getting the garage back! Will complete it next weekend and then oil it.

Day 176 - March 21st (Day 32)

I have almost completed the decking at the rear of our home. We have cut around half the timber and we still have another half to go. Looking forward to getting the garage back soon after the timber has been taken out and laid.

We still have to screw it all down. We have been doing this last after we have all the timber ready and can adjust the spacing between the boards.

We also need to mix up the boards as they are cut at even places at this point in time. We will do this just before the screw them all down.

Looks a lot better than when we first started....  :->

Day 173 - March 18th (Day 29)

Finally got the grass laid today. It's a lot of work, so here's hoping it all pays off. I got the grass from SOS turf supplies here in Brisbane. A really nice guy. Give them a yell if you need some turf.

Well I got the photos a little late. it's almost dark, but I'm sure you will get the picture. Just need some plants to finish it off. 

We are nearing completion of the rear deck frame now as well. It is being nailed together, and I have four more supports to add to it. It has to be right as this is what makes the decking timbers look good having it all level and supported correctly.

Day 171 - March 16th (Day 27)

Well I have been enjoying my holidays and working around the house each day. Not too sure if it is a holiday or not?

At the beginning of last week, we had just started the front deck by digging the holes for it. Be the end of the week it was completed. What do you think? I built this one myself, (with the helping hand of my Father). We had to dig all the holes and  then get the frame right. Once the frame was done, It took around two and a half days to get all the timber cut to length and screwed on.

We also have got the blinds for the house now. We just need to stain them, which is a job for the other half...! I have four small ones to build tonight and then its completed as well.

Today we flattened out the front yard and moved some of the excess soil to around the rear of the property. It took around half the day to clear the front yard, by which time the soil had arrived. We then started spreading it out.

We hired a digger from http://www.diydigger.com.au/ . We ended up not using the leveler, but it was provided in the package we got anyway. Now I can't recommend the guys enough. They turned up when promised, showed me how to use it, and picked it up when promised as well. A job well done!!!  So if you need to move some soil around your home, give them a ring on 0422 327 279 or book online here. (No, I'm not being paid... I honestly was impressed with their service).

I'll post some picks hopefully tomorrow of the end results as it got a bit late to take pictures by the time everything was done!

THe other thing I noted was when it rained the other day. The water flew down the roof and then did a u turn in the gutter and ended up flowing over the edge?  Don't think this should happen?

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First attempt at a deck....

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Day 161 - March 6th (Day 17)

Thought I should post some pics of the progress thus far. Since we have moved in we have added the driveway, letterbox, fence down one side of the house, bolted the TV to the wall..(don't try this unless your made of elastic!) and wired most of the home theater.

We have also made some good progress on the holes for the decking. We holes for the front deck have been completed, and I am presently digging the holes for the rear deck... Thinking it might be easier to hire a digger to do this with....We are digging at most 16 holes a day...which is fine, but I have another 32 to go!!

When building the deck, its fine to have plans on how to build it, but I have found that when working onsite, things often work out a little different. I have found that the timber length is an important factor to take into account, and to a large extent, this guides where the holes will go.  We are leaving around 80cm between the joists and roughly 1 metre between the support posts. A couple of tricky areas as the concrete supports for the building have been spread a little to much and I am going to have to adjust the beams a little because of this.

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Home entertainment unit.

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Holes being dug out the back

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The completed fence on on side. Just needs the gate.

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The support that the fence will be attached to,

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Holes dug ready for decking frame.

Day 156 - March 1st (Day 12)

We have managed to get the tv mounted on the wall... after some very hot work in the roof! Hopefully the concreter will be returning tomorrow, to supply us will a solution to add the "glossy" layer to the concrete.

They have come out now to fix the leaking pump on the rainwater tank. Turns out it was the pressure gauge, so they have taken it away and will be returning tomorrow with a new one.

Got out Mr. Antenna today after Jim's antenna's let us down by not turning up. They phoned me 15 minutes after the agreed time and told me he was t ill to make it. Normally, I'd just reschedule, but I'd phoned him twice that morning to organise a time, and there was no mention of im feeling unwell. I might just be a little mean ? but it's really annoying when you've been waiting 4 days for the guy to turn up and he misses the appointment. Anyway.... Mr. Antenna installed the unit today and it is working well.

We also went out to pick up a second rug for our daughters bedroom...we are going to need to protect the carpet from the 4 year old!

Most of the home is set up now. Just need to run the wiring for the TV. I can complete this now we have an Antenna. Need to pick up some ceiling speakers!

Also need to order the gates form the property shortly. They are installing the retaining wall on the other side of the house tomorrow. 'm just not certain as to how to mount the stratco fence to the side of this as the poles probably won't be long enough to make it into the ground on our side. Might need to have a look at this with the neighbour as I think the fence should be added to his side so it can sit in the soil and have support??

Need to start to mark the ground as the decking material is being delivered tomorrow.