Lessons Learned - Building a House

[Dutchy]

Perfect time to remind you all to clear the slab daily - this weather will create a mess on the slab and the trades will all appreciate it being clean to start their day. Remember that a happy tradesman is your friend.

Great progress guys, good stuff!

I think the rain would have cleaned the slab for them nicely!!!

[smac]

Now wait until they spend a day walking over it with mud everywhere.

By all means, don't bother if you don't want to - the tradies will all appreciate it though.

[Squawk]

Well I was pleased to see today that a "base" has been laid over the rock but as predicted - a fair bit of water is there but admittedly not as much as I expected.

[CENTURION]

Well, I am building in Rostrevor & my builder started on the 21st of November 2006 & I will have handover in about 12 days from now. 5 months with christmas in between is fantastic & the house is first class as well.

Is your real surname Hansen or Yuncken? Cant believe 5 months, sure it isn't a cubby house?
All I can say is, you're a very lucky son of a gun.

Just lucky in the fact that I have been selling land for the last 9 years & have good relationships with most of the volume builders

[dont think do]

[quote="Dutchy"]Nice DTD, looks like a nice big house...how many m2?

Yeah its big, around 350 squares including the alfresco area.

Need room for the pool table, the cricket gear, the golf clubs, the push bike etc.

oh and the wife and baby.

[Dutchy]

Nice DTD, looks like a nice big house...how many m2?

Yeah its big, around 350 squares including the alfresco area.

Need room for the pool table, the cricket gear, the golf clubs, the push bike etc.

oh and the wife and baby.

geez thats huge...ours is about 260 but will be huge compared to our current house of 180...260 doesnt include pergola area though

going down the block now so will post a pic tonight of progress

[Dutchy]

[Squawk]

Looks a pretty busy site there Dutchy. Planning on heading up to our place this weekend again to get the next installment of pics - hopefully they haven't sent a tiler in to line the pool before it dries out!

[dont think do]

All go now, bit hard to see as the pics are from the front of the house and the brickies have started on the back wall, but you get the idea

[Squawk]

Another tip... Keep the site (particularly the slab area) as clean as possible - go and sweep it every night if you have to. The tradies all appreciate it and everything you can do to keep them smiling is a bonus for you.

Dust blows up with nail guns, mud gets in tools/on materials, rubbish gets in the way - worth the effort chaps.

Hey SMAC - when are you actually suggesting this be done?
Between pouring and drying of slab
After slab is dry until lock up
all of the above or some other alternative?

[smac]

As soon as the tradies start working, post slab pour, they will walk in the mud and then walk on the slab. Each day there will be mud and crap all over the slab - they will scrape their boots each time they walk onto the slab.

My old man and brother are carpenters, and I have built a couple of homes in the past and Dad made sure I went round daily to clean up. It means they can put the frames on the actual slab and not a pile of dried mud and also means that when they shoot the nail guns, the compressed air won't blow any dried mud in their faces.

It is not compulsary and most likely not even commented on by the tradies, but they will appreciate it. If they are happy and able to do their job without getting the shits on, you will get a better job from them. My thoughts were that it cost me about 30 minutes to an hour each night for a couple of months and I got the best out of all the tradesmen that worked on my place.

If you ever pop around at the end of the day, make sure you have some cold beers with you so you can stop and have a brew with anyone still working - have a chat and let them know you appreciate their work.

All of the above might sound silly but when I spend that much cash a little extra effort goes a long way.

Happy sweeping mate!

[Dutchy]

As soon as the tradies start working, post slab pour, they will walk in the mud and then walk on the slab. Each day there will be mud and crap all over the slab - they will scrape their boots each time they walk onto the slab.

My old man and brother are carpenters, and I have built a couple of homes in the past and Dad made sure I went round daily to clean up. It means they can put the frames on the actual slab and not a pile of dried mud and also means that when they shoot the nail guns, the compressed air won't blow any dried mud in their faces.

It is not compulsary and most likely not even commented on by the tradies, but they will appreciate it. If they are happy and able to do their job without getting the shits on, you will get a better job from them. My thoughts were that it cost me about 30 minutes to an hour each night for a couple of months and I got the best out of all the tradesmen that worked on my place.

If you ever pop around at the end of the day, make sure you have some cold beers with you so you can stop and have a brew with anyone still working - have a chat and let them know you appreciate their work.

All of the above might sound silly but when I spend that much cash a little extra effort goes a long way.

Happy sweeping mate!

Thanks for the advice Smac...I noticed the trades have left a broom at our place, wonder if its a hint...after all the rain it has a heap of mud/dirt all over the slab

[Squawk]

Cheers smac for that clarification. I sense a job for the neighbour's kids is in the air and not only will the tradies be happy but the kids/neighbours might be thankful too! $$$ !

[Psyber]

When you finally have your house built make sure you reshape the land so the water can run away. Some of the pix suggest they have actually created a hole to build it in, but I assume there is a lower side somewhere it can run to. They never get the levels dead right there is always a low spot somewhere you have to fix so it doesn't become a swamp.

The modern trend to digging out the land to approximately level rather than building up a base above surrounding ground, like many very old houses have, saves money, but has its traps.

[dont think do]

mass progress now , have been told the roof will be finished today

[Squawk]

Got a surprise today when I checked the site to find the slab had been poured. Think it was probably done yesterday.

Stage 1 complete - first sod turned on April 16 - slab poured on May 18.

Will post a pic when the image loader is working again.....

[Squawk]

HOORAY! The image uploader is working again.



Pic taken at rear of house looking towards the front.

[Wedgie]

HOORAY! The image uploader is working again.



Pic taken at rear of house looking towards the front.

Don't think it stopped mate as it was clear as day on your previous post.

[Dutchy]

Bricks have started...now its starting to feel like a house!

[Squawk]

Any updates folks?
Our frame is on the way up - albeit very slowly given it seems to have been raining most days for the past week or two. Haven't had any chance to get there in daylight as yet but hopefully this weekend.