Last Thursday council notified us that we could move in, so yesterday we took bedding, food, utensils, table and chairs and stayed for the weekend. We installed the cooktop (but didn't connect the gas) and Graham cleaned up the bathroom, then I cooked a simple dinner on a plug-in two-burner hotplate and we went to bed.
A while later, Louka sat up in bed and vomited. We cleaned her and the bed as best we could and went, or tried to go, back to sleep. By the third time we were ready with a bucket and damp cloth (from a big bag of rags) but the fourth time she was too quick for us. Not much sleep for any of us.
In the morning she was hot and miserable but of course we had no panadol, so Graham went off to the pharmacy to find some. Fortunately it was open. She fell asleep again and we managed to sort out all the rubbish and cardboard boxes (hundreds of cardboard boxes) so Graham could take a load to the tip. Louka woke up feeling better and had some lunch, but soon brought that up again.
When Graham got back from the tip we started painting the living room, but after a while Louka felt sick again and only wanted to be held by me, so Graham had to clean up on his own. Then he had to pack the ute himself, and of course it rained again on the way home. We'll have to get some sort of cover for the ute.
Showing posts with label tip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tip. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Ready For the Next Level, More Mistakes Found
After a furious three days, I am now ready for the next level.
I eventually managed to fill up the sides with 30 cubic metres of gravel. I've got a tiny bit left that is still out the front - but it will not be in the way of any trucks delivering timber. It is sure tiring work. I noticeably slow down as I got through the day - there are limits to my personal drive. I suppose it would help if I stopped for lunch and drank more water - but it all takes valuable time.
I did a basic tidy up of the site and I took a load of rubbish out to the tip. It contained some concrete cow pads that I said I would take to the concrete recyclers. It was a good idea as the council run tip only charged me $25 instead of $45 for the load.
If I have time on Monday I will sweep out the garage and try to get rid of some of the water from the bathroom.
I've finished leveling the blockwork - those guys were so dodgy. I used this non shrink grout to do the topping. The reason being is that you can lay it 10mm thin and being non shrink, it should not become drummy or develop any cracks. You can't really lay that thinness using normal concrete as initialy and over time it will just break up. It looks good to run your eye across the top - it looks pretty much perfectly level within a couple of millimetres. I troweled the top smooth and flat, but the sides are a bit crazy. You will not see them, so that is fine.
I discovered a new problem, one of the internal walls is out of plumb - around 5cm difference between the top and bottom. It is in the stairwell so I don't know whether it will be noticeable. To be honest, if I had noticed, I would not have paid them until it had been fixed up. Lessoned learnt I suppose. You don't want to mess with me when I get stroppy! Fortunately it does not present a structural problem. Unfortunately I don't have the time to take it apart and get it relaid.
On a different tangent, not that I am a fan of the big corp, but Bunnings employees seem to have more product knowlege than other hardware shops. The other hardware shops just seem to know about things they sell, but in bunnings it can be "yeah I know what you are talking about" or "we use to sell it, but.." where as the others tend to look at me blankly -looking confused. I guess there is an inherit conflict of interest between someone that owns a store and is the sales person. Foremost they want ot sell, where as in Bunnings they are not on commission and are just focused on giving good service.
I eventually managed to fill up the sides with 30 cubic metres of gravel. I've got a tiny bit left that is still out the front - but it will not be in the way of any trucks delivering timber. It is sure tiring work. I noticeably slow down as I got through the day - there are limits to my personal drive. I suppose it would help if I stopped for lunch and drank more water - but it all takes valuable time.
I did a basic tidy up of the site and I took a load of rubbish out to the tip. It contained some concrete cow pads that I said I would take to the concrete recyclers. It was a good idea as the council run tip only charged me $25 instead of $45 for the load.
If I have time on Monday I will sweep out the garage and try to get rid of some of the water from the bathroom.
I've finished leveling the blockwork - those guys were so dodgy. I used this non shrink grout to do the topping. The reason being is that you can lay it 10mm thin and being non shrink, it should not become drummy or develop any cracks. You can't really lay that thinness using normal concrete as initialy and over time it will just break up. It looks good to run your eye across the top - it looks pretty much perfectly level within a couple of millimetres. I troweled the top smooth and flat, but the sides are a bit crazy. You will not see them, so that is fine.
I discovered a new problem, one of the internal walls is out of plumb - around 5cm difference between the top and bottom. It is in the stairwell so I don't know whether it will be noticeable. To be honest, if I had noticed, I would not have paid them until it had been fixed up. Lessoned learnt I suppose. You don't want to mess with me when I get stroppy! Fortunately it does not present a structural problem. Unfortunately I don't have the time to take it apart and get it relaid.
On a different tangent, not that I am a fan of the big corp, but Bunnings employees seem to have more product knowlege than other hardware shops. The other hardware shops just seem to know about things they sell, but in bunnings it can be "yeah I know what you are talking about" or "we use to sell it, but.." where as the others tend to look at me blankly -looking confused. I guess there is an inherit conflict of interest between someone that owns a store and is the sales person. Foremost they want ot sell, where as in Bunnings they are not on commission and are just focused on giving good service.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tree Roots
I took today off - last day in a 4 day stint. I was planing on using today and yesterday for shoring - but that was finished on Saturday. The excavator guys were around again and spent the whole day here. Jim had to go off and do something in the morning so I got Glen to dig out some tree roots - from the 12m pine that was cut down. It was such a struggle that I had to help him with my reciprocal saw and cut some of the roots. Some of the roots had formed a tightly meshed web and this made it even more difficult.
Jim offered to take the roots to the tip for me - he estimated that there were 2 tons of roots. Initially I accepted saying that they were far to big for me. However I reneged and fortunately Glen latter offered to load my ute with the excavator. On the first trip, the Kimbriki guy said that the roots are classified as stumps - expensive, but I said that they were not very thick and that I loaded them myself - which was true - the first load was mostly small stuff. The second trip the guy kept on saying that I should be on the weigh bridge - about three times but not quite condemning me. I said I had another trip and then I would go on the weigh bridge - he was happy with that. That trip I carefully hid a big piece at the bottom ~200kg. I managed to unload it no problem.
The last trip was such a laugh since mostly it was that last huge root mass that stuck out of the ute by about a metre - there was no way anyone was going to let me through for free. Jim wished me luck and asked me whether I wanted a chain to tie the root to something stationary and drive off. He also hoped that there was a friendly excavator guy there to give me a hand. When Glen was placing into the back of the ute - he pushed it around and it was quite funny to see my ute also being pushed forward as well. I was pretty nervous about taking the root myself - what happens if I can't unload it???
I went the the weigh bridge and then off to the dumping area. Fortunately all the attendants were busy in conference. One guy noticed me and asked me if I just wanted a ticket. He gave me one just for veg without even looking at my ute. I struggled a bit to heave the root mass off - inching it along. Eventually I got it over the side and it was resting against the side of the ute. The only was I could tip it over was to use my feet with my hands handing onto the side of the ute with my bum on the tray. They are sure going to love me when they try to mulch this sucker. It would have been almost 4m long 80cm wide and around 40 cm thick. It certainly looked massive. But being pine it was actually quite "light". Off back to the exit weigh bridge to pay. My load weighed 550kg - I estimate the root mass would have been about 400kg of that.
Now I can move the water meter again and put in a request to council to modify the driveway on the verge.
Jim offered to take the roots to the tip for me - he estimated that there were 2 tons of roots. Initially I accepted saying that they were far to big for me. However I reneged and fortunately Glen latter offered to load my ute with the excavator. On the first trip, the Kimbriki guy said that the roots are classified as stumps - expensive, but I said that they were not very thick and that I loaded them myself - which was true - the first load was mostly small stuff. The second trip the guy kept on saying that I should be on the weigh bridge - about three times but not quite condemning me. I said I had another trip and then I would go on the weigh bridge - he was happy with that. That trip I carefully hid a big piece at the bottom ~200kg. I managed to unload it no problem.
The last trip was such a laugh since mostly it was that last huge root mass that stuck out of the ute by about a metre - there was no way anyone was going to let me through for free. Jim wished me luck and asked me whether I wanted a chain to tie the root to something stationary and drive off. He also hoped that there was a friendly excavator guy there to give me a hand. When Glen was placing into the back of the ute - he pushed it around and it was quite funny to see my ute also being pushed forward as well. I was pretty nervous about taking the root myself - what happens if I can't unload it???
I went the the weigh bridge and then off to the dumping area. Fortunately all the attendants were busy in conference. One guy noticed me and asked me if I just wanted a ticket. He gave me one just for veg without even looking at my ute. I struggled a bit to heave the root mass off - inching it along. Eventually I got it over the side and it was resting against the side of the ute. The only was I could tip it over was to use my feet with my hands handing onto the side of the ute with my bum on the tray. They are sure going to love me when they try to mulch this sucker. It would have been almost 4m long 80cm wide and around 40 cm thick. It certainly looked massive. But being pine it was actually quite "light". Off back to the exit weigh bridge to pay. My load weighed 550kg - I estimate the root mass would have been about 400kg of that.
Now I can move the water meter again and put in a request to council to modify the driveway on the verge.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
More Demo
I took the day off. Nothing interesting...Spot the difference.
I use a crowbar to demolish the bricks that have gaps in the mortar. It is probably quicker than a hammer and it does not generate much dust or mortar fragments.
A front end loader at the tip almost backed over me yesterday. I used my ninja skills and quickly accelerated away. The next time I came back, a tip guy spoke to me about the incident. I explained that I thought he had stopped to let me through. He recommend that if I see a loader, take a different path.
I use a crowbar to demolish the bricks that have gaps in the mortar. It is probably quicker than a hammer and it does not generate much dust or mortar fragments.
A front end loader at the tip almost backed over me yesterday. I used my ninja skills and quickly accelerated away. The next time I came back, a tip guy spoke to me about the incident. I explained that I thought he had stopped to let me through. He recommend that if I see a loader, take a different path.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Cracked Driveway
Today I noticed that the driveway has begun to crack up. An obvious explanation is the ute. Hmm... more evidence I should not overload the vehicle.
Most of the floor boards survived being pounded by bricks. I did another 6 loads today.
The tip people have started asking questions about what I am doing. I suggested if they have any concerns, they should ring the "24-hour National Security Hotline" on 1800 123 400. Only joking, I told them that I am an owner builder demolishing my own house - sating frustrations.
I was a bit wary about telling people what I am doing. Most people don't think it is a good idea/very dangerous/work cover will be over me very quickly. But I have relaxed a bit since most of it is gone.
I removed the cast iron bath tub today - really heavy.
Most of the floor boards survived being pounded by bricks. I did another 6 loads today.
The tip people have started asking questions about what I am doing. I suggested if they have any concerns, they should ring the "24-hour National Security Hotline" on 1800 123 400. Only joking, I told them that I am an owner builder demolishing my own house - sating frustrations.
I was a bit wary about telling people what I am doing. Most people don't think it is a good idea/very dangerous/work cover will be over me very quickly. But I have relaxed a bit since most of it is gone.
I removed the cast iron bath tub today - really heavy.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Demo Day
I took today off to calibrate my estimate. It didn't start off too well as I arrived at the site at 8:30 - 1.5 hours late! Anyway, I managed to cart 4 loads of bricks and fill up my ute for an early morning run to the tip. The next day I did 5 trips. I average around 300 bricks per load - 6sqm.
I estimate I am between 15% to 20% done which is good. It kind of tallies with my estimate.
I estimate I am between 15% to 20% done which is good. It kind of tallies with my estimate.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Estimated weight of bricks
I've estimated the weight of the bricks to be around 60 tons. This equates to 60 trips to the tip or 15 days or around 2 weeks. I've done 5 trips and it looks like I have already removed around 10% of the bricks. Is it worth doing it myself? It would definitely be cheaper.
There are about 49 bricks per square metre. Around 250 bricks per ton.
Of course I have the sandstone foundation blocks, the thin concrete slab, path and driveway and the floor boards.
The floor boards are a no brainer - lots of quality joists and bearers to salvage. I could re-use or sell the sand stone blocks. Time should not be an issue, suprisingly my de-construction work is not the critical path.
There are about 49 bricks per square metre. Around 250 bricks per ton.
Of course I have the sandstone foundation blocks, the thin concrete slab, path and driveway and the floor boards.
The floor boards are a no brainer - lots of quality joists and bearers to salvage. I could re-use or sell the sand stone blocks. Time should not be an issue, suprisingly my de-construction work is not the critical path.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Hot day
Today I just did three trips to the tip - tiles - I'm still amazed how much my ute can carry. There were no queues and I didn't have to wait. I thought it was a fluke the first time. On the third trip, I beckoned the attendant to speculate. He replied wryly that it was 44 degrees. Hmmm, make sense, … lucky I was wearing a hat .... I went on my way.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Swimming
After a long day, with dust, water and grime, I've been making a habit of going for a swim in the sea - 10 minute walk. Very effective.
It cost me $92 dollars to dispose of the asbestos. I used the wet method to remove it all - didn't have much - very narrow eaves and the bathroom had a plaster ceiling. Took about half a day.
I also found that a demolition license from work cover (something that I don't need to get for a couple of reasons - ie I'm not a worker and the structure is less than 10m high and I'm demolishing using hand tools) would cost $2000. Ouch! No wonder why houses cost so much.
I'm thinking that maybe they want to encourage DIY demolition for environmental reasons. Lucky for them I'm a hard core, extreme environmentalist, extreme sports owner builder. Kimbriki took all of the unwanted, untreated, unpainted wood for recycling and for free! Something that would not be possible if I had used a demolition company.
It cost me $92 dollars to dispose of the asbestos. I used the wet method to remove it all - didn't have much - very narrow eaves and the bathroom had a plaster ceiling. Took about half a day.
I also found that a demolition license from work cover (something that I don't need to get for a couple of reasons - ie I'm not a worker and the structure is less than 10m high and I'm demolishing using hand tools) would cost $2000. Ouch! No wonder why houses cost so much.
I'm thinking that maybe they want to encourage DIY demolition for environmental reasons. Lucky for them I'm a hard core, extreme environmentalist, extreme sports owner builder. Kimbriki took all of the unwanted, untreated, unpainted wood for recycling and for free! Something that would not be possible if I had used a demolition company.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Recycle bricks
While removing the oleanders, I encountered heaps of rubble and old bricks. Today I took them to the Kimbriki recycle centre ($11 per trailer load). I was kicking myself and feeling rather silly for forgetting my broom. I spent a good ten minutes trying to use my gloves and shoes to clean the bottom of the trailer. Just as I was about to drive off, another guy pulled up with a ute load of bricks - he was using his bare hands to unload. I didn't feel so stupid anymore, at least I remembered my gloves.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Off to the tip with green waste
I took the day off to ferry the oleanders off to the Kimbriki recycle station. It is 18 km away, but they take some stuff for free. In order to qualify, I needed to take the cage off my trailer and prove that I was a local resident. I was a bit apprehensive about the stumps (see picture below) and thought they may charge me the full rate ($145 a ton), but fortunately they didn’t so I’m happy. While in the queue, some guy was having an argument – obviously he thought he should not be charge the full rate. The attendant kept on pointing to the two axels on his trailer and on the price guide. Why do people bother arguing? I was next and the guy was obviously in a foul mood. 
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