A whole new level

We've extended upwards at last, setting up the frame for the three-level spiral staircase. There's a flat roof to go on top of it (and other bits like walls, windows and landings), but that will be as high as we go. It was interesting to see it installed, as they built the two main sides inside the house, then slid them out and propped them up, to be attached to the basement walls. These are the narrow blockwork walls that have a hard 3m drop either side of them, making it fun to work out where to stand at times...


The carpentry has moved along nicely, also setting out the roof on the extension, and some of the internal walls



Inside the main part of the house, the ceiling has been taken down, and the electricians have started to run cabling. Or we have some really nasty spiders hiding somewhere...

A clear view from the back to the front of the house.

And of course there is nothing to hold the insulation up any more. That's now providing some protection for the new lounge room slab...

To cap things off, even on quite a wet week, the new garage walls are coming up. We're bumping forward a bit so that we can close off the back of the garage at last.


And given the season, we'll probably give up on the indoor swimming pool idea, every time it rains, and go for an ice-skating rink instead. A couple of -5C mornings made for a nice ice sheet...

Farewell to a friend

We've lost a sizable element of the renovation this week - the rubbish pile by the basement and Mt Everest out front have finally gone! You can get an idea of the size of the cellar (the space under the courtyard slab, next to the basement) now.



Apart from the rubbish, the access ramp has also been taken out...


There's a large rainwater tank going in here, somehow. It'll fit easily, but (gently) dropping a 21,000 liter tank into a 3 meter deep hole will take some finesse.

Out the front, the view onto the house is a lot clearer. Not necessarily nicer, but clearer.



There's not much visible new work this week, but there's a trench for the garage's new front wall. The brick pillars on the right will stay, but the old 70's arched gate will go once the site is a little safer.