From Day One in mid December 2006:

Robert Glanford helped Steve sight the area.
Zac Rowe took a day off to dig our trenches but the ironstone was too much for his excavator and he broke a hose. We had to bring in the the excavator's big brother, the back hoe and Wayne Poss finished the sewer hole. Rob's brother-in-law, Mark layed the mesh and he will also do the slab. Rob knew a good bricklayer from Uralla, John Dam, who could do the work before Xmas (the rest of Uralla STOPS as does the world in the busy, silly season).
On the eve of the silly season Jenny and Alan came down to put the plumbing in (I just drove back from Nelson Bay and didn't get time to take pictures of their excellent work!), ready for when Hamo's Sand and Gravel comes back to work on the 8th and can deliver granite to fill for the slab. Mark arrives the day after to pack it then pour the slab and the Kit arrives on Saturday 13/1/07!

12/2/07: The first roof tin was put up and they will finish it by the end of Monday. The wind came up and that's dangerous when dealing with iron roofing...I couldn't look! I was the 'shearers cook' and

9/2/07: Jenny and Allan came for the weekend. They worked so hard...so did Mike, Ben and Steve. Jenny did the plumbing and helped 'gopher' this and that. Ben gave up his entire weekend as well. He made that very cool looking roof ladder so that walking about on the 45 degree slope wouldn't be fatal

7/2/07: Ben and Steve must get those blue rafters all put up before Saturday. Hap and Jen are coming for the weekend to put the roof on....very exciting!

3/2/07: Mike and Steve did the veranda today...all perfectly straight!

31/1/07:Dorma windows today....all perfectly straight!

29/1/07: The first rafter. BazBuilt Barry came to inspect...bit more strengthening required before the rest of the rafters go up

26/1/07: Ben and Mike have gone to Barrington with the brothers to play golf! Steve kept working....bolting, strengthening....this place will stand up if Katrina comes again!

25/1/07: LIfe giving rain at last!

24/1/07: They've finished the frames. There's a bird's eye veiw from up here. Mike threatened to bungi jump and Andy faced his fear of heights! The council inspection passed and the roof rafters are next.

22-23/1/07: Mike has been working with Ben and Steve while Andy is out keeping FNN viable. They've finished the frames. There's a bird's eye veiw from up here. Mike threatened to bungi jump and
Andy faced his fear of heights! The council inspection passed and the roof rafters are next.

19/1/07: Last thing Friday Ben is just back from Barraba where's its extremely stinking hot and Steve's got him and Nik lifting the second story frames up ready to go!

18/1/07: Phil, Mike and Steve are working in the hot January sun and now have the first floor on....there's a 'OH&S' meeting being convened for secret men's business this afternoon to discuss the progress of all things male! Rob brought a bottle of wine and even shared it with the 'girl friday'....

17/1/07: Work is progressing at a rapid pace. Phil and Amethyst were very helpful especially because Steve has developed Achillietendonitis and is limping painfully.....but he's so pumped with his building project he doesn't feel it til he hops into bed!

13/1/07: The house arrived! It was 36 degrees centigrade.

12/1/07: The verandah was poured with English cobblestone stencil. Steve watched so he could finish off the pathways later.

12/3 - 16/3/07: Ben has been working FULL TIME on the cottage...what would we do without him. More gyprock and NOW the western red cedar cladding!

MIKE helped too...HE GOT HIS P's on Friday!

27/2-4/3/07:Couldn't keep up with the progress. In short Josh was here while Jen and Hap were for the week of the 27/20-Sunday 4/3. So we had a very productive time of it. All the internal cabling, plumbing was done as well as the insulation and a good lot of the gyprocking

We celebrated Josh & Lyd's 6th wedding anniversary on Saturday night 3RD MARCH with Jen & Hap. They brought prawns and crabs!

22/2/07: Steve started the blue wrap insulation ready for Josh to help with the gyprock on the 27th.

21/2/07: The Sparky's came to do the 'rough'...we've had so much rain that the sewer pump was flooded and hopefully when it dries out it will still be ok!

14-20/2/07: The week was spent putting the windows in and roof battens ready for the blue wrap!

The view from the loungeroom will be very exciting when it rains the storm water behaves like a river....with waves as well!

18/5/07: We're 6 weeks behind! We've had a very bad time of it with plasterers....they won't come. So Steve decided he couldn't wait and would do it himself

23/7/07: I made the curtain for the sliding door. The rest of the blinds are yet to be installed. The shower door is yet to be installed. The bedroom cupboards still need hanging fixtures. The electrician needs to tidy up a couple of little things. .....i could go on and on about little things! But the main big things are nearly all done.

19-20/7/07: The slate had it's final 3rd coat. The skirting boards had their final coat. The oven had it's clean up.

18/7/07: The removalist truck arrived to dump Moyra and Alan Morris's furniture into their new home. Unfortunately we still haven't finished. Alan helped Steve all day Saturday. He drove up from Quirindi. Hopefully the Council will allow them to move into regardless following the convention. The inspector comes Thursday!

17/7/07: The rubbish was removed from the front of the drive so the removalist truck could unload the Morris's furniture

11-15/7/07: Steve and Mike put the last of the cladding up. A ladder has to go on top of this scaffolding. John Dam helped them so it would safe

John Dam has been doing the slate for the last 3 days. It's been tricky due to the variation in thickness of the slate. Cheap from India!

2/7/07: Jen and Hap came...foul weather! The ice on the roof made work very dangerous. Ben and Allan were the acrobats to perform the task of juggling this huge, heavy roof ladder from one side of the slippery, freezing roof to the other. The message at the OH & S Meeting was "Dont' Fall!"

Steve has told our prospective tenants a moving in date. The removal truck will be here on the 18/7/07. We still need to finish the CLADDING and SLATE

1/6/07: Well Steve has done what tradesmen can do...who needs em! Of course Robert Glanford showed him how and helped and Trev McDougal helped.

Amey Plumbing (Allan and Jenny Amey) are coming on Friday...maybe Wednesday, to finish the roof, install the gas and taps and things.