This week was plumber and roof week.
I thought that we were finished with the spray paint, but we spent a whole morning walking around the house (with a different colour this time) marking sink levels, deciding on where the faucets and mixers are going to go, and re-arranging the bathrooms . . . again! The copper pipes had all been installed in the walls and the roof by the end of last week, so this week our plumber did more fine-tuning: cutting access holes in the MgO boards, and lifting pipes to the correct height. The massive trench around the house still gives the impression of a grandiose moat, and we are letting the rumours escalate!
We had initially chosen all our bathroom fixtures, but my hubby set off to the shops again and came home with more ideas, so we have been looking at other options and changing our minds on a few items. We have also been toying with the idea of a dropped ceiling in the main bathroom, which changes the feel a bit, but our steel frame designer has assured us that adding a bit more steel frame will not be a problem at all.
The other extremely exciting addition this week has been the roof trusses. Most of the trusses have been set in place. The trusses are also made out of steel, and they are not as heavy as wooden beams, so the installation has been quite easy.
We have gone for a shallow pitch (15 degrees) as recommended by our roofing expert (Tiaan de Bruyn, project manager). A shallow pitch is cheaper as there is less material, and it is adequate from a run-off point of view. (Luckily it only snows once every 30 years in Jo’burg).
The walls continue to grow on a daily basis: on the lower level, the waterproof membrane is in place on the outer walls, and the inner walls all have their first layer of board. The upper level has seen some development through the week; all the inside walls have been erected, and we now have a feel of the bedroom sizes.
The site is still attracting a large amount of interest, and I am always proud to show off a fairly neat building zone with no building rubble, a small pile of sand, and stacks of MgO boards. Our neighbours continually comment on how fast the whole structure is going up, and we continue to find each step exciting and interesting. This surely has to be the way ahead for future building.
So long, until next week…
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