Day 90 - Hebel continues, almost all ground floor windows installed

Great progress occurring this week, looking forward to catching up with DL now that he is back. Carpenter has just about completed his work downstairs, glass people have been around and put in almost all the missing ground floor windows.  Looks like lockup by the end of the week.

Day 86 - Hebel has started going up

A start has been made in putting the walls up, with 1/4 of the ground floor completed on the first day

All the prewiring seems to have been also completed throughout the house, and the flat roofs completed

Day 84 - Work has recommenced preparing frame for the Hebal

Ground floor of house has been wrapped, and hebal has arrived just need to understand if there is a downside to areas not wrapped, such as where the remaining scaffold is still in place. Will do some research. 

Day 82 - Scaffold has come down, now the insulation and hebal can go up, and the roofing can be finalised

No other action though.

Promised solar panels not installed, and unlikely to be now due to the scaffolds being down - until the wall scaffolds reach the roof again). 

The rain may be keeping everyone away - from my place, and two other CG builds in the area that I can see (2 builds within 500 metres of our temp accommodation)

Similar Carter Grange build in Camberwell

Had a look at another Carter Grange house that has been opened to the public prior to handover to the owners. 

Happily surprised that they have adopted many of our ideas, prior to us having them. 

First thing I noticed is that they have chosen to use under the stairs for storage. 

Actually looks alright. 

They have also chosen to use bamboo flooring the same as us and it comes up very nice

And a similar island bench too

With no sink in it, seems it might work for us

The sink is also the same as we have chosen, which suits people who will never be called stretch.

Day 81 - Still no action

Delays ongoing! Installation of the hebal was supposed to start a week ago, then it was promised to start last Friday. So far it seems that the insulated hot water pipes to the solar heater have been installed, but not the solar heating panel. 

Still the winter morning view from the balcony is refreshing

Day 75 - Nothing has happened!

Not surprising really - it takes 13-16 weeks to build a house, if  there are no delays.
However there are always delays, be it rain, holidays, or competing projects.  Volume builders quote 26-30 weeks, independents can take up to 2 years depending on other jobs they take on (they really cant say no).  Carter Grange are in between they aim to complete  in the range of volume builders while delivering the quality of a high end independent - but delays are to be expected ( or so I tell myself).
My fill in SS informed that the roof tiling scaffolds would be down prior to last Thursday, they are still up, but hey its only a few days so far!  Until the scaffolds come down, nothing else can go up as the scaffolds are in the way.

I meet the SS tomorrow to finalise the extra noggins for such things as towel rails, wall TV's etc that aren't apparently part of the standard delivery, and for which I can  get the SS to organise directly with the site personnel to conclude at some small cash charge.

Day 63 - Private Inspection of Frame stage

I selected an inspector that had never worked for CG, and whose company was unknown to CG.
The inspection found no defects, but impressed the inspector no end. He took me around to show me all the areas that well exceeded standards, but which were in line with the very best practice. He did mention that this was an unusual outcome and that his experience with other builders, one in particular, often is a long list of defects that apparently are addressed only after lengthy and repeated demands