A new complainy post or complainy post V2.

I’ll just address some of the previous issues, before I start whining again.

The Internets – on hold till we get certificate of occupancy, but #1 son has a contact who gave me advice on what to get.  Hint:  not the NBN.

Electricity – rang the wholesaler and started threatening to sue for compensation  – worked a miracle.   Power on within 2 days.   Should have done that sooner.

Watering system.   Apparently they can manage a tap.   No further dramas.

New issues:

The amount of time this is taking is unbelievable.

The bitching on site is something else to behold – to the point I put my big girls pants on and went up last week and let one of the teams go, I couldn’t take another phone call.  Everyone was involved in everybody’s business which, incidentally was none of their business.  They were all calling me telling me what the others were doing wrong.  There were threatened walk-offs.  I was done, they were gone.

The roof. OMG this roof is going to be the death of me.  Theres been delays, again with the blame game between people, missed trucks, missed building slots, and more expense because of it all.  The last delay excuse was a gem – the guy who was meant to pick up the roof (for this week) had a sleep in his truck, a tree fell on it.   Here’s the thing – in this day and age why is he the only truck driver in the world who doesn’t have a mobile phone, therefore he couldn’t contact anyone including his boss to explain that he wasn’t going to make pickup. I’d be asking for photographic evidence if I was his boss.   I would imagine we will get 2/3rd’s of the roof up next week, if not then questions will be asked, as the next opportunity is end of June/early July.   It should take 3 to 4 days according to the experts, I’m being told 2 to 3 weeks. They have 5 days and thats it.

 

 

 

The Build – Update 2

Well all the containers have arrived and have been installed.  The subfloors are being put in. The start of the roofing structure is being installed.   We’ve been hampered slightly by stupidly hot days, and gale force winds.   The threat of grassfires/bushfires stopped work last week.  The roof is scheduled 7 May, I’m not holding out a lot of hope.   We are struggling to find a scaffolder who can coordinate with the roof plumber.   And until the roof is on nothing much can be done inside the containers.  We are also halfway (sort of) through putting up the garage.   Again, the wind hasn’t been helping at all.   We haven’t had rain for about 8 weeks, our lake is now dry.

The kitchen, dining, living room area.

From a distance

Why? Why would you put this “Logo” on all the poles. Why?

 

And they’re on there way. Some of them at least.

The final two will come next week.
A

D-day is looming!! And I can’t wait.

Its not as bad as it sounds.   We flew to Lismore  to visit the Container Build Group yesterday to do the final inspection on our shipping containers.  Jamie had already been through and found all the issues that needed rectifying.  They do amazing quality work there.  At this stage delivery is expected on Friday 16 March.   Anyone interested in watching the event PM me and I’ll give you the address.   I’ve been lead to believe it will be an early start.  There should be a time lapse video at a later date.

Checking the plans for the upstairs containers

2nd lot of containers.

This is half a bedroom

Inspecting.  This is the final outside color.

Look at the detail! All the door closing hardware was removed. The windows were installed and pushed out to be level with the outside wall. Then the hardware was cut to size and re-attached.

Inspecting the electricals.  

 

A complainy post.

Because if I don’t write it down I wont remember the “fun” I’ve been having in future years.

So my list of challenges to date.

1.   The internet – good luck with getting internet in the country.  We have a Telstra cable to the corner of our block.   Apparently it’s for decoration.   I’ve been to Telstra and they can’t tell me when, if ever, we will have internet or anything resembling internet.   They said we are due for NBN but it will be microwave NBN, I can see the tower for that on the hill in the distance.   Apparently not my microwave tower.   If we try anyone other than Telstra we get offered Satellite internet – which is “patchy” when there is clouds.
2. Electricity – good luck with that as well.   Again everything is there at the corner waiting to be connected.   The first supplier I chose – doesn’t supply to our area.   The second one (and this is 6 weeks later) called today took all my details and said the wholesaler will be a further 10-12 working days.   The same wholesaler who doesn’t sell to the first supplier.  Then after I’d said yes, all good, etc. called me back to let me know there was union disputes or something going on with the wholesaler and they really don’t know when the power will be supplied.  Thanks.
3. My watering system for my trees.   O.M.G.  It’s not brain surgery.   Don’t touch the watering system.  I’ve taped all the automated systems closed so they can’t be fiddled with.  I’ve cable tied the shut off valve open so they can’t accidentally turn it off there.  Trust me when I tell you – they have done all the above.   The latest little gem – they hooked a hose to the spare water point – and left it on.  10 days ago was the last visit.  10 days that hose had been running.  My block is 3 acres on the side of a hill and it is a swamp.  Tomorrow we are going back to put a good old fashioned tap in – maybe they can manage that.  I’m doubtful.  When I say they – there are a lot of people coming on and off the block.   Of course it could just be vandalism.

Progress Photos #2

This is what you will see from the outside. The ones on the left, I think, are the back of the pantry. I’m hoping its a lighting issue, they are meant to be charcoal colored.

This is looking down to one of the bedrooms, there is also a bathroom.

I’m hoping this is the outside final outside color.

Downstairs master bedroom.

The Build – Progress photos.

The delivery truck

Worms!

This is the compost bin on the back of the truck

Digging the hole.

It needed to be quite deep.

The finished product. The dirt is all left over and we will need to find a home for it.

1/2 of the trees we planted.

New beginnings.

As some of you may know, we’ve bought some land and are now in the process of building a shipping container home. It’s coming along nicely, but a bit more stressful than I thought. Our land is 3 acres, on the side of a hill, with views over the Winton Wetlands looking towards Mansfield. I’m hoping, but doubtful that we will be able to see snow in the winter.  The plan is for veggie gardens and self sufficiency, but that will a little way down the road.

I drew the plans up on a scrap of paper in about 10 minutes, and handed them over to the very capable people at Container Build Group who then handed the plans on to their draftsman.   While he was drafting away, I was submitting planning permits, building permits, the worm people were submitting their permits, all waiting for approval.   Even though you have the land you can’t do anything on it without permits.   We bought a shed months ago (sometime before Xmas) which is still sitting on the ground in pieces.   It turns out where we have bought is in the middle of a building boom, and trying to find available people locally is a nightmare.   So as a result our builder comes from Albury – 1 hr & 30 minutes away – and is now charging me accommodation, he’s in Hawaii at the moment, but when he comes back we will be discussing a caravan – at least I can sell it and get some money back.  Our electrician (electrics are in – but not connected) came from Melbourne.  And I’ve finally found a guy to do our driveway and ground work for the shed – hopefully next week – it turns out he’s already been on our block delivering stone for the base of the worm farm.   So its all motoring along nicely, I think the containers will be ready to move next week.

The initial plan was to do all the work ourselves, but as its turned out the majority of the work is being subbed out – a big increase in costs I might add.   The shipping container portion is being made off site in Lismore (Container Build Group) and will be trucked down and installed on-site by our builder.   We’ve employed a local builder, who is just starting out on his own, to do the standard build in the middle of the two blocks of containers, he will also be doing the ground work.  And also we’ve installed a worm farm waste system instead of a septic system.   All your household & garden (compostable) waste also goes into the system, which in turn distributes worm juice into the paddocks through a huge filtration system.

We’ve planted 6 trees and put in a basic automated watering system – which people insist on turning off.    So at last count I’m down to 5 trees.   There have been a lot of   40+C deg (that’s 104 F or more) so the watering system being shut down is a concern, especially as they are newly planted.   Bad timing on my behalf but I felt the need to achieve something on the land before Christmas.

This is the view over Lake Mokohan

Internal wall. Pantry & laundry doors.

Laundry and downstairs master. This bedroom is being made wheelchair accessible.

This is a pile of our insulation – it will be on all the walls & ceilngs.

Looking out from inside the rooms. Walls come later.

 

Back in the U.S. of A. – Alaska

We’ve been on the Star Princess from Vancouver to Anchorage, Alaska.  Lots more stunning scenery, and glaciers.    It was very nice not to have too have the bags packed every single day.  And even nicer not to be up and on the move at 6.30 am.  I think we all enjoyed that.    The food was lovely in all the restaurants.  We’d chosen not to get the drinks package for a number of reasons but the drinks were very cheap as it was so not really a problem.   The cruise itinerary was a day of coastal cruising,  Ketchikan, Junea & then Skegway, then a day of cruising on Glacier Bay, with College Fjord the next afternoon.

I was glad to have the day of cruising as I really was not particularly well.  It was pouring rain in Ketchikan, the measure their rainfall by the foot.   I would have preferred not to go but it was the town I was looking forward to most.   I should have stayed on the boat.  I managed to knock the camera dial and all the photos I took have a filter over them, I didn’t have my glasses with me so didn’t notice till it was way to late, and I got soaked through to the skin.   To be honest I can barely remember the town.   Junea was nice, and is the capital of Alaska – strange that its not accessible by road at all.   Theres an interesting Russian church which was worth a look at.  The last town was Skegway an old mining, rail, western town.  It still has the wooden boardwalks around the town.   All very lovely, all very touristy with pretty much the same shops selling the same stuff.  Also for the record – the water was like glass.   No rocking boat, mostly we didn’t know if we were sailing or moored up unless we looked out the window.

We saw wildlife today – always good.   And Hummingbirds – which I think for me have been one of the highpoint of the trip.

Russian Church, Juneau

In the churchyard

Local transport

Skegway

Skegway

Skegway

Skegway Port

Brown Bear

Rufus Hummingbird

Canada – Lake Louise & Banff.

I forgot to tell you we stayed at the Chateau Lake Louise, very nice, quite swanky.   And enormous.   I almost needed a packed lunch to get to mums family suite.  She’s getting all the good rooms.  Early breakfast (best buffet on the trip so far) and then off towards Banff.

We made a couple of stops on the way for sight seeing & then caught the Banff Gondola to the peak of Sulphur Mountain.  Stunning views from the top of the mountain.   Interesting experience getting the scooter up there.  It only just fit into the gondola with one other person (that person would be me!)

Today was a free day in Banff, which we all sort of needed.   Mum caught a bug yesterday so today spent most of the day with her feet up, in bed.   We went for a walk around town and then came back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.  There is a fantastic Australian run coffee shop in town – White Bark Cafe.  Its not big but the coffee was worth the walk.

Tomorrow we join the Rocky Mountaineer for 2 days.

Lake Louise

Bow Lake

The Natural Bridge

Views down to Banff & the Rockies

More views of the Rockies.