Cabinets and the end is in sight

Spotlight Kitchens are still hard at work installing the kitchen and bedroom. I am now about 2 weeks from actually moving in. The stone is on the kitchen countertops, and most of the cabinets are constructed – the installation has been tricky, but it’s all going relatively smoothly.

I have employed the glass craftsman Simon Croft of Fusion who came around to template up the glass balustrade for my bedroom as well as the shower screens for both master and 2nd bathrooms – these should be ready in about 3 weeks.

(The gallery below is of some snaps off my phone so quality isn’t great)

 

 

More cabinets

Spotlight is hard at work installing the kitchen and bedroom cabinets. The carcasses are mostly in and it’s beginning to take shape.

The most challenging part of the process is now keeping contractors off the new floors. It’s a constant battle of getting one contractor not to damage another contractor’s work. The stress of this last stage is taking its toll.

Final paint touch ups also happening. This next week marks the arrival of the final sanitary ware items  – a couple of weeks left and I’ll be sleeping here!

Plastering, plastic and patience

The last few weeks have been great. Well that’s a lie. They’ve been ok. I have now entered the phase that should really be contractually accompanied with at least four therapy sessions.

For someone who has a problem deciding on exactly what colour toothpaste to buy, the idea of choosing an entire house of objects and colours leaves me overwhelmed – and completely excited!

The plastering has started – walls are now being smoothed over leaving large areas of colour decisions. My door and window frames started suffering from all the plaster work and I have now insisted on all of the wood being covered – tape and plastic now protect the Iroko frames as the plastering continues.

I have also changed my mind about 1 or 2 things including the addition of TV and extra power points in the two bedrooms. We have also knocked down the concrete bench and are  re-building it at a lower height – it was built too high.

This week sees the first test installation of the glazing around the clear layer of the house – Craig from Glassmen in Cape Town has been the go-to guy on all the glazing and has been great. This also means that I have to make my final colour decision on the steel posts and I-Beam.

I have finally signed for and bought the small strip of land that lies next to my erf – this means I gain about 30m2 of garden area. It also means a slight re-design of my entrance area and gate –  another council submission and more planning.

The question most commonly being asked is when will I move in – the answer is unclear – hopefully by the beginning of next year.

Roof, plumbing, bench etc

The last few weeks have been quite trying. Between working to pay for the house and the multitude of decisions to be made I might have aged a bit.

I have been shooting for the last week which was preceded by two weeks of prepping a rather large job – this meant that any progress decisions on my house had to be taken quickly. So far so good.

The cisterns are all in place. I used a company called Flush Bathrooms in Paarden Eiland for my sanitary-ware. I have used them before when I renovated my house in Bo-Kaap – they carry most ranges – from cheap and standard to ludicrously expensive. They are professional and helpful and more importantly, price competitive.

My roof is almost done. I went with a charcoal grey for the main structure as it seemed the obvious colour to match up with its background, Table Mountain. I also re-looked the bracing between the steel posts and the new bracing looks much better.

The concrete bench in the main bedroom/balcony has been cast and the room is starting to take shape. Door frames have arrived and are waiting to be installed.

The next week brings many admin hours with it – I have been consumed with work for the last few weeks and so I have had to let certain admin issues slip.

Banks, Trusses & decisions

The last few weeks have been filled with many decisions, battles and victories. The bank is back in my good books, and has reciprocated the favour which means that I might even be moving in by December. That is if I can get all the decisions made before my builder fires me.

It has been a frustating few weeks with work interfering with my on-site time and hence my inability to make some critical decisions. There have also been quite a few glitches in the original master plan and we have had to continually re-evaluate certain areas and certain design choices. For the first time in the building process I have been very frustrated with some of the hiccups. It seems that a final detail isn’t all that. A word of advice at this point – make sure that all the details have been checked by the people actually  building the house before going ahead and that they are in fact practically achievable details  – even if those details had already been discussed at length – it seems there is quite a big gap between theory and practice – sounds pretty simple, but it’s not simple at all when it costs you time and money .

That said – there has been some good progress and the roof trusses are up. The roof sheeting should be going on soon.

The staircase is halfway there. Everyday is another step closer to the final vision. The oak trees have also started growing their leaves back – it’s al looking very much like Spring.

I’m hoping that the next few months run smoother than the last few weeks.

Main Bedroom & more

The pressure of the final stage is upon me. The building continues to take shape and as we approach the final construction stage so the decisions become more critical and numerous.

I have changed the layout of the main bedroom and have had to adjust a window accordingly. It’s great to see the windows framing the views – I already have a favourite view from bedroom 2 – I think that views do not have to be large and expansive – I like the idea of editing views with windows and frames.

There have  been a few hiccups with the conflicts in the plans which resulted in a beam to being placed at the wrong height. Adjustments seem to be the normal route at this stage and no matter how much you prepare and visualise a space, until you are standing in it you never really get a sense of it.

The walls have also gone up that will support the roof and form the facade. The asymmetrical shape of the roof was the compromise I had to accept as the council refused permission for a flat roof. I am slowly getting used to it and think that once it has been softened with the wood cladding it will create a signature shape for the house.

Main Bedroom

The slab is set and the walls are going up quickly. The wet conditions right after laying the slab were perfect for curing the concrete. Now that the sun is out the work on site is happening quickly and smoothly.

As the windows are placed in position they frame the views – it’s a great process to see what and where the windows will be framing – so much so that I have moved one of the windows over slightly to adjust the view from my bed.