Forever House #51

Monday 19th June 2017
Ahh ... finally in my caravan bed, candles alight and head torch on, ready for sleep after this update. I'm only here for less than 24hrs this week but better than nothing. My goal by the end of next week is to have all six of the bedroom windows sanded and painted and ready for installation. I've come out with all the replacement glass cut, ready to add to the many re-usable panes to re-glaze the windows - but sanding and painting is the most important at this stage - glazing can follow, post Ronnie.

It was pretty exciting arriving this eve about 5.45pm to find the villaboard walls installed inside the house above the block walls. Ronnie decided he needed to do that first, and there's a timber picture rail to sit above the blocks to tie it all together. Then by the end of the week all the insulation will be pushed into the cavities from the outside and the corrugated iron up around the outside. Next week the windows and doors and voila - luck up!

I met Ronnie at 10.30am at Bunnings car park today to collect a few bits. He then went to collect additional mouldings from Metroll and angle from GJames. I went to the servo with a couple of gerry cans to fill up - he headed west and I went to work.

He's using up heaps of the timber that has been laying around for window surrounds etc. During the ten days he's been away the weather has been foul and the camper trailer needed some attention first up for him today. All I did on arrival was clean up the swallow shit on the kitchen bench, heat up frozen curry and naan bread, and sit by the fire with a wine.

Tomorrow up at 6.30am and on with the day - Night for now...







Tuesday 20th June 2017
Rose to a relatively mild morning; porridge and coffee; and daylight view of the progress Ronnie made last time he was here.



It's always exciting to see the changes - but this time in particular because he's closed up the gaps above the block walls and all of a sudden the true dimensions and look of the room are known. No longer imagined.


The light, the framed views through windows are there. Of course I gush and carry on a bit excited - it's remarkable. The photos tell the tale.

Ronnie continued to work on the picture rail and window surrounds. I worked on the 2nd and 3rd sets of windows for the main bedroom. Sanding, scraping and undercoating.
I had to scarper and leave Ronnie working alone for the remainder of the week. He hoped to have the iron up by the end of the week.

Tuesday 27th June 2017Instead of doing iron over the remainder of last week, Ronnie decided his priority was to get the timber trim on above the rock wall and around the windows inside. It took time getting it perfect, and as usual he has done a beautiful job. He used up lots of the old hardwood lying around - bringing it back to look fresh and new. The villaboard that will eventually cover the internal block work, when next Ronnie comes back to the Forever House to help finish the interal fit out, will slot into grooves he has routed in undersides of that timber trim. The finish will be awesome.

When we were at Richmond Sand and Gravel getting the sand and gravel for the cement a couple of weeks back we saw some samples of stone panelling that we thought might be a nice alternative to the render I had thought would be the finish on the outside of the block walls. They let me take a sample out to the Forever House this week to see what it looked like and to see what needed to be done to allow for it to be attached under the metal flashings.

This is the latest painting I have done - Currawinya Sunrise looking east in the early morning from the front of the Forever House towards Gab and Dave's House. 

Tuesday and Wednesday this week Ronnie did the trim work for the external corrugated iron, and then inserted the iron. Fiddly around the bird windows and getting easier along the western wall.

He had done all but the wall above the front door when I left on Wednesday afternoon.

I put up the insulation in between working on the windows.

Ronnie was using turps to wipe down the corrugated iron walls and the smell took me back to so many memories - mainly of my \Dad who used to tinker around building boats and painting oil paintings. A very nostalgic smell is turps. I think I have said that I was Dad's helper when I was young and I'm sure my building streak is an ode to him as much as anything else.

We had lots of visits from interested shareholders. Dave, who had done so much work on the Forever House previously, arrived back on the property and was pretty excited to see the work being done. Everybody comments on the quality of the work Ronnie is doing.

We were invited to dinner at Gab and Dave's house with Pete and some new shareholders Pam and John. They too are interested in building in cob and came to check my place out on Wednesday.

Dave, Gab, Pete and they were off on an adventure looking at possible sites for their share - Ronnie and I had to stay and keep our heads down and bums up. It seems I have been doing that for many years - working on the house every time I am out there and not adventuring around the countryside like I will when I can. My time is coming. I am excited for when the house is done and I can immerse myself in that magnificent landscape with no more work to do!!

Yay the windows are largely ready to install

The final push to lock up was on this week and Ronnie was trying to get it all done by Friday. Windows hung and door handles on and maybe even one of the frames above the mud walls for the glass to sit in...









I have yet to go out and see how far he got - that will happen on Wednesday (not tomorrow but the next day) when we go out to collect the Camper trailer which has been up for almost ten weeks now, and anything Ronnie couldn't fit on his ute when he left.  Will post the final lock up pics soon.  

Au revoir Ronnie after 8 weeks of amazing work
and easy company. Thank you so much.
I will miss having company as I continue to
progress the Forever House in the next months.