Monday 27 August 2012

Eleven Weeks into the Re-shaping of Orca House

Work has progressed very well in the upstairs main bathroom.  The little dormer sash windows are in position now, and the dry wall structure is coming along too.  We thought it would be just another normal size bathroom, but now we find we'll be able to hold fairly large parties in our bathroom !! 

The floor has been raised by 40cm on the original cast slab, enabling us to see ever so many more whales and dolphins from the bath, which will be positioned right in front of the dormer window.



Grant and Eric hard at work


Between the rafters in this bathroom we are going to have a corrugated iron ceiling. It'll be a pity to block out the wonderful winter blue skies that you see here. 


Wow, what an awesome construction this is turning out to be.  In this photo you can see the white 'sarking' board ceiling that went on this week.


And, although you can't see him here, Simon is up on top of this scaffold, working on the matching gable in our bedroom-to-be. 



At the moment, all the work seems to be focussed on the upstairs, but don't worry, once that's finished we're planning to clad the downstairs brick walls with horizontal wooden planks, which will help to pull the whole thing together.


The sea is alive with dolphins and whales, most days have been glorious sunshine.  The white beams against the backdrop of the blue sky look so pretty - all too soon the roof will be on, and we'll just have to remember how intoxicating it looked.


Here's Simon up on that scaffold.


I like this shot taken at an angle, it shows all the hectares of indigenous forest to the North of Orca House.  The forest is full of baboons, vervet monkeys, bushbuck and duiker, tree frogs, Knysna loeries, buzzards and many varieties of forest trees.


Here are a couple of our bricklaying team, doing a sterling job on the parapet walls.


Lastly, a picture taken of Simon on his Scaffold, lording it over everyone.  Next week I'm sure that all the 'sarking' will be put in place over the main area, and much of the upstairs drywalling will be completed.  Hoping that the truck will arrive with the old windows and doors which we bought from Sarah Raymond at "Tique"in Malmesbury, Cape.





Sunday 26 August 2012

South Elevation

South elevation of the house before the large windows are installed

Central Post and Valleys



Picture of central post on the main frame showing where the valley cuts into the west wing.

Main Frame

Main frame looking into west wing showing wind bracing

West Wing

Ridge and two dormers in the far ground

West frame roof coming off main frame roof.

East Wing Valley




East wing valley being cut into main frame roof

Sarking Boards

Sarking boards returning into west wing roof and stopping over the landing wall







Sarking boards being installed on top of the main frame rafters

West Annexure Dormer Roof




Dormer window roofs going on, west annexure

22 August early morn

Team shot, 7:20am
Ply deck down, ready to receive east wing

West wind built and rafters going on

24 August 2012

               Another trying day at the office




Wednesday 22 August 2012

21 August

Valley's of the roof of the west annexure being fitted into the main roof

                                                         

30 July

West wing being added

Nick and Keith, hands in pockets...



Towards the end of July





While the Western Cape weather snows, storms, hails and howls Plett looks like another country.









I'll bet money Eric is happy to be in shorts while the rest of us in Grabouw can't get warm.
Just another wonderful day of contrasts in our beautiful country.

Orca's progress continues in glorious sunshine.

Friday 3 August 2012

Beginning of August, kissing my Fifties bye-bye !


Here is a pic of our smiling brickies


Sevvie in the sunshine, complete with goggles


Jerome laying into the old kitchen wall


and again !  he's been picking up tips from Eric



Sevvie enjoying the limelight, and the sunshine too 


Toriq and Eric, putting the upstairs bathroom framework together


Nick, usual posture - sitting in the sunshine, watching the progress from the dune !


And here's what he's watching so intently - the steady birthing of a new Orca House !