Slavery

Today was pure slavery. First, the sand (five tonnes) I ordered was delivered yesterday but the driver wouldn't listen to good advice and ended up tipping the lot right next to the wall. I wouldn't usually have a problem with that, but we have to put up scaffolding on the wall within the next couple of weeks. I rang Johannes Stuckenberger (the roofer) and asked him what clearance his scaffolding would need. He said at least 110cm - better 120cm. With a shovel I spend half an hour moving about a third of the heap. Pity the driver wasn't still around. If he had to do it he'd listen to me next time.

After finishing the sand, I had to get to work removing a concrete platform outside the house. This was about 7-8cm thick and was mixed quite richly when it went in. It had to go because we need to put down 80cm deep concrete feet for the steps and for the vertical supports for the roof overhang. I cut the platform in near the wall with a diamond disk flex first of all. This was to allow me to belt away with the sledgehammer without having to worry about causing damage inside (the platform continues inside - it will actually be ideal to build from because the door you can see in the photograph will be blocked up. After a couple of hours of work it was all broken and half of it was loaded onto the bucket on the back of the tractor, ready to be taken off to one of the neighbours (who is building a stable and needs filling).

I wrote yesterday that we put up a chipboard wind/rain block in the big window in the west wall. Here is a photo of it from the inside. It probably wouldn't comply with the DIN regulations but as long as it stays put where it is for the next couple of weeks, that's fine by me. When the roof is done, the big window (triple glazed) can go in pretty much straight away. The engineer still has to return the calculations for the house in general and for this wall in particular. When the calculations are there we can get moving on it.

Below is a picture of the next job ahead - the cement mixer will have to be brought out to see the light of day again.