Progress

Last updated: 10 Mar 2010 15:15

This page is made as a way to present pictures and progress info related to the house building. Due to my massive picture posting I've parted this page into months, below you see the links to the pictures from the months passed.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

24 September 2006
Today there where three workers up here with Øyvind - and they made at least him happy with the work they did. :-)  For me, I have no complains either, I think, so I guess we can call that two productive days resulting in the result seen below and a need for a quick visit by the plumber to set up all the needed pipes and such.
Also the electrician need to come and fix the earth/ground cable so it goes into the room(s) where he needs it.

Then, Øyvind can come and fill in the floors with Leca balls and all the other stuff needed. He might come earlier and make the rest of the wall with lower Leca blocks and maybe also the garage floor, but time will tell.
For now, we need to speak with the plumber and see when he has time to come. It's nice to see the house taking form/shape

Till then, below is the result of this day:


We found a small visitor down in our new cellar, a scared frog that seemed so tiny and frightened.

Not sure how he got down there, but we manage to catch him & help him out of the basement. We let him loose down in a more wet area of our property.

A look from the basement through our bedroom and towards the office and of course the old entry to our cabin. :-)

A view north from the area outside our bedroom and office space.

Looking through the office..

More through the office...

Old & new meets up here...

Old cabin with new stuff in front.

We extend this area a little.

Looking south from garage front

South from backside of garage

Same spot, now more west.

 

23 September 2006
Today Tore got to see the bad side of my mind as I got a very bad reaction to the two people working at our place building up the foundation walls. It been a long time since I have had such a bad reaction to the way I interact with other people - it was scary and awful.
It all happen as I felt they didn't care about how much importance I put into the correctness of following my drawing and putting a wall where the drawing say it should be, and not about where it seems to look correct according to my drawing..

It should be where it should be according to measurements and triangulation points - for me that is extremely important, even for walls that will be under the floor...

Due to this and a feel I can't explain or put words to I found it hard to deal with the people, and I felt it went down the drain real fast and had to go inside to cry it out.
It was scary, Øyvind is so easy to chat with, deal with, interact with - this two people I found it very hard to do with.

Makes me fear the day the carpenters show up...

Øyvind left me in charge with the Laser he uses to check the heights, he explained how it worked and gave me his cell phone number in case I needed his help. Just that situation made me feel out of it, I'm scared of the "being in charge and having responsibilities" but dealt with that part.
But, due to the other thing I gave it up, was not able to go out for some hours, and after I phoned Øyvind to let him now I was all in tears by the time I hung up the phone.
Not due to the conversation, that was no problem, it was just I got ambush by emotions inside of me and the fact I had to phone him to let him know I did not feel for go out and facing the workers...

In the end I did go out, and while it felt bad to ask if the wall could be raised a little from a corner and then see the way they try to tell me that it would not really matter much, I dealt with that a little better now.
Still, I felt better when Øyvind came by, and was not that afraid to set out a few more corners the way I wanted them.

Or, more truthful, near as I wanted them, there where 1cm of but I can't tell which one it is, or where the error occur as I feel I can't trust any places longer to be a "safe spot" to mark out all the other corners from.
So, I decided it was "good enough" - something Øyvind sort of applauded. LOL Especially as it came from me... LOL

Anyway, a lot of wall came up today, it is good to see it happen and it makes this house take shape - but overall I kinda wish this day never happen... Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
A small design change has happen, back to my basic old design with one more corner in the garage - but other then that, all seem to be like I hope it will end up.

We see tomorrow and rest of week - for now, here are pictures of today!


This is daylight images from yesterdays evening work. :-)

As you might see, some wall have come up in 1 row near cellar.

This was the load of Leca blocks that came yesterday, minus some.

While the workers put down blocks today I kept busy chopping of the corners of the old cabin where it would meet with the Leca blocks.

Later this afternoon I was down in the basement a little...

And, when the workers left I went down there again... LOL

Also had to make some more "see what happen today" pictures!

It was around 1900 this evening, and darkness set in...

So, while I was able to get this images (lighten them a little)..

you will see the bright lights from inside the cabin stand out.

As you see, two rows of Leca blocks, the upper being "U" block.

One of the two corners where I chopped of wood

A close-up shot reveals this

This is the other corner...

And a close-up of that one.

Last image, from garage side...

 

22 September 2006
I've used this week to look over my drawings, fix a few irritation with it, create a new one, but made sure as far as I can tell that I now can have my 16 edged tower and still have a full water drainage of the roof without a need for fancy solutions!
It cost me a different angle on the roofs, and added to the height of the house, but I so feel it should be worth it. Even if it creates a lot of extra work for me redraw the house.

Of other news, we got the papers from the architect, I seem to be the person with all the signatures now, and the responsibilities, but I guess survive that one. Just need to look it over and make sure it is all right this time. LOL

Today at lunch Egil and Øyvind came by with Leca and some time to do some work with marking out the corners of the house. I hadn't done the job I wanted so they had to wait a little for the drawing with the correct measurements, a time they used to take away the wood boxes, eat some food, talk with Tore and look over all my different drawing still I had the correct one. LOL

Then Egil had to leave, then Øyvind had to leave, and when he came back around 1640 he had with him a couple of workers that started to unload the Leca blocks and place it around and even cement a few down. Øyvind had to leave 1700 but came back a little before 2000 to pick up the workers.
 They be back tomorrow morning we been told by Øyvind.

So, a little happen today again, and here are a few more pictures to proof that. LOL


Not easy to see, but things been...

happening here.. LOL Not much.

But enough to snap pictures! LOL

Dumped by Øyvind...

As already said, not much, but...

I still wanted to take this images!

So, when the workers quit today..

I just had to have this scenes!

 

18 September 2006
Today started with us getting up at more or less normal time, and as soon as I could I went outside to take a few pictures and video of the little work Tore and I had done this weekend.
It was not that much, but we had a hard time deciding what to do with the information from Øyvind about the corners... Struggled all weekend, and in the end all we did was make sure the back wall in the bedroom is as the same "wall line" as the cellar wall.

We both doubt we would see any changes in the price from the builder if we where to change the 4 corners into 1 corner, and while both Øyvind and Egil repeated it again that the corners where expansive, the builder did not back their story so to speak.
Tore talked with him on the phone, and happen to mention the corner thingy - and from out of his head he doubted it would save us more then maybe 25000 Norwegian kroner, and that is not much at all.
But, he promised to check the drawings tomorrow and let us know soon.

Of other news, the concrete work was done on the foundation that is to be under the Leca blocks that is to create the foundation for the house... Øyvind came by yesterday evening to check our work (LOL) and took then a fast measurement of the trenches and came to the fact it is about 39 meter of trenches - and today they got filled with concrete!

The truck came around 0830, first to the neighbor, then to us, and as it didn't hold enough concrete a second truck came by around 1 hour later.

And, with this done, there is a new break while waiting for it to dry, Øyvind might come by on Friday, he was here this evening and took away his digger, and mention they hope to make the floor end next week.
Maybe the Leca blocks is set up this weekend, maybe next week - time will tell.

Till then, here is the biggest bunch of pictures so far - way to many quite possible, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't take lot of pictures. LOL


The work I & Tore did..

is seen in this images...

where you see the crossover..

planks that I nailed down.

Not easy to see here..

but more clearly seen here...

and of course here. LOL

But, today is today.

So, here you see the concrete..

arriving by truck, not air... LOL

First concrete on its way...

and this is where it ended.

Egil & Øyvind hard at work.

Egil lays down iron...

while Øyvind pours concrete.

All over the trenches.

Wide shot, end of concrete..

Cleaning was done here...

and here, then truck drove away.

Result of first pouring, south side.

Work around the cellar...

nailing down boards to plug holes

Big fat pile of concrete...

among large areas of trenches.

Coming of the second truck..

full of concrete (6m3).

Work on the south side...

done with help of the digger..

pouring concrete into trenches...

and outside of them...

Then more is poured here...

then Øyvind tries handwork...

while concrete truck pours here..

and Øyvind tries his wheelbarrow.

Handwork again...

All is quiet...

on all fronts...

west front...

southwest front....

and southeast front. LOL

 

15 September 2006
Not the best days - Øyvind came much later then I had understood him to do - and Tore been away most of the day. I've been keeping busy with seeing how I could change the house design, but alas, that would mean a massive redrawn and a totally new house design if I was to remove my expansive corners. :-(
I did however find a way to remove 1 of the 4 corners, and in addition gain a little more closet space in the bedroom.

But, when Øyvind came and I told him about it I immediately got the impression that he thought it was a bad idea. It wouldn't gain anything in cost reduction, and I still had a angled wall so the roof would be still complicated.
It made me a little sad as I more or less had convinced my self that would be a good idea to change that part - it would hardly be noticed on the "four front drawings"
As I feel bad for asking Øyvind to take apart his boxes from yesterday I was not able to ask him to do it - and due to that I found my self getting irritated on my self for the conflict I now had inside of me.

I still might change it this weekend, the house would still have some of it's character, but might not have the full same one as it have today. It's hard to say, I like the way it is now - but I very much like the idea of more space in the bedroom for closets and maybe even a little enlargement on the technical room where I feel I'm a little to much cramped for space.

Apart from extending two planks and fill in the inside of planked area from yesterday to make a box nothing else happen of work today. Lot of talk took place, Tore came back 5 minutes after Øyvind came - and with Tore his brother Steinar also came for a second weekend with us here at the cabin and building site.

There are work for me and Tore tomorrow, but for today, this is it:


Box made at dining room extension

The new inner wall (north/south)

As seen from the office area

A large platform type - near tower.

 

14 September 2006
Slight better day, but still struggling with the damn chimney and figure out the most perfect solution for our case. When I asked Øyvind today if I could build into the wall a bend in the pipe from the furnace and into the chimney he said I could if the wall was a concrete type of wall.
So I guess I'm back at the original design except I know seem to have a corner out of Leca blocks and not wood like I first had in mind.

Of other news today we also learned thanks to Øyvind that each corner on the house can be estimated to cost us NOK 50000 kroner per floor - which makes a part of the back wall (east side) where I have that corner wall and all cost us about 400000 Norwegian kroner just for that part!
Wow, that was high cost - and it made both me and Tore wonder and rethink things.

Also made us wonder why none had give this estimate before, nor the architect or the builder had given us such clues - if I had knew this say 6 months ago I might have been able to come up with a better and cheaper way of making a this house.
Changing it now is hard, both as I need to do it by tomorrow at worst, or Monday morning at best - and for the fact that a change there now would mean a large change of the exterior look and might have a bad impact on the permits we have got to have this house built.
Due to the way the house is today drawn and planned built it would mean quite large changes - but if that would save us around 300000 Norwegian kroner that would make us come so much closer to be able to afford this house right away! Which is tempting, very tempting!

Øyvind came 0800 today if my memory serve me right - and we had a small discussion with the news of yesterday with the "zero point" I can't trust and so on - and while Tore and I had breakfast he nailed a piece of plank to the wall and corrected the offset in one direction.
We also agreed on having it like it was in the other direction and just make the house out of the basement placement as it is in the extension part I need the measurement to fit my drawing most - while in the old cabin I have room to "eat up" any misplaced measurements, even if I dislike to have it like that.

Rest of the day went by with making a little more of the wall around the steps to the cellar and "play carpenter" and put up "boxes" for the concrete work of making the first foundation for the house.
This took all day, and still he needs to come by tomorrow and do some more. The concrete work was postponed now to Monday as none could deliver concrete before that it seemed....

Which is sad as that messed up a idea we had of going home for 2 weeks next week - but when I see how all get delayed I see how bad that idea was...

But, to end this day, here are pictures of the day... LOL


To fit Leca blocks one need to cut

And when one cuts, it gets messy..

But it will be nicer when done

At least I think so... LOL

Øyvind needed to lower the fill..

in order to make the "boxes" level

So, he used the digger first...

And kept using it...

But, he used other tools too...

But I still think the digger is...

the most fascinated tool he uses!

The expensive corner...

Same area, from other side...

New and old

More of the new, office area..

Steps and wall to basement.

 

13 September 2006
Today been a bad day, not so much in actual stuff as in the more mental and feeling way of things.

I've learned quite a lot today I feel, kinda like being at school. LOL But some of those lessons where of the bad kind - not the word used though, those where good, but the impact the lesson had on things I had in my mind, and how to use them to make a better house.
I also had the unpleasant discovery that the corner that I use as a "zero point" and reference point is no way parallel or square with the rest of the cabin... :-(

That was a bad discovery, and one I should seen before, but didn't. Øyvind also felt he should have discovered that before so it made two of us... I have a feel it have big impact on the building up here as the cellar is already made based on some parts of the cabin, and today some of the work done with adding in the gravel and wood for the concrete work that might happen tomorrow is based on different places around the cabin.
Places I can't guarantee is safe to use, and now I know I can't even use the corner I was so sure was safe to use. :-(

Due to the need for Øyvind to be helping Egil today we didn't see him that much - so not much was done in terms of actual work. Quite some time was spent teaching me about chimneys and how to square of a house foundation and so on...

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day - I feel to sad today to do much... But that is not the reason for the lack of pictures:


Been foggy all day - got some materials this morning

Got some work done with the digger, filling in some more rocks

Here the "carpenter Øyvind" been at work - not much of an extension

All that got done today of visible work - lot of invisible in my head.

 

12 September 2006
We got a big surprise today when we heard Øyvind's truck and saw him come to us 0750 or so - as we had expected him to be late today due to what was said yesterday. But, it was a nice surprise. :-)

The only "problem" was that we had yet to eat breakfast, and the fact we where to head up to Minnesund to have a chat with a guy named Dag Beck, about the roof constructions. Which made me not being able to go outside watching and photographing the work that was done...
Made me feel a little sad - was to feel that a little today as I have had to be indoor more then I like today - especially was it bad when Øyvind was out driving the big yellow thingy with two large steel rolls as wheels...

But, life is bad sometimes, and I got a few things to think over after the visit with the "roof man". I didn't like the fact that the roof above the hobby room was of the "A-frame" type as I don't like that lower "beam" in the "A-frame" - but it seem to be taken care of now, and it shouldn't matter much for the price and the stability of the roof.
It forces me to bring up a support that helps support the floor of the hobby room all the way up to a beam to help hold the roof up, but I can much more life with that then the beam messing up my high room. :-)

I also got a few views on how they imagine the loads to be supported, and had a small discussion around the solutions with the tower and the roofs - where I yet have to get a good answer I think. I always seem to get the answer that what I draw they find a solution for...
It might be a good answer, but I'm more interested in how they might have done it if it was their design so it would end up as practical, good and cheap as possible.
Finding solutions to problems I create with my design is something I don't like to be happen, as I should not create problems in the first place. If I create a problem I rather redesign something then having to figure out a solution to a problem area and leave it there as designed...

I felt kinda irritated leaving there, I feel frustrated with sort of not being able to gather the information needed to fully understand and make a better drawing for our house. I got answers yes, it was a good meet, but it also felt like the person on the other end is sort of not really interested in what I want to say and talk about.
I know it is only a feel, but it is a strong feel afterwards.

In addition to all this Tore was not feeling very good - so he went to bed when we got home a little over 1100 - and when Øyvind came by some before noon I was not ready with a drawing I had promised him as I kept struggling with figuring out a good place for the chimney all seem to want to put into the house, and not on the outside.
Where I had it, and with the idea I had I can not do as it messes up a important corner/point for the load construction of the house.

Spoke some with Øyvind, showed him my 3 tower versions, spoke a little about them - he told me which he would have chosen if it was him and sort of followed up on the part both Dag Beck and the builder had said with the fact that they can make it work with water drainage on that one too.
So, I think I'm going to end up with a 14 sided tear dropped tower more or less.

Also think I have a solution for the chimney part, it is now inside the house, but on a outer wall so I need to think it over some more. It messes up a few things, but might be a much better solution in the end.

Øyvind have more or less filled in the property now, done some packing of little rocks among the large ones, and with help from me started to mark out the centers of the outer walls - a job he had to stop has Egil Åstad called him and needed him back to the other job they where working on - blasting.
So, Øyvind will be back hopefully tomorrow morning, and if all goes well there will be some concrete works on Thursday and maybe foundation this weekend or so.

Then we see what happens, need to talk with the plumber again as he and Øyvind had a chat today at the plumbers place - need to check he has the paperwork done so we can send in the permit applications via the architect we never seem to be rid of - that is, if the architect still want to do that job of sending in the papers.

Till next time, here are some pictures from today:


Early morning work

Running around...

First base so to speak..

It starts to look nice

Base fillings done

A little more work in this area

Framed by the digger...

End of day look - towards cellar.

Same area, old cabin and new

More of the extension area

Nice to see that things happen
 

 

11 September 2006
Five years ago I was also here at the cabin working on things up here - but only with my parents as Tore was on a work related trip up north in Norway. It was a nice day, got some things done - then we got the news about what had happen in the USA and the day & life was never the same again.
Now five years later we are trying to build a new life up here, thankful for the fact none of us has directly been through the hardship so many other people have had to live through the last 5 years - but I guess we all keep asking where have those 5 years gone.

Today was not the best of days, Øyvind came late, at lunchtime - and we had no idea of that so we was more or less walking around expecting him any time now all morning. :-) Every little noise we heard was enough to bring us to the door to keep watch.
I was busy with redrawing some changes and trying to figure out what would be best solutions with the knowledge I have today.

Tore spent some time calling a few people - and at the time Øyvind came with his truck full of rock a man from the electric company we plan to use also came by to have a look.
Lot of talk, and I learned Tore had (again) not fully understood things I had been taking with him about so when the others left and we went in for lunch and afterwards I was kind of irritated and full of bad words towards Tore as it scares me in a bad way the fact he and I can't seem to fully cooperate and have the same understanding of things up here, and plans on how things should go.

A argument that is way to many of, and I fare my temper will mess it all up again. But, it got over when Øyvind came back with his second load of rock, Tore ran out to get a picture of it, and I grabbed a digital shot of the other end - the front of the truck... LOL

Then it was time for the digger, which was up at the neighbor so Øyvind went up there to fetch it, and have a chat with Frank, the neighbor. :-) Then he came rolling down to us, and kept moving rock and dug some earth in a corner as it was not properly done the first time...
Øyvind had to stop filling in rock at the cellar door due to a pipe carrying the water outlet from the cabin - and to cover and protect that he left us to get his third load today - little rocks. LOL

Back with those he skillful emptied his truck only half and used that half to plan a "road" for him self towards the south end of the extension of the cabin. Where he also used this little/light rocks to cover the pipe.
Then he dumped the rest of it. Played with his digger, had a chat, told us he would be late tomorrow - but not that late he thought - and chatted with me a little while Tore set up a appointment with the man in charge of the roof so we can have a chat with him tomorrow.

That was more or less today, here are the boring pictures of the day:


I'm fascinated with way the truck and cabin in a way interact in a scene

Like the one you see unfold here, the truck suddenly showing up

The dumping of the load of heavy large rocks - massive stuff! :-)

Here you see Øyvind's truck from the front side - unusual view. LOL

Guess what is rolling in here...

The digger of course... LOL

Almost like a dinosaur, big...
no image

Digger at work..

Coming around the bend..

You better watch out..

Or you going to drown..

Under a massive amount of...

Rock around the house...

Rock for ever, day and night...

Turning and twisting...

Dumping and thumping...

Driving and dumping...

Lets roll.... (LOL)

Just because I liked the view...

Filling in around the pipe

Moving the little rocks

Forming a better platform for life.

 

8 September 2006
Today been a nice day weather wise, and kind of life wise. We was in Oslo yesterday to speak with a friend - and he was so sure we could find a solution to the money problem so it made Tore a little better - me, I'm not that sure.
But, it also made us invite Tore's brother with us, so he is now spending the weekend with us - he's happy, but in a very bad shape. And have a few problems otherwise with his body so I ended up with way more duties today then I liked. :-(

Øyvind came early today, was here already 0815 or so, with a load of rock that he dumped around the north side of the cellar - and a little later today he also filled in the backside (east side) of the wall with more rocks and earth. Not earth into the walls though, that is not advisable he said.

A couple of the neighbors also needed his services today, so he spent a little time with them - and in the meantime we where suppose to empty our "indoor outdoor toilet" and remove the door into it as it is in the part of the old cellar where we shall fill in later. This as Øyvind had planned to start dump rocks in that area as we are extending the walls a little in that area to make sure we have a good foundation to built upon as the old foundation there is cracked and in a not so good shape.

The bad thing was that Tore manage to drop his glasses into the contents of the buckets from the toilet when he emptied them... Not the one he wears, but the one in his breast pocket...
Where he also have his hair comb, and he was so sure he had lost that one to into that pile of earth... I looked and looked, couldn't find them, got angry and stressed as I knew (I thought that it turned out) that Øyvind was away to get a new load of rock (he was in reality up at the neighbor) and that I needed to get that door out of the hole.
Would been easy had it not been nailed to the walls instead of screwed... I went to the job with brutality and manage to make it successful - but the stress trying to find Tore's comb was real bad.
Especially as it finally turned out it still was in his pocket after I had looked all over, I got so mad I went over all his pockets while he was told to stand still!
At least I found them! LOL

As it turned out, all the stress was unneeded as we now have a hole in the wall covered with some wood and rocks at the bottom (hand placed by me, with causalities to my nice nails and fingers... :-( ) and no rocks from the truck.. Øyvind left without a goodbye as he was at the neighbor at the end of the day - so I'm not sure when he will be back.
Being Friday I guess Monday, but the neighbor mention he was maybe coming there tomorrow so may stop by us too.

Tore also had a accident today, for second time he bumped into the iron bars laying around out here - today severely and had to rush in as it really shocked him and put him out of it.

So, the day been so there, but it didn't stop me from taking pictures... LOL


Digger at work...

Øyvind's truck with 1st load for today - lot of rock is needed here to make this foundation flat.

Time to fill in around the north side of the cellar wall also.

Here you see Øyvind dumping his load of rocks - better not be in the way! Lot of dust came my way..

A pile of rock...

But not very long... LOL

We are getting flatten...

Then east wall is filled in...

Rocks at bottom, earth at top.

Lot of work...

But a digger gets it done. LOL

Earth dumps is flatten too

And then, you get a much flatter and better ground to start think how the house and garage will be. Here the garage is to come...

Damage, the worst so far

My own project of today, removal of a door into the old cellar and covering it up as we are to fill in this area with rocks - no more outside access to the old cellar!

Close-up look - not the most pretty looking one, but it is only meant to be stopping the rock from filling up the inside of the old cellar (at this time) as we have the "indoor outdoor toilet" inside of here.

 

7 September 2006
The rain we where suppose to have yesterday paid us a visit today... It made it not so nice to be outside around lunch - but from the morning it was nice and cold.

Øyvind came a little before 0900, dropped off the 9 steps made out of concrete by using his digger to lift them down from his truck one by one as each had a weight of around 120kg or so.
Then he went out to get "ready made concrete" as it would be far faster and better then stand and make all he needed by him self.

He came back around 1130 and from then on in the rain he put in 3 more steps (first two he did before he got the concrete - he changed his mind after those two. LOL)
Looked way better the way he did it now with the concrete and all. The distance between the steps is said to be 17,4cm except the first one that is only 15cm as each concrete block is 15cm high. The rest is made up with a wooden list.

With the 5th step at it's place Tore and I went in to get lunch, and hide from the rain. Øyvind was left to fill out more of the concrete around the steps and the walls, then he left too - guessed he would not be seen again today.
Was wrong there, he was back 2 hours or so later with a large load of rocks, and after a chat with the neighbor Frank he came in to our property and dropped of his load and placed the rock around the south side of the cellar walls after he had put along the walls a sort of black "knotty" plastic sheet thingy.

When we had to leave for Oslo 1530 he also left us for the day - see you tomorrow Øyvind!


The unloading of a step...

Then another one..

More steps...

Step by step... LOL

Steps & cellar, hand in hand..

Not sure why I made two of this

Øyvind is back with concrete

I just love his digger! LOL

Some hand work is needed

But machine work is coolest!

Still, hand makes the best result

A little at a time, step by step...

The fitting of the 5th step

Where it is stopped for now

Waiting for the rest of the fills

Before it next week or so grow up

Till then, here is a load of rock

Around the south & west side

Of the cellar of course...

The end result of the day - perfect!

 

6 September 2006
As we knew that nothing would happen here today with working and so on we went down to town today to do some grocery shopping and other needed things - including picking up a lot of photographs we had developed by the Photoshop from this project of ours...

But from there the rest of the day went bad more or less. tried to get in contact with the guy at the place the roof beams and such is to be made - but he was busy and said he would phone us back after 1500 to day. Which did not happen as far as we could tell as we never heard the phone ring.
which is irritating, I dislike it strongly when people promises to call back and never do.

Tore and I was a trip up to the attic of the cabin to look around up there, and to discuss a few things - and while there we heard Øyvind's truck and had to rush out.

Seem like he had some time so he came with another load of rocks to us, and also let us know the steps had arrived so he would be here tomorrow to install them into the ground. Yeah! :-)

Went fast, but spent lot of time chatting with us, and the neighbor, Frank, that also came by. I like Øyvind, he is easy to speak with, he shares info in a good way, and a way I understand - and I wish we had knew a man like him before all this started as I think it would helped a lot in the design process.

Around 1700 the phone called ant the architect was on the line, he had seen our email from yesterday and felt attacked so I had to try explain it was written from a feeling perspective and not a sensible perspective.
It seemed like he could understand that after a while, after all, he had seen how I was acting on feeling earlier too so.

Anyway, he too had been surprised with the way things went with the builder as he felt him self the builder was more then competent enough to do all the parts needed now with the project and the legal stuff.
Said he could help of course, but felt it was best not to - and there we agree. :-) Promised that we would speak with the builder tomorrow and find out what had happen, and then get back to him later.
Also promised the architect the paper from the city hall as he had yet to receive it, but been so busy - and is so busy - that he had forgot to even phone them and ask for it.

So, things are getting troublesome here... But, at least something happen today, more tons of rocks arrived... LOL


Here you see another load..

Then the digger in action...

Ain't it sweet?  LOL
 

 

5 September 2006
Today been a more slow then when it comes to what got done today - but we have had a few good chats and conversations that I think been of the good type, and I have learned a couple of things too. :-)

Been sunny today too, but the wind was more strong and the air more cool so it is getting easier to sense that the autumn is closing in fast. :-(

Of work done today, Øyvind came alone a little passed 0900 as started to make the needed cement in the round rotating thingy that cement is made in... Wish I knew the name, but I don't so for me it is that round thingy... LOL
While waiting for that to get ready we had a chat and he explained how the foundation for the rest of the house should be made, and now I get a much better feel for what he talks about, till today I been thinking that for the foundation for the house there would be made a large concrete floor all over and on top of that the Leca block for the foundation would be made - stupid me.

Instead the way to do it is that when the walls made yesterday and covered today (on the outside) by a thin layer of cement has been drying for like 2 days or so is that Øyvind fills in the rest of the area needed for the house, then compacting the top and then make lot of wooden boxes along the outer edges of the house and 40cm wide boxes along all the walls that is to be used for supporting the house/roofs, and this will be at the same level as the walls in the cellar is today which is about 50cm below top of the reference floor in the entry hall of the cabin.
Those boxes will then be filled with concrete and iron pipes for reinforcement of the concrete walls that then again will be built upon by 2 layers of Leca blocks.

Covering the walls with the thin layer of concrete didn't take long, what did take long was the wait for the machine to prepare all the batches of the concrete mixture Øyvind used, around 20 minutes each time and it was many times to cover the sides of the room that was made yesterday.

The builder, Reidar Furuseth, and his brother, came by just after lunch, he told us he had just dropped of in the mail the papers regarding the "who takes responsibility for what" to the architect, and that was a "what did you do now, and why did you do that feel"
Seems like we might get stuck with him again, so something haven't gone according to plan so to speak... Of course to add to it, the architect was not to get hold off on the phone (meetings) and he never returned our call so I guess he never made it back to his office today.
Need to figure this out, as we don't want to pay him more money as we already feel and think we have overpaid him for the job he didn't do that good all the time - and for a job he never should have done as he w3as not the man we needed, but he never told us that before it was way late in the project, and after we had pushed him a little...
Damn.

Had some more talks, and it looks like the garage will be built, and with the room above like I want - good. :-) Also had some discussion regarding a tree Øyvind feel strongly will be blocking the entry for the big truck carrying the roof beams, we don't feel for cutting it down, but don't feel much for paying extra for a lift truck either so...

Lot of talk, new ideas, old ideas, lot of info - wish I had met a man like Øyvind earlier as I learned more from him then talk with the architect regarding how a house is holding it self up - and that was one of the main reason I needed a architect for (I thought it was one of his knowledges, boy was I wrong!)
Not sure what will happen now, but plan so far is to make the steps down to the basement either Thursday if they arrive early enough, or Friday, then fill in the rest of the property and maybe Tuesday next week start making those outer walls and such for the house.

Tomorrow we have a break, so we see, till then, today's pictures are here, not much to see, except lot of pictures of the same thing... LOL 


Start of the wall covering

In progress, near two walls done

Start of the third wall, east wall

Tore is inspecting...

And of course chatting. LOL

Øyvind is working...

End of the day, this was the result.

Looks good on the steps side

On the north wall, garage side

East wall, still good

South & east wall - nice!
 

 

4 September 2006
W
e been keeping busy all day today, and it feels. The sun been up all day too, and my face can tell you all about that, hat or no hat, the sun is strong.

Øyvind came around 0830 with his truck full of rocks - don't want to drive empty he said. :-) Egil was to come a little later with the tools needed for setting up the walls, but while waiting we got busy marking out the corners for the walls in the basement.

Got some "need this measurement" and was it the outside, center or inside measurement we should use situations - but in the end it seemed like Øyvind got it right. I have a bad feel with it though, was not done the way I thought it was to be done, and not the way I would have done it, and I have this bad feel in me that I now will have a "not according to plan" type of house...
I cross my fingers and hope for the best.

The floor that Øyvind had told me was parallel with the cabin is no longer parallel with the basement wall, which I today was told is parallel with the cabin...
Confusing, right?  :-)  The floor is made to large, and I was sure Øyvind told me it was made a tad to little really, so who knows, this may be a catastrophe, or may not be...
Any way you look at it though, it sure looks nice to see some walls coming up, and not just rock and earth being moved around.

Don't like the fact the cellar is made from the back wall of the cabin instead of my given reference point, but I can understand why it is done this way, and "my way" is more cumbersome and takes longer time, and with our money issue...
We see, as I said, I keep my fingers crossed.

I haven't totally understood how the walls and the steps down will fit into this basement, and being able to support a weight, but Øyvind seem so sure so I guess I just let him do his thing and only make sure as far as I can that he is not mixed up in all the measurements flying around. ;-)
The floor was measured to be 149cm below the reference height point in the existing entry, which means I lost 31cm of my calculated height of 180cm - this due to the expert needs to fill in the hole and create a large distance from the bedrock.

Good thing I designed the basement the way I did, and while I'm going to flatten out the roof from a 18,5 degree to maybe a 12 or 14 degree roof to keep a living height in the basement all over, I also gained a better steps to walk down into the basement then my old drawn 45 degree step with it's 20/20cm steps...
I now have drawn a 17cm up and 25cm in step - much better to walk in the few times a year we need to look after the sewer facilities down in the basement.

Øyvind and Egil set up 1m of wall today, there where not enough Leca blocks so Egil was out getting some more (this time he brought Scan blokk) blocks, and then they finished of the walls for today with a row of "U-blocks" where the reinforcement will be cemented into place.
There's been a few areas where plan and real life no longer match, but I hope it will not be of catastrophic dimensions. I will adjust my plans as we go along, and hope that in the end all this will be worth it!

For now, here is a bunch load of pictures from today!


We had massive rain yesterday, but when the canvas/cover was removed we saw that most of the water went down the drain like is should - so at least that work. :-)

Here you see the start, the corner blocks is just laid out to mark the corners, and then the blocks in between is cemented to it's place and then the corners is taken

Here you see Egil at work putting down blocks after blocks... LOL

And what is Øyvind doing...

LOL


Working of course, Øyvind I mean. We seem to have agreed on the angled wall, hope it was the right choice we made. :-)

Egil is still putting down blocks after blocks, and the same did Øyvind.

Working on the walls, cutting and cementing, checking and all that things that is needed to make it.

It was nice to see the walls coming up, I bet you can tell that by looking at the images... LOL

Need I say more?

Yes, more pictures of a wall...

Growing slowly but steady.

First the corners, then fill them in.

Øyvind and Tore is discussing something, Egil is working.

It was not the meaning to have all this pictures of Egil, but... LOL

He seemed to always be in the area so it was unavoidable. LOL

Then Egil left for more blocks and Tore and Øyvind was left alone...

It is growing...

From the garage side.

The digger was brought in...

To lift the block down - to bad I was not here then...

Almost around at the 4th level...

Around the walls, tomorrow next!

Øyvind had to dump his truck first.

At the evening I made this from the steps side of view.

 

2 September 2006
Not much happen, Øyvind came by with a small load of sand, and that was it! The sand is to be used when setting up the walls for the basement/cellar.


We had nice weather today, but due to things out of our control this is all that happen today - the sand...
     

 

1 September 2006
We been in Norway now for about 4,5 weeks, things have happen, but in between we have had lot of "dead days" - where today was more or less such a day.

We knew it too, as concrete needs to dry in the time it takes - but it still don't make the day the best one. Øyvind said a thing yesterday that made me feel unsure about my own drawing, as he mention it was not the best of things to have a chimney on the outside as it would become a cold chimney and they are hard to start a fire in.

This made me do a search on the Internet this morning for people with chimney knowledge - and Tore phoned a guy we found listed that also Øyvind had mention that he had spoken with earlier.
He sounded nice Tore said, and they agreed we should come by with the drawing for a chat - which we did. That took whole morning and we where just back for lunch, not very much wiser, but at least I was more confused then ever... LOL

The idea was to get the chimney into the house for insulation purposes, or insulated it on the outside walls. We had plans for a outdoor fireplace/barbeque thing, and was told we should get a second chimney for that as it would be much safer, even if Norwegian law permits a dual use of the chimney as the only country according to the man Tore talked with.

I had a idea after lunch on how to solve this new puzzle, but my knowledge was to limited, and when Tore phoned the man back Tore didn't ask for all the info I wanted (I was not there when Tore phoned) so I'm left more or less to guess again...

The good thing was that the man seemed to be impressed by my drawings, even asked me in the beginning if I was an architect.. LOL Good for my ego you see. LOL

Anyway, I have a idea, but it have a impact on my drawing, on the money problem (worsen it) but it also have a few good points that helps solve a few annoyances in my drawing. Will see what we figure out - this weekend will have to be it as next week the filling in of the rest of the extended house area is set up to be - and then I better be sure I have a plan to follow as it will be to late to change anything!
Which is way I feel sad for not learning about this problem earlier - another point where I feel the architect we talked with should have had a few warning fingers towards me - none I have shown the drawing to have said anything... :-(

Of other happenings, not much. Øyvind kept busy up at the neighbor making him a new road to his garage, was down at our property one time this morning dumping earth, and next time we saw Øyvind it was late afternoon and he came to offload some Leca blocks to use for the cellar/basement.

Seem like it all will be made this weekend, said he will come by with two helpers tomorrow to set up the walls - so we will see what will happen.

Till then, or next time, here is pictures from the offloading...


Here is the first of two Leca packs offloading with help from the digger.

Quite fast and easy it seemed, a chain and the digger - nice!

Then it was time for the second load, swinging down from the truck.

Hmm, where should I put this one...

Let me put it here, seem like a good spot... LOL

The third and last load was the cement needed to cement the walls.

Another thinking over where to put it, but then it was decided.

To put it right here! LOL

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