We have Lift Off!

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After three false starts we eventually got the green light on Tuesday July 22nd and Murphy Mansions Mark 2 started its journey to a new position on the plot and a closer position to the sky! It was a very exciting day and one that we wondered if we would ever make with all the hoops we had to jump through with the Town Planners, Surveyors, Structural Engineers, Electricians and one stressed Architect! It is a whole different experience doing it the Aussie way. The sooner we get a builder on board who can organise and line up all the different contractors the better as going solo has proved too stressful.

Everyone had spent the entire weekend demolishing the final fixtures and fittings below the house and removing the back staircase and landing area along with every possible item of clothing, bedding, food, fridge, cooking utensil and small creature comforts such as TV, DVD player, lights and laptop! All were piled into the garage at the end of the garden filling every nook and cranny creating piles stacked on top of the spa, shelves and remaining storage boxes. The main ceiling joist making an excellent wardrobe hanging rail and the camping gear came into its own as we cooked our evening meal outside under the stars!

So with hydraulic jacks and giant Jenga blocks, three unlikely looking builders started to raise the house up off its original concrete piers 700mms and then placed steel beams from one end of the house to the other and then using a small mechanical digger the house was pulled forward to its new resting place. The second day the house went up a further 800mms and now passers by can see straight through under the house and watch us cook and wash up of an evening. All very amusing (for them anyhow).

The ‘Bob Cat Driver’, Phil turned up today and broke up the ground floor concrete slab and created a new rubble feature in the front garden, very ‘Feng Shui’ and returns tomorrow to finish the job! It is believed to take only a few more days before the new holes for the concrete stilts can be drilled and then the house lowered onto its new foundations. That just leaves the new drains to be placed in situ and the ground floor slab to be laid but no doubt that will be another story, “No Worries Mate!!”

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Photos

Ace Restumping.
Recommend the company if you are interested!!!

Rear view
Sitting on blocks with steel supporting the house.

Comments

[alison goff]

How fantastic. So the earth moved for you! Looking forward to speaking to and seeing Hilary when she is UK bound. Much love, Alison