Foundation – Cooinda's Nest

Bathroom slab and reading nook after - south view

Filling in the gaps

Posted on September 2, 2020September 3, 2020 by oneflewovercooindasnest in Renovation La Shacka

Since the shack was stripped back, we have been busy filling in the numerous gaps that were a result of poor concreting done by the previous owner/s.

This shack has had a few modifications over the years, and the original concrete slab that was part of the work shed is fine, however the additional concrete poured around this slab was not connected via reo bars. This disconnection has meant that the concrete floors for the bathroom and bedrooms have slumped over the years, and are a gateway for creepy crawlies to enter through. The slump has also meant that the floor steps down as you enter these areas.

We filled in those gaps to ensure that the shack is sealed properly, and levelled out the step down as much as possible. We also used this opportunity to make the bathroom space bigger, and introduce a reading nook as there is concrete in place already. Learning from our predecessors mistakes, we drilled in reo-bars into the existing concrete slab and poured concrete on top.

Part of the strip-down was taking off the old bedroom roof sheets, which had to be replaced as they leaked. These have now been replaced and the insulation bats have no more rat or mice poo in them. YAY! Bom chica bom bom!

It is Piscean full moon today, and my dearest mother in law’s birthday. Springtime is here and we feel more energised already, perfect as there is a lot more work to be done on the shack :D

Gap in the north facing wall – before

Gap in the north facing wall – after

Massive gap at the doorway of main guest bedroom – before

Massive gap filled in at the doorway of main guest bedroom – after

Benny boy drilling in holes into the existing slab for placing the reo-bars

Matty checking over the formwork

Bedroom roof sheets being secured and formwork for slab pour complete

Bathroom slab and reading nook after – south view

Back of the shack – before (south view)

Back of the shack – after

New roof sheets and insulation in the bedrooms – view of guest bedroom 2

New roof sheets and insulation in the bedrooms – view of guest bedroom 1

….and then there was a slab

Posted on November 2, 2016August 11, 2020 by oneflewovercooindasnest in The Nest

The concrete truck arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule, and took just over four hours to complete pouring. One of the concrete trucks hit a power pole at their depot which caused some delays, we had to wait for over an hour till we got the next batch of concrete delivered. This caused some concern as the previous concrete poured was starting to set, but thankfully the delay didn’t cause any issues. Turns out it was a blessing in disguise as the fish tank needed to be secured furthermore before more concrete could be poured around it.

No more hurdles were encountered, and not much more can be said about the happenings of the day, so here are some vids and pics to do the talking.

Half way mark, waiting for the next concrete truck to arrive

The estimated 36 – 40 cubic metres of concrete was underestimated as 51 cubic metres was used in the end. Sounds like we have a solid, sturdy base :) This is the first big milestone to complete, the next one is the roof going up.

No rest for Mattukta; onwards and upwards, literally.

Fish tank setup and pre pour jitters

Posted on November 1, 2016August 11, 2020 by oneflewovercooindasnest in The Nest

Less than 12 hours to go till the concrete truck arrives and the pour begins. Matty and I are feeling excited, nervous, worried, exuberant all at the same time. A minor (major) crisis was averted today as Matt found out that the formwork was 40 mm shy of the expected height. A somewhat cruisy day turned out to be a full on day fixing other people’s stuff ups.

Despite the frustrations, Matty managed to get everything done for the 7am start tomorrow morning (along with extending the height of the formwork to the required 100mm). Here are some pics to commemorate the day:

Full underslab ready to go, with bracing, fish-way channel and other bits

Underslab ready to go with electrical conduits and pipes

This house has a few little quirks, but the most extravagant is probably the in-ground fish tank. Matt got the fish-way channel set up so that the fish can swim within the house (initially), and then outside when we open up the channel to connect to the outside fish pond.

Fish-way channel secured on the underslab

Now all that remains is all things to go smoothly tomorrow. The rain has eased, hopefully so will our anxious trepidations.

It’s All Hallow’s Eve and still no slab….

Posted on October 31, 2016August 11, 2020 by oneflewovercooindasnest in The Nest

The past month has been frustrating with unnatural amounts of rain being the main culprit. Despite the delay, progress has been made on other fronts, like building a chook pen, getting some chooks, setting up the veggie patch and picking up other building materials such as tiles and windows.

The rain finally eased off about two weeks ago, and Matt hired Rob to come in and dig the slab footings.

Once those were in place, Matt was busy pumping water out of them two days later (thanks to the glorious rain), then finally started putting the clinka fill in (more about clinka here).

Getting clinka'd up — Getting clinka’d up

Two labourers assisted with doing the form work and putting up the mesh, finally getting the foundation ready for the pour.

Labourers helping out for the slab preparation, looks like Matt is playing boss

We got final approval for the slab pour, now all that remains is for the concrete mob to arrive and do the deed. Fingers crossed there is no more unpredictable rain!