Construction Management-A Game of Pick-up-Sticks!

 

Having lit a few fires under people regarding lack of action and time running out on our Playhouse project, the last week has been a blur of deliveries, hammering and sawing and problem solving.

I already had a full and varied schedule planned out, then I took it upon myself to drop in on our builder and forcefully remind him that we only have a few weeks to complete our Dream House.

 Next thing I know, my schedule was like a handful of Pick-up-Sticks, which had been tossed skyward, mixed with someone else's Pick-up-Sticks bundle and blown around by a strong gust of wind prior to landing where it may. Cancel this, move that, check a measurement, try to earn a living....

 Suddenly things started to take shape.

 Not always the perfect shape! The blue prints were from an earlier phase and didn't reflect an important change, that had been discussed at group project-launching dinner meeting. Luckily, the project is taking shape right next to my office, in our warehouse. The Foreman had outlined the door, per the plans, prior to cutting out the opening.

 We grabbed some photos to show him what we wanted and he got it right away. He will also be making the front door for us, as the size and scale are not available off the shelf. He went home with his template today.

A house looks much happier with an opening that will become a doorway.

 We've drilled attachment holes in the reclaimed, antique roof-tiles we'll be using to clad the roof. I always wonder what the Artisans who hand shaped these tiles, a hundred or more years ago, would have thought of the journey they would be destined to take. Do you think they would have believed it, if someone told them?
Taken down in Provence to sail for a month over the ocean to California; nailed and hooked on, because of potential earthquakes and, in this case, turned into what used to be called a "Folly" in someone's garden.

One of our "Finishers" brought his plaster and color sample board by just now, for the exterior walls. It's darn near perfection. He was paying attention when we showed him what we wanted and he has the skills to reproduce that very nicely. I'm signing off on this from my point of view. The architect will be here on Monday and can speak her mind. I don't expect anything but a positive reaction.

As I'm writing this, the electrician is doing his part. He was a bit delayed and has a couple of hours of work still to complete. I cancelled my Friday evening riding lesson. This takes precedence, for now. I'm looking forward to riding on Sunday morning, possibly in the rain. The forecast is predicting some minute amounts of moisture and hail. We'll take whatever nature gives us. The hills are already turning from green to brown and there is no snow-pack waiting to melt and feed our reservoirs. I just suggested to my Landlord, who has promised us a back lawn, since before we moved in, a year ago, that Astra Turf is the more responsible choice at this time.

Leaving a Stone

This poor homeowner paid someone a size-able chunk of change to create a custom home that looked like a mausoleum. His wife has spent the last four years telling her friends that the job was unfinished, because she was embarrassed to admit to this monstrosity. 

I saw this as it was being built, and cringed for them every time I drove by. When I was called in to offer some input, I was thrilled. (No need to specify the address, just mention the big white facade on such-and-such a street and I know just the house you mean. It's been haunting my nightmares)

We played around with some sketches, to see how we could make it feel more like the home they wanted and to be sure we understood one another..

It's been fun, watching this come to life, as the puzzle pieces fit together. 

 

I'll hold up templates all day long, until my client understands what I'm proposing.

This shows the completion of phase one. 

Phase two has already begun. You can see that the window surrounds have been torn off too. This homeowner has developed a taste for authentic, natural stone and has turned this project into his hobby and his passion. His enthusiasm is contagious.

 

Porta-Potty Nightmare Revisited

This post was written in my early blogger days and I was reminded of these emotions by Owen, over at Magic Lantern Show . Over and above his obsession for the charm of such "places of necessity" his blog is full of wonderful original thoughts and images.

January 2009

I like my life. I am not a worrier. I don't go around pre-imagining problems. This said, I fear porta-potties....

No-one likes them. They are an evil necessity, but I am confronted by my nemesis more than most.

My aforementioned life includes regular visits to construction sites. I carry a tape-measure and note-book and pencil. I speak "Contractor". My flat shoes and I are usually welcome as they quickly realize that I am a problem-solver and all I want is a happy client and a job that can move forward.

In my daily travels I sometimes need to pee. In order to use the facilities you first have to find them. Traipsing around the outside of a half-built house looking for that glimmer of blue-green somewhere up the hill or behind the tree. Wherever it is to be found, a porta-potty is almost guaranteed not to be set upon level ground, as if a rocking motion will add comfort to the experience. Sometimes one will be leaning drunkenly over a precipice. Sometimes it is deliberately placed in full view, front and center so everyone can see you struggle with the door and then listen for any sound effects. The best case senario is when p-p is to be found in a blue puddle. This indicates a recent cleaning and the possibility of toilet paper.

Negotiate the door; remember to relinquish note-book, tape measure etc. before entering. If it doesn't rock, don't be lulled into a false sense of security yet. Place feet slightly spaced and well centered on the floor. Execute a swivel and release button and zipper; being careful to gather up the legs of your trousers from the bottom so that they do not dangle on the damp floor. Assess your balance one more time and lower your backside whilst leaning forward. If you achieve stability of seating without changing the center of gravity you may survive another day without the dreaded Porta-Potty Tip Over.