Uh oh....

I know, I know, it's not a promising and positive title to this post.  It's also Max's favourite expression at the moment, so it's fitting on two levels.

Here's why:  Last night, Steve and I decided that we didn't have enough space in the new dining room and needed to push the extension out by at least 1 metre.  Steve called the builder last night, the builder didn't answer, so first thing this morning I cornered him outside with the bad news.  Bad really for us, due to extra cost and time involved, however I can imagine him rolling his eyes internally as I tell him what we've discovered.

This is why it's kind of bad timing for us to discover this:

The trenches for the foundations have been already been dug out

To enlarge our floor area, it would mean we need to go back to our draftsman, get new plans drawn up and probably re-submit for council approval. All the while there would be builders and sub-contractors twiddling their thumbs.  And money would be flowing freely down the drain pipe.

So we're not doing that.  The builder talked me through the space we have, and it's clear there is enough.  It is just not going to be the massive, airy, lofty space which was in our heads.  Even if we pushed out by 1 metre, it wouldn't give us that.  Instead, it will be a comfortable, light and sunny extension with massive doors which open all the way in summer and a space which will be cosy and warm in winter. 

My kitchen loses out a little - we are going to cut the depth of the island down from 1.3m to 1.2m to give us 3.6 metres (from the edge of the kitchen island to the exterior doors) for our dining table. 

Here are a few more progress pictures:

Danger! 

 Uncle Mike home after his first day at work in NZ after many years away



The trees are gone! Yesterday there were arborists, plumbers, builders, diggers and engineers on site. 

 

So that's that for today.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Probably more pies for the builders, that much is for certain.

 

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