Digging x3, drainage and flooding

Through out the build, the narrow side yard of the house (right hand side of the block when looking at the front of the house) has been soaking wet and muddy. Every time it rained, the whole area would be a muddy river.
So two weekends ago my husband and dad decided they'd better put in some drainage so that we could then start doing other work in the yard.

They thought it wouldn't take too long, just to dig down the side of the house, across the back and then put in a stormwater pipe and join it the the stormwater drain.

Of course, every time we say something won't take too long, you know it always ends up being a drama of some sort and doesn't go to plan...

Diggin' #1. The dirt was ridiculously hard! I'm talking rock and clay. It ended up taking a whole day just to dig it up, even with my parents and us out there on the shovels and using the kanga (which was fun actually!)
Plus it was the only boiling hot weekend we've had in the whole of Spring!

the kids helping dig across the backyard

side yard looking towards the street



side yard looking towards the backyard

It took hours to get the slope right so that water would flow from the front right side of the house to the back left corner. Anyway the next day they put in the pipes and began covering the top with dirt but didn't get it finished.

That Monday night was when the huge storms hit and we received heaps of heavy rain. Well what happened? Because of sooo much rain and not enough heavy dirt being put back on top of the pipes, they rose to the top of the mud! They were floating on top of the muddy river we had!!

Diggin' #2. So the next weekend on Saturday they had to dig it all about again and this time put bricks and rocks on the pipes temporarily to keep them down in case of rain.
They also discovered that earlier in the year when we'd paid a landscaper to build our retaining wall before the house started, he had done a dodgy job with the drainage. I'd asked that he put in an ag pipe behind the wall, to drain away the water that runs down from next door, but we now know that he put in the tiniest (read:cheapest) pipe as possible and no black plastic behind the wall. So in essence, the pipe is useless and all the water seeps through the blocks of the wall. And that is why, we've figured out, the side yard has been so wet all this time.

Grrr! So frustrating considering that retaining wall cost us and arm and a leg! You'd think a 'professional' could be trusted to do the job properly. :(

So my dad realised that he'd have to run an ag pipe in the ground as well as the stormwater pipe  to drain away the water that seeps through the wall (hope you are all still following me! lol).

Diggin' #3. The next day, Sunday, my husband and dad were back doing what they needed to do again...diggin out the side yard again! If it hadn't been such hard work for them (mum and I had quit long ago by this stage and had resorted to decorating the house and doing odd jobs, lol) it could've almost been funny,... almost!

Anyway, so now the quick job that was meant to take a few hours will continue this weekend (yep, the 3rd weekend!) when they get some sand and gravel delivered.

I think I need some gumboots!

Me having a go digging with the kanga- lots of fun but hard work!

Driveway

After weeks of trying to get driveway quotes and only ending up with a few, we went with one that was a little expensive but seemed to be good quality and workmanship (hopefully) and knew what he was talking about.

As our street is a dead end, there is not much parking so we decided to go for as large as possible so that two cars can fit next to each other and two behind.

 

the driveway area during the build

 formwork

 

 

the kids are so happy they can walk on the driveway now

 

The day the concrete was poured, a huge storm hit the area that night. There was thunder and heavy rain and wind but luckily the concrete seemed fine. We did however, end up with a large muddy swimming pool next to the driveway, just in front of the patio.

 

A week after it was poured, the concretor took the formwork away and we could drive on it- yay!!

 

 

Then in a month or so it will be sprayed a charcoal colour. Looking forward to seeing it finished!

 



We've moved in!

After about a week of doing the floors my parents and I were completely exhausted! Our knees were all sore and our muscles aching! There was dirt and dust everywhere and so many off cuts of flooring, boxes and tools. It felt like a construction site not a home yet.
Gradually, the floor was completed with just a few edges to finish off as well as inside the kids robes. It looks gorgeous, really love the colour and can't wait to see all of the furniture and accessories in the house.
My husband only took a couple of days off work to move everything so he hasn't been at the house much.

So last weekend we finished moving everything to the garage (it's chockers). Because the floor was still being done we only put the essentials inside to start with (it was like camping...I really hate camping lol). Throughout the week I set the girls rooms up with their new bedding and accessories and put some furniture together.

There was also a steady stream of tradies coming and going- we got a different bath spout, stacker doors were serviced to open smoothly, got a tv aeriel, and finally our kitchen end panel and overhead doors arrived (with no scratches this time). :)

 Scratched end panel removed

 Flooring cut to allow for new end panel

New end panel installed

This week I've bought a new coffee table and side table for the family room, got our new dining table and chairs and picked up our youngest daughter's new bed, mattress and bedside table. It's been exciting to unpack bits n pieces I've bought throughout the year, some things I forgot I'd even bought lol! It's been so so much fun choosing furniture and decor for the house, but hey, who doesn't love spending money haha. I've spent the last couple of months looking for the perfect outdoor dining set and outdoor lounge and I think I've found the one (just gotta convince hubby).

We gave away our old lounge and sold our old dining table and chairs which did us well but were looking a bit dated. I also cleaned the old house where we were renting which was a huge effort with two bored kids driving me insane!

So tired, dreaming of the day everything is done so I can just relax with a cocktail...

More pics to come soon :)