Brick Clean - Boral Mocha with Off White Mortar

Last week our bricks were cleaned. I thought the brickies had done an amazing job and they didn't even look like they needed a huge clean. It's not until they are that you see the true colours! The walls were still a bit wet in the photos. We still have a few sections that need to be bricked - above the balcony door, kitchen wall and dining sill. Unfortunately our brickie has fallen ill and hence the delay. He should (hopefully) be back on this week...

Here they are; Boral Mocha Bricks with Off White Mortar

Before the Clean

After!

Bricks are still a little bit wet, so I will get another photo next time!

Brickwork Nearly Done, Internal Paint Nearly Done and Kitchen Nearly Done!

I've been missing my blogging the past few weeks. Every time I think I have a second to update things something else gets in the way! I've been trying to write these things for over a week now! 

Things have been moving along smoothly and in some ways also slowed down. The brickwork is oh so close to being finished. The brickies ran out of bricks, so they have a few areas to still finished off. The bricks were delivered on Saturday (2 pallets) but we are assuming the brickies have started another house this week. No doubt they will be back in the coming days to finish off. The window over the kitchen was fixed, yayyyyyy!! The wall was deconstructed, lintel in correct position and the wall rebuilt! 

Boral Mocha Bricks - Cat 4
Off-White Mortar - Upgrade

Brickwork above Garage Complete

Kitchen Window at Correct Height! 

Upper Eastern Wall Bricked

Living Room Wall (including fire place)

First Floor around Balcony Bricked (missing above door)

This looks like an infill as they haven't left room for a lintel. Our plans/contracts show brickwork so we will definitely be following this up during the week.

Alfresco Piers Finished

Almost Finished! 

More work was done to the kitchen too!

The overhead cupboards that had holes in them for handles have been replaced with flush cupboards and the panel shelf above has been put in the correct position - to make a useable shelf!! The wine rack has also been put in. Looking forward to filling this up - if I can reach it!!

Vinyl Wrap Gloss - Polar White - Upgrade

More Completed Cabinetry in Kitchen

                             

Open Shelf with Correct Panel and New Flush Doors

Our Benchtops are not Red!! Ready for Caesar Stone!

                       

                         

We were so excited to get into the house over the weekend! I even took the broom and gave it a lovely sweep out! Couldn't help myself! We're in for a mighty shock though when we move in as it took me nearly 3 hours to sweep it all out.'What do you do?' 'I work a few days, I'm a mother and I sweep...... nice to meet you!!!' Loving the paintwork!! Oh the gloss enamel doors are amazing. I think I ran my hand over the internal garage door for 5 min before I opened it! Don't know how they get that finish, but we sure do like it!

Dulux Lexicon Quarter - all walls, roof and doors

Admiring the Front Doors! - 

Check out the swept floors!

 Crisp and Clean 

The Upstairs Bathroom 

Ready for Stone 

Master Bedroom Doors - Still being painted 

Cheeky Monkey!

Upstairs Activity Room 

 More Paintwork

Theatre Room - We are going to paint this room grey/charcoal after handover

Can we move in yet?!!

 More Walls and Doors

Study

This window will be replacing the one in our ensuite. It has hardwood reveals, rather than MDF as our SS thought that it was more suitable being above the shower and in such a wet environment. Happy they made this decision without us even mentioning it. We actually assumed that all the reveals would be hardwood. In hindsight, we would have upgrade all reveals to hardwood if we had have known they were going to be MDF. The theatre room reveals are still to be replaced too. 

Boral Mocha with Off White Mortar - Week 2

The bricklayers have been hard at it this week. Not too much else to report on. Work continued to the front of the house on Friday, the eastern side on Monday and Tuesday and the alfresco pillars today. When we visited on Monday, I was a bit disappointed in the colour of the off white mortar. When we went around the house to the part that had been bricked the previous week it was obvious that the mortar takes some time to dry and for the true colour to be revealed! Very happy!! The windows and cabinetry have also all be wrapped inside ready for initial paintwork to begin. I went through some displays over the weekend to have another look at blind options (and lets face it, get another fix - it's been a long time!). Even though our house is getting so much closer, when you go through a display it feels quite some way off!

Day 3)

Day 4)

Thinking that this has something to do with the off white mortar, but will need to do some investigation on this!

 Not really looking like off white mortar........ More drying time, should show the result (hopefully)

Day 5)

Alfresco Area Brickwork

Probably the Neatest Trade Onsite Yet! 

Trying to picture what it will look like completed with our black windows

The Off White Mortar

The bricks to the left have had 5 days of drying and are also on the western side in the sun (when it appears). We think the mortar shows it's whiteness after it's had drying time????

Looking forward to more bricks on this side of the home to finally protect it from this lovely Winter we are having......

The inside wrapping of the windows and cabinetry - ready for paint!!!!!!!!!

It is all so tightly sealed. Someone is going to go nuts with a spray-gun we think!!

We Have Bricks!!!!!!!! Mocha Cat 4

We are beyond thrilled to have had the brickwork started. The house has been absolutely battered with the weather the last month. Everything has held up so well considering this (the wrap needed a bit of repairing in two small parts and the window reveals in the theatre room will be replaced - due to water damage). The brickwork is the light at the end of weather tunnel!!! Our SS implied yesterday that they chose this particular brickie for our house (may explain the 2 1/2 week delay). They probably tell you those things to make you feel special! However, he built our SS house and his supervisors (who was there for our visit yesterday). His work so far looks amazing! I am such a brick expert after all....... The work that has been completed so far will also be rendered, so we were impressed with the neatness and mortar. We've seen some 'interesting' brickwork and mortar for walls that are to be rendered - our SS said it often looks like they are thrown in from across the street! 

We were a little surprised at the mortar colour. My husband and I stared at it for quite some time and were pretty disappointed with the look of 'off white mortar' which we paid for. The first thing our SS said yesterday (before we even checked) was that it wasn't off white, under the render. Huge, sigh of relief! They say off white can vary from area to area depending on the location of the sand etc. But it's nothing like white!! Our facade is rendered + some wrapping around the edges. The remainder of the house is brickwork with off-white mortar.

The brickwork started on Wednesday. Here is the progress so far! 

Bricks - Boral Mocha - Upgrade Cat 4;
Hardwick Facade - with Full Render

Day 1)

Day 2)

  

We had wondered how the left pillar would be built - a secret concrete slab! We are also slightly bewildered how the horizontal ledge in between the pillars will be built without framework! More to come on that as it progresses.  

Locked Up Ready for Work Tomorrow