16  Low slung trousers and blockwork

We finished the steel work last week on Thursday and started the blockwork on Friday before clearing off to London for comfort and joy with Jules and Gohar.  Oh to be in a proper house again – with showers that give you a proper dousing, and toilet paper that hasn’t already been dampened by the external atmosphere! 

The end of the week was somewhat disrupted – I allowed my bank card to find its way into the washing machine.  Firstly the washing machine hiccupped and stopped expelling any water, and secondly Max growled at having to empty the tub of freezing cold water to try and put it to rights.  Not possible.  Half the card was retrieved but the other half is well and truly jammed in the pipe work.  I was not his favourite, and I’m still without a washing machine.  When living in a caravan a washing machine is one’s closest friend, until they go wrong.  I have discovered this is the way to lose friends easily and immediately.

The same day, my computer went on the blink, again.  In for repairs for a week.   

This week has a feeling about it that the forecast, and I’m not just talking about the weather, is going to be a bit bleak.

Back to the real business of building.

It is interesting that each trade has its own personality and the blockworkers are not short of theirs! 

They can be identified by their dress sense.  Their low slung trousers hang on to their hips as best they could.  As soon as the occupant is in a bending down position (all too frequent) the trousers might just as well have been around their ankles for what good they were doing.  Hasn’t anyone told them, ever, that bare bums are not a good sight.  Nor are pants, (fortunately not worn at quite such a precarious level), that have become wet and discoloured very early in the day by the cement and mud that the occupant had obviously for some unfortunate reason sat down in.  Not at all elegant in my opinion.  But that wasn’t of any concern of theirs, obviously. 

My first impression of blockworkers, I have to say, remained verified throughout the week.  There was no improvement.   I had to focus on other things to get through this week.  Nothing seemed to go right for me.

Having said that, nothing was more than my own problem really – no disaster occurred in terms of the building progression, in fact it was pretty good.

The blockwork, like the footings, have proved to be pretty complicated.  All sorts of combinations of course work with different heights, combinations of thicknesses, and ways of building the blocks.  The house looks such a simple plan and with so few walls, how can it possibly come up with such complicated arrangements?

Each wall has a different arrangement of blockwork, some double skin, some laid flat, some on end, some a combination.

This was a particularly complicated junction of drain runs, steel columns, change in steps of footings and differently constructed blockwork walls all coming together.
Praise to the blockworkers for understanding what was required.
It will all be buried underground and never seen by anyone to marvel at!

Thank goodness for Max who is such a practical man.   I look at the architects’ drawings and see a whole lot of straight lines and precise measurements and think everything must be done to match in the built form.

I am gradually learning that I can’t for ever be expecting perfection in every aspect of the build.  It is hard to accept, but I am beginning to understand what ‘actually’ is important.

Max has identified that there are two approaches to work /life:

‘Perfection next year’, or ‘Second best tomorrow’.

But you can only be one or the other.

We have always had moments of conflict between these two options throughout our shared activities during our married life.  38 years later we are still exposing our different approach to life.  But for all the stresses and moments of crisis, I have to say that looking back we have always managed to produced a happy medium.  I just don’t know what the secret has been, so the pressures of our different approach still persist.  This will be in the mystery of the house we are going to produce.

Max looks at the architect’s drawings and knows that the reality of concrete footings will not have any such fine lines and precise measurements that the architect indicates.  On the contrary, they will probably be within a tolerance of 10 – 15mm.  What Max makes sure of is that he knows exactly where the critical measurements are, and how these can be controlled and achieved.

In contrast, I always judge things on how they look.  If something looks good, I will make it work.    We 'should' provide the ideal combination – and usually I think we do, but you try finding equitable solutions with someone who has the opposite approach!   Our short term frustrations with each other will bring its long term rewards.  I keep reminding myself that they have in the past, and they will for our new house.  That’s what I look forward to.  I hope Max does too, before he totally gives up on me.

The blockwork for the stepped retaining wall with all the steel reinforcing bars was started on Monday.  It needs to be built up gradually because the concrete that is poured in between the two layers has to be done over a period of time.  Not too much at once otherwise it is too strong for the walls and it forces the blocks out.  Not what you want at all.  Well, I’m afraid this is what happened to us.  You learn something every day, and experience they say is valuable.  It was a pity, but not disastrous.  It just meant that one side had to be taken down, and started again.  Perhaps fortunate it was our mistake, we could shoulder the blame.  However, the low cut trouser wearers had to make it good.  Sorry boys.

In spite of all my negative reactions to the block workers, they are making a tidy job.  The foundation walls should all be completed by the middle of next week. 

We are a few days behind schedule as we will have to complete the tanking and damp proof membrane after Christmas.  We were hoping to have this and the slab down before the Christmas break.