Funky Gibbing

Interior walls are something I’d always taken for granted, until I spent a few days packing glue and screw guns to put them up myself.

Gratuitous, but soothing sunset image

It’s been a while since I wrote. In fact, the spaces between my blog entries have been getting steadily longer. It isn’t because I don’t have anything to write about – or don’t want to - it’s actually the exact opposite.

We’ve always suspected that the process of building our home would always end in a mad scramble, particularly with the universal deadline of Christmas looming. Added to this, we are losing our builder on December the 15, as he leaves to start a new life in Tauranga, and our Plumber the day after.

I’m writing this on December 1, known and feared as ‘Snoopy day’ in our household. This is the all-important date when I traditionally dust off the Christmas C-Ds and give them their 25 day thrashing - with emphasis on my own favourites (one of them featuring a Baron and a Beagle).

But I’m digressing; the point is that we have two weeks left to make the most of our Builder and Plumber. Both will return if they have to – but who knows when? (This will occur during Christmastime in New Zealand, for heavens sake. I almost died once because everyone, the Medical profession included, was on a well-earned Christmas holiday).

Brad and Dean show how it's done.

To get to the point – the build is really busy. Dean has enlisted the help of Brad to help him in these last few weeks, and even I’ve been press-ganged – gluing and screwing gib panels to our many walls.

Taking a week off work over Election-time wasn’t easy, but those days I spent away from work were no holiday. Hours spent inside wardrobes and cupboards with only the pungent reek of industrial adhesive, and the screech of the drill head burring another screw for company, became my life.

I’m sticking with you, ‘cause I’m made out of glue...

I’m not complaining, but Rose certainly did when she came home and found that something had been installed on our roof without me even being aware of it. My excuse that I was stuck in a cupboard really didn’t cut it, as you might imagine.

Not only did my duties include the afore-mentioned Gib-ing, but I also had to be able to monitor and answer a plethora of questions from the builder and the team of electricians we had finishing the wiring. The fact that one limber little sparky got on our roof, put a hole in it while I was there and this escaped my notice was considered an issue – but when the roof addition was revealed to be the aerial connection I was off the hook.

The aerial connection which caused so much strife

Added to this, I’ve tried my best, but have had to suffer the humiliating and somewhat confusing experience of being told off by my own builder for what he considered some substandard work on my own house. I feel the tug of mental vertigo even reading that sentence…

I can’t fault Dean for being a perfectionist, his attention to detail and dedication to the task at hand has been hugely reassuring.

The Spring equinoxial gales arrived late, but made up for lost time very quickly. During a particularly ferocious gust, Dean noticed that a section of our west-facing wall was moving slightly, despite having been built to the specifications for extreme weather conditions. He told me straight away, bluntly made our draughtsman aware, and then ordered some more timber to reinforce the wall. Before this could be done the gales returned the following night, so he drove all the way out at 10.30pm to install a prop against the structure for all-round peace of mind till morning.

Could this strut have saved our wall?

The Plasterer began work today (an aspect of our project which we are looking forward to being done properly, for once. We’ve had problems in the past, but that’s another story).



A rising platform apparatus has been used to raise the gib panels up to make create our higher ceilings, so I’m looking forward to seeing progress and I’ll post again very soon – there’s too much to write about!



Rose takes over nail punching duties...

...and turns her hand to Gib-boarding, as well