Some Valuable Tips for Working with a Tradesman

Hooray the paving is all done. It ended up taking 8 days to finish - because of rain and some other delays.

My relationship with the paving guy on the last couple of days was a bit strained. He was feeling the pressure, i think, because he was running overtime and had other clients waiting on him. I was feeling a bit tense because some of what they had done didn't match the plan like it shoud. Now, I know a plan is a plan (and what do they say about "the best laid plans...") but there was just a couple of things done that was a bit off - nothing too serious and stuff that I could easily live with (like the main circle being about 60cm too far to the south), but when the paving guy started to push back a bit about some changes I had requested, that's when things became a little tense.

I had asked for two changes and he was looking a bit miffed about it, he said a couple of times "I just followed what was on your plan". I let that comment slide initially, but when he said it for a third time, I took a stand. I told him: "actually, what you have done is slightly different to the plan and that's why we need to make these changes now". I pointed out how the main circle was slightly in the wrong spot meaning the porch garden bed wasn't going to be a symmetrical shape, like i had planned. Once I pointed that out to him, he understood and was more cooperative. He even offered to move the whole thing so the big circle was is it's planned position. I thanked him but said don't worry about it. So, all up, both the paver and I had to cooperate and make some compromises to get the job done.

I have learned some important lessons which I will definitely remember next time we engage a tradie:

1. Don't feel intimidated. Tell them exactly what you have planned/want done. Down to the most minute detail you can imagine. You might not consciouly realise it at the time, but you do have ideas about how the job should be finished off.
2. Try to be on site for the first two days of the job. This way you can keep an eye on things and make sure they are sticking to your plans. I really struggle with this one because I don't want them to think that I'm spying on them or don't trust what they are doing.
   
3. Don't be scared to question what they have done very early on. I always hestiate and think "oh maybe they have just done it like that for the time being and it will change later on".
4. You're paying for the job, so do everything you can to get it exactly as you want it. you're the one that will have to live with it.
   

It's Started!

The paving has begun! Hoooooooray! Andrew (and his apprentice) started on Monday morning. This is what it looked like before they made a start:
By the time I got home at 1pm (I was working from home that afternoon) this is what they had done:Andrew + crew left after getting this far because the bricks didn't arrive on time for them. The bricks didn't arrive until just as I was arriving home.

So they returned on Tuesday morning and got stuck into it. By the time I got home this is what they had done! (pretty good considering it was a really hot - more than 35 degrees - and they had knocked off early):
I'm really happy with the way it is coming along. C is in Canberra for work this week so I'm watching the work in progress every day on my own. I wish he was here so we could talk about it together. I've had to make some decisions to change some minor things in the paving layout - I really wish C and I could have talked it though first - I'd feel much better about making the decisions. I'll post another update tomorrow.

Porch Garden Bed - Before and After

Here's a quick before and after for our new garden bed in front of the porch.

This is what we started from.

Minu jackhammered the concrete (27 Jan 2008).

Then we lifted out all the concrete rubble from the bed (28 Jan 2008).

Then we started to till the soil in the garden bed (2 Feb 2008).

We found loads of old "fill" just below the surface. When this house was being built they must have used this area as a dump for broken roof tiles, broken bricks, bits of concrete and broken glass. So we dug all that stuff up so new plant roots can have nice loose soil to grow in (2 Feb 2008).

So we ended up with this huge mound of rubble (9 Feb 2008).

And voila! One brand new garden bed. After the paving is done (in 9 days time) we will get some nice fresh soil and compost delivered to fill the bed (9 Feb 2008).

Isn't so satisfying to look back over the progress you've made.

Saturday Morning Working Bee

Wow! Yipee! Hooray! We have finished loading all the rubble from the front yard into a skip. We thought it would take two days of serious hard yakka - but it was all done in just a few hours this morning. My lovely sister Sal (props to her) came over to give us a hand and that really helped to speed things along. We got into a production line mood real quick, with Sal and I shovelling rubble into the wheelbarrows (we had two) and Minu emptying the wheelbarrows into the skip on the street.

I'm so happy to have finished early. That means we can enjoy the rest of the weekend. Such a contrast to the last couple of weekends when we have been working ourselves to exhaustion on Saturdays and Sundays. So now begs the question "how are we going to enjoy the rest of the weekend". I think we are just about to head into the city and check out an art gallery and wander around the shops for a bit and then go see Juno at the movies tonight.

Tomorrow I'll do a couple of minor things in the garden (like planting the Chinese Star Jasmine that's been languishing in a pot for a few weeks) but apart from that - i'll do NOTHING.

Wow! I feel so relaxed. Ah the serenity.

Here's some photos from our working bee this morning:

Sal and I were the "shovellers" - we shovelled all the dirt, concrete, mortar, sand , etc etc into the wheel barrows.

This is me.

This is me being a bit silly.

Here's a good Sal-in-action shot. Go lady!

Minu was the pusher - he took the wheelbarrows...

to the skip...

and emptied them.

All done. The skip is filled.

Final touchs to the paving plan

Sheesh! I'm tired. I've just been putting final touches on the paving plan that we have decided on. Tomorrow morning at 8.30am our paving guy is coming for a chat. I asked him to come around again before he starts next week as I want to go over a few things with him (i.e. provision for irrigation piping, job clean up, filling the storm water trench). So tonight I thought i'd get the paving plan all finished and ready for when he comes in the morning. It's now 11.30pm, way past my bedtime, so i'd better dash off to bed so i'm well rested for our day of shovelling rubble tomorrow (i'll write about that tomorrow). Before I go....here's the plan! What do you think? Add your comments.

click on the picture above to view a bigger version.

I'm feeling quite nervous about it all - excited nervous I guess. What we are planning is a very different layout to what we currently have and very different to anything else i've ever seen. But I've thought in detail about this for months so I do feel really confident that we are headed in a good direction.

This one's for you Mum!

My mum and I planted some plants in a garden bed infront of our bedroom window back in September. Mum's been asking me almost every week since then "how's it going? Send some photos". S0 Mum, here's some photos! xo

This photo was taken 9th September 2007, the week after we planted.

This was taken 13th October, only a month later!

This was taken on 18th November 2007.

And now, drum roll please, this is the same garden on 3rd Febrauary 2008:


As you can see the Society Garlic has really shot up (particularly in the last month). The Snow in Summer is also filling in space nicely. The Lamian was much better than this, but over the Christams and New Years period about half of it died in the heat. It's slowly making it's way back.
Along the left side of this picture you can see the three Hebe Buxifolia plants that I have left. I had five, but the dogs got in there one day and did something that killed two of them. I have put in a Lemon Verbena and a Rosemary in their places. R.I.P. Hebe Buxifolia #2 and #3.

Aggies or No Aggies

At the moment we have about 3 large clumps of Agapanthas in our garden. Like this:

We had been planning to divide and transplant them all throughout the garden (to help proivde greenery while other plants are establishing themsevles for the next 12 months or so). But after transplanting half of one clump to the new East-end garden bed and realising that they look leggy and messy, we are now totally reconsidering that plan. I think we'd prefer to have a barren looking garden then a garden looking like this: