To see pictures of the weekly progress click this link - Friday Fotos - be aware though that, dependent on your download speed, this page could take some time due to the number of pictures.
Progress so far - well, three diary months complete already. The time is just whizzing by and looking back we seem to have come so far so quickly. After all the years of planning and praying the building is rising day by day in front of us. We had supper last week with a New Building Committee from another church and they seemed a little weighed down by all that has to be done. But when you are in the middle of it all it just seems to roll by. No doubt when next March comes round there will be a few exhausted but elated Building Committee members!
So, what can you expect this month - the steel frame is going up and will clearly define the overall size and height of the building. Then the 'brickies' will move onto site and we expect the walls to shoot up. Hopefully the weather will remain favourable while all the external work is going on.
August 1st - Me and my big mouth!! This has happened before and you would think that I had learned by now. No sooner do I wish for something than the opposite happens. The wind has got up and the crane for lifting the steel into position has had to be cancelled; until the steel is up the bricklayers can't start so any delay is serious.
August 2nd - It is still windy but at 8 o'clock this morning the crane rolled onto site. By the end of the day the Worship Area is clearly defined by a ring of steel. Dave thinks they will be able to use a smaller crane tomorrow as all the long lifts are done - the wind strength is now less critical to operations. I've never paid so much attention to wind speeds and direction but hopefully they will be finished by the end of the week.
August 3rd - Nope, still too windy for more than a little low level lifting. The forecast for tomorrow is lighter winds. One more day to go this week.
August 4th -
The wind has dropped and there is a full day of working. By the end of the day the roof steel is three quarters up.
Here the final piece of the day, weighing about a ton and a half, is carefully lowered into place. Heads up lads!
August 8th -
The steelwork is now complete, this view is from where Meeting Room 4 will be, looking towards the front of the Worship Area. At the moment everything looks a jumble but as walls go up it will start to fall into place. For a reminder of the floor layout follow this link - plan.
Today I was supposed to have spent half an hour on an underground survey of a sewage pipe that crosses the site. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the contractors are having camera problems and the visit has had to be postponed. Phew!
August 15th - A week later and still no news of the camera team. Apparently water seeped through the protective casing on two cameras and has put them out for some time. Our resourceful contractor is on the job seeking out underground cameras in Kent, I'm sure it won't be long until the phone rings and it will be Lights! Camera! Action! and away we go.
The weather is still playing havoc with the work programming, the pouring rain yesterday meant the bricklayers were unable to start. Better weather today has resulted in a small low wall being built around the main hall stores so at last we can take a look at the brick colouring. Very nice! The forecast says more rain tomorrow!!
August 18th - A couple of days of better if still unsettled, weather has seen the bricklayers burst into action.
This picture is taken from where the creche will be and shows the blockwork already halfway up the walls. It also starts to give definition to the roof structure which is a pyramid shape.
The first view of the kitchen!
Taken looking down the length of the room, the hole is where the hatch through to the Worship Area will be. Come on Kitchen Group, time to get those plans finalised !!
August 24th - Today I was a drowned rat... and a drowned sewer rat at that! It has hardly eased from pouring down all day and at 9.30am I was staring down a sewer manhole. This time the camera was working and watching it make its way down the pipe was like watching one of those 'not for the squeamish' medical programmes. It wasn't long before the camera was showing fat blocking the way and collapsed pipework. So there it is then, the builders version of a triple heart bypass to be planned!
After that it was a retreat back to the site cabin; unfortunately the door had blown open while we were out and rain had poured in across the floor. Next up was a three hour meeting with the sound and vision man, making sure he could get all his cables from the roof down, and the floor up, into the store cupboards.
After that, a quick hour clearing out the bungalow garage ready for the plasterers and then finish the day where it started - standing in the rain! This time it was with Steve and Carl giving them a first look at how the main hall is shaping up. Then home for a hot bath - bliss.
August 31st - We have had better weather this week, although the bank holiday has reduced it to a four day week. Our new team of builders working on the bungalow have made great strides and the ramps are almost complete at the front and side of the building. The garage is all plastered out and we now have to wait until Saturday before the 'volunteer' painters arrive.
On the main site we now have fifteen, YES FIFTEEN, bricklayers working to catch up on the delays caused by the recent rain. They are working so quickly that they forgot to leave a space for the office window, well spotted Geoff!! A slightly red tinge to Dave's cheeks as the building group were visiting at the time it was brought to his attention.
A quick course in bricklaying and wall construction coming up! First you lay a damp proof course under where the wall is going to be. Then you set out the walls, in the background the outline of the Ladies toilet can be seen. Once the first row is set out, it's a case of building it up to full height - not forgetting to leave a hole if there is a window!
Although the blockwork goes up very quickly, insulation has to then be fixed to the back before the facing brickwork is completed. This means that when they are working on the back of the building it looks as though nothing is happening for day after day. Be assured, it is!
Here at last we see a wall taking shape, this is alongside the new footpath. The frame for the door is in Meeting Room 5.
There, simple isn't it! Any volunteers please report to the site office at 7.30am each morning......
To read previous months diary entries please click the appropriate month -
