Thursday, June 29, 2017

Pool Time-lapse Video

Just a quick update to show you the time-lapse video I have been working on. It came along nicely I think!

25,000 pictures on and off over 4 weeks.

Let me know what you think!!


Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Pool and Backyard Update

It has been just under a month since the last update so I have added a lot of photos below. Work had slowed with most of the projects already completed. The only projects on the go have been the pool, backyard and the home office.

Swimming Pool Update
The pool is now 99% complete. With only some minor things to sort out. The handover was today where we were shown how to maintain and clean our pool and use all the equipment. We can't wait for summer now!

Since the last update they have completed the paving, installed the pool cover and paved over the top and installed the glass fencing.

Paving and pool cover completed









Pool cover when out. I'll update with a proper photo in the next blog post



The core holes drilled for the pool fence. A lot more heavy duty than I expected. I was thinking they would just use Dynabolts but apparently not.




Some photos with the glass fencing in and some basic landscaping I completed this week.





Examples of the night time pool lights! It will look even better when the pool is clean and not as cloudy!




Landscaping

We wanted to get around the pool and backyard completed ASAP so we wouldn't have to worry about the mess through winter. The front will we do at a later date.

In the backyard we wanted mostly grass with a garden border which will grow high over the fence for privacy. Around the pool we wanted evergreen trees which won't drop their leaves with Mondo grass underneath which will help complete the look. Down the sideway we used Mondo grass and some pots with Coprosma for some colour. All low maintenance which is a bonus.

We then started with the back yard. What it looked like at the start. We removed one of the fence panels so the dingo could get in and spread the soil around. A lot easier than trying to do it by hand.




After 50 cubic metres of fill and top soil to get the levels up to the same as the base of the pool and house and then grass laid. Added garden edging to stop the grass creeping where we don't want it.


And after I have planted some screening trees and mulched. The space at the back in the corner is for a future concrete slab and garden shed.

Looks great, but we should be staying off it for a few weeks
until it settles in.







The artificial grass squares are for the dogs to go to the toiler until the
grass has bedded in enough to handle it.

Home Office

I wanted wall to wall, floor to ceiling to make sure we had enough storage for all our items. I mixed it up with some open and some closed shelving so we could show off the good stuff and hide the messy. I also had the main desk facing the door with my back to the window then a second space for another seating station at the other end.






Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Pool, front porch and CCTV updates

A few things have happened over the last couple of weeks.

CCTV System

I spent a couple of days installing and setting up our new CCTV system. We are really happy with the quality of the system and the ease of use after it is setup.

I purchased everything from Aliexpress.com which is basically a Chinese version of Ebay. If you go down this path make sure you do your research on who you are buying from. The savings are worth it however.

We have 9 cameras installed and all are able to be viewed from our phones when we are out and about. They are also set up with email alerts for when movement is detected in certain areas of the camera view. This is handy as an extra level of security.

It is an Network Video Recording system meaning everything is running over a network. The NVR is a POE (Power of Ethernet) system meaning that unit itself powers the cameras. This means each camera doesn't require a power point. Each camera is connected via ethernet cable running back to the NVR. The NVR is then connected to our router and internet.

The physical setup of the system wasn't difficult however it is time consuming and if you are not comfortable getting up in your roof or removing roof tiles I would recommend getting someone to do it for you.








Pool update

The pool landscapers were able to pave the coping tile however were unable to do the rest as we had to wait for the pool cover to be installed. That went in last Friday.

The coping tile looks great and we can't wait until the rest is finished. You can also now see how the pool cover sits. It is framed inside a box and then paved over the top. The only part of the cover you will see is the black plastic strip which is covering the aluminium hinged cover. The black plastic will be removed after the paving is finished.








Front Porch

While all that was going on I built the front porch deck. This will be complimented with steps down to the footpath at a later date. I will also show some photos of the alfresco deck now that the table and BBQ have been placed there and used. Still loving it so far!










Gutter issues

And finally, I have been noticing a leak in one of the front facade gutters and when I got up near the roof to install the CCTV I noticed the gutters filled with water. It turns out the front left corner of the roof has moved under the weight of the roof tiles and this is causing the gutters to not be level and pool with water. The plumbers came out and inspected it however it isn't something they can easily fix. They may have to reinforce the frame meaning take apart some of the roof. I'll keep you posted to what they do to fix it!