Usually, when I have a nightmare, I wake up just before any real danger strikes or I do this funny “treading-air” manoeuvre which lifts me above the trouble. Perhaps prompted by an absence of news from our builders, I dreamt that my husband and I decided to go and look for ourselves. Despite the fact that we are very familiar with Mandurah, we kept getting lost along the way and couldn’t find our block. When I woke up that morning, there was a pleasant surprise for me. The team at “Progress Realty Photo Services” (who are rendering their services free-of-charge, but have put in a large homemade apple pie order) had been on our site and sent us a photographic update. I could kiss them!
Photo One:
Remember that retaining wall cost shock I had a few months ago? Well, here’s where that money is going:
Retaining wall footings.
Sometime soon, it should start to look a bit like this:
Future retaining walls – plans by Tim Davies Landscaping.
Photo 2:
Earth/sand moved from the canal side of the block and, what I can only assume is a kind gift from the neighbours – a palm tree. Should I tell them that we have an aversion to palms, except when found on tropical islands?
Early housewarming gift?
I’m guessing that the wire is reinforcement for the slab? It could also make a nice garden feature…. or cheap front fence?
Photo 3:
The boss of “Progress Realty Photo Services” demonstrating the scale of the earth piles.
To call it “earth” seems overly generous. Trying to grow plants in that stuff could be an impossibility, but I’m happy to see no giant rocks. I don’t want a site works cost shock like the retaining wall shock. I’m not sure if I can “tread-air” fast enough to escape one of those.
So there you have it. The first blog post of the “piles of dirt and building materials” kind. How did you go? Still awake? Now that construction has commenced, I promise to intersperse posts filled with scintillating construction site photos with other posts. Some hot topics coming up are window dressings, building inspectors and jetties. Right now, I’m collecting quotes for inspectors and those insect screens are still bugging me.
House by the water. 
Woo hoo! It’s on it’s way well and truly!! Xx
That’s a big pile of dirt! Now that I see the footings, I understand why it cost so much. Well, it’s good to see progress!
That palm tree must have been delivered in a dirty big wheelbarrow!
What a beautiful pile of dirt, full of possibilities, dreams!
For any one else it is just dirt. But It must mean so much for you , Jo.
Anne-Marie
Oooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Yahoo!!!! So exciting!
Super jealous of your location. It will be a dream house. Does that water flood though?
The location is amazing. Canal in our back yard, beach a short walk away. There is tidal variation in the canals, but we are raised enough that even in a “100 year flood” our house should be dry.