To do list.

One thing I’ve realized is that there’s a multitude of tasks awaiting completion before and during the construction of our new house on our homestead. Here, I’ll outline our comprehensive “to-do list” to ensure everything is accomplished efficiently.

Grading

Before commencing the construction, it’s imperative to grade the driveway to ensure accessibility for all trucks involved in the project. This driveway runs centrally through the property then veering left towards the designated homesite. Extending approximately 200-300 meters.

Slashing

Maintaining the council strip is essential, but unfortunately, the council does not tend to the median strip in our area. The strip in front of our property spans approximately 218-220 meters and is plagued by brush reaching approximately 4 feet in height. Additionally, there are gullies scattered throughout, making it challenging to mow using conventional ride-on or push mowers. Consequently, we’ve acquired a Flail Mower/Verge mower attachment for the tractor to tackle this task effectively.

Slashing the house site, we need to slash or mow the house site and keep it low so the earth works can come in and start without having to mow down the site themselves.

Trenching

For the plumbing and electrical work, trenching is necessary. The electrical wires will be positioned below the water pipes, requiring only one trench for both utilities. This trench spans approximately 460 meters, with a depth of 600mm and a width of about 300mm. Additionally, two power pits will be dug—one at the beginning and one at the end of the line. This task must be completed just before the slab construction begins. Read for part 1

Fencing

To ensure the cows remain contained during the construction phase, fencing is essential. While we intend to later divide the paddocks for improved rotation and land management, our immediate priority is providing a designated area for the cows to stay during construction. Although we could relocate them to our current rental property, we’re currently finishing up some steer and prefer not to move them for another 6 months. Hence, the necessity of erecting fencing on our property. Head here for more post on fencing.

Cosmetics

The majority of administrative tasks for the house build are being managed by G J Gardner Adelaide Hills. However, there are several cosmetic decisions we must finalize before construction can begin. These include selecting the brick, gutter, and roof colours, as well as choosing tiles and flooring, determining paint colours, and selecting a fireplace. Additionally, we’ve decided to personally select a freestanding oven/stove for the main cooking area. Read here.

So this is the current to-do list, fingers crossed it all goes well.

if you would like to follow along with the house build see here
if you would like to read anything about our Livestock see here