Ready, Set, Build

It seems like just the other day I was lamenting the lack of rebuilding going on... oh wait, it was! That may be true for the city centre, but around the edges and out in the suburbs, repairs & new constructions are getting underway.

Just across the road from my PO Box used to be a bookstore, art gallery & dairy. This is what it looked like on March 17, 2011...

Here's the same site today...

So, things are starting to happen, it's just that in the city centre there's still more happening in a downward direction than up. Around my neighbourhood, the only other bare section I know of has recently sprouted a builder's sign. I can also spot plenty of houses undergoing renovation & repairs - many local properties have a rented container parked outside or on the front lawn, in order to store belongings while repairs are carried out.

We've been doing a lot of number-crunching recently, as things are about to get real. The calculations look something like this:
M7.1 + 18m = AE608

Clear?
No?
Oh.

How about this:
AE608 = BD1

608 days after that initial M7.1 earthquake on September 4, 2010, we are about to start building our replacement family home. Today is now officially Build Day One - 18 months after that fateful shake-up, and nearly a year since our old house was demolished.

Look! The section has been marked out and supplies have been stacked. 

Master bedroom goes here!

Early next week the fence goes up and the ground preparation begins. On Tuesday morning I get to meet our project manager and receive my very own flouro vest, so I can be an OSH-compliant site visitor.

Hold onto your hard hats folks, building is about to commence!