News

The Team has been spending some time on the boundary walls, while the work inside is still progressing at a good rate.  The wall on the one side of the entrance to the property is almost done.  The brickwork looks great.

These caps will finish off the tops of the boundary walls and columns.

A trench has been dug for the other wall at the entrance.  Some trees will have to go here, but fortunately they are exotics and can be replaced elsewhere on the property with some fine indigenous species.

The stairs to the flat above the side building are being removed and will be replaced with a metal staircase running straight down from the top flight.

The tilers have started tiling the walls of the staff toilets.  This is where those little colourful toilets used to live so long ago.

The kitchen walls have been plastered.

The window frame of the room next to the kitchen is done with one wall plastered.  The rest will be done soon.

Most of the doors inside have been hanged.  This patient room’s door and frame have been given a primer coat and should look quite different when we see it next time.

The walls of the plant room have been plastered.

The main electricity supply box is in place.  All those loose cables will soon be out of sight.

A seriously large hole has been dug outside with reinforcing steel placed in the bottom.  The existing column next to the entrance here will be removed and replaced by a new column.

The large door frames are specially made.

And the lift shaft is still secure.  No mishaps there.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 32

Posted by Amour Venter

In Week 30 the motto is ‘Out with the old, in with the new’.  Starting with the main building seen from street side (corner of Davies St and Rhos St), there is a new door frame fitted downstairs, air ventilation ducting coming through the wall from the plant room upstairs and two new window frames fitted upstairs on the long side.

It is out with the old fence.

Trenches being dug for the new boundary wall, while temporary fencing is keeping unwanted visitors out.

Progress is made at the entrance where Mr Hiema is giving the necessary instructions.

Out with those Casuarina cunninghamiana (beefwood) in the far corner.

The newly built wall of the pharmacy has been plastered.

The Kitchen walls will be plastered next,…

…starting at the door.

A trench has been dug behind the lift shaft going through the wall to the outside and conduit put in for the main electrical supply.

The shower room / toilet entrance doors are being fitted.

This work bench is needed here because…

…there is a bit of planing needed to get the doors to fit properly.

Mr 95 is building up the shower recess.

All the shower outlets are in place.

The cupboards in the Laboratory are done, a hand basin has been installed and…

…the doors & frame have been painted.

The doors leading out from the two patient rooms on the garden side of the building are in place.

Some brickwork done upstairs below the tall windows.

The old plaster has been removed from all the walls upstairs in preparation for new plastering.

Window frames have been fitted upstairs.

Looking up the lift shaft makes you dizzy.

Whose?

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 31

Posted by Amour Venter

Work is going on all over the place now that permission has been given by The Owner to proceed with Phase II of the building project.  There are many activities in various parts of the buildings and also outside.  I will now try and give a short overview of the most important changes.

A large opening has been knocked into the back wall of the main building where a double door will allow for movement of the study participants to and from the garden.

Work has started on the boundary wall.  Part of the old fence has been rolled back and…

…trenches made for a new wall.

The entrance to the property will allow for vehicles to get off the road while waiting for a sliding gate to open.

Corner column with steel reinforcement at the entrance.

Concrete being mixed for work on the boundary wall.

The window openings on the top floor have been finished off and are ready for installation of aluminium frames.

A new wall is going up in the side building next to the storeroom that has been emptied of all that furniture late last year.

Ceiling frames have been put up in the passage.

The corner in the Supervisors’ room, where plumbing was seen last week, has been finished off and…

…the walls have been painted.

The Laboratory’s outer doors are being fitted.  The door and frame to the storeroom inside have been finished off.

The Examination room’s door and frame have been painted a pleasant colour which brings the place to life.

Small hand basin fitted in the Examination room.

Wonder where these tiny chairs have been hiding all this time?

Will keep you posted.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 30

Posted by Amour Venter

The mess of last week has been cleared up very quickly after all those terrible old ceilings have been removed.  There has been quite a number of new developments during Week 28.  The wall next to the lift shaft has been built up to the final height on the top floor.

The walls for the plant room on the top floor have been finished and a single wall has been built next to the front staircase.

All the top floor windows on the garden side of the main building have been removed and gaps for new windows made.

These huge ventilation pipes will go into…

…the rafters upstairs.  Ventilation is serious business in a climate like ours.

They have broken through part of the steel reinforced beam at the back of the top floor to gain more height for the entrance there.

The door frame at the top of the back staircase has been built in and…

…same for the frame and walls at the bottom of the staircase.

The ground floor passage walls have been painted with a coat of primer and ventilation ducting is in place.  The whole area seems to be lit up all of a sudden just with that single layer of primer on the walls.

Ventilation ducting has been taken through to the patient rooms.

Mr 95 is reducing the width at the exit of this patient room so that the door frame can fit in properly.  The window frames are already in place.

Plans are checked before work continues in the last patient room.  The walls have been painted with a primer coat.

The door frames in the bathrooms are all in place and the walls have been plastered.  The ventilation ducting has been taken through the walls and into this area as well.

The walls of the Supervisor’s room have been plastered and…

…plumbing taken down the back corner.  This will not be visible once the room is finished.

The laboratory floor has been finished off with vinyl.  It is protected with thick plastic at the moment while work is still ongoing, such as…

…hanging the doors and installing built-in cupboards.

The floor of the Examination room is also finished and protected with plastic.  The walls have been painted with the first coat of paint, but the final coat will only be done once all other work is finished.

Light boxes have been fitted in the ceiling of the Examination room.

The floor in the staff Tea Room is done and they have started with the cupboards.  The vinyl floor looks really great and the colour scheme works very well.

Electrical plugs and switches are in place.

That lift shaft looks ominous!  But not to worry; there is safety tape around the area to prevent people from going to close to the edge.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 29

Posted by Amour Venter

The year 2012 has arrived!  A happy New Year to all our readers and to The Team who has been back on site for two weeks.  We are already into Week 27 of the building project.  Time moves fast and so do the men working here.  The heatwave did not deter them one bit and they have achieved a lot since their return from the holidays.  The ceilings have been removed, and what a mess that was!

Fifty years’ worth of dust is now sitting on the concrete floor of the upper story.

A large heap of ceiling trash outside is all that remains.

Ceilings have been put up in the laboratory and…

…in the examination room.

Ducting in the examination room.  It will all be covered by the ceiling.  The height of the ceilings in the rooms is determined by the diameter of the ventilation ducts.

This bedroom’s walls are now all plastered.  If you wonder why there are bits of wire hanging from the roof,…

…it is to secure the ceiling boards in a hanging position, as seen below.

The old kitchen ceiling has also been removed and…

Mr 95 is fixing the window frame in the storeroom next door.

Windows have been installed in the wall at the back of the main building;…

…top and bottom.

The wall separating the reception desk from the main lobby has been built.

The beam that stretched across the area at the back of the main building has been removed and…

…the wall next to the staircase at the back has been built.  A door frame is in position and will be bricked up within the next week.

The Sparky has been busy.

Mr S Gcinisiko (aka Lucky Lips) is looking on as we inspect the outside of the building.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 28

Posted by Amour Venter

It is the last week of work before The Team will take a well deserved break over the festive season.  They have all worked very hard these last few months; the job is well on track due to excellent teamwork and management of the project.  Without further ado we will now look at progress for the past week.  The walls on the side of the main building have been plastered and the window frames are now securely fitted and safe from those who might have aspirations of procurement.

That huge door frame for the Laboratory has arrived and is bricked up in its place.

The Examination room walls have seen their first coat of primer and…

…so have the tea room walls.

There is some last minute plastering done in the area next to the Supervisor’s room.

The passage has been beautifully plastered.  The Team is busy cleaning up the whole site.  Every bit of concrete that has fallen and hardened on the floor is being scraped off.  The place will be spic & span when they leave here today.

The bedroom door frames have been built in and are being prepared for painting.

In some areas the old plaster has been chopped off.  These walls will be re-plastered to give an even finish.

The entrance between the main and side building is secured with a temporary door.

The back doors have been firmly barred against those members of society with a different outlook on life from the rest of us.

Thanks to Ms Melissa Mitchell, that junk heap (DON’T ask!) has been removed.  It looks so much better now.

A choice of paving blocks.  Next year’s worries!

And now we pay tribute to The Team.  Unfortunately all the guys (Mr 95 and Co) were not on site when the picture was taken, but a promise has been made to repeat the exercise in the New Year when they are all together.  Guys, I wish you all a wonderful rest and hope that you will spend many happy hours with your family and friends during your holiday.  May 2012 be a great year for all of you!Back row left to right: Mr L Potula (aka Mr Mandela), Mr Hiema (Leader of the team!), Mr N Solani, Mr J Ntshuntshe and Mr B Baliso

Front row left to right: Mr M Tyesi, Mr S Gcinisiko (aka Lucky Lips), Mr S Vice, Mr M Mandulo and Mr S Xinhnayo

I would like to thank Mr Hiema again for taking the time to show me around during my visits and to explain in such detail what is happening on the site.  Thanks also to Mr Graham Hill for allowing me access to the site.  It has been a great experience and I look forward to sharing the rest of the project with you in 2012.  All the best to everyone who is a part of this project!

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 27 (Yes, I know.  I’m giving the builders a chance to breathe for a week before I breeze in there again.)

Posted by Amour Venter

By the end of Week 21 aluminium window frames have been fitted into those holes that we saw last week.  The plastering is still to be done, but the building looks a bit more intact now.

The side wall of the building has been treated with bonding agent in preparation for the plastering to be done.  Bottom floor window frames are already in place.

The Laboratory walls have been plastered.

We are waiting for that huge door frame.  It should be delivered any moment now.

Window frames fitted in the end wall on the top floor.

The Examination Room has been plastered and…

…the electrical conduit is in place.  The next step is to fit the ceiling.

A team of plasterers have been brought in to get the walls done quickly.  They are working here on the walls of the staff tea room.

The corrugated concrete recesses above the window frames will be levelled and…

…plastered to form a neat and secure fit for the frames.

The shower and toilet walls are mostly up to ceiling height.  The Team is just busy fitting the door frames here before they complete the brick work.

Door frames being fitted in the opening that leads from the passage into the main building.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 22

Posted by Amour Venter

The main building looks gutted from the outside, but don’t be concerned.  There is a lot happening on the inside.  We will move around just now to see what The Team is up to in there.  The window openings at this end have been prepared and finished off and we are just waiting for the delivery of the aluminium window frames.

Hi there.  Things are looking up!

The side windows at the bottom have been blocked off until the frames arrive.  There will be new frames for the top as well, although the existing structure will be kept the same.

A trench has been dug around the back end of the main building.  There will be changes to this area with new doors and steps to come, but that is a story for another day.  Bellville Post Office is looming in the background.

Walk around to the other side of the main building, enter through the side door at the front and into the Foyer.  Those two pillars are standing strong.

The laboratory walls are up and…

…the Examination room is ready for plastering.

The Staff rooms are taking shape.  It feels like working in a mine; dark and gloomy.

Supervisor’s room.  Where is the Supervisor?  Probably ran away.

It is a blur of activity where the bathroom walls are going up.

Watch this space.

Next Up – Task Building Site: Week 21

Posted by Amour Venter

Well, well, well!  What have we here?  Remember that in Week 17, before the top floor was cast, a hole was knocked into the wall to allow access for the concrete pump; the same hole that would have eventually become a door leading onto a balcony?  We have had another surprise this week.  There is a concrete BEAM running all the way around the top of the building!  Of course, nobody could have foreseen this before the plaster was knocked off.

So, guess what?  No doors!  At least not until more funding is obtained to reinforce the structure before knocking large holes into the wall.  Disturbing that concrete beam right now might just bring the roof down.  And that will not be an applaudable event!  There is not enough funding at the moment to build the balcony, so all of this might have to stand over until Phase 3 of the project.  Or is that Phase 4?

So, let’s look at the progress for the rest of this week.

The Sparky has been around to install PVC conduit in the walls…

…and in the lift shaft for the electrical cabling.

The Plumber has been around with a core drill to make the holes for the plumbing in the bathrooms upstairs.  Neat!

Let’s take a closer look at one of the cores that was removed from the top floor.  The dark grey area of the core is part of a concrete block (remember the rib and block system that was installed in Week 16), while the light grey area is the concrete that was poured during Week 17.  Note how the concrete has flowed into the block to form a solid mass.

The Team is working on the windows in the front end of the building; bottom floor…

…and top floor.

The front stairs have been cast.

They started building up the bathroom walls on the bottom floor.

The toilets on the bottom floor in the back of the building have been removed.

The bottom windows on street side remain boarded up.

A peek through a hole in the wall…

…and a peaceful moment between colleagues.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 20

Posted by Amour Venter

It is the quiet after the storm.  The top floor is left to settle while The Team carries on with building activities in different areas.  The props will stay in place for at least 21 days to allow the concrete to set properly.  We do not want a sagging floor above our heads!

They have started knocking holes in the outside wall on street side.  The window frames will be built in at a later stage.  Mr Mandela is in his element!!

This one is complete.

Preparation done before casting the front stairs.  Note the steel reinforcement positioned  underneath the wooden frame.

A close-up of the steel mesh that will remain embedded inside the cast stairs.

Mr 95 started extending the wall beyond the lift shaft.

Door frames have been built into the passage leading from the side to the main building.

Mr Hiema and Mr 95 are measuring for the upstairs plumbing while Lucky Lips is pretending to be elsewhere.

Portrait of a bricklayer.

Next up – Task Building Site: Week 19

Posted by Amour Venter