Week 20

WE ARE HALF WAY!! LOL well I’m in week 20 now and I’ve got 20 weeks to go! This week I finished a big building, a paint factory out in Woodstock – Cape Town, it consists of 3 buildings about 600SQM each. So it was a big site and I had to keep allot of things in mind like fire regulations, irregular site parameters and factory policies... I also started working on a building in Durbanville that will be renovated in the inside; I’m not what’s happening with it yet as it’s only Tuesday now and I’ve been too busy with the paint factory.

Week 19

This week is a very, very boring week. Not much has happened in the block date that I was gone from work, but I realized that they missed me – ha haa!

This is a ‘silent’ time for the building industry. We believe that it will boom around September again though.

Last week the weekly site meeting was held in Camps Bay and we are hammering on the delivery of progress reports at the moment. The architect of the house has resigned and as the project is still in progress; my boss will be taking over his responsibilities as the new Architect and Principle Agent. That means that I will be working on AutoCad again! I will be drawing up some stuff for this sure to be famous House Mackintosh. As I am the only one capable of working with AutoCad Architecture in the office this could get quite interesting...

Week 18

I was so glad to see my classmates this week; we had a ‘block date’ from Monday to Friday. Our lecturers introduced us to our MIP Project that will be completed at the end of November at a farm school close to Grabouw, a beautiful town right here in Western Cape between the mountains. We will be performing small extensions to the existing school. I will be updating when it comes to that.

Furthermore, I presented my HUB concept to the class and enjoyed it very much – so did my lecturers, Yolanda & Hermie.

We were also introduced to our new project which will be to enter for the Eskom Lighting Competition. At the moment I am just visualising all my recycled lighting* ideas because paper isn’t enough to express, I have to talk about them.

Week 17

I’m busy working on Snoekies again, they will be opening a new branch in Tokai, so this week I finished all the necessary drawings of electrical & lights, drainage, shop layouts, signage, bulkheads and details that had to be completed in order for the client to submit. This is the second project for Snoekies* which I finished on my own with guidance of my boss, Anton. We also had the weekly site meeting in camps bay and everything is on track except that we are behind schedule.

Week 15

I went with my boss to Paarl this week where they will be building the big butchery in the industrial area; they are currently busy excavating and preparing the site. The owner wanted to use a part of the existing building on the site but his wish will not become true because we snagged the building and it’s no in a re-usable condition at all.

Week 14

Some more alterations... at least this time it’s a beautiful house (in my eyes) It seems that 80% of the projects we generate are alterations and I’m quite getting sick of it. I did a new building in Wynberg this week (at least) The client says he’s going to use it for storage but I think he’s going to use it for something else and my boss thinks so too...

Week 13

Me and the woman working with me were introduced to the new part of the building regulations, part XA. Quite unnecessary I must say. Allot of calculations that have to be done regarding the energy efficiency in your house. I don’t particularly like this new part of the building regulations... I feel that it restricts your design in term so openings etc. Anyway they have to be calculate din order to pass council so let it be...

Week 11

I did some alterations to a house here in Blauwbergstarand this week and I also worked on some alterations for block of flats out in Granger bay... nothing spectacular.

Week 10

I’m still busy helping KE interior and architecture, but I finished there on Tuesday and I’m back in the office now, working on a building right here around the corner of my flat that will be transformed into new apartments. I’ve realized that they started this housing scheme in Cape Town but I wonder if it’s going to succeed because the rent would be too expensive anyway... Not everyone can afford upmarket prices for a basic 280SQM apartment.

Week 9

I had to go to site this week in order to check all the electrical conduits and see if everything is there. It was interesting to see how a electrician can screw up your house when the site manager doesn’t MANAGE. I recorded everything and will have to go back to ===== architecture and interior to update all ‘our’ drawings. The project was too big for the actual architect, so he “load-shedded” his work on other people who are qualified and that’s why everything about this project is so mixed up and difficult to figure out.

Week 8

I’m still working with KE architecture and interior. I am doing drawings of the House Mackintosh in Camps Bay that have to be completed in order for the client to be satisfied.