ANOTHER INTERIOR MOVE

 

Windows

Before the update, have you noticed something marvelous?  When the paper and tape were taken off my windows, and the scaffolding vanished, I expected to see a lot of murk.  But no, the windows had been cleaned!  I asked an Important Painter about it, and he said the painters did a quick clean before they left, and then Aoraki took over.  So I congratulated Gazelle, and she said that a commercial cleaning team had been sent in.  "We always do that," she said.  "We can't leave dirty windows for the residents."

Wow.  What great PR.

Internal move

The great convenience about the hoist and the access through the third B bedroom windows was that Aoraki allowed Conroy to shift furniture and chattels in and out that way.  Well, the hoist is now out of action, the B bedroom finishes are almost done, and that access is no longer available.  And we are down to one lift. 

On Tuesday there will be another internal move, which means that the lift will be intermittently unavailable from 10am to 2pm.  Hopefully, it will be done and dusted more quickly than that, as Conroy miraculously managed with the last internal move.  However, this time there is lot to move, and so we have to expect very limited access to the lift for the whole four hours.  If anyone needs the lift urgently, please let Brigid know, and she will liaise with Conroy for a pause in the operation.

Updates

Over the next two weeks there will be a close out of the entire Big Project. The B bedrooms in levels 1, 2 and 3 will be finished off, ready for return to the occupant/s. The fire/ventilation work will also be closed out, but as warned before, calibration will be ongoing, to make sure it works on every level without undue draftiness and noise.

Weather tightness is almost finished.  The good news was no reports of leaks during and after the big storm earlier this month.

Removal of scaffolding was delayed by the same storm, but is being picked up again.  Soon, we should see the whole building exposed to view. 

And, the lift project

The consent has been approved by the WCC, which is great. The blockwork at the lift fronts will be strengthened. Meantime, there is more work to do in the lift shaft, which means that the hardworking Otis team is not as visible as they were before.  Which does not means they are not there!

STORM AND ANOTHER CURFEW

 

Foyer

Getting through the foyer and lobby is exciting now, to say the very least.  Do take care!  Though it is great to see that the finishing touches to the Big Project are underway.  As I went through just now the trolley room was cleared, ready for  work in there.  The mail room, the lighting ... it's all go, go, go.

Curfew

Yes, another one!  Tomorrow night, Thursday 23 April, the solitary lift will be out from 9pm to midnight.  So it you are tempted (unlikely, considering the weather) to party downtown tomorrow, remember you have to get home very early or very late.  Your choice.

The reason?  More X-ray work in the lift shaft.  It is crucial that the drilling for brackets does not impact on the reinforcing strands in the concrete.  Hence the lift shaft being X-rayed even more often than a hypochondriac billionaire.

It is somewhat nervewracking, having only one lift, I must say.  Yesterday I was trapped for a while, as the lift was totally taken up with getting scaffolding material to various levels.  I am glad to say that the scaffolding is all set up -- or so I believe, as it was scheduled to finish yesterday.  That means that the Otis team, which has been so visible, will go invisible again, labouring away in the shaft.  (They have assured me that there are no spiders down there, and definitely no snakes.  The Filipinos checked.)

And I am also glad to say that I encountered Ken, who looks after the maintenance of our lifts.  He assured me that he will be a constant presence, making certain-sure that our solitary lift keeps running.

Storm

Oh boy.  For once I was glad that it is a climb to get to our home on the Terrace.  A big branch was blown down in the bottom garden, but we were let off pretty lightly.  And no leaks have been reported.  A huge relief, and a big credit to Aoraki work in the weather tightness part of the Big Project.  Crossed fingers our luck continues.

Skip

Another skip will be delivered shortly.

Next week

Busy, busy, busy.  Various items such as the toilet block will be removed from the work site, and much of that area will be returned to the residents.  The two site offices will remain, and Aoraki will keep four garages. Fencing will make it easy to know where it is safe to drive and walk.

More to come. Watch this space.

DEADLINES

 

Courtesy Steve Olsen

Scaffolds

The great mosaic of the scaffolding coming down arrived by magic, courtesy of Steve Olsen, the magician with Adobe.  It is appropriate, as right now, while I type, workmen are outside my window removing steelwork.  It's noisy, but very satisfying.  I suddenly have a lot more sun and a much bluer sky.  

It was great to see the Aoraki banner go up, but perhaps even better to watch it come down.  And it was taken down with great care, evidently to be used on another site.

Deadlines

Everything is up to schedule.  Late this afternoon level one will be handed over, and furniture starts arriving in the morning. Luckily it can be done via the pedestrian bridge from the worksite to level one, and so the lift won't be totally monopolised.

This will not be the case on Friday.  Conroy will be executing an internal move, of chattels from the 11th floor to level one, and unfortunately it means that the lift will be in requisition.  So plan to either be out the whole day, or work in your apartment all day.  The lift will be available intermittently, but those who are fit enough should use the stairs.

What has been accomplished

It's amazing.  The building is now completely up to fire standards, something of huge importance, as apartment fires can be major disasters.  Think of Grenfell or the apartment building in Hong Kong. 

The ventilation system is also completely upgraded.  Those who found it drafty and noisy are commenting that the problem seems to be well on the way to being fixed. 

The risk of asbestos falling on you, or of you breathing asbestos has gone.

And, of course, the building has been strengthened.  It is far less likely to fall over or collapse in a big earthquake. 

The End of the Remediation Project

That's this month.  There will be activity afterwards -- the extra things, such as the painting and carpeting of the foyer, mail room, and trolley room.  There are defects to close out.  But the major job will be over.

Huge thanks to Aoraki, TBIG, SPA, Quintons, Conroy, Spectrum, Holmes and all the sub-contractors, too.  

And huge thanks to you, the residents and shareholders, for your patience and good humour.

CARPET, CURTAINS AND BLINDS

 

Blinds and Curtains

Reinstating these has turned out to be a much bigger problem than expected, and a few people have experienced problems.   Brigid and Opie will be going around affected apartments today.  If you have an issue and want to make sure you are on the list please let Brigid know today, as early as possible, to make sure that you are visited.

In my own apartment, 7D, I am replacing the blinds in the living/dining room, and the curtains in my small and large bedrooms with venetian blinds.  I inherited the original roller blinds, which are still in good condition, and the curtains, which are lined.  If anyone wants any of these, or think they might want any of these, please feel free to get in touch.  druettjo@gmail.com or 021 135 0040  Then we can make an appointment so you can have a look and measure.  I think, though I am not sure, that many of the windows in HG are very similar in size.  Perhaps only in the D apartments, but we shall see.

Carpet

This turned out to be a challenge, too.  We had originally planned for the foyer carpet to be lifted carefully, and then replaced at the end of the project.  Alas, it was not posssible.  When it was originally laid it was glued to the underlay and the underlay was glued to the concrete floor.  So when it came up, it tore, and arrived in bits. So, over to our architects. 

We needed something that was good underfoot, commercial quality, durable, and easily cleaned.  So the architects came up with carpet tiles, as in the pictuere above.  They have improved greatly very recently, so much so that the new library has tiles -- and you can go there to get a feel underfoot for yourself.  A caution, though.  Having gazillions of our ratepayer money to spend (plus I suppose insurance money) a bespoke pattern was commissioned.  We have to go for what is available, which is very limited. Grey, grey or grey, and the architect chose the one above.

There are great advantages.  Being nylon, the tiles are easily cleaned.  The PVC backing gives a firm, resilient and comfortable underfoot feel.  If one is damaged by trolley wheels or whatever, it is relatively easily replaced with another tile.  It avoids the prospect of having to buy and lay an entire new carpet.  There is also a 10-year warranty.  And, very importantly, it is less than half the cost of traditional commercial grade carpet.

EASTER UPDATE

 

Clocks go back

A repeat of the message as I find the page from nzcompare so funny, and right.  The clock changing days are the two days of the year that analogue clocks seem so sensible.  On the plus side, your electronic gadgets like your laptop and smart tv, phone, etcetera. change their clocks all by themselves, by some electronic miracle. Fiddling with your digital clock should be easy, but often is not, while simply forget about your microwave and stove.  Why do they need to know the time anyway?  It's the actual timer that is useful.

Elevators

As you are all well aware, we are down to one lift, and there have been problems.  While the Otis team is working on the redundant lift, for some reason the switch gets turned on.  This means that the lift system thinks the redundant lift is working, and so the working one is reluctant to come down to the ground floor.  The Otis maintenance team worked on this on Thursday, and the problem is fixed.  Hopefully.

For some reason there is also a problem with the working lift refusing to get as far as the thirteenth floor.  The Otis team has worked hard on this, but if all else fails the remedy is to walk down to the twelfth floor, and ring the elevator there.  That bypasses the problem.

The Otis team is well aware of the hitches, and is working hard on remedies.  Consequently, they are working over Easter.  They will be here Saturday and Monday, but you probably won't see them.  There is also a chance of them working Saturdays in the near future, if possible and if necessary.  If they are here, expect some noise, but it should not be too bad.  It would be well worthwhile, to get that new lift - and its fellow - installed ASAP.

And it is great that people are placing chairs in the level lift lobbies.  Unfortunately the armchairs in the ground lift lobby are often unavailable, as that space is needed for tools and equipment. The lounge suite in the foyer is a good recourse if the wait is long.

Bins

The rubbish and recycling bins have been moved around in the lower garage, to make more room for parking.  So they are still there, but need some searching.  It is dark, and the floor is uneven, so do take care.

Brigid has cleaned out the recycling bins that go in the recycling cupboards on each floor. It is preferable, however, for residents to take down their recycling, in the meantime, to save intensive use of the single lift.

Level One ...

moves back the week beginning 13 April.  Again, having just one lift poses a problem, so do be considerate. Using the elevator for furniture shifting should take place during the daytime when the building is mostly empty, but if you have to wait a bit longer, please do be patient. 

Foyer and lift lobbies

Some people have remarked on the strengthening bolts and so forth that now protrude from the old ceiling in the foyer and ground lift lobby.  Fear not, a new, lower ceiling is going to be established to hide them, once the work is done.  The bolts in the level lift lobbies will not be hidden with any kind of new paneling, however.  We will work out what to do about it once the project is done and dusted. 

The Challenge of Just One Lift

 

We all know what it is like to wait for a lift

And this is going to happen a lot while we are down to just one elevator.  While Aoraki are still full-on with finishing off the great Project, workers are using the lift, too, so during working hours everyone will have to be extra-patient.

What I recommend is that if you have a spare chair in your apartment, put it in the lift lobby for your level, so those who are waiting can have a quiet sitdown. Do NOT put chairs anywhere in the fire stairs, as they must be kept clear for emergencies.  If you feel fit enough to climb the stairs, but tire halfway through, go into the nearest lift lobby, and push the lift button.  You might well find that the elevator comes more quickly when you are partway up the building.

And definitely do not try climbing the stairs unless you feel absolutely up to it.

I also recommend (again) carrying your phone when you use the lift.  If it happens to break down, you have a means of communication.  The alarm button works, but it is nice to be able to phone Brigid, and also fill in the time by talking to friends.  Or doom-scrolling, which is all the fashion these days.

Elevator progress

You will have seen the Otis team at work already.  Additionally, Aoraki workers have been putting up hoardings over the entrances to the redundant lift.  This is for your safety, as it would be alarming for all if you fell into the void. Many hoardings have hinges for worker access, and are bolted and padlocked, again for your safety.

Parts are arriving already for replacement of the first elevator, and are being stored in the garage that is closest to the back steps.  Once the hoist has gone, this will make it easy for the Otis team to get parts through the back door into the ground floor of the building.

Parking

Until the end of the month, the four visitor carparks will be in great demand.  During working hours they are critical for the movement of workers and tradies, so if you use them, do it as briefly and as considerately as possible.  Once Aoraki have cleared the worksite, all resident parking will be available, plus all the visitor carparking, except for the space where Aoraki will keep a portable office, for use while they assist with the elevator removal and replacement.

Autumn is here

Enjoy the bottom garden while you can.  As you already know, daylight saving stops the first Sunday of April.  The clocks go back (they fall in the Fall and spring in the Spring), and so the evenings will be darker.  The Fire Service recommends that you use the same time to check your smoke alarms, something we do not have to do, with our swish new system, which is working well.  And take no notice of the weather warning of a snowstorm for Wellington today.  It's April Fools Day!