And We're Off...

Above: Peter ceremonially turning the first sod before the diggers got to work...

The diggers arrived yesterday and were poised to commence digging as soon as the building permit came through and the bank rubber stamped the contract. So, all was good and today, after 3 and a half years of preparation, we finally broke ground.

Addendum 1:

Here are some photos and videos after the excavation has been completed, and filled in with compacted building sand ready for piling and concreting. The pad for the manor house is 36m x 22m. The pads for the carriage house and chapel are being excavated in a few weeks.

Addendum 2: 

The digger with a large auger boring holes for the piles to go into...

All the piles placed in the holes...

The piles all sawn off at the same levels...

Addendum 3: Concrete poured around edge of site ready to start constructing the concrete and iron foundations...

 

Red Tape...

Our plans to start laying down the foundations this month have been stymied by red tape and engineering delays. Hopefully we will start the build at the end of January (as virtually the whole of New Zealand goes on holiday from 24 December to 17 January). We thought starting this year was too good to be true...