More Hebel

With the families having headed back to Melbourne for a comfy bed and long warm shower, Gareth and I got stuck back into the Hebel. This time, rather than cutting three panels and erecting them, we decided to cut everything we need to finish one wall, move them and then throw them up one after another. This way we get to turn the generator off, which is a fantastic sound to hear.

We managed to figure out a pretty efficient system for moving and erecting the panels. From our stack next to the wall, we'd pick up a panel at each end, manoeuvre it so that its short edge is resting on the slab roughly in the correct position, then I relocate to the end that Gareth's holding and we both lift it vertical, adjusting its position slightly so as not to chip the back of the panel against the slab rebate.

There's a satisfying thunk when the panel stands upright against the wall, and when we heave it sideways to rest against its neighbour it thuds home, most often without a significant gap top or bottom. It's immensely satisfying, and never gets old!

There's plenty of cutting to do to fill in the gaps. Somehow or other I have managed to offset my door opening by 50mm or so - I think I've added a double stud for the opening on the wrong side - and so I'll need to make more cuts than I ought to to finish off the wall.

Next time I'll be more conscious of the Hebel installation requirements when setting out the positions of studs...

Monday morning saw the last of the Hebel go up for this weekend. With no safe platform to work upon  for the last of the upstairs walls, we turned our attention to the garage.

For this wall I decided I really wanted to see a completed window opening, so spent the extra time measuring and cutting the infill panels. The bottom section was easy to install by myself; however the top is ever-so-slightly too heavy to handle with one arm, and so I need to figure out a system of supporting it somehow while I screw it to the battens. I'll probably make up a timber frame the size of the opening, stand that in place and lift the infill panel up on top of it.

Or something. I'll figure it out :)

So that's where we finished up on Monday. With Gareth heading back home to Sydney and the day heating up, and with a few hours of cleanup, packing up and driving ahead of me I called it a day at lunchtime.

Next weekend I'll concentrate on cutting and installing the rest of the window infill sections, and then the following weekend Gareth has volunteered again to come back down (flying this time) to assist with the rest of the full panels!

Goodonya Gareth, your blood's worth bottling (or it would be, if it weren't full of beer! ;) )!!