The year has started off with a bang as the demolition of the old Tui House gets underway. First off we have had to employ specialist asbestos experts to remove Asbestos from inside the roof. We have also had several working bees over the summer to save some of the more precious plants around the old Tui House. We have removed all the old “art deco” lampshades and the front and back door to be reused in the new Common House, as well as some lovely leadlight doors. We have sold all of the joinery, stock piled the Rimu framing for future furniture making, kept all the Matai flooring for the sitting room floor in the new Common House, and crushed up the exterior concrete cladding for base course on paths driveways etc. So apart from recycling most of the old house we also feel that it is still with us in some way, it is always good to remember our history.
So now we have unit 21, thanks to its generous owners, as our temporary Common House. This will provide us with meeting and eating space, as well as the Development Coordinators office, marketing room, laundry and a place to conduct tours!
We have had many busy hours in unit 21 as we watch our new Common House going up. We have had a “Roof Shout” and our mid winter dinner (with the co-operation of the builder), in the new Common House even though it was freezing cold (no walls). We have managed to keep the worst of the bitterly cold winds out by tacking up black polythene on the framing timbers and wearing many layers of clothes and coats.
We have had a beautiful candlelit dinner, and are really looking forward to having our Christmas celebrations in here as it is scheduled to be finished by Christmas.
We have spent many hours over the spring period oiling and painting both the inside and outside of the Common House. We are also continuing to sell the homes in H & I block and our new members/residents are travelling from further and further a field to join us at Earthsong i.e. Australia and America as well as from other parts of New Zealand.
The Common House is complete enough for us to use and over the holiday period we have had a dedication ceremony to celebrate our beautiful new building.