How to Get a Roof On

We started back on the house after the January school holidays, glad to get back into it. 

The next stage was getting the roof on, but there was a month or two of work beforehand... 

 Firstly the house plumbing got hooked up, thanks to Anthony Old Plumbing, Orange... (note absence of eaves).

The eave rafters are put up- thanks to the help of some hardworking friends!...

The supporting poles are positioned...

And the facia board ties it all together, thanks to more friends and volunteers....

The kids visit the site as the first of the facia boards go up. 

The day of Daves! Thanks fellas for helping Ben on some terribly hot February days. 

But thats not all! No roof sheeting yet.. Still more to do..

The eaves are lined, the special Proctor Wrap underneath for the roof insulation, the bird netting on top..

The framework needs more structural bracing, thank you volunteers Alyssa and Christian..

The facia needs painting so that the guttering can be put on, thanks Eaon, Nick, Tim and Dave!....

Oh and a water tank hole to be dug..




And inspected...

Then the rest of the roof had Proctor Wrap installed (thank you Ben, Tim, Dave, Tims uni friend, Ken, Mark and Marks nephew from England!)...

The fellas at work.

The view of the ProctorWrap from the road.

Then the guttering was installed in early March, thanks to Ben...

After so much work, there was much excitement when the colourbond roof sheets were delivered, ready for the roofer and his team to come and install!

The roof sheeting delivered!


Then finally, on the 27th March, Ben got a roof for his birthday!! Thank you very much George Stuart Roofing, from Orange!

Hmm, what next;  
Preparing for the Hempcrete walls!

(I'm hoping for some walls for my birthday!)

Slab Poured, Frames Stood

 There's been incredible progress on site over the last few months- here's a look at where we got up to, as we break for Christmas/New Year!

Since the incessant rain finally stopped we have been able to get cracking on the block. First to go up was the shed in October, then the house slab was poured on the 17th November- the kids birthdays! A fantastic present we thought... 

Slab prep; plumbing, formwork and termite barrier.

The 'waffle pods' for the slab. 

Pouring the slab. 

A solid birthday present! - I (Jemimah) got to write in the walls! :)

Keeping the slab wet as it cured over the next week or so.

Jem and Ben after a day working at the block with friends.

After the slab was cured later in November we had a 'barn-raising' one Saturday to stand the frames; 19 people from Canowindra and Orange showed up! The local CWA branch took care of lunch and by the end of the day we had the beginnings of a house!

The first frame is stood.

Lunchtime!

The beginnings of the house!

In early December the roof trusses began to line up.. 

The larger girder trusses were installed...

And the roof trusses were completed!

looking along the hallway.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us get to this stage! We really appreciate your friendship and support! Thanks especially to Mark Ward for organising a constant stream of help. 

Looking forward to what the new year will bring!! 

Happy Christmas! 

the view of the house from the road.

Foundations Underway

Foundations of Accessible House for Triplets  Underway!

It's been an exciting time around here lately, with years of planning starting to take physical shape.

 Thanks again to everyone involved so far in this monumental 'barn-raising'; whether it be through friendship, prayer, donations, work-in-kind, equipment, supplies, labour or fundraising. We really appreciate it all, big and small. We really couldn't be achieving this for our kids on our own. 

Here's a quick recap of recent developments to get you up to speed:

The consistent sunshine meant we could finally make a start on foundations after three months of waiting. 

In the last week of October the house pad was prepared, profiles were set up, and the piers dug and concreted. 

Big thanks to Guy Lanyard for doing the house pad, James Isaacs for the profiles, and Michael Payten for his help with the piers. 

Preparing the house pad surface

Pouring pier concrete 

The pad, the piers and the profiles, all ready to be boxed up for the concrete slab! 

So ... what's going to happen next?

The Concrete slab for the house is due to be formed up and poured next week, coinciding with the kids 10th birthday on the 17th Nov! Big thanks to Andrew Broad and his team from Cowra for 'squeezing us in' to their busy schedule. 

The Framework for the house walls are due to be delivered the week after, from 21st Nov. We've put the call out for volunteers to help us stand them. Big thanks to everyone who has responded so far! We could always go an extra hand if you're in the area. 

The Roof trusses are due to be delivered the week of the 28th Nov, and we could really use volunteers this week as well. Thanks very much to those who are coming for that week! :) 

The Colourbond roof - if we can get a roofer organised in time- could also, potentially, be put up before Christmas!


Did You Know? Other Amazing and Beautiful 'House Things' have happened behind the scenes;


Concrete components have been donated by these large suppliers, thanks to Helen and Michael Payten for chasing them up, and local business for delivering them, including Earsmans Concrete, Canowindra;
Sand from Benedict, Sydney- thanks to Dana, CEO.
Cement from Boral, Sydney- thanks to Charbel, sales team.
Gravel from Millers Metals, West Wyalong- thanks to Peter, CEO. 

Windows and doors have been ordered, with massive discounts, thanks to the owners of Taberners Glass in Orange, and Rylock in Sydney, 

Slab insulation has been donated and delivered thanks to Adam from Kingspan Insulation, Sydney.

Termite barrier has been donated and delivered, with our thanks to Lindsay and Pat from FMC, Sydney.

Slab steel has been delivered with considerable discount, thanks to One Steel in Orange. 

The Shed is up on site, and doing a great job, thanks to a great deal from Paul, from Selecta Sheds in Orange.

Dan, from Cook and Roe Engineering in Orange, has been providing amazing assistance and generosity with our ongoing project.

Darryn and co. from Truss and Frame Factory in Bathurst have been invaluable in their assistance and generosity.

Dick Clarke, our building designer from Envirotecture, has been generously providing ongoing advice and assistance.

James Isaacs, our wonderful local builder, has been really great to work with on the ground. 

Mark Ward and team of locals from the kids charity (Raising For The Read Triplets) have been fantastic, providing ongoing support as things progress.

Despite the many crazy, horrible things going on in the world, there is definitely places where deep generosity of spirit, true goodness, and the real beauty of kind people shines bright and strong ... 
We are so grateful and honoured to be recipients of it here.

We'll be in touch. 

Many thanks, 
-Jem Read.

Anwen, Gideon and Mahalah inspecting the site! :)

Our New Charity Gains Tax-Deductible Status!

You don't know how hard it is to get Deductible Gift Recipient status.

There are multiple government organisations to deal with, reams of paperwork to complete, fists of letters to be written, hours of phone calls to be made, and months of waiting.. 

But thanks to the tireless work of some amazing Canowindra locals, and after almost a year of ongoing submissions and re-submissions;
 'Raising For The Read Triplets Inc' is now a registered, incorporated charity, and has achieved DGR status from the Australian Taxation Office!!

We would never have done this on our own. It was in the 'too-hard basket'. So we are grateful beyond words to the main drivers; Jackie and Geoff Yeo, and Mark and Anne Ward; two amazingly determined couples! Our thanks to the whole committee, pictured below, who got together time and again to make it all happen. 

Most of the charity's committee at a significant meeting; L to R, Jemimah Read, Robyn Cleary, Anne Ward, Margaret Wallington, Jackie and Geoff Yeo, Dylan Gower, Ross Cleary, Mark Ward, Sam and Anna Stranger, Eugene Marais, and Helen and Michael Payten. 

What does this DGR mean?

DGR or Tax-deductible status is a massive bonus for our charity! 
It means that individuals, businesses, or companies can make a tax-deductible donation to the charity 'Raising For The Read Triplets', and receive a receipt of their donation for their annual tax return. 

It has the potential to provide for Anwen, Mahalah and Gideon for their lives- not just for their immediate housing needs. 
Because; there will be life-long costs associated with their disability.

Now it's a matter of getting the word out there! 
Anyone know of any philanthropic groups, businesses or companies who might like to help?

Anwen, Jemimah, Mahalah and Gideon receiving a $5,000 donation for the new accessible house. 

How to make a tax-deductible donation?

The details for the 'Raising for the Read Triplets' DGR account are below. You may notice they are different to the account details previously posted on this blog. Please disregard the old account details I posted, as they are not linked to the charity's account and are not DGR. 

To receive a tax-deductible receipt please email your details and postal address to Eugene Marais at epmarais@gmail.com

'Raising for the Read Triplets Inc' DGR account details are:

Bank: NAB
Account name: Read Triplets DGR Account. 
BSB: 082 774
Account No: 402 853 874



How can we ever say thank you enough?!

With much gratitude and on behalf of the family,

Jemimah Read.



 P.S: Update on the Build

The constant rain has continued to delay the start on the house, but in the meantime, thanks to some local blokes lending their valuable machinery and time, we have been slowly putting the shed up. As well as Bens future workshop, this will be an excellent storage place to build the house from! We continue to wait for drier weather... But, like the song we sang the other day in church, 'Our God Reigns'..!  :)

Thank you to the brilliant blokes; Murray Aldridge, Michael Payten, Ken Stanley, Les Pfieffer, Peter Henry, Paul Earsman, Ian, Mitch, and Colin, who all lent a hand at various stages of the shed build.  Community barn-raising this is.  

Skeleton of the shed and puddles on the house pad beyond.

Walls go up. 

Murray and Ben put up the corner capping. They're roofing today, as I write.

Work Begins After A Wet Winter

It Rained. And it Rained. And it Rained.. 

It started raining in May, the day after the earthworks were done. It did not stop raining for three months. The ground became so boggy that we could not get on site. Everything ground to a halt as we were forced to wait for drier weather. It has been a long winter, but recently things began to change.. 

What the site looked like for 3 months.  :(

Waiting for things to dry up..

A lot of water. The local river burst its banks a few times. 

I'm pleased to say the sun came out a few weeks ago and we have just recently been able to get started..

Visiting the block for the first time in months. (Dad had to push out a few bogged chairs..)

The house pad in the foreground, with the shed pad at the back. (left of the machinery)

Making a Start

Now that things are drying up, the first thing we've done is start on the shed. Ben (who is an owner/builder) has been busy levelling and preparing the ground for the shed slab, and in the next couple of weeks will be able to erect the shed kit on top. 

Some may wonder why we've started with the shed, and not the house? There's a couple of reasons; the house pad is not quite dry enough to access, and the shed is the first thing we've been able to do. 

Secondly, and more importantly, the shed will be like a site-office / storage place for equipment and building materials as we build the house. It's going to be a very handy 'base' to work from. It will also have a loo and shower which will be great for any volunteers who stay and help.  

The kids exploring around the shed pad

The form work for the shed slab

I was out at the block the other day, just looking, and I realised that everything I could see had a story of generosity behind it. So many people have been involved in these first small steps of our modern-day community 'barn raising'. We are very grateful. 

Thanks so much to: 

-The generous local couple who donated the cost of the Earthworks. 

-Guy Lanyard for delivering tons of crushed granite at a reduced rate.

-Selecta Shed in Orange for the reduced cost of our shed kit.

-OneSteel in Orange for a great discount on the steel 'rio' mesh for the shed and house slabs.  

-Michael Payten for procuring fantastic assistance from cement companies. 

-Les Pfeifer for being a great help to Ben.  

-Ken Stanley and James Isaacs for the lend of essential equipment. 

-The committee members of The Read Triplet Trust; for their outstanding determination and support.  

Despite the wet weather The Read Triplet Trust Committee have been doing some wonderful things over the last few months. 

This amazing group of Canowindra locals came together last year of their own accord, saw our kids need, and have doggedly persisted in developing a wonderful charity which will assist our kids for their whole lifetimes. 

Over the last few months the committee have;

-Been working hard to achieve DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status, meaning that once set up, all donations can be tax-deductible. Stay tuned for that exciting development, and the account details. (For more information on donating to the Trust call Anne or Mark Ward on 0428 443 262).

-Hosted a fundraising long lunch at our local Wallington Winery's cellar door. 150 people attended, and $13,000 was raised! 

-Took part in this years City2Surf in Sydney. They raised a team of 35 members, who have so far raised $5,000 with more pledges coming in. 

-As well as the above, The Read Triplet Trust has been selected by up and coming singer/songwriter Gordi as her charity of choice if she wins an MTV competition. MTV will donate $10,000 if Gordi wins the most votes in their 'Brand New' competition. (Vote by tweeting #MTVbrandnewGordi) 

The Long Lunch fundraiser at Wallington Winery's cellar door 

Some of the silent auction

Some of the 35 strong team 'Raising A Roof' at City2Surf 2016; Mark & Anne Ward, Michael Payten, Marg Wallington.

Upcoming singer/songwriter Gordi at the City2Surf with her family, Canowindra locals.

Well, it should be an exciting few months.. I'm hoping and praying that work can continue, that the shed will be up soon and we can get started on the house.. will keep you posted! 

Check out our FB page for more details, as they happen; https://www.facebook.com/realising4thereadtriplets/ 

Thanks so much to all our friends and family for their support and friendship, and to the amazing regular donors who put in every month towards the new house. Thank you!!