ESSAY - 21 September

19 September

Since my last post, things in the office has been busy as usual.  I took over on a small design that my boss made for Landbou school, for new locker rooms that they wanted next to their rugby fields. It contains 2 locker rooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 showers and a room with urinals as well as a steel staircase on the side and a steel roof that covers an area above the locker rooms on the first floor for spectators to watch rugby.  Louis, the other boss also went to Onrus on during a weekend to measure up an existing building which a client has recently bought.  The house isn't in the best of shape and was hard to draw out the base drawings for a building you haven't been to, other than seeing photos of it.  When I finished with the base drawings, one of the senior architects in the office took over to complete the council drawings.  In the mean time 2 of my plans that I drew up for council submission has been approved without having to be re-submitted, I was pleased to hear that.  We also went to go measure up in a factory area just outside Cape Town, where they want to make changes to the facade of the building, and went to another 3 sites in Paarl to go measure up.  I had the responsibility of drawing out the plan by hand quickly to write the measurements on.  My latest project is an office layout for UDEC offices in Van Der Sluys properties, the plans are currently with the clients to discuss weather they are happy with the plans or if they want to make small changes.  This project helped me understand more about ceilings, since there are a couple of bulkheads and recesses in the ceiling for downlighters etc.  Life in the office is going good though, haven't had any problems so far.  Just starting to learn that the grown up life style of getting up early every morning to work till 5, isn't as easy as it sounds 0_o but I'll survive :)

06 August

Today I had to drop off plans at the council in Stellenbosch, and I have to go back there tomorrow to go and pay the fees required for submission.  These plans I wanted to hand in, in last week, but since the main guy was absent for the whole week, I could only go there today.  Mean while I finished my plans for the farm in Hermon all the required drawings are at the council at the moment and hopefully everything is going smoothly.  We went to go measure up in Boschenmeer again a couple of times last week for changes to an existing dwelling, was nice to stare at the guys audi R8 for a while 0_o  I was also given existing house plans to draw out, also for another house in Boschenmeer, which I finished at the end of last week and gave it back to my boss so that he could go and talk to the owners and finalize the design, so that I can start with the council drawings..  Besides the work, the mountains are covered and snow and we're busy getting blown away by some strong winds! No wonder everyone is getting sick! . . . . 

27 - June

Times are tough in the office now a days, with all different kinds of projects.  Since my last post they have started to build on a project I did in Boschenmeer Estate, I have received the engineers drawings for the concrete slab and up-stand beams.  My boss is having a site meeting today, to make sure everyone is on the right track.  I have also finished all drawings, that include plans, sections, roofplan, elevations, details, siteplan and schedules. These plans were sent in to council today, and i have my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and I don't have to change anything.  They have already started to build on the site, so they are in a hurry to receive the plans.  This project is on a farm outside Wellington, and there is also two additional houses to be done for the workers, that I am currently busy with.  In the mean time we have also went to go measure up at Noble Winery, where small changes need to be drawn up as well as seating that need to be shown in order for their alcohol license.  I have also been going to the council in Stellenbosch a couple of times, since there were plans that needed to be handed in that were for a house in Franschoek.  Most of the people at council I know on their name by now, and they hardly ever give me a hard time.

03 - May

Since my last post, a week or two ago, we have still been busy the whole time in the office.  For two weeks before the long weekend we started coming in at 7 in the mornings to work, to make up the hours, so that we would be able to get the Monday off, and we did.  Had a nice relaxing time in Buffalobay, and now its back to work in the office.  The plans for the additions to a house in Boschenmeer has been sent to council, they phoned me yesterday and between us we clarified all the coverage on the site, from internal to undercover stoep areas.  Today I started to draw out the electrical layout for those plans, so that it can be sent to the electrician for a quote.  I finished my bigger project on my own, with help from my co-workers in the office and then gave it to our boss to go over and see what changes and corrections need to be made.  He gave it back to me yesterday so I started with the corrections, and I also need to draw another section through the garage to show its heights, specifically because the client has a boat that he needs to fit in to the garage along with his car.  I'm almost finished with all these drawings for him, and he is having a meeting with my boss this weekend, which will probably lead to more alterations to the house and then it will be finished for council.  Glad to have my first plans submitted to council tho :)

19 - April

In th past weeks the plans that went to Boschenmeer Country Estate came back and approved, that ment i had to complete the forms for council so that they can have a look at it.  Just waiting for the engineers quote and then they'll be on their way.  Also finished my other project for Boschenmeer, that was printed and sent to the client by pdf, the same steps will be taken to get those plans approved, first to Boschenmeer and then to council.  Then my bigger project that I'm busy with at the moment, is coming along nicely, finished drawing 2 sections, 4 elevations, floor plan and site plan.  Just need to add annotations and draw a couple of detailed drawings.  This is for a client in the Bellville area, who made alterations to the inside of his house, by knocking out most of the walls and creating a bigger living area and also making new additions to the house with a granny flat and terrace.  Then we started measuring up for a job from the municipality, to re-vamp a community center and kinder garden.  The site is starting to give problems due to the age of the buildings and all the additions that have been made over the years, that plus a strict deadline is making it quite difficult.  So in all things are still on the busy side and still moving forward, just don't know when i will have time to continue on my work for CPUT 0_o

03 - April

Work in the office is getting quite a lot and everyone is focused on their work most of the time.  Today i finished my first full set of plans, elevations, sections, details etc. and printed 3 copies of them, 2 for Boschenmeer estate and another one for the clients.  Then we"ll send copies to council for approval.  Yesterday we continued measuring up at the Zonnebloem farm, we were on site for about three and a half hours and measured up 3 buildings inside and out.  I also had to do small jobs today like folding plans in the correct way so that they can be sent to council for submission as well as filling in some forms.  I started now with another project that i also had to do with in  the beginning of the year, started with the working drawings today, finished putting in dimensions so far.  There's also another small addition to a building in Boschenmeer that i have to do the working drawings for, so I'm juggling the two at the moment.  Work is tiring sometimes, but i enjoy it a lot especially with the people I work with and it feels like I'm learning something new every day :)

26 - March

Currently busy drawing working drawings, for an additional external braai area in Boschenmeer Estate.  Finished with the plan, section and 2 elevations a couple of days ago, started drawing the details for the pergola  that has a cover on top of it.  Detail drawings require a bit more knowledge, and i ask my fellow colleges about the fixings and naming of the materials now and then.  Also had to make miner changes to a store that i drew up during my first couple of weeks at the firm.

13 - March

The drawings that went to the clients came back, the one is satisfied with the design of their new braai area and the other client requested small changes to be made.  I looked at different sizes of columns, so that the ones we use are similar to the existing columns.  Then also had to make changes to the section, plan and elevations.  Today we also went to a client that owns a massive food packing company, where we had to measure up to see if the older plans are correct and then directly after that we also went to a client that owns a panel beating shop.  There we had to measure up a little, but mostly look for the positions of all the fire hydrants and fire hoses in order to draw up a fire plan for them.  Yesterday Paarl reached a temperature of 41 in the afternoon, really glad there's an aircon right on top of me :)

06 - March

I finished the drawings for the extensions recently, printed them out and now they will go with Louis to the clients to go discuss it further.  This morning I had to go to the Stellenbosch municipality to hand over the ryder plans for a house that was being modified and had to pay them.  It all went quite smoothly and then arrived at work later.  During the meeting yesterday it was mentioned that there will be another extension project, which probably means my next project.  Last week Saturday was Louis' birthday and we all celebrated it by going to a restaurant called Primi, where we had pizzas, wine and beers.  Was a good way to end the week and start the weekend!

28 - Feb

During the last two weeks, we went to Boschenmeer golf estate in Paarl to measure up existing buildings.  Both wanting to make extensions to their houses, one that I was busy drawing the past week or so wanted an additional 'braai' room as well as a living room.  During this time I have drawn the plans, elevations and a section and had to go back to the drawings numerous times to make changes according to the client.  I have learned that you're never quite finished with a drawing until they actually built the thing.  Today me and Louis Phillips (architect and one of my employers) are going back to Boschenmeer to go to one of the houses, since it doesn't completely match the older plans that we have of the house.  I've already drawn out the existing building and now just waiting to go measure and then draw the additional veranda and extension to their existing 'braai' room.

14 - Feb

Finished sketch plan, that i was working on this past couple of days, for the client.  Showing the old existing building next to the new ground floor plan with additions to the old house.  Also did a very basic electrical layout for the electrician, to find out what it will cost.  Went to 3 sites today to go measure up, an new entrance for a house in Pearl Valley, existing factories for Div Foods and existing factories for Fabrinox, both wanting to make additions to the factories. And yes, it was hot outside. . .

Tuesday

I started drawing a sketch plan yesterday for a client who wants to make changes to the house they just bought.  Myself and the boss went to measure up this building a couple of weeks ago.  Started rendering the plan today by adding people and furniture and colour.  For the first time getting a taste on what its all about.