# Mrs Maryak's Mansion



## Maryak

Hi All,

Got the idea from kvom's very successful "Building It" topic and thought what a good idea, thanks kvom :bow:

I have mentioned elsewhere that we are building out retirement home. After endless months of design, negotiation and alteration. The land has been levelled and the trenches cut for the foundation slab. This will be poured at 07:00 on Thursday so I will be up at 0? sparrow fart to inspect the mesh, piping and membrane before the pour.

Here's what we have as of yesterday.












Best Regards
Bob


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## ChooChooMike

Where's this located ?


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## Maryak

Aldinga Beach 30km south of Adelaide.


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## kvom

I assume the trenches are to allow the in-slab heating piping. I've enjoyed having a warm garage the past 2 months. Now we are in warm weather, so the system will be dormant until winter.

What size is the slab?


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## scoop

Heating pipe in Adelaide?wtf

steve c


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## Maryak

kvom  said:
			
		

> I assume the trenches are to allow the in-slab heating piping. I've enjoyed having a warm garage the past 2 months. Now we are in warm weather, so the system will be dormant until winter.
> 
> What size is the slab?



Kvom,

The trenches form the piers in this design of raft and pier foundation. Many parts of greater Adelaide have reactive clay soils and the foundations are designed to accommodate this. I have seen piers up to 2x0.6 metres and priced accordingly. Our piers are only 0.6x0.3 metres due to one bore hole showing mildly reactive clay under the topsoil.

The total slab is 198 m2.

The only things under the slab are the pipes for black and gray water plus a stormwater outlet under the garage floor, the re-enforcing mesh and a waterproof membrane 100 mm below the surface.


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## Metal Mickey

Envy the build, but not the packing and moving Bob. Tell us (or the plan) more about the garage/ workshop plans. How big will be the most important room.......THE WORKSHOP.....be?


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## Philjoe5

Bob, am I sensing another WIP here??? :big:

Cheers,
Phil


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## Maryak

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Envy the build, but not the packing and moving Bob. Tell us (or the plan) more about the garage/ workshop plans. How big will be the most important room.......THE WORKSHOP.....be?



Mike, you are absolutely spot on.

My workshop is a 20ft shipping container, which makes it semi portable. For now I intend to keep it in Port Adelaide. Later I plan on moving it to my daughters farm. She has 30 acres about 20 mins from our new home and I have already earmarked a spot close to one of her sheds which has power. Knowing Louise I will have to elbow her out of the way. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 She has already built a new kitchen and replaced the ceiling after having repaired the under floor heating for the first floor. She just likes doing things and has such a thirst for knowledge she has a teaching degree, a nursing degree and a Phd in Business Administration, she is charge at an intensive care unit here currently. Not to mention horses, sheep, chooks, dogs, cats a son and 2 stepsons and the obligatory husband to help?

A couple of other reasons, we don't have enough land left to put it on and it's not allowed under the estate encumbrances.






Workshop Inside.








			
				Philjoe5  said:
			
		

> Bob, am I sensing another WIP here??? :big:
> 
> Cheers,
> Phil



Phil,

There will be plenty of work in progress when the builders have finished.   ;D ;D

Best Regards
Bob 

View attachment Rossdaledims.pdf


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## Maryak

Hi All,

This is how I spent most of yesterday. 

07:00 - The re-enforcing, membrane and underfloor mesh in place and the underslab plumbing in place. The concrete pump is set up and waiting for the 1st concrete truck.






Pouring/pumping in the mix.






Floating the slab.






14:15 - Finished. The guys worked this time without a proper break.  As the boss said to me, "Concrete waits for nobody." ;D






Best Regards
Bob


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## Metal Mickey

Crikey Bob, thats some slad and some work! They seemed to have done you proud. I now know the reason for your latest engine build. Its to dry off the slab! :big:


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## kvom

How do all the Mexicans get to Oz to pour concrete??  ??? ;D


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## tel

kvom  said:
			
		

> How do all the Mexicans get to Oz to pour concrete?? ??? ;D



There's a hole in the fence!


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## Maryak

> There's a hole in the fence!



Tel,

Where ??? - I didn't notice it. :

Best Regards
Bob[


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## Bernd

Maryak,

Is this standard for houses over there, no basements and if so, why?

Bernd


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## shred

Bernd  said:
			
		

> Maryak,
> 
> Is this standard for houses over there, no basements and if so, why?
> 
> Bernd


It's standard here in TX, which annoys me to no end (I want a good basement). Basically it's much cheaper construction and it never gets cold enough to freeze in-slab pipes and the connections to them.


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## cfellows

Maryak,

Just saw your workshop. That's a great idea. As you say, tough to get it by most restrictive covenances and Home Owner's Associations, but good if you can find a place to put them. 

Having your shop remote from the house can have other advantages. Keeps the spouse from sticking her head in the door with a "Honey, can you come help me for a minute"? 

Chuck


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## tel

There are very few houses with basements over here, and those who do have 'em call 'em 'cellars'. Most you will find are in houses built in the latter half of the 19th century and were intended as cool rooms before the advent of refrigeration.


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## Maryak

Bernd  said:
			
		

> Maryak,
> 
> Is this standard for houses over there, no basements and if so, why?
> 
> Bernd



Bernd,

 I agree with Shred and Tel. The mid to late 19th century homes which have cellars, basements, or a hole in the ground under the house also have bloody great cracks due to the nature of the soil and the propensity this has for promoting salt damp. Today there are virtually no solid brick homes built locally since the late 1970's early 1980's and our footings/foundation design and construction is virtually standard in South Australia.



			
				cfellows  said:
			
		

> Having your shop remote from the house can have other advantages. Keeps the spouse from sticking her head in the door with a "Honey, can you come help me for a minute"?



Oh, How true ;D



			
				tel  said:
			
		

> There are very few houses with basements over here, and those who do have 'em call 'em 'cellars'. Most you will find are in houses built in the latter half of the 19th century and were intended as cool rooms before the advent of refrigeration.



All the old pubs had them to keep the beer cool - important not to lose sight of this historically significant reason.  

Best Regards
Bob


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## Maryak

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Crikey Bob, thats some slad and some work! They seemed to have done you proud. I now know the reason for your latest engine build. Its to dry off the slab! :big:



Mike, never thought of that - Good Call ;D

Best Regards
Bob


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## Maryak

Hi All,

The frame timber and roof trusses are on site as well as a porta potty for the workers.

Contemplation by the Ultimate Authority.







Various timber sections around the perimeter.






Best Regards
Bob


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## Stan

I don't see any anchor bolts sticking out of the slab. Do you not have any wind storms (hurricanes, tornadoes or just big wind)?


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## Maryak

Stan,

The timber frame is anchored to the slab with loxons. Win rating for this area is N2<33m/sec.

Best Regards
Bob


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## Maryak

Jack,

Thanks for your interest. :bow:

Loxons are concrete anchor bolts where the nut is in a sleeve and the nut expands the sleeve to grip the sides of the hole. Dynabolts are the reverse.






Oz terminology can be a bit weird at times. 

This was broadacre farm land for wheat and sheep and was cleared many years ago. Native trees can play merry hell with the foundations so the less of them there are the better for your peace of mind.

Best Regards
Bob


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## itowbig

i can see the garage needs to much larger :big: might want to add extra space for that :big:  ;D :bow:


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## Stan

Setting concrete anchors seems like a lot more work than sticking anchor bolts into the wet concrete when you do the pour. 

Before you explained what a loxon is, I did a Google search and found no mention of concrete anchors. However it is a brand name for an industrial paint.


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## Maryak

Stan,

Mine is not to reason why, I just pay the bills and check that I'm getting what I'm paying for but Yes it seems a funny way to do it now that you've pointed it out.

Best Regards
Bob


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## kvom

Anchors would make sense if the sill plate were steel.


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## tel

kvom  said:
			
		

> Anchors would make sense if the sill plate were steel.



Dynabolts are made to fasten at least 6" and Loxons are only limited by the length of bolt/threaded rod you can buy. They are standard practice over here and have been since Ramset nails fell out of fashion.


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## Maryak

tel  said:
			
		

> Dynabolts are made to fasten at least 6" and Loxons are only limited by the length of bolt/threaded rod you can buy. They are standard practice over here and have been since Ramset nails fell out of fashion.



Thanks Tel, :bow:

This is the 1st house I/we have built so it's all a part of the learning curve for us.

Best Regards
Bob


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## Maryak

Hi All,

Got the shock of my life - It's actually starting to look like a house. I thought they may have the walls up but the roof trusses was a real bonus.

Front view.






Rear view.






Side view.






Now all we have to do is start paying. :  : 

Best Regards
Bob

Edit: They used dyna bolts as anchors in strategic spots and a lot of concrete nails.


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## Metal Mickey

Bob, your'e going to need a lot of curtains to stop the draught! Didn't you consider windows? :big: :big:


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## Maryak

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Bob, your'e going to need a lot of curtains to stop the draught! Didn't you consider windows? :big: :big:



Galina has already sourced all the light fittings and she has asked a friend in Novosibirsk to buy continuous curtain. There is a much better selection of this in Russia than Oz. Apparently most of it is imported from Turkey.

Best Regards
Bob


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## rake60

Looks like the frame work of a shop made in heaven to me Bob!

Have you asked the wife how she might feel about a kitchen in 
a shipping container? It couldn't hurt to ask... Much... 
No would ever notice the scars unless you pointed them out. 

Oh, I better close this page NOW.
*MY* wife is coming down the stairs!
 :hDe: 

Rick


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## Maryak

rake60  said:
			
		

> Looks like the frame work of a shop made in heaven to me Bob!



Me too. ;D ;D



> Have you asked the wife how she might feel about a kitchen in
> a shipping container? It couldn't hurt to ask... Much...



It's probably more than my life is worth. ???



> No would ever notice the scars unless you pointed them out.



Especially after the cremation.



> Oh, I better close this page NOW.
> *MY* wife is coming down the stairs!
> :hDe:
> 
> Rick



Must be military service which teaches "Discretion is the better part of Valour"

Best Regards
Bob


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## rake60

Rof}


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## kvom

> Must be military service which teaches "Discretion is the better part of Valour"


No! Military serice teaches "Never volunteer!:  :


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## steamer

Quote
Have you asked the wife how she might feel about a kitchen in 
a shipping container? It couldn't hurt to ask... Much... 


It's probably more than my life is worth. "



In my case it would be more like I would be laying in a pool of my own blood with my wife standing over me screaming "how do you reload this thing!!?"........or words and music to that effect..... ;D


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## Tin Falcon

You guys are kind of joking about integrating 20' shipping containers into a house. It has been done at least on a concept level. Have any of you gents been to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.
 The Kalkin House Is a two story 20' x 80' metal framed and skinned building that uses 20ft shipping containers for 4 of the rooms in the house I remember a bathroom and a couple of guest /kids bedrooms and I think an office/study. There are also two huge glass overhead truck doors one on each side . You want ventilation??!! And you joke about curtains this has two story high curtains for the patio area. Anyway neat upscale, open floor plan design with a definite modern industrial flair. 
Tin


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## Maryak

Hi All,

Weekend progress and inspection report. :

The windows and doors are in position, the gutters and facias are almost complete and the bricks are laid out ready to start bricklaying.

Tape measure at the ready - "Now will I put the TV here or there or perhaps............ ??? ???" Oh I can feel my back aching again already. :

Rear View






Front View






Side View






Best Regards
Bob


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## bearcar1

Yeah Bob, you think your back side hurts now, just wait until it comes time to finish the kitchen, cabinets etc.  You had better plan on getting a prescription for pain killers. Beautiful house by the way. :big:

Jim B.


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## kvom

In the US we say that when the exterior sheathing is on the house is "dried in". Then it looks like a house, and you think it's close to being finished.

Wrong!

When our house was being built it took 1.5 months to be dried in and 6.5 months to be ready to move in.


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## Kermit

If the building codes there require conduit for all of your electric power runs through the walls, have the installers put a pull cord with each and every run of wire. 

You may never need them but if you DO need to add a circuit or want to change a light switch to a larger control panel, they will be blessings of convience.

Wonderful home you are building Maryak. Feel free to ignore my advice, I give it way to often and seldom consider what implications might be.  


Kermit


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## Metal Mickey

Kermit  said:
			
		

> If the building codes there require conduit for all of your electric power runs through the walls, have the installers put a pull cord with each and every run of wire.
> 
> You may never need them but if you DO need to add a circuit or want to change a light switch to a larger control panel, they will be blessings of convience.
> 
> Wonderful home you are building Maryak. Feel free to ignore my advice, I give it way to often and seldom consider what implications might be.
> 
> 
> Kermit



Such a simple thing but I wish I had that done on my bungalow! Very good idea Kermit.

Bob, when ever I built extensions the budget or the main blockwork and roof always comes in ubder what I thought leaving lots for fitting out. ALL my extensions then over run on the fitting stage. It just swallows money. It seems the build stage give a view of completetion....but its always longer fitting out!!!! ALways.


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## kvom

My shop addition was stick-built, like this. Conduit was not required. However, all of the shop wiring in the walls is oversized for the intended purpose; so normal outlets are 12ga rather than 14. All of the 110V circuits both up and down are GFCI protected.

Given the building type I would guess that most circuits will be (or could be) run overhead and then down the walls to the outlets.


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## Maryak

Thanks everyone for your comments support and advise. :bow: :bow:

MM, We have a fixed price contract for the whole job including joinery, kitchen furniture, tiling of wet areas, perimeter paving and driveway construction. "ALL" I have to do is organise the fencing on the other 2 sides and lay a floating floor over the concrete in the living areas. (We won't speak about gardens and light fittings and curtain rods etc.etc.etc.) ;D

We put a lot of effort into our electrical layout and we are pretty happy about it. Still we've probably forgotten something so I will speak to the sparky about pull cords where conduit is used. Thanks Kermit.

kvom, Yep everything from now on is in the roof or inside the walls. Gas, Water and Electricity.

Attached is a schematic of our electrics.

Best Regards
Bob 

View attachment NHElectrical.pdf


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## kvom

A couple of comments on the electric layout:

1) The switches for the garage overhead light seem out of place. I would want one switch on the inside of the hall so it could be switched on before you go out into the garage at night. Having a switch on the door relief seems un-useful.

2) It looks as if the two side entrance lights as well as the laundry fixture are one the same circuit, which seems odd.


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## Maryak

kvom,

Thanks, I knew we'd, (I'd), forget or get something wrong. : :

Best Regards
bob


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## Maryak

Weekly progress report.

The brick work is 99% complete, most of the plumbing is done and a start has been made on the electrical. I will speak to the electrician about kvoms suggestions.

















Best Regards
Bob


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## Noitoen

Wooden frame and walls on the inside and bricks on the outside? Strange way to build a house.

Here in Portugal they make a steel reinforced concrete foundation and structure, erect a double brick wall with some high density polystyrene insulation in between, cut passages for plumbing and electric conduit and stuff, plaster with cement on the inside and outside, on the inside they also use bricks for the walls. Only recently do they use a metal frame with drywall to build the inside divisions but seldom. Mostly used for ceilings. As far as the roof is concerned, a concrete slab made out of some pre-fabricated concrete beams separated by some 40 cm gaps filled up with some special shaped bricks than covered with a steel mesh before they pour some more concrete and finally the roof tiles. The windows are usually made from aluminium frames with double pane glass.

It takes ages to build a house here. Nice to see the progress in your house. Thm:


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## Maryak

Noitoen  said:
			
		

> Here in Portugal they make a steel reinforced concrete foundation and structure, erect a double brick wall with some high density polystyrene insulation in between, cut passages for plumbing and electric conduit and stuff, plaster with cement on the inside and outside, on the inside they also use bricks for the walls.



Noitoen,

That method is called double brick or solid brick. In South Aust there are 2 problems, first this is an earthquake prone area and second the soil is not stable. Double brick houses lack the flexibility to cope with this environment and suffer severe cracking and breakage.

Best Regards
Bob


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## kvom

> Wooden frame and walls on the inside and bricks on the outside? Strange way to build a house.


My house and 99% of those in this area are built this way. Wooden framing, plywood sheathing, a vapor barrier, and then either brick, siding, or stucco exterior walls.

My mother's house in S. Florida is concrete block walls with stucco on either side. For the most part exterior brick is forbidden since hurricane winds can strip brick and turn them into flying shrapnel.

Goes to show that construction techniques vary according to the location's requirements.


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## tel

Noitoen  said:
			
		

> Wooden frame and walls on the inside and bricks on the outside? Strange way to build a house.



The system is called 'brick veneer' - most, if not all brick houses in Aus are done this way nowadays, and have been for many years.


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## Majorstrain

Maryak said:
			
		

> We put a lot of effort into our electrical layout and we are pretty happy about it.



As an ex-sparky, I would agree, Well done, looks good. 

Even if you don't have a draw wires installed, the existing cable can be used as a draw wire by attaching a new pull wire at the switch or GPO (PP) then pulling the existing cable up. With the new cable attached as well as the old, the pull wire is withdrawn down again. 
Might help if you want to extend the 2-way switching in entry to the hall at a later date.

This next tips doesn't really apply to you Bob, but it may help someone in the future. 

When planing power point locations on interior walls, If the budget is a bit tight and you have locations where you may want a power point (GPO) on both sides of the wall. Just put a GPO on one side of the wall, it is easy for a sparky to install the other GPO back to back later when you have the money. All he'll need is 8 inches of wire and the new GPO. 
If you can only afford one GPO in a bed room, entertainment room or alike, put it on an interior wall. It is nearly always possible to drop a new wire down an exterior cavity wall later when you have the money. 

Hope this helps someone.
Here in West Oz, there is very little clay (They don't call us Sandgropers for nothing) and no earthquake zones that I know of. The majority of houses are all brick with double brick exterior cavity walls. Basements are also not standard.

Cheers
Phil


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## Bernd

Nice house Maryak. I've got a brick veneered house also, But mine has a 2300sq ft. poured basememnt shop, the walls are 3/8OB with styrofoam insulation. Pics below.
















Finishing it off myself. Almost have all the brick veneer done. Still have lot's of interior work to do yet though.

Bernd


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## Maryak

Bernd,

Nice house, nice location - Lucky you. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## Metal Mickey

Hello Bob, hope you are not in too much discomfort. Keep smiling....


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## Maryak

MM,

Thanks for the commiserations, yesterday was my first day for a month without pain - almoooooost made me want to take up weight lifting ??? ??? : :

Not much to report in the way of progress this week.

The interior plumbing is complete as is the interior wiring.

We managed to buy all the bits for the floating floor and saved around 1/3 of the cost. Of course this has now translated into a change of colours for curtains etc. but we, (SWMDBO), are having new ones anyway. 

Galina and our good friend Anna doing colour things with a floor plank and a house.






Our roof tiles arrived as we were playing around and so next week should see a roof in place. (I HOPE)

Best Regards
Bob


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## steamer

Looking good Bob!  What's the time frame for the move?

Dave


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## Tin Falcon

Bob:
What holds the brick wall to the framing? I am quickly learning building methods vary from place to place. What I have seen here east coast USA is on brick veneer the framing is done vsb nailed to it a vapor barrier applied then metal straps nailed to the ply every foot or so ,the the strap is embedded in the mortar. 
Tin


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## Maryak

Dave,

Yes, we are pleased to date. Moving should be around late August to middle September.



			
				Tin Falcon  said:
			
		

> Bob:
> the framing is done vsb nailed to it a vapor barrier applied then metal straps nailed to the ply every foot or so ,the the strap is embedded in the mortar.
> Tin



Tin that's it in a nutshell, I never thought to take a close up but will do it next week.

Best Regards
Bob


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## kvom

It's definitely different from the US. Perhaps it's the climate. 

On my house the exterior first has plywood/OSB sheathing nailed to the studs and then covered with a plastic house wrap. We also require vertical plastic drain tubes embedded in the cement that open at the bottom of the exterior to vent water that might get between the brick and the sheath. And as well, there are brickties nailed to the sheathing.

My exterior walls are 2x6 rather than 2x4, which allows thicker insulation. The wiring is routed though holes drilled in the studs rather than led behind as in the photo. Of course that's mandated by the exterior sheathing.

We also require metal "hurricane" straps to connect the joists to the studs.

I see that you chose a wide board for the floor. That's an excellent idea as there are fewer pieces to lay. I have installed floating floors in three rooms doing the work myself. The first two we used narrow strips connected with clips, and this was quite labor intensive. For my shop's upstairs we used wide boards that went much faster. The installation is actually a simple DIY task if your back is up to it, esp. if you have a helper (e.g., wife). Main requirement is to get that first row absolutely straight and parallel to the starting wall.


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## Stan

> Main requirement is to get that first row absolutely straight and parallel to the starting wall.



My experience has been that the first row has to be perpendicular to the adjacent wall since few rooms have absolutely square corners. It is easier to taper the first row than have to cut every succeeding board end at an angle.


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## kvom

With baseboards and quarter-round moldings the cut ends are covered. Unless the walls are really out of square the angle at the end will be small. Outside walls are the most likely to be straight.

In any case, assuming you cut the ends with a miter saw it's simple to set at any angle you need.


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## Maryak

Guys,

Thanks for the tips on laying a floating floor. I had a chat to the building supervisor and he suggested that we only loose tack the skirting boards in the areas to be floored, that way they are easily removed and can be replaced over the top of the floor, doing away with the 1/4 round along the edges.

WE HAVE A ROOF, (well almost) and the gyprock is on its' way for the internal walls.

The brick ties for those who asked.







The roof - 95% complete.
















And thus ended another weekly pilgrimage to the temple in the South.

Best Regards
Bob


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## tel

Getting close now Bob - nearly tome to lay in the lobster tails and Glenfiddich and invite your HMEM friends down


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## steamer

That does sound like a lovely meal!


Nice looking Mansion Bob!

Dave


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## Bernd

Lookin' real good there Bob. I like the tile roof. Are they real clay or some other material?

Bernd


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## Maryak

Tel,

Your welcome anytime......which will you bring the appetiser or the aperitif ???

Dave,

Yep sure does, am anxiously awaiting our house warming bash.

Bernd,

Glad you like the roof, we were initially a little disappointed at the amount of brown in it but then the sun broke through the clouds and out came the green which is the effect we were aiming for, (2 happy campers). The tiles are concrete, coloured and glazed on the outside.

Best Regards
Bob


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## PhillyVa

Say Bob,

That big hole on the left of the front door...is that the making of the mansion shop?

Look'n good

Philly


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## rickharris

Ahha what we call here (UK) a bungalow - a word originating in India from our colonial days with the Raj.

I understand the name derives from a time when some local builders were building regular houses but ran out of time, With a pushy customer waiting to move in the site foreman after some though said " OK we'll just bung a low roof on it".

Nice site for a new house. Building your own is great - we did so 14 years ago - Mind after you always want to do it again so you can incorporate some "improvements" you didn't think about at the time.


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## Maryak

Philly,

No..... believe it or not that's actually for the car 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




My workshop/dog house/retreat is and will be, well away from home. This allows me to concentrate and keeps the honey do's to a minimum. That way neither of us is disappointed.

Rick,

Thanks for your bungalow anecdote and I'm sure your right, we will find something we would have done differently had we thought of it. This is now 2 houses we have built the FIRST and the LAST. :

Best Regards
Bob


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## PhillyVa

Hi Bob

Oh man...what was I thinking

No..... believe it or not that's actually for the car 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




My workshop/dog house/retreat is and will be, well away from home. This allows me to concentrate and keeps the honey do's to a minimum. That way neither of us is disappointed.

Good thinking :big:

Regards

Philly


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## Maryak

Philly,

Thanks for your remarks :bow:

Had to do a quick, (130 km), dash and check on progress today as the builder had asked for a progress payment during our 50th Re-union in Queensland.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Haven't aged a bit. ??? ??? ???

1959






2009






All of the internal walls are insulated and lined and they had just started on fitting the cornices.

Here's some shots of the lined inside.

Entry.






Family room and Kitchen area.
















Best Regards
Bob


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## tel

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Philly,
> 
> Thanks for your remarks :bow:
> 
> Had to do a quick, (130 km), dash and check on progress today as the builder had asked for a progress payment during our 50th Re-union in Queensland.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haven't aged a bit. ??? ??? ???
> 
> 1959



Those were the days, my friend,
We thought they'd never end!


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## Maryak

tel  said:
			
		

> Those were the days, my friend,
> We thought they'd never end!



Yep - in 1959, 2009 was so far in the future it didn't even register as a possibility.

Best Regards
Bob


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## Maryak

Hi All,

Another week and we seem to be getting to the stage where picture wise not much is changing.

The cornices are complete and the hot water solar panel is in position on the roof.

We are not sure what will be next but I suspect we are getting close to lock up and most of the ongoing work will be internal. Anyway we will keep up our progress reports.

Galina surveying her domain.






The solar panel on the northern face of the roof.











Best Regards
Bob


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## Bernd

Maryak,

When you said "The solar panel on the northern face of the roof." I though why would you put it on the north, you want it on the south. scratch.gif

Then I remembered your on the other side of the equator. :-[

Looking very nice.

Bernd


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## Maryak

Bernd  said:
			
		

> Maryak,
> 
> When you said "The solar panel on the northern face of the roof." I though why would you put it on the north, you want it on the south. scratch.gif
> 
> Then I remembered your on the other side of the equator. :-[
> 
> Looking very nice.
> 
> Bernd



Bernd,

Not to worry, on more than one occasion I have been geographically embarrassed trying to sort out a navigation problem, especially between the 2 tropic lines where the sun can be either north or south of your position.

Best Regards
Bob


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## stevehuckss396

Are your panels producing electricity or hot water?


----------



## steamer

The House is looking great Bob.....whats the ETTF? ;D


We want pictures of the shop being created! ;D


Dave


----------



## Maryak

stevehuckss396  said:
			
		

> Are your panels producing electricity or hot water?



Steve - Hot Water with a gas booster for the odd gray day. :



			
				steamer  said:
			
		

> The House is looking great Bob.....whats the ETTF? ;D



Dave - The date we were given is 20 Aug 2009 and so far no update on this.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## kvom

> We are not sure what will be next



I'd guess that electrical fixtures (outlets and switches), moldings, and hanging internal doors could start now. If it were mine and DIY, I'd probably paint the ceilings. Here we normally use a different paint (thicker, less drip) for ceilings as opposed to walls.

I assume they will finish painting the walls before installing flooring.


----------



## Maryak

Hi All,

Well the weekly pilgrimage showed us "What's Next" 

The house was locked up. 

Got a key from the rep in the display village and had a look.

Kvom - You are/were spot on. Inside we found all the internal doors and the material for the skirting and architraves.

Locked out.







Skirting/architrave materials.






Kvom - As you also said, things have slowed down considerably.

I will be laying the floor myself so I have sent a drawing to the supervisor of the areas to be floored and they will only tack the skirting in so I can remove it and lay the floor before securing it properly.

Best Regards
Bob  

View attachment Floor timber.pdf


----------



## Stan

Bob: Is the interior finish material solid wood or engineered wood? In Canada (except for the mansions) doors, casing, baseboard etc are all made out of sawdust, shavings, paper and glue and moulded to shape.


----------



## kvom

Bob,

Here we have baseboards that go along the bottom of the walls (skirting?), and then may have quarter-round molding at the bottom of that. If that's your system as well you can leave the baseboards as is, lay the floor with spacing , and then cover the gaps with the quarter round.

If you are laying tile, you do not want the skirting in place, as it's almost impossible to keep the mortar off, and it's a pain to tape it all off. (Ask me how I know).

For a floating floor, I can also recommend that the underlayment be the kind that comes in rolls and is duct-taped together. My upstairs floor over the garage had a rubber pad glued under the laminate, and when cutting it generated a rather foul dust.

Best of luck
Kirk


----------



## Maryak

Stan,

It's the same in Oz. We paid an additional $2500 to have solid wood. The timber is Meranti.

Kvom,

The idea is to do away with the 1/4 round on the skirting, (baseboard), as we don't like the look. The wet areas and kitchen floor/splash surround will be done by professional tilers. Your underlay method of rolls is the one we will use, but under the underlay is a plastic damp proof membrane also taped together from rolls.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## kvom

The pad I used had the plastic vapor barrier attached.


----------



## Stan

Sorry Bob. That was rather uncouth of me. I should have noticed the title of your thread!

My house, built in the 1970s is all solid mahogany trim with stain and varnish. I much prefer it to the bland off-white paint in the new houses.


----------



## Maryak

Kvom,

Thanks for that, I will look into it and see if there is such an underlay here.

Stan,

I don't think you were uncouth. If I could have got it past Galina I would have had the engineered wood! Her argument is our current unit has stained and varnished doors, skirting and architraves and our new home must not be of a lower standard.

Galina has an excellent eye for interior decoration and very good taste whereas me........ ??? ??? ??? ???

So in the interests of harmony, matrimonial bliss, etc., etc., etc. There we are.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## tel

.... and after all, it's only money! Might cut into the lobster budget a bit tho' mate.


----------



## Maryak

tel  said:
			
		

> .... and after all, it's only money! Might cut into the lobster budget a bit tho' mate.



tel,

Even if I'd gone for the engineered wood solution, I doubt we would have saved enough to order Rock Lobster. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Best Regards
Bob


----------



## tel

Bugger! Looks like it's a knob of devon and a loaf of Aldi whole grain then!


----------



## Maryak

tel,

As long as it's discount bread and fresh fritz, (devon).

Lots of progress this week but the rep left the key at home so we couldn't get inside when we would really have liked to. : : ??? ???

The outside paving and stormwater drainage.











Looking through kitchen window.






Looking through Bed 2 window.






Looking through rear family room door.






Looking through master bedroom window.






At the moment we are happy campers.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## tel

Getting close now!


----------



## Maryak

tel,

You got that right. 

We managed to get inside, the skirtings and architraves are finished, the tiles for the wet areas and kitchen have been delivered.

Here's a few shots

The 2nd bedroom BIR.






The kitchen











Hall linen press.






Laundry linen press.






Surveying our domain.






View down the street.






Stay tuned for next weeks progress.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi All,

kvom sure was right when he said things would slow down. Last week progress zero, zilch, nil, nothing. This week a bath half installed and we got our first real look at the front of the house without a rubbish skip and toilet in the way.











Ah well while they are not working, we are not paying so seems fair enough.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## gbritnell

Hi Bob, many years ago I plumbed for a living and I've never seen a tub installed quite like that. Most tubs had skirts which supported the outside edge. I assume they will be building a framework around it but it seems like it would have been better to do that first to get everything level. Another thing that wouldn't fly where I live (nothern Ohio, cold snowy winters) is the pipework coming in from an outside wall. On a winter day the pipes could very well freeze. My wife and I had a new house built almost 8 years ago now and after all the work, confusion and moving we are enjoying very much. I'm sure you and the wife will do the same. It's nice to have a photo documentation of all the work.
gbritnell


----------



## kvom

I agree that the plumbing looks strange, but since we can't see the entire space perhaps they had to make some compromises.

I do like the kitchen cabinets; looks like a very convenient setup.


----------



## Maryak

George and kvom,

The pipes on the wall are for hot and cold plus a hand held shower for use in the bath. The bathe surround will be tiled and I can only assume some framework will be required to support the bath and the tiles. One thing that is not a problem here is the pipes freezing.

Galina and I are very pleased with the kitchen so we are glad you find it convenient. A small boast, it's my design and whilst it looked OK on paper, I can't tell you how relieved I was at Galina's reaction when she saw it in the flesh.

Thanks for following along. My hit and miss is more miss as we are getting closer. Last week was a short week and a lot of time was spent interviewing Realtors to determine who we will have sell our unit.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## PhillyVa

Bob.





			
				Maryak  said:
			
		

> Galina and I are very pleased with the kitchen so we are glad you find it convenient. A small boast, it's my design and whilst it looked OK on paper, I can't tell you how relieved I was at Galina's reaction when she saw it in the flesh.
> 
> Thanks for following along. My hit and miss is more miss as we are getting closer. Last week was a short week and a lot of time was spent interviewing Realtors to determine who we will have sell our unit.



I'm glad the kitchen worked out...men don't always do kitchens right as far as woman are concerned most times. woohoo1

Have you though of renting the other unit for some, passive income?

Regards

Philly


----------



## Maryak

PhillyVa  said:
			
		

> Have you though of renting the other unit for some, passive income?



Philly,

It would be a last resort thing if we are unable to sell it. The income available would not cover the mortgage repayments we would owe on the new house, (assuming it was fully tenanted). Then there is all the hassles of a managing agent, bonds, insurance, repairs and maintenance etc.etc.etc. not to mention the negative effect on our pension because the rent would be assessed as taxable income. 

The Australian Government works overtime at trying to find ways of reducing the pension you have paid your taxes for over your working life.

Last year I helped a friend repair his rental house after the last tenants had trashed it to the tune of over $50,000 and had not paid their rent for 6 months prior to them doing a moonlight flit. It left a nasty taste in my mouth and he and his wife were devastated. Galina and I really do not need that and it is more likely at the lower end of the market than your $2000 a week mansion.

As you've probably gathered it's not top of the pops with us.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

> we got our first real look at the front of the house without a rubbish skip and toilet in the way.


I bet you are almost as pleased as the neighbors who have been looking at it ;D


----------



## Maryak

Stan,

Very good point. :bow:

Alas they have only been moved to the vacant block next to us so the long suffering neighbours must suffer some more. :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## tel

gbritnell  said:
			
		

> Hi Bob, many years ago I plumbed for a living and I've never seen a tub installed quite like that. Most tubs had skirts which supported the outside edge. I assume they will be building a framework around it but it seems like it would have been better to do that first to get everything level.
> gbritnell



Looks pretty standard to me - you'd have a bugger of a time hooking up the outlet pipe with the skirt on first.


----------



## Maryak

Thanks tel,

I have never seen a bath installed from go to woa, I just assumed those who are doing the installation know what they're doing. It is always interesting to see how different parts of the world have a very different approach to overcoming the same problem. It's the result that counts so as long as we end up with the bath all ship shape everything in the garden is rosy. ;D

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi,

Not a lot to report - If they go much slower they will be in reverse. :

The water is connected.

Looks like the tiling will be next as both shower recesses have been prepared.












We put our unit on the market on Friday so now is "Nervous Nellie" time whilst we gauge the response and get a true appreciation of the value of our property.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

We received a call from the tiler yesterday, he was not sure which tiles we wanted for the skirting in the laundry. Just to make sure all was according to Hoyle, we took a trip down there today and everything is great.

I was nervous about the tiles as I have heard some real horror stories about wrong tiles, right tiles in wrong place etc.etc.

The tilers were doing the grouting when we arrived. Here's a few shots.

Main Bathroom.











Laundry.






Toilet.






Kitchen.











En suite.











We are very happy with the result.

The bath is supported on a brick framework behind the tiles.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## arnoldb

That's a nice-looking house you're building there Bob. I like the colour scheme a lot; very sensible and easy to keep clean 


Regards, Arnold


----------



## gbritnell

Hi Bob, the tiling looks great. Do they install some type of enclosure around the shower area? In response to Tel's reply about the drain pipes, usually there is an access panel on the opposite side of the wall to gain entry to the pipes in case there would be a leak at a joint. 
gbritnell


----------



## Maryak

Arnold and George,

Thanks for the kind words. Most importantly Galina was over the moon and even gave the tilers a kiss and her profuse thanks. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




There is a glass shower screen which in the main bathroom is a square with a front swing glass door. In the En suite the corners of the glass come off each wall at 90 deg with a swing glass door in the middle at 45 deg to the cubicle corner.

I have attached a drawing of the plan which explains it better. (I hope).

Best Regards
Bob 

View attachment Rossdaledims.pdf


----------



## cobra428

Hey Bob,
Very Nice! There's only one thing......I don't see anything on the plans that has that 4 letter word......shop???
Tony


----------



## Maryak

Tony,

You are not the 1st to notice this.

There is a method in my madness.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=4377.msg49585#msg49585

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi,

Another week goes by and we are a step closer to the grand move south.

We have solar power, electrical power, water but no gas or phone yet. All our taps and toilets are fitted and we must be getting close to painting.

Gas booster and hot water storage.






Electrical switchboard and meter.






Kitchen cupboards completed.






Taps and toilets.





















Best Regards
Bob


----------



## zeeprogrammer

Got any idea how many people you got to thinking? I know I'm one.
New home...less fixing up...more shop time. Oh yeah. I'm very envious.


----------



## Stan

Bob; Are all the electrics in your house on the seven circuit breakers from the public utility or do you have a separate solar electric panel? A normal house in my area has twenty four or more circuit breakers. At least seven are mandated as single load breakers such as refrigerators, microwave ovens, clothes washing machines, furnaces, air conditioners etc.


----------



## Maryak

Stan,

In a word Yes. From what I can see there are 5x16 amp circuits and 2x32 amp circuits. One of the 16 amp has already been dedicated to the electric oven, from my dim dark and distance past, (wiring houses in UK with my Dad when I was a little tacker and fitted between floors), 2 more will be dedicated to the power circuits and 2 to the lighting circuits. The rest ???. I suspect why there are fewer circuits in Oz is that 1 phase domestic power is 240 V 50 Hz. Our cook top and hot water boost is gas.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Majorstrain

Maryak  said:
			
		

>



Hi All,
From the looks of it the 2x 32Amp breakers are RCD's (Residual current devices, A.K.A Earth leakage circuit breakers)

So from left to right
Main breaker(possibly 80 Amp) - 32Amp RCD (feeds next breaker) - two 16Amp circuit beakers - 32Amp RCD (feeds the last two breakers) - two 16 Amp circuit breakers.
With the oven taken care of, it leaves you two 16Amp power circuits and one 16Amp light circuit. At a guess I would say the light circuit would be the one next to the oven, that way if the last RCD trips you would still have light. 

The RCD's protect the people and the circuit breakers protect the wiring. That's why the RCD's feed the circuit breakers. 
The oven may not be feed from an RCD because motors or heating elements can have a certain amount of safe leakage to earth.

That run down is probably clear as mud :big: and it's 10 year old knowledge. I'm open for correction.

Cheers
Phil


----------



## Stan

That is certainly a different system than used in North America. I have more circuits than that on the sub panel in my garage. (240volt-40 amp for stick welder, 240 volt-20amp for MIG, 240volt-15amp for bench saw, 120volt-15amp door opener, 4x120 volt-15amp for utility plugs, 120volt-15amp for lights). As I understand your system, you would run wire large enough for the entire load around the garage and then fuse the plug for each load. Is that correct?

What you call RCDs, we call Ground Fault Breakers but they feed a load directly and are used primarily where you can contact ground (earth). They are used where you have utility outlets close to plumbing (kitchen and bath) and outdoors.


----------



## Majorstrain

Hi Stan,
I think the English use a fuse in the plug, it's not a common thing over here. If an appliance is fused it's usually found in the appliance itself.

Any single phase (240V) tool or appliance that draws 10Amps or less can be plugged into a general purpose power point (utility plugs). (2.4kW - Equivalent power rating of 110V 20 Amp for you guys in the USA)

There maybe 10 or so of these connected to one run (star or daisy chain) back to the switch board or sub-board and supplied with one 16Amp circuit breaker. (there is a maximum number each circuit breaker can supply but it's changed since I got out of the trade). Although you can plug 10 different appliances in at one time, you can only draw 16 Amps before the circuit breaker trips. Sorry no toaster, kettle and fan heater on at the same time on the same circuit. :wall:

The circuit breaker is there to protect the wiring not the appliance. The wire would handle 20Amps or so sustained and quite a bit more for a short time (2.5mm square copper).

If the appliance draws more than 10Amps then it would have it's own run back to the board, and it's own circuit breaker, the plugs on these appliances have a larger earth pin so they *can't* be plugged into the normal power points (Put that metal file away :big. The stick welder would fall into this category.

Three phase gear (415 Volt) has it's own run and triple breaker also.

As Bob mentioned, the other possible units (cooking and hot water) aren't electric, so it's just general power points and lighting needed.

Sorry for hijacking you excellent mansion thread Bob, I'll disappear back to my QCTP. :toilet:

Cheers
Phil


----------



## Maryak

Phil and Stan,

Thank you both for contributing, I have learned a lot from your posts and they are anything other than a hi-jack of this thread. :bow: :bow:

Best Regards
Bob

Edit:- Just my luck our circuits are daisy chained although I prefer the more macho ganged together. : :


----------



## Maryak

Hi all,

Another week and we have now have rainwater and the painting about 1/3 complete.

The rainwater tanks 1000l and pump which goes to the toilets.







The paint colour.











See ya next week.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## RonGinger

Can you tell us a bit about the rainwater tanks? Do you use the water to flush toilets? 

They are not used here in the US, in fact I think plumbing rainwater into the house would be a code violation in most areas.


----------



## shred

RonGinger  said:
			
		

> Can you tell us a bit about the rainwater tanks? Do you use the water to flush toilets?
> 
> They are not used here in the US, in fact I think plumbing rainwater into the house would be a code violation in most areas.


I read an article by a guy in Seattle a while back about plumbing his toilets with rainwater. I suspect he didn't bother with nicities like 'code', but the way he did it was plumbing the rain tank into the toilet tank via a 2-way valve-- set the valve to 'rainwater' until the tanks are empty, then switch over to 'tap'. Probably had some check valves in there too.

I'm interested in the 'official' setup too (not that we have near enough rain here though)


----------



## Maryak

Ron and Shred,

Our code here, (in South Australia), mandates that all new houses shall have a rainwater tank which must be connected to the toilets as the primary source of flushing water. Optionally it may also be connected to the laundry for clothes washing. The system is fully automatic and uses a system of control valves to which the mains water and the tank water are connected and a separate submersible pump in the tank. If the tank is empty or there is no electrical power, the system reverts to mains flushing. There is also a backflow preventer to stop rainwater entering the potable water main via the pump when it is operating.

That's about all I know and it's a lot more than I knew before you asked about it. 

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Been a while since I posted here but really not much to show.

The painting is finished

The major appliances are installed but not all are connected yet.

I reckon we are 97% complete as far as the builder is concerned.

The proud owner showing off her new toys.





















Best Regards
Bob


----------



## steamer

Hi Bob,

What did your wife do to her finger? ???

Nothing serious I hope?

Dave


----------



## Stan

Looking Good. Any prospective buyers on your current house?

Are using natural gas or propane fuel?


----------



## Maryak

Dave,

Took a swipe at one of our cats, missed - hit the bench top and broke it :-[ :'( :-\. You would have been proud of me I didn't even smile. 

Natural Gas.

Stan,

A couple of nibbles but no contract yet. We have a few months up our sleeve.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## CrewCab

Ouch  not nice ................ bet the cat's not too popular at the present  anyway the good thing is it doesn't seem to affected Mrs M's role as project manager.

Do the builders carry out the external landscaping Bob, or is that over to you scratch.gif ............ looking good though, any idea of a completion date yet.

CC


----------



## Maryak

CrewCab  said:
			
		

> Ouch  not nice ................ bet the cat's not too popular at the present  anyway the good thing is it doesn't seem to affected Mrs M's role as project manager.



I'm absolutely sure pretty confident only a cataclysmic event of earth shattering proportions would detract Galina from project, husband 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 and cat management. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







			
				CrewCab  said:
			
		

> Do the builders carry out the external landscaping Bob, or is that over to you scratch.gif ............ looking good though, any idea of a completion date yet.



Not the builders, but the estate developers, concreting of the driveway and front landscaping was included in the price of our land purchase. Our finish date is anticipated as 20th August.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## bearcar1

Almost time to break out the Foster's. (why wait :big: ) What a terrific feeling it is to move into a new home. Everything is to your specifications and no one else's. I have followed with interest as I find the different building codes and materials used fascinating. Great looking home and hope the Mrs. heals up in a jiff.

BC1
Jim


----------



## Maryak

Jim,

Thanks for following along. Believe it or Not, I'm not a Fosters fan. I like Hollandia which is a dutch beer imported to Oz and in 330ml bottles, (just as well as it's 5% alcohol, 6 of those and I'm anybody's :)

Anyway, we had our walk through inspection with the building supervisor yesterday and it went very well. As you would expect there were a few minor things, such as tile sealing in a couple of spots and the TV connection surround the wrong colour etc. The main thing was he agreed with everything we said and advised it would all be corrected by next Friday, 28th August.

We take over the house at 3pm on that day in exchange for the final payment cheque. Yes it's getting exciting and this week I will assemble all the bits and pieces for laying the floating floor, installing the light fittings and putting up curtain rods.

The notices have gone to our neighbours regarding the boundary fencing and that should be able to commence around 14 Sep. We have also had discussions with the landscaping contractor and hopefully the front will also be prettied up during Sep.

We bought the land in July 2008 so 14 months from start to finish and 4 months of that was our design stage where I translated what we wanted into something the architects and engineers could work from.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## CrewCab

Congratulations Bob, looks like a busy time ahead 8)

CC


----------



## steamer

Sounds Great Bob......Ok shop pictures now please!!!!!We want to see the new shop!


 ;D

Dave


----------



## enginebob

Shop :bow: Shop :bow: Shop :bow: Shop :bow: Shop :bow: Shop :bow:

Come on please!?!??


----------



## Maryak

CC, Dave and EB,

Thanks guys :bow:

There is no new shop.

My shop is in a 20' shipping container, as such it is transportable. When things have settled down I will be relocating it from it's current site to my daughters property, which is about 20 mins drive from our new home.






The line length is 37.5 km.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## enginebob

Wow! When you put distance between you and the Mrs. you don't fool around do ya? 
EB


----------



## Maryak

enginebob  said:
			
		

> Wow! When you put distance between you and the Mrs. you don't fool around do ya?
> EB



It's not so much a matter of distance as it is concentration. What I mean is when I'm home that has my full attention and when I'm in my shop that has my full attention. It works for us because we don't get annoyed at each other by "honey do interuptus" and the lack of response to same.

Being male I can only do one thing at once as I have been told on many occasions. This arrangement allows me to respond with, "Yes dear but look how well I do it!!!" : :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## CrewCab

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Being male I can only do one thing at once ........... but look how well I do it!!!" : :



Classic Bob 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




























 :bow: CC


----------



## steamer

Bob,

 ;D

Dave


----------



## Maryak

CC and Dave

Try it sometime. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			











Best Regards
Bob


----------



## enginebob

Ha ha ha :big: :big: :big:
EB


----------



## steamer

Maryak  said:
			
		

> CC and Dave
> 
> Try it sometime.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Best Regards
> Bob



OOOOOH Papa knows better than that! Rof}

Don't Poke the Bear! :big:

Dave


----------



## Maryak

We got the keys on Friday 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




The Hit and Miss is on the back burner whilst I tackle the floor.

Day 1. Skirtings off and laying the family room and part of passage. There will be a break here as the rows to the passage are 9m and an expansion joint is recommended.

















Isn't it exciting ??? ??? : :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

Bob: That foam underlay looks like it is about 50mm thick. How to you connect to the rooms that have tile? The pictures of the concrete slab look like it is all flat.


----------



## scoop

it's just an optical illusion,foam is probably only 2mm thick max.does look like a much thicker depth though.


----------



## Maryak

Stan and scoop,

The foam is actually 3mm thick, bloody good guess. :bow:

There are aluminium extrusions which accommodate the ends against doors and tiles and a different section for expansion and transitions from one room to another.

If you look real close you can see the extrusion in place against the sliding door in photo 2.

I will take some pictures of these today.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## GailInNM

> Isn't it exciting ??? ??? : :



Bob,
We are all getting excited as moving in day keeps coming closer!
Very nice in all ways.
Gail in NM


----------



## Maryak

Gail,

Thanks for the kind words and support. :bow:

Well 5 solid days of work and I have laid about 35 m2 of 115 m2 of flooring. The family room was a nightmare around all the benches sliding doors and kitchen tiles. At the end of day one I looked in my starting corner and observed that the whole damn thing had moved because some of the wedges had slipped under the plasterboard.   So tear it all up and start again :'( :'(

Here's what we have as of last night.
























Best Regards
Bob


----------



## steamer

Looking good Bob!....laying floor is tough work....it just looks easy ;D

Keep at it!

Dave


----------



## cobra428

Bob,
So when I'm I coming over for Shrimps on the Barbie and some Fost's
Tony


----------



## kvom

> At the end of day one I looked in my starting corner and observed that the whole damn thing had moved because some of the wedges had slipped under the plasterboard.



I used wedges on the first hardwood floor I laid, and had the same problem. Turns out I could slide the assembled floor enough to get it straight again. Then I put a bunch of heavy weights on the starting row to anchor it down.

In my case I put the baseboards on after the floor was laid.


----------



## gjn

Bob

Referring to the map it looks like your daughter's place is fairly close to us at Aberfoyle Park, which area is she in?

Rgds Gavin


----------



## cfellows

When it comes to building or improving your home, nothing is ever as easy as you think it's going to be. I'm running in to this every day in the 4-year-old house we just moved into. But you are continuing to move forward and the results look great!

Chuck


----------



## sparky961

kvom  said:
			
		

> I used wedges on the first hardwood floor I laid, and had the same problem. Turns out I could slide the assembled floor enough to get it straight again. Then I put a bunch of heavy weights on the starting row to anchor it down.
> 
> In my case I put the baseboards on after the floor was laid.



I'll second this. I just moved a bunch of the heavy cartons of flooring onto the few rows of newly-laid flooring to keep it in place.

-Sparky


----------



## Stan

Like many on this side of the world, I am really interested in your house build so I have more questions. 

If the foam is 3mm then I am guessing that this is a floating floor. Is the 'hardwood' a solid wood or a composite and how thick is it? Is this a material that interlocks on the edges and ends? 

After I bought our present house, I replaced all the flooring with a wood composite floating floor and learned many things (most of them to late to make changes).


----------



## Maryak

steamer  said:
			
		

> Looking good Bob!....laying floor is tough work....it just looks easy ;D



Dave, You've got that right.



			
				cobra428  said:
			
		

> Bob,
> So when I'm I coming over for Shrimps on the Barbie and some Fost's
> Tony



Whenever you ready.



			
				kvom  said:
			
		

> I used wedges on the first hardwood floor I laid, and had the same problem. Turns out I could slide the assembled floor enough to get it straight again. Then I put a bunch of heavy weights on the starting row to anchor it down.



Thanks for the tip - I will do that when I start the next room.



			
				cfellows  said:
			
		

> When it comes to building or improving your home, nothing is ever as easy as you think it's going to be. I'm running in to this every day in the 4-year-old house we just moved into. But you are continuing to move forward and the results look great!



Thanks for the support and kind words.



			
				sparky961  said:
			
		

> I'll second this. I just moved a bunch of the heavy cartons of flooring onto the few rows of newly-laid flooring to keep it in place.



Thanks I intend to follow your and kvom's advise.



			
				Stan  said:
			
		

> Like many on this side of the world, I am really interested in your house build so I have more questions.
> 
> If the foam is 3mm then I am guessing that this is a floating floor. Is the 'hardwood' a solid wood or a composite and how thick is it? Is this a material that interlocks on the edges and ends?



Yes it's a floating floor and is a laminated composite 6mm thick which interlocks on the edges and ends. I would really like to know the many things you learned in your project. e.g. I have learned that the lip on the roll form end can be partially removed with a chisel to provide a "tap in" interlock without breaking either mating board.

Thanks to you all for your help and support.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

Here are some of the things I learned too late. You are likely aware that you have to hammer on the groove end when driving the boards together. You have to keep this in mind when starting the layout in a room. If there are any angles (I had a corner fireplace) you have to start the layout so that you are driving the board towards the angle. Otherwise, as you drive the board the other way, it is moving away from angled wall (wide mouldings  ). The material I had which was also 8mm could not be unlocked once it was hooked together and pressed down. Lifting it back up invariably chipped the corners. I have one section of flooring that is only a little more than one meter wide. Over time that entire short section floated sideways about a cm. I think places like that should have glue in the joints when laid. I had to remove the baseboard and use the hooked hammering tool to drive them back one at a time. I then drove a wood screw into the subfloor at the end of (not through) each board and replaced the baseboard. The tightness of the end joints is important. If too tight, they will want to buckle after time. Getting started square is important. With two or three board hooked together you can see if the ends are staying in line. If not you have to rib the first board to the required taper. If you wait to rip the last board in a room you will always be fighting a stepped end. I have received different opinions on how large an area you do without leaving an expansion joint as you did in your hallway. It should be installed before the door jambs are put in because it is impossible to fit it inside a door jamb even if you disregard the need for expansion space at the end.

Don't do any sawing inside the house. The sawdust is too fine to catch in the dustbag of a mitersaw and goes everywhere if you are using a benchsaw. I don't know what is in the composite, but it will throw a stream of sparks when cut so obviously, not good for the lungs.

One comment on this material which is either good or bad depending on your desires. Places that get the greatest foot traffic develop a high shine.

I hope some of this applies to your situation is is of some help. Stan


----------



## zeeprogrammer

Maybe too late...but for anyone else thinking of laying flooring...

I laid wood flooring for the living, dining, front foyer and kitchen at a 45 degree angle.
A little harder...cause I had to go around the center closet and wall and hope, pray, wish, etc that things came together on the other side. Close enough as it turns out.

On the upside, it's the first thing people notice when they come to visit. (Well after they see my smiling face anyway.)

Makes the rooms look a bit larger. I'll do it again when I move to my single floor retirement home in a few years. Or rather...I'll have someone else do it. Laying flooring is on my list of "I'll never do that again". :big: That list gets bigger every month.


----------



## kvom

As far as hammering on the laminate flooring to seat it, I used a scrap piece of flooring to avoid chipping. Also, my wife and I did it together, as it helps to have one person holding down the piece being installed while the other taps on it.

As for aligning the first row, in my garage appt. build I used a laser pointer to set it parallel to the wall, and then tacked it in place. Since Bob has a concrete subfloor this wouldn't work. I might consider gluing the first row, as those wedges are a PITA.

I haven't totally abandoned the idea of installing more hardwood in the house, but I will definitely never do tile again.


----------



## Stan

Bob: One other thought occurred to me on the way to bed last night. I have a squeak where I have a factory supplied moulding across the hall when I step on the moulding. For transition to other types of flooring, I used the metal mouldings used by the carpet layers. I put in drilled and countersunk holes for screws into the subfloor that did not penetrate the new floor board. The manufacturer of the material I used was very emphatic that it had to be free to expand and contract with humidity change.

Working on concrete is a different situation than on wooden subfloor and I am sure there are accepted methods of doing it. My only experience with concrete subfloor involved laying ceramic tile and it is ideal for that.


----------



## Noitoen

I had floating floor installed upstairs a few years ago but it was before the interlock type. The glue they used has since come loose and now it's a mess. I'm thinking about replacing it with the new "click" on type which seems to be better. For the "between room" joints they have a top/bottom piece that clips together in an H shape


----------



## Maryak

Guys,

Thanks for all the tips and advice - VERY HELPFUL :bow: :bow:

2 people is ideal and my daughter has put her shoulder to the wheel when possible.

Finished the entry and am now tackling the utility passage which is a real PITA.

A belated picture of the extrusions.







The front entry. 











Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Tin Falcon

bob the floors are looking nice. How is the ryobi saw working for you . The only thing I have liked about ryoby tools is the price.
Tin


----------



## Maryak

Tin Falcon  said:
			
		

> bob the floors are looking nice. How is the ryobi saw working for you . The only thing I have liked about ryoby tools is the price.
> Tin



Me too - So far so good. I have a good Bosch which I didn't want to burn out with the fine dust from the composite so this was my solution.

The utility passageway is finished and now its mostly hopefully fairly plain sailing in the main rooms.











A start in the lounge.






I can't say how glad I am we did not have to move in straight away. Not only the floor but all the little things I am finding and having fixed before Mrs M arrives. Nothing serious but niggling all the same.

Today is "Honey Do" day and I am, (or my knees are), grateful for the break. Back at it tomorrow. ;D

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

> Not only the floor but all the little things I am finding and having fixed before Mrs M arrives. Nothing serious but niggling all the same.



Just like buying Chinesse machine tools. The end user (buyer) is always a lot fussier than the builder. With the quality of your flooring work I'm sure Mrs M will be more than satisfied. If not, just casually say that you just replaced a tool that didn't work. ;D


----------



## Maryak

Stan  said:
			
		

> The end user (buyer) is always a lot fussier than the builder. With the quality of your flooring work I'm sure Mrs M will be more than satisfied. If not, just casually say that you just replaced a tool that didn't work. ;D



Stan and Tin,

Thanks for the kind words and yes I am fussier than the builders - mind you IMHO being fussier than the builders is a very long way behind aiming for perfection.  

As for the tool that didn't work - I value my life and my conjugal rights too much. : :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## PhillyVa

Say Bob,

mayybe you are in need of a set of these http://images.google.com/images?q=k...&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4 to help the old knees

Philly


----------



## PhillyVa

Bob,

The floors are look'n great...good job Thm:

Philly


----------



## Maryak

Philly,

Yep, I've got the knee pads, but I still get kneemonia. As long as it's not dicktheria I guess I'm OK :

Thanks for the kind words.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

gjn  said:
			
		

> Bob
> 
> Referring to the map it looks like your daughter's place is fairly close to us at Aberfoyle Park, which area is she in?
> 
> Rgds Gavin



Gavin,

Apologies for failing to answer your question. Louise is on Dashwood Gully Road about 1 km South of Kangarilla heading towards Meadows on the left.







Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi,

Well the lounge is finally finished.  ;D At 25 m2 it is the second largest single area and its size was a sandwich short of a picnic which meant 4 boards was 30 mm short and 5 boards was 1165 mm too long. So starting with a 1/3 - 2/3 board, much cutting and alternating rows from back to front then front to back to minimise wastage. Next will be the smallest area to give me a break and a sense of achievement. :

Lounge Room











Best Regards
Bob


----------



## GailInNM

We won't see you for two weeks after you have the first party to break in that lounge. 
Looks great. I am happy for you and Mrs. M.
Gail in NM


----------



## Maryak

Gail,

Thanks for your continued support. :bow:

Yesterday we arrived with bucket mop and vacuum cleaner and set to cleaning the floors 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. The amount of dust and other unknown extraneous bits was 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.

Galina's comments after we had finished were, "Now it feels like my home" and "When you do the other rooms, WIPE YOUR FEET when going from the garage to the house."

Ah.................matrimonial bliss ??? ??? ???

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## putputman

Bob, that is when it is nice to have the shop close by!!! ;D 
Beautiful home though. When do you move in?


----------



## Maryak

PPM,

Moving in will be at least another month, as we are still trying to sell our current home. We are in the process of changing agents, (Realtor), so who really knows.

Made a bit more progress with the floor.

The 3rd bedroom/study complete.






A start on the main bedroom and walk in wardrobe.











Honey do and "rest" day today and I'm back into it on Thursday.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi,

The main bedroom and WIR are finished and I'm down to the last room.!!











The first curtains hung all made by Galina. Gives me some privacy in my temporary bedroom.






Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Yipee ;D

The floor is finished with bedroom 2 being the last room.













This past week has been spent putting up curtain rods and blinds.












Our fences and retaining wall are in the process of being erected and I am waiting for the landscaping man to finalise his plan for the front garden underground automatic irrigation system which, unbeknown to me was included in our land purchase contract.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## arnoldb

Good going Bob - lovely job 

And what a nice surprise with the irrigation system!

Kind Regards, Arnold


----------



## dsquire

Bob

Looking good. Nice to see that you got something more than you were expecting. Usually it the other way around.

Cheers 

Don


----------



## Maryak

Arnold and Don,

Thanks for the kind words and support. :bow: :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Exciting times Bob and I bet you can't wait until its finished! Looks a very nice place indeed

Mike


----------



## Maryak

Thanks Mike,

It's all systems go at the moment as we only have 2 weeks to get out and in.

We sold our unit and settlement is on 26th Oct.

2 Very Happy Campers

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## gbritnell

Hi Bob, it's nice to have been able to sell the old place first. When the wife and I moved some years back we were stuck with the old and the new for almost a year, taxes, heat etc. The greatest thing about the new place is not _having_ to work on it for many years. 
gbritnell


----------



## cobra428

Hey Bob,
Nice Place and its so nice to have good floors in the shop Rof}
Tony


----------



## Maryak

George and Tony,

Thanks guys. :bow: :bow:

Just to show I have been busy here's a couple of shots of lights and curtains, (all made by Galina :bow: :bow.


----------



## ariz

compliments to Galina for the very nice curtains she has made

and the lights? did you install them Mariak?
but who chose them?
anyway, they are very nice too


----------



## Maryak

ariz  said:
			
		

> compliments to Galina for the very nice curtains she has made
> 
> and the lights? did you install them Mariak?
> but who chose them?
> anyway, they are very nice too



Thanks Ariz for the kind words which I've passed on to Galina.
Yes, I installed them but Galina chose them, (more than my life is worth to get into the selection process : )

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi All,

We are moved in to the new house.   

Much disarray, spasmodic internet using a dongle, no piccys coz crap in boxes is just crap in boxes.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## dsquire

Maryak 

Congratulations Bob on finally being in the new place. I guess that there will be a lot of little things to adjust and some unpacking to do but that is more fun than packing. :bow: :bow:

Cheers 

Don


----------



## ariz

congrats Bob and Galina
you're in your new, well deserved nest now!

I wish it will give you a lot of peaceful & amusing time togheter


----------



## steamer

Good to hear from you Bob!  Best wishes to both of you! ;D

Dave


----------



## gbritnell

Congratulations Bob and Galina. I'm sure you'll enjoy it immensely. Other than a few things you'll want to do there is nothing you'll have to do for quite a few years. It seemed like we were always doing some type of repair or upgrade to our old place and now that we're in the new one we can devote more time to what we want to do. What type of warranty do you get with the house? We had one year. For small items like drywall cracks we waited right up until the end before we had them fixed. We were lucky in the fact that our builder took care of things without a problem.
gbritnell


----------



## putputman

Congratulaions Bob, and thanks for letting us ride along.


----------



## Stan

I am kind of sorry that you are finished your house. I have looked forward to your weekly reports and learned a lot about house building in your part of the world. I built a house in Northern Canada and one in the US Southwest and both were quite different construction than yours. 

May you and Galina have many years of enjoyment in your new home.


----------



## ozzie46

Nice to see you posting again Bob. I know moving is a pain so hope you can get settled in soon.

  Ron


----------



## Tin Falcon

congrats bob may you and yours enjoy the new place for a long time. Have you moved the shop to the new location yet. I know it is going to the daughters place. 
Tin


----------



## Maryak

Guys,

Thanks for all the kind words and support through this saga. One never to be repeated. 

George builders guarantees in Oz are a myth, 3 months to claim all things. I can only say that getting the various sub contractors to come back and correct their minor mistakes, (mostly electrical and plumbing), is almost impossible. It took 3 weeks to get the electrician to return and the plumber still has not provided us with a plug for the bath.

At least the house is sound and these things are very minor. As I said to the building supervisor, if you and the subbies had done the job properly in the first place, I wouldn't be on your back.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

A big THANK YOU :bow: :bow: :bow: to all who contributed.

As a finale 2 finished ??? rooms

LOUNGE

From this:






To this:






FAMILY ROOM

From this:






To this:






Best Regards
Bob


----------



## cobra428

Hi Bob,
I'm guessing you like cats! Very nice place you have there.

psst, but wheres the shop?

Tony

Best Wishes


----------



## GailInNM

Very nice, Bob.
Be careful. If you get as relaxed as the cats in the mansion we will never see any more output from the shop.
Congratulations to both you and Mrs M.
Gail in NM


----------



## 1Kenny

Looks nice, Bob. Getting the boss in a house she likes will sure help the budget on the shop. :big:

Kenny


----------



## steamer

Awesome! :bow:


Dave ;D


----------



## PhillyVa

Bob,

I think I see you a grinning ;D from across the pond.

Philly


----------



## Metal Mickey

Nice to see you settled. Now look out on the engine building front! How far is the workshop along to work starting? Still think the family room would have been better as a workshop! :big:


----------



## Kermit

Congrats on getting settled in.  You have a lovely home Bob.

Thanks for sharing that journey with us,
Kermit


----------



## John Rudd

A very interesting read....Building a house here in the UK is so very different to that of Oz....

Thanks for sharing, hope you and your good lady wife enjoy your new home...


----------



## cfellows

Very nice home, Bob. Is this going to lead to increased shop time or do you still have new-home-projects to complete?

Chuck


----------



## Maryak

Thanks again guys for your support and interest. :bow: :bow:

John,

When I was a little tacker in the UK I used to help my Dad wire houses and my maternal grandfather was a stone mason. It's poles apart between the 2 countries.

If you took away cordless drills, multigrips, circular saws and nail guns you would incapacitate 95% of the tradesmen here. Not to mention plastics and associated adhesives.

Chuck,

If nothing else, distance to and from will reduce my shop time. But................the list of honey do's is longer than my arms and that's only inside.   

Can't wait to start on the outside. : : : :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## cfellows

I know what you mean about the house projects. I may not live long enought to get them all done!

Chuck


----------



## rake60

Beautiful home Bob! :bow:

Our best wishes for you and Galina to spend the next 50 years
happy and healthy to wear it out. 

Rick


----------



## Maryak

Chuck,

Went to my shop this week. Opened the door and looked wistfully at the 2nd flywheel sitting in the lathe chuck, where I left it in AUGUST. Then took the 12" = 1ft Picasso by Galina of our soon to be letter box and commenced the life saving build of said item.












Rick,

Thanks for your kind words I hope we can wear it out as you say.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

Will you be having grass in front of your house or it that illegal?


----------



## cfellows

New houses are the worst in terms of a million niggling little things that need to be done. At least most of the work is creative in nature, so there is a sense of accomplishment at the end of the project.

For me, it's currently replacing the backsplash tile in the kitchen. Next, it will be resurfacig the black painted cabinets, also in the kitchen. The previous owners were completely devoid of any sense of decorating. 

The first picture is before and as you can see, the backsplash is 12" tile mounted on a diagonal and painted, yes, painted white. The second picture is after tiling but before grouting. A little color makes quite a difference.


----------



## Maryak

Stan,

You may have grass if you want mainly because of the super duper underground irrigation system. We are having a rosary interspersed with dahlias and irise and a ground cover of violas and bark chips. The verge will be grass. We made a start on this yesterday and managed to plant 7 roses before my back gave out, and I had help in the form of a young Russian immigrant who did 80% of the hard slog. We will try for a few more again today.

Because we want a non standard garden we must put in the plants and then the landscaper will run the irrigation pipes and feeders to our plants.

Chuck,

You are so right, most of the work is very rewarding and I like your new backsplash.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Stan

That brings up a second question. Is the irrigation system from your rain collection system, municipal water source or something completely different. I ask these questions because I remember you saying that you had to use rain water to flush the toilets.


----------



## Maryak

Stan,

The irrigation is from the mains reticulated water system at $1.88 per kilolitre  

Half the roses planted.






The irrigation controller.











Best Regards
Bob


----------



## ileed

Bob,

Nice work. I enjoy learning about the construction practices of another location, the layout, materials, utilities. I am a pussy person too. Your felines look very content. Mine are out of doors killing mice in the corn fields.


Regards,
Greg


----------



## Maryak

Hi Guys,

As promised the photos of the study complete with new furniture.

From the doorway.






Galina's half.






The new desk.






The front garden and verge completed.






Best Regards
Bob


----------



## gbritnell

Hi Bob, now it looks lived in. It takes a little while to get everything sorted out but once you do it's a great feeling.
gbritnell


----------



## cobra428

Bob,
Where the heck is the lathe and mill, your need to be in the trenches with the rest of us! No easy living...Make Engines...

Just kidding Bob, Congrats, the place is coming along very nice.

Tony


----------



## Troutsqueezer

Is that a netbook I see on the desk? I love mine! As a matter of fact, right now it's late, I'm too tired to sit at the computer desk so I'm laying down in the bedroom, the wife's watching the TV, I have the netbook on my chest, head propped up on a pillow, cruisin' HMEM. Now there's a picture. Pretty soon I'll fall aslee......... zzzzzzzzzzzzz


----------



## Maryak

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> Is that a netbook I see on the desk? I love mine!



Trout,

It's a HP Mini and yes it's a great little portable machine. Our internet here is a dongle through a router so when we go elsewhere remove dongle from router and internet access from car motel etc. I wish I'd bought one ages ago. Mostly I use it for Bureau Veritas documentation, (at least that's the excuse for it's purchase), and HMEM access is a byproduct of this : :

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi All,

Today was a red letter day on two fronts.

1. I cut the grass for the 1st time since it was laid. ;D











2. Our junk pile has been reduced to the point where...............There is room in the garage for the car.   









Best Regards
Bob


----------



## gbritnell

Looks great Bob. Thanks for the update.
gbritnell


----------



## Stan

Wishing you many years of enjoyment in your new home. Put your feet up and just relax for a while. Stan


----------



## wm460

Congratulation Bob, great looking place.


----------



## Troutsqueezer

The house turned out beautifully Bob. I like how the the sidewalks there are placed a good distance from the street providing some extra space between pedestrians and moving vehicles. 

Funny thing about rose bushes. My wife is the gardener here but I was conscripted to take care of the pruning for years and every January I was careful to prune them this way and that, studiously cutting just above the bud, facing towards the outside of the plant, cutting out the dead wood, etc. One year we were planning on re-landscaping one area which had a lot of roses. I didn't want them cutting up my arms as I was digging them out so I took my chain saw and in one fell swoop, cut them all to about 12" from the ground. Well, we changed our mind about the landscaping soon after so the rose bushes stayed. The next spring, they never looked better!

My wife belongs to two garden clubs, I've offered to show up and give a presentation of my rose cutting technique to both groups but for some reason my wife wants me to stay home. :big:

-Trout


----------



## Maryak

George, Stan and WM460,

Thanks for the kind words guys. :bow: :bow: :bow:

Trout,

I believe it - like you, I am the pruner and it's lop it off where it looks at the right height : no science, no book reading and no training.

There was a trial carried out involving three people and a bunch of rose plants. The first of the three was a rose expert with awards and plaques etc. for his roses and services to rose growing and propagating. The second was a keen rose grower, member of her local rose society and had been trained by the experts. The third was a Trout/Bob and you guessed it. The next year the Trout/Bob pruned roses had the best showing in both number and size of blooms.

Verifies:
EX = The unknown factor
SPURT = A drip under pressure.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## GailInNM

Congratulations Bob. It is nice to see it all coming together.

Special kudos for getting a car in the garage. My garage is my shop. Last time a vehicle was in it was when I moved in here in 1982. Then I backed my pickup up part way in it while I was unloading machinery and other shop supplies.

Gail in NM


----------



## Maryak

Hi Guys,

Well this week was a dead duck as far as shop time was concerned. We were very busy with tank surveys and the weather was not kind, it was just too damn hot to stand in the sun all day. We knew it was time to quit when we started to get dizzy going up and down the ladders.

Our new home is located 30 km south of the CBD here and as such is considered rural. Upside car rego is cheaper by $120 per annum. Downside to telephone our friends in Adelaide is considered long distance and 19c per min peak and 9c per min off peak.   We are on a rim exchange and are connected using a twisted pair which means we cannot get ADSL, let alone ADSL2. This will continue until Telstra makes a proper job of the phone system in our district.

We currently access the internet through a wireless broadband service. I spent quite some time this week investigating VOIP telephones for use with our wireless broadband. Our ISP was not impressed and said it would only work with ADSL. To cut a long story short, I was given a great deal of misleading information in various computer shops and when I went to buy an ATA router I had researched on the net, the salesman and I had quite a heated discussion. In the end he agreed to refund my money if it did not work.

Yes, we now have a VOIP phone and our landline as backup. There is a bit of latency in thw system at busy times of the day but I can livw with that at 18c per call anywhere in Oz as opposed to 19c per min.

Our Setup.








Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Maryak

Hi All,

Well today marked 6 months of living in our new home.  Time flies when your having fun.

First up the joys of having a vacant block next door. If you see 2 generation Y walking around covered in red and blue paint, you'll know I caught the little Sebastians.






We, ( my son in law and I), have made a start on the backyard.

First up the Pergola all done except for the painting.






Agricultural pipe drainage system led to stormwater.






We have planted a few rose around the perimeter with more to follow then bark/wood chips.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Blogwitch

Very nice indeed Bob, you should be happy there for many years to come.

We love plants, but hate gardening. The wife can kill an indoor plant just by looking at it. If the seed growers could come up with grow your own green concrete, we'd be their first customers.

So we have all our greenery in big pots, and by moving them around, we can have a relandscaped garden every year. But I must tell the truth, a lot of them are actually artificial, and the wife just buys new each year and sticks them in pots full of soil, eventually, the weeds sprout around them and have their own live greenery, and sometimes they give a nice showing of flowers, dandelions, daisies and forget me nots are my favourite.

Non green fingered Bogs, unless he is painting the fence.


----------



## rake60

Looks great Bob! 

On a side note:
Did you know that if you take a small piece of rock salt, wet your fingers and roll it back
and forth until it is just under .177" in diameter, then allow it to dry it can become very
useful. After it is dry coat it with talc powder.

Having done all of that it will fit the barrel of your favorite pellet gun perfectly.
It is a non-lethal deterrent to the young folks who think they should decorate your 
property for you. It is also very effective on the stay cats who think they should sort
the the garbage bags before the pick-up truck arrives. 

No permanent damage but they ALWAYS get the message.  

Rick


----------



## tel

> Did you know that if you take a small piece of rock salt, wet your fingers and roll it back
> and forth until it is just under .177" in diameter, then allow it to dry it can become very
> useful. After it is dry coat it with talc powder.



.. or pull the projectile from a rimfire round and shove the open end in a bar of soap. Wonderful deterrent and leaves a nice clean spot.


----------



## Deanofid

Nice garden, Bob. I definitely have a brown thumb when it comes to that kind of thing.
It's a blessing, I guess. Time not spent trying to get things green is extra shop time. ; )

Your comments on the criminal vandalism on your private property make you sound like a pretty
easy going fellow. I'm afraid my thoughts would have been much less.. charitable.
Sorry to see that trash.

Dean


----------



## Maryak

Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> Non green fingered Bogs, unless he is painting the fence.



Bogs,

A man after my own heart.............concrete it and paint it green. ;D Galina is the gardener and has a very green thumb, mind you all our plants have webbed roots and take swimming lessons.  : I just dig the designated size hole in the designated place. One more "Yes Dear" in my repertoire.

In Novosibirsk Galina's balcony was one of 240 in her quadrant which had planter boxes, (the balcony is 2.5m x 1m). If you want a garden, you can apply for some land outside the city and make a Dacha. The size of the land you opt for determines how many kg of fruit and vegetables you must produce each year. After this if you have time for flowers, well good luck to you. The land is totally unserviced and any improvements you make are not yours. Should you fail to produce the requisite amounts of spuds, carrots, onions, cabbage, beetroot, raspberries, strawberries, apples etc., you lose your lease. I have spent a couple of week-ends helping Galina's cousin at his Dacha and it's bloody hard yacka. By the time the sun goes down around 22:00 you are more than ready for bed. Not my idea of a relaxing week-end away from home.

Galina loves her garden and I am very happy for her.



			
				rake60  said:
			
		

> Did you know that if you take a small piece of rock salt, wet your fingers and roll it back
> and forth until it is just under .177" in diameter, then allow it to dry it can become very
> useful. After it is dry coat it with talc powder.
> 
> Having done all of that it will fit the barrel of your favorite pellet gun perfectly.
> It is a non-lethal deterrent to the young folks who think they should decorate your
> property for you. It is also very effective on the stay cats who think they should sort
> the the garbage bags before the pick-up truck arrives.
> 
> No permanent damage but they ALWAYS get the message.
> 
> Rick



Rick,

I am not very gun oriented and I did not know that. Probably the safest place to be if I have a gun in my hand is where I am aiming it.

Tel,

Trouble with 0.22" in a built up area is they make too much noise.

But thanks Rick and Tel for your deterrent tricks. I will investigate an air rifle.



			
				Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Your comments on the criminal vandalism on your private property make you sound like a pretty
> easy going fellow. I'm afraid my thoughts would have been much less.. charitable.
> Sorry to see that trash.
> 
> Dean



Dean, age has mellowed me a little, (besides I can't run as fast I as used to to catch the buggers). If you had seen my initial reaction when I came round the corner and saw the mess you may change your opinion.

We now have a street telephone and observation group who will go together to deal with the next smart ass carrying a spray can. It was not only our property which was hit.

Thanks again guys. :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## Blogwitch

Bob,



> age has mellowed me a little, (besides I can't run as fast I as used to to catch the buggers).



I had the same problem last evening when Bandit was taking me for a walk. Bandit is a free roamer, and when he was about 50 yards from me, some young kids, about 8 to 10 year olds, started to torment him with big sticks and he was really getting wound up. When I went after them on my new buggy, they soon realised they couldn't outrun me (I've got a turbo charged 8mph one, at the flick of a switch). No matter how far they run, even over the rough, they ran out of wind well before my batteries would have died, and after a few hundred yards, they gave up. A quick tongue lashing soon had them put to rights, and no back chat as I was leaving either, they now realise us old codgers can get to them whenever we want.

Bogs


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## steamer

My condolences on the mess from the little twits, though Tel, the soap trick is a new on me...guess the rock salt technique is more common here....

The garden and pergola look great!....and if it weren't for my wife it would all be green paint here.

Dave


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## Tin Falcon

bob:
 build one of john toms ma deuce paint pellet markers
Then mark the offenders. For easy identification by the authorities. 
http://www.john-tom.com/AirsoftPaintball/AirGun/AirGunPlans.html
Tin


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## Kermit

In the great state of Texas, a homeowner is allowed to shoot and kill any intruder on his property after sundown. NO questions asked. (practically)

While I have never heard of or witnessed this happening in recent history, the fact that it is ALLOWED, becomes a very potent deterrant to the little teenage punks. We have 'tags' on lots of buildings and structures in this state, but homeowners houses aren't one of them.

Call it barbaric, but from where I live, I call it peaceful and serene,
Kermit


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## Maryak

Guys,

Thanks for all the advice on how to deal with the graffiti artists. :bow: :bow: :bow: The gun laws in Oz are draconian and airsoft weapons are banned except for those in a recognised gaming club. Marking the offenders for arrest would also mark me for arrest and an assault charge. Legally I need a licence to own any sort of firearm and to obtain a licence I need to be a member of an approved shooters club. The word Outlaw springs to mind, or a move to Texas. 

Best Regards
Bob


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## SAM in LA

Build yourself a good, powerful, sling shot.

When I was a kid, Wrist Rocket was a popular brand of sling shot.

SAM


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## Tin Falcon

BOB sorry did not mean to suggest you do anything illegal. In New jersey laws are pretty bad too need a licence for a bb gun air soft and paint ball are still ok though. 
Tin


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## Kermit

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Guys,
> 
> Thanks for all the advice on how to deal with the graffiti artists. :bow: :bow: :bow: The gun laws in Oz are draconian and airsoft weapons are banned except for those in a recognised gaming club. Marking the offenders for arrest would also mark me for arrest and an assault charge. Legally I need a licence to own any sort of firearm and to obtain a licence I need to be a member of an approved shooters club. The word Outlaw springs to mind, or a move to Texas.
> 
> Best Regards
> Bob


Since not everyone could move here...
How about a practical suggestion from the great state of Texas  

An eyecatching planting of a species with NASTY thorns all along those walls.
A lawn sprinkler system that activates on a motion sensor.
A playful large dog, who hates intruders.

The slingshot idea is a nice one too!
(edit I just remembered, I use red pepper powder on the garden and flower beds to keep the cats out. Some of that on the ground ...


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## Maryak

Tin Falcon  said:
			
		

> BOB sorry did not mean to suggest you do anything illegal. In New jersey laws are pretty bad too need a licence for a bb gun air soft and paint ball are still ok though.
> Tin



Tin,

Absolutely no need for an apology. :bow: I did not take it that way. I would love the opportunity to implement most of everybody's recommendations, (especially those involving a physical deterrent).

When the estate is finished our garage wall will be next door but something nasty on the ground has a certain appeal, thanks kermit.

Best Regards
Bob


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## johnthomp

i used to live on one of the roughest estates in rochdale and had a problem with idiots climbing over the back wall of my garden and stealing my car off the drive so i built a plastic gun out of a sink waste trap and some drainpipe just ram a large potato down the barrel spray a little lighter gas in the chamber and ignite with a gas cooker ignition and hey presto the little sods had a 10 ounce potato pellet hurtleing at them at an average 400mph knocking the one i hit out cold they never came back and i saw the lad 3 days later in the local shop jesus what a shiner he had


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## Foozer

Motion detector activated lights bout the most effective way to combat the night time sneaks. Planting trip flares and claymores, most anything that can be taken as a boobytrap just brings unwanted attention. Doo happens, fortunately those that like to perform those acts in another's yard prefer the cover of darkness. Faced with the light of "Gotcha" they scurry off like the vermin they mimic.

Course having the 44mag by the bedside dont hurt either.


Robert


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## ksouers

Hmm... camera strobe with a very loud recording of a Colt .45 might have a humorous effect on the little darlings sphincter muscles ;D


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## Maryak

John, Foozer and Kevin,

Thanks for the suggestions. :bow: :bow: :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## Tin Falcon

In the US many sporting goods stores and sporting goods mail order houses sell game cameras . they are digital cameras with built in flash and motion sensors. so when it is tripped it takes a photo day or night and puts a time and date stamp on the photo so you know what time the "game" goes down the path. Just remember to deactivate before you or the misses weed the garden lest you have many snapshots of your own rear view. 
a cheaper alternative is harbor freight sells driveway alarms for under $20 a motion sensor with a remote audiable alert. someone wanders along side your house you are alerted inside. 
Tin


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## Maryak

Hi Guys,

First up, thanks for all the anti graffiti advise. :bow: I am now equipped to deal with the next a$$$hole armed with a spray can. *knuppel2*

The Pergola is painted and the back garden is finished, (until the next planting, mulching season plus any extraneous commands suggestions from SWMDBO).



















All that's left is a small amount of paving under the swing seat and out front, but fortunately it's raining. ;D

Best Regards
Bob

http://www.aussieviewshere.com/aldinga.html


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## Blogwitch

Bob,

As you know, I hate gardening, and everything in my garden is in pots, almost like yours. 
I only have two 'permanent' plants, a honeysuckle and a clematis. I just cut a small triangle off the corner of a couple of paving slabs, and stuck them into the soil underneath. They just look after themselves and are thriving. In two years from being a small stick, the honeysuckle now has a spread of about ten feet along the garden fence, and the clematis gets to half the length of the shop now by the end of the summer.

Armed with a sack truck to move the pots around, I can have a new looking garden whenever I want. 

The only problem is the continual watering and feeding.

Ever since my walkway has been finished, Mal 'lives' out there, from early morning to late at night, she even does her ironing out there since I have fed power and lights out to it. You should find your pergola is the most used 'room' in the house during summer.

Very nice job indeed.

Say bugger to what Mrs Maryak wants for a while, grab yourself a cold one, sit back, and start to enjoy the fruits of your labour.


John


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## Maryak

Finale

Yesterday saw our last capital works project completed with the installation of a 1.5kW solar power system.

The work was completed around 1pm and by the end of usable sunlight around 5 pm the unit had satisfied all our energy demand and returned 1kW to the grid.

I'm impressed...........(not that it takes a lot of doing).












Best Regards
Bob


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## Foozer

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Finale
> 
> Yesterday saw our last capital works project completed with the installation of a 1.5kW solar power system.
> 
> Best Regards
> Bob



Good item, kudos to you for the venture. I have a 2524 Outback grid tie inverter but only 600 watts of panels, panels get spendy in a hurry. On a good day here in the north no sunshine west, it returns about 400 watts to the grid or at least 400 watts I'm not buying. Good thing it was a "Hobby Interest" item for the payback is in the never category. Couple years it'll be time to dump this place and find something with enough water head for a mico hydroelectric. 24/7 water is better than the short sun days here.

Robert


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## bearcar1

Bob, I am sorry, I seemed to have missed quite a few episodes on this thread. I just now went back over and got caught up on the happenings. It appears that you and 'ol' what's her name' ;D have assembled some delightful new digs. Splendid looking home and I like the back yard pergola as you call it. Too bad about the sebastian little cretins that defaced your wall. Hope they get caught and assigned their deserved lot. That solar array looks interesting, those systems are being pushed fairly strong here in the Chicagoland area but the limited weather conditions as well as the return on investment has pretty much kept it from being a viable alternative. Too bad. Wind turbines is another that is being headed up but the local zoning height and setback restrictions are putting the dampers on that one as well. Too bad you could not have moved in next to a running stream or below a water head, then you could make up some chutes, add a wheel and be set for the duration, at least until the seasonal droughts come. :big: 

BC1
Jim


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## Maryak

Robert and Jim,

Thanks for stopping by and your kind words. :bow: :bow:

Solar.

Yes, solar is more viable in countries where there is more sunlight. The latitude also helps, i.e. smaller is better as it's easier to get more direct sunlight onto the panels without resorting to a fancy tilt system to optimise output. Our roof has a 250 slope so we do much better in the summer than we do in the winter as the sun is 110 versus 570 North of us.

Wind.

With respect to wind powered generators. There is a fairly new, (German I think), system which places a series of turbines along the ridge line of the roof. Minimal height increase and it utilises the increase in wind velocity from gutter line to ridge line which can be as much as a factor of 5. For the "Windy City" with restrictive building ordinances this could be a way to go.

Now before you all think I am some kind of Greenie. Yes I am..........I love greenbacks. Environmental benefits were very much secondary to the severe damage to my hip pocket by the average 11%pa increases we have been getting for energy over the last few years. Now, short of turning into a camel, I have to figure a way to overcome our exorbitant water prices. We built a desal plant which in view of our terrible floods in Qld and Vic is a money gobbling white elephant, which has to be paid for at full tote odds even when it's shut down.

Yesterday was our first full day generating. We made 10kW of which we sold back to the grid 2.4kW. With an average daily use of 17kW that's pretty good. There are some clouds about today so it will be interesting to see how much we lose over yesterday.

Best Regards
Bob


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## Foozer

You have net metering? You buy retail and sell wholesale? Windpower Ya Put up a 400 watt turbine on a 47 foot tower, yet another fun adventure raising a tower, as I sat in a sort of wind channel. Problem with wind and grid tie is for me the variance in the wind speed gave the inverter a hard time in maintain output. Have a 4 battery deep cycle bank that absorbs the wind charge and seems to extend the solar sell cycles. Most useful thing is the 1000w inverter hooked to the batteries for those times when the power goes out. Least then I can manage some lights and get a pot of coffee. Gotta have priorities.

Expensive, To do again as it should be would have to be tied in a new 30 year mortgage, something that at this age just aint gonna happen.

Robert


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## jpaul

Bob,

Nice work!

I live in Los Angeles, California, where tagging is quite popular. One solutions I have found effective is REPAINT. you have more paint than they have. Nothing worst than having your tag disappear faster than you can replenish your spray cans.


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## Stan

I think I said this last year, but it is worth repeating. You have done a great job on your new house. Have you made any plans to move your shop?

I have a relative who decided to build a house that was off grid. He started with several acres (hectares) of land so that he could dig a pond for a heat sink for his heat pumps and drill a deep well for potable water. Then came a very expensive house, designed for the proper roof angles and window location and constructed to the highest possible standard.

Lots of solar panels on the roof, two wind generators and a big bank of very expensive batteries. With a wife and two daughters, he quickly found that he didn't have a hope of keeping up with hot water demand so he installed a gas fired water heater. Other than that, he is operating off grid very successfully. 

He is quite young, so he may live long enough to recover his capital cost but long before that he will have to replace worn out components and pay big dollars to recycle the old ones.


----------



## Maryak

Foozer  said:
			
		

> You have net metering? You buy retail and sell wholesale?
> Robert



Yes Robert I buy at 25c/kWh and sell, (with government incentives), at 50c/kWh. We are now trying to train ourselves to wash and iron and vacuum etc. after dark thus maximising our selling kWh. Tight as a fishes backside.........and that's watertight. 



			
				jpaul  said:
			
		

> I live in Los Angeles, California, where tagging is quite popular. One solutions I have found effective is REPAINT. you have more paint than they have. Nothing worst than having your tag disappear faster than you can replenish your spray cans.



Jp,

Thanks for stopping by :bow:

We only had the one incident and several of us, especially those with teenage children, let it spread quietly that if we caught them they would not be walking away but would be able to admire their work close up for a considerable period of time. :-X

Stan,

I had great plans to move my shop to my daughters farm but She and Hubby have grown tired of the rural life and want to enjoy things like buses, (so they don't have to drive the kids everywhere), Kentucky Ducky/Pizza Hut, (so they don't have to cook a meal every night). The list goes on but you get the idea.  So there goes my nice spot in the country on the other side of the fence from the geegee's and free power. I have a couple of ideas but non have borne fruit yet so I'm stuck with 120km round trip once a week.

Thanks for your kind remarks again. :bow:


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## steamer

How about a Kit building?

Dave


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## Tin Falcon

Bob : nice solar setup. 
I am seeing more of it here in New jersey USA as well a couple counties north of me has small panels on many utility poles and there is a fair sized solar farm being set up on a farm I pass on the way to work . probably 40 + acres. 
Tin


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