Monday October 19 / Tuesday October 20, Friday October 23 Flushed away This post is about the not so glamorous but oh so important topic of dealing with the stuff that gets flushed down the toilet. If you’re close enough to connect to town sewer then happy days – hook it up, flush and forget.…
Read more
Troppo: Architecture for the Top End By Philip Goad This book traces the evolution of Troppo Architects – from 4 architecture students driving around Australia in a VW Kombi in 1977 to becoming one of the most significant practices in Australia. Troppo have helped to define Australian architecture through their pragmatic response to climate and…
Read more
October That’s a wrap Once the roof was on it was time to wrap the building. This used to be done using ‘building paper’ – similar to the sisalation installed under the roof, building paper has a reflective side and a matte side. The reflective side either faces inside to keep warm air from escaping…
Read more
Monday October 19 / Tuesday October 20 Muddy waters We started construction of 60k House at the beginning of what turned out to be the coldest winter in southern Tasmania for nearly 50 years. May was much wetter than normal and the ground was saturated. This was the main reason why we decided to have…
Read more
Tuesday October 13, Monday October 26 DIY Flowerpot has a lot going for it – a quirky name, beautiful rural scenery, only 40mins drive from Hobart, views of Bruny Island and the Channel – but not a lot in the way of services. No town water. No town sewerage. No NBN or gas line running…
Read more
Big Ideas Small Buildings By Phyllis Richardson This little gem of a book is a follow up to the hit ‘XS’ and celebrates, as the name suggests, extremely small, green buildings. The book covers a wide range of projects around the world, loosely grouped into categories including ‘Material Concerns’, ‘Touching the Earth Lightly’ and…
Read more
Listen to the site After gaining an understanding of the site through Site Analysis and forming a Site Planning strategy (talked about in earlier posts) it was time to think about designing the building itself. To design effectively you need to address the brief (define the problem) before setting out to resolve it. The site…
Read more
Wednesday September 30 / Thursday October 8 Falling water For water supply 60k House will rely on rainwater from the roof to run into the gutters and be collected in a water tank. The length of the roof is nearly 16m meaning there needs to be two downpipes on each side of the building (4…
Read more
Monday September 14 / Tuesday September 15, Wednesday September 23 Rafters or trusses? The original idea for 60k House was to use rafters with collar ties (a horizontal tie beam that ties the rafters together) – the traditional method for a timber framed roof that gives you extra clearance inside. After discussing with both the…
Read more
A Comprehensive Guide for Australian Owner Builders By George Wilkie & Stuart Arden Just as the title suggests, this book is a comprehensive guide for anyone building a house in Australia. It provides a brief history on domestic architecture in Australia and of the building materials and construction methods that continue to be used.…
Read more