Friday November 13, Thursday November 19, Friday December 11, Wednesday December 16 Give us a break Most of the lining (both wall and ceiling) in 60k House is 9mm plywood. Ply was selected because it is durable, beautiful and I mistakenly believed it would be comparable in cost to finished plasterboard. As it turns out…
Read more
Friday November 13, Sunday November 15, Friday December 4, Tuesday December 22 Behind the walls While the walls and ceiling were still accessible, before the lining went on, both Alan the electrician and also Ian the plumber came to run their wires and pipes. This was the last chance to add taps or power points…
Read more
Friday October 30, Tuesday November 10, Thursday December 17 / Friday December 18 What next? The order in which we have built or finished particular components has mostly been determined by what has been needed next: I promised my guests a working toilet for the birthday party in November, so the toilet had to have…
Read more
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
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
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
Wednesday September 9 – Friday September 11 Back to work It had been hectic to get the slab poured in the middle of winter to meet the deadline for the First Home Builders Boost. After that the builder and I decided to wait a couple of months before starting work again – this allowed for…
Read more