Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2101Apr 03, 2016 7:04 pm Hey cat_dunc! Yes the red marker indicates the water level on the tank. No special drainage in the firepit. We'll just make sure the fall of the paved area is right, the gabions have geotextile separating it from the soil, so they will be water permeable. Here are some more progress shots: Massive hole, 5x5 squareish. All dug by hand by Mr Trixee: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hole filled with roadbase and compacted and levelled: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Geotextile added around the walls and edges where the gabions go, stops soil from washing in as these are retaining: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Then you pack the rock in. We will add a second row of gabions and built in seating. We reckon it will take a month to fill the gabions, so it's not a quick job! I've been told I've only got half an hour until I'm back hauling rocks. Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2102Apr 03, 2016 7:16 pm Pantry and fire pit look superb Trixee. Those gabion walls are . http://www.housebythewater.wordpress.com From blank block to new home in Mandurah, Western Australia. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65564 Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2103Apr 03, 2016 9:02 pm Wow, all by hand. What an effort. Did you hire a compacter? .. was it hard getting it in and out of the hole? I want to do paving too but the compacting part and being able to move the machine concerns me. Where'd you get the rocks from? Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2104Apr 03, 2016 9:34 pm cat_dunc Wow, all by hand. What an effort. Did you hire a compacter? .. was it hard getting it in and out of the hole? I want to do paving too but the compacting part and being able to move the machine concerns me. Where'd you get the rocks from? Yeah the digging took a while! We got the rocks from Creation Landscapes, through a friend. Said friend also had a compactor, so we used his. He came over to help as well, though the compacting looked rather easy, he just went around the square in concentric circles. To move the compactor, we put it in a wheelbarrow and to get it into the hole, we used a couple of planks and pushed it in. Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2105Apr 03, 2016 10:48 pm Ah of course. Well great work! Do you think the gabion walls will get many spiders? I guess you could pressure hose or spray them. Have you done any roofing or shade over your decking yet? That's our next step. Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2106Apr 03, 2016 10:59 pm Yeah I'm a bit worried about spiders, i do think we'll get some. Cross that bridge when we come to it i suppose. There's always pest control! We're going to put shade sails up over the deck. We were going to do it this summer but didn't get started on the deck so we're deferring till next year. Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2107Apr 04, 2016 11:32 pm Wow Trixee can't wait to see your completed fire pit <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> Re: Trixee's Passive Solar Build Perth 2108Apr 05, 2016 10:19 am Love that pantry idea! Looking forward to seeing the fire pit finished, looking great 0 2182 I looked into it a few years ago and my conclusion was to just build a carport that will support panels and get a system installed separately. The company I looked at had… 1 5435 Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 8 2249 |