Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 81Jul 12, 2012 9:54 am Wow indeed - just beautiful TamK - you've done a great job. Impressed Preliminary agreement 23/11 Contract 22/03 Prestart 06/04 - finalised on 30/04 Unconditional approval 10/05 Demolition 05/07 Slab 26/08 Brickwork 13/09-06/10 Roof frame started 07/10 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32292 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 82Jul 12, 2012 3:17 pm Never apologise for too many photos ... there are never too many You've done a wonderful job ... it's all come up looking gorgeous ... and not much left to do You must be very pleased with it ... pats on the back all round! For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!! Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 83Jul 21, 2012 12:55 am So impressive! And your views are beautiful. Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 84Aug 01, 2012 2:30 pm wow tamk, I just discovered your thread! I cannot wait to be at the stage you are now at. We have been OB-ing for 18 months and I know all of your highs and lows. We even shared a very similar horror story regarding roof carpenter. We have about 3 months to go (but it will probably be 6 ...lol). When all is said and done and we are much better for this crazy roller coaster experience. And as long as you are not divorced you have done extremely well! Congratulations Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 85Aug 01, 2012 3:43 pm Looking great Tam ! How are you planning to do maintenance of that fish tank ? Is there access from the rear ? Our Building on 118 acres in South Gippsland thread - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=54556 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 86Aug 01, 2012 11:15 pm Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement. It's really given me a bit of a boost reading everyone's nice posts. Welcome to the site gbaby! Are you going to be writing a thread about your ob experience? The last 2-3 months of our build before we moved in I found really stressful. I felt like we were going three steps forwards, two steps back and thought we'd never be able to move in. Now that we're in all the stress has lifted off our shoulders and the list of jobs that's left to do seems really managable. Plus now we're living here we feel like we can afford a little bit of time to relax and have a bit of a life alongside building. I'm also really proud to say that over the whole build (2yrs) DH and I have only had one argument, and that was my fault cause I was being a stresshead b*tch. Hi DrPopper, how are you getting on with your council approvals on your amazing plans? The fish tank is an ingenious plan by myself (haha!). Behind that wall is the games room, when you're looking from the gamesroom it just looks like a built-in three door cupboard and when you open the doors there is the fishtank with full access to the tank, filter, lights etc. Inside the cupboard is also a small sink and the tank is permanently hooked up to the pluming under the sink. Turn one tap and the water drains out through the under gravel filter for water changes, turn another tap and it fills back up with water that is plumbed directly from our rainwater tank. We set the tank up 2 weeks ago so here are some photos of the tank set up. Can't wait to get a few more interesting fish. DH has started prepping some leftover floorboards to make the jarrah frame around it but I think that'll take a little while longer for him to finish. http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/fishtank/DSCN0723.jpg http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/fishtank/DSCN0724.jpg http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/fishtank/DSCN0726.jpg http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/fishtank/DSCN0725.jpg We had our solar power connected about 3 weeks ago and I'm loving being able to generate our own power during the day. It gives me a real buzz (excuse the pun). Our rainwater tank should get delivered next week. 30,000L round poly tank. It's plumbed in to the 3 toilets, basin in the fish tank cupboard, and one tap outside which we'll run retic off. I was a bit surprised how big it looked when I went to order it. Seems a shame that we're finally getting some rain this week and we aren't able to catch it just yet. I've also just finished getting quotes for getting the exposed agg for our carport, front verandah and paths around the house so hopefully that should get done in the next couple of weeks. Last weekend we worked on the front garden. The ATU (like a septic system) discharges to 2 big retic areas out the front (both about 75m2 each). One of the retic area runs down the side of our driveway and over the weekend we covered it in tree lopper mulch and planted it out. We did one row of fruit trees (mangoes, orange, lemon, tangello), then we did another row of ornamental flowering plums. Should look pretty along the driveway in spring. I think that's enough update from me for now! Thanks again for your lovely comments. Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 87Aug 05, 2012 11:59 pm ... Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 88Aug 06, 2012 12:05 am We had an exciting and productive weekend this weekend. On Friday we had our rainwater tank delivered. It's a 30,000L tank and it looked HUGE on the back of the truck and even bigger when he off-loaded it and left it standing on it's side out the front of our house. It drew quite a few comments from people on the street. Over the weekend DH finished off the sand pad for the tank then he and my dad managed to get it into position. Very impressive considering it weights 600kg and they did it with minimal fuss and nothing going wrong. DH then finished off the storm water pipes so it's all hooked up. It's meant to rain tomorrow so hopefully it will start filling up - we're pretty excited. All he's got to do is hook up the outlet and pump and we're all set. The tank is plumbed to our 3 toilets, the basin in the fish tank cupboard, and an outside tap for garden retic. Can't wait to be using our own rainwater. We also got some new chooks yesterday. We lost most of our chooks at the beginning of the year due to a fox attack so this weekend we got some new babies. 3 little pekin bantam pullets, and 3 little day old chicks - so cute! http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/DSCN0728.jpg To give some perspective, DH is 6'4" http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/DSCN0771.jpg http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/TamK116/DSCN0773.jpg Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 89Aug 29, 2012 10:26 am Wow that's big!! Yay for chooks!! For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!! Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 90Sep 20, 2012 3:53 pm We're still slowly plodding along with the house. DH has managed to stay quite disciplined on the weekends doing stuff but I have to admit I've been really sick of it over the past month and haven't done much at all. DH has hung most of the 34 internal doors now, but now it's up to me to paint them all. I keep using the excuse that we have to clean out the gamesroom/workshop before I can paint them as there's not enough room to do it. This week is quite exciting as we're finally getting our concrete in the carport and paths around the outside of the house. We had booked in to get exposed ag, but then a couple days later my DD tripped over on someone elses exposed agg and cut her hand. She falls over a lot and I was worried about both the kids cutting themselves everytime they stacked it (which is quite often). We decided to pay a bit extra and get it honed instead. I'm really happy with the decision. They started to grind it yesterday and it looks amazing. They are going to put a bit of clear silica sand in the sealer to make it non-slip so it's not dangerous when it's wet, and that apparently will dull the colour down a fair bit which is a shame. We were tossing up but decided it's better to be safe than pretty. Here are a couple of pics when they had started to grind yesterday. It looks a bit darker because they'd hosed it down. The mix is Holcim Bottlebrush. So pretty. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Once they have finished grinding and have sealed it all I can start painting the verandah and carport. We put on the decorative verandah brackets on the posts last weekend and I'm feeling quite inspired to paint them now. Edited - oops put 2 of the same photo Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 91Sep 20, 2012 5:15 pm *like* *like* *like* LOVE!!!!! Looks great.......colours look so nice next to the bricks.....so much more interesting than plain old concrete. Owner Building on 1800sqm Sanity Intact so far Locked up March 2012 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 92Sep 20, 2012 5:52 pm ohhhh very nice - please PM me the details of your concretor who did the job.... pretty please did you get it semi-polished? Preliminary agreement 23/11 Contract 22/03 Prestart 06/04 - finalised on 30/04 Unconditional approval 10/05 Demolition 05/07 Slab 26/08 Brickwork 13/09-06/10 Roof frame started 07/10 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32292 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... Total photo overload 93Sep 20, 2012 7:15 pm Thanks lynny-jane. I accidentally put 2 of the same photos up so I've put a close-up now. When it's dryer it looks a lot lighter but we're hoping when the sealer goes on it will look a bit more like when it's wet. We liked all the different stones in it rather than just plain concrete 'cause we're hoping it will camouflage the dirt a bit more! Thanks Bagheera. Even though they haven't finished yet we would recommend them. They've been great so far, very accommodating and considerate and lots of attention to detail. I'll pm you their details. It's not cheap though!!!! We got a honed finish. The surface is just ground 2 times so not nearly as smooth or shiny as polished but it's a completely flat surface. The surface also has some tiny pinholes in it from bubbles in the concrete but I think that looks great for an outside finish. Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... concreting photos 94Dec 06, 2012 11:46 pm I have a question about your kitchen(it is amazing btw) How deep are your top draws in the island? I've been dishing my kitchen and I want the top draw the be shallow and the other two deep but we were asked what depth as they wanted to make them all equal.... So rather then guessing would love to know what someone else has done! Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... concreting photos 95Dec 08, 2012 1:01 am Oh TamK your hones aggregate outside stuff looks better than my inside polished concrete. I am soooooo jealous! Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills... concreting photos 96Jan 17, 2013 5:40 pm Looks great, I think we started around the same time in the perth hills slightly North of you in Darlington, wish i had known about this site earlier as i have found everything interesting and some aspects may have been handy for those tricky things. being an owner builder can be hard work. but isn't it worth it? my forum is viewtopic.php?f=38&t=62345&p=968369#p968369 sorry still new and couldn't get it to link, need to copy and paste it in Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills...Update 97Mar 06, 2013 4:18 pm I haven't been on here in ages, so I apologize for not replying to your messages. cjbarker I've checked out your thread and it looks great. I look forward to seeing more photos. I've been trying to figure out exactly what we've achieved since I wrote on here last and I've been struggling to remember. It feels like we've still been so busy doing stuff but we haven't really got anything to show for it. We have been trying to reclaim a bit of a social life and get back in touch with friends who we didn't have time to see over the last 2 years so that has been nice. We also got sick of working on the inside so we've been working on the outside a fair bit. Firstly, I've got to show some photos of our front yard from when the old house was demolished so you can see how far we've come. The old house was directly in front of the new house and it was demolished in April/May last year. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ After demolition we had the service trenches dug and had to chop a couple of trees Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So after we moved in a large chunk of our weekends was spent trying to level out the front yard, preparing the soil, installing retic, getting the driveway into a driveable state and laying roll on turf. It's getting there slowly. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Our lovely dirt driveway (looks like it will stay this way for the next 2 yrs) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The retic area for our ATU runs down the side of our driveway. We've planted this out with citrus trees, mango, flowering plums and fragipanis Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ When we had the concreting done around the house we got them to leave the areas in front of the front door and laundry door boxed out and then DH made a small bit of decking out of the old floor boards from the old house. We wanted a bit of the old layed into the new. Looks very dirty in this photo though! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We're also really happy with the end result of our honed concrete. You can't see the clear silica sand the put in the sealer but it makes it non-slip Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We've also been working more on our chook yard, planting more fruit trees and we got some more chooks Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ On the inside, we've finally made the frame around the fish tank and we're pleased with the end result. Looks heaps better in real life. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We've just started work on the fireplace mantle. We haven't finished bogging/sanding painting it yet but you get the general idea. We've also chosen a piece of marble to put down in front as the hearth. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We finally got some marri bedroom furniture to match our bedhead so our bedroom is almost finished. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We also bought a buffet for the meals area so that's a little bit less bare. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My FiL made a toy kitchen for the kids and that took me 10 hours over 1 week to paint the flipping thing! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We've also bought a rug for the living area and put a fan up there which I really love having Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We also had Actron ducted air conditioning installed in December, and we finally put up an outside clothes line a couple of weeks ago. Now I just have to paint the bl**dy internal doors and do the skirting boards. Oh, and paint the verandah outside. Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills...Update 98Mar 06, 2013 10:59 pm Wow Tammy - you've done a lot - the house is looking good Preliminary agreement 23/11 Contract 22/03 Prestart 06/04 - finalised on 30/04 Unconditional approval 10/05 Demolition 05/07 Slab 26/08 Brickwork 13/09-06/10 Roof frame started 07/10 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32292 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills...Update 99Mar 07, 2013 8:51 am Looks scrumptious!!! Those floors are beautiful!! And your yard looks fantastic.....ours is still piles of dirt, bricks and rubble I'm hearing you regarding re-kindling friendships.......O-B'ing is such an ANTISOCIAL occupation hey? Thanks for the update Tammy Owner Building on 1800sqm Sanity Intact so far Locked up March 2012 Re: Another OB in Perth Foothills...Update 100Apr 26, 2013 11:34 pm I'm finally proud of myself. I've finished painting 28 doors. Only got the 2 glass passage doors and 4 sliding linen cupboard doors to go. Here's some proof!!! Ensuite door Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite and WIR doors side by side Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Will add some more proof soon. Our owner-builder journey - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=45187 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Don't think they are designed for double brick. WA has a particular way of building and unfortunately that's the way a large amount of sills are finished. 3 6996 Hi, Apologies - I know there is plenty out there on this but struggling to put together the puzzle. We're planning our garage/external laundry to master bedroom and… 0 11096 I am not sure whether Perth has its own way of doing things in regards to this. Most of Perth has class A (sandy soil), except for some areas near rivers or hills. 2 13063 |