Studio (fancy shed) build

We've been needing a new shed for a while now as my partner is sick of working in my shed and really needs a space of her own.

So I thought I'd document the process here.

We're calling it a studio as it will be used as an artists workshop. Art that can range from intricate jewellery to big chunks of scrap metal. To give you an idea, here is a pic of the fence we recently put up around the house to help keep the kangaroos out.




So, we decided on a site about 50m from the house, close enough to run power and water. It's fairly level requiring only about half a metre of retaining wall at its lowest point.



March 2014. I sketched up some plans with Google Layout and put in an application with the council for planning permission and sent off my plans to an engineer to get them stamped. Still waiting for a response from both.

Meanwhile we started making mudbricks. It has been an unusually dry summer and the dam was very low making it easy to get the tractor in and dig up plenty of mud. In a pit, we mixed the mud with old hay and proceeded to shovel it into moulds, drying them in the shade.



It didn't help when an emu came by a walked on the soft mudbricks.



This is the first time either of us has tried making mudbricks and the initial results were a bit "lumpy". But as we progressed we refined our technique and improved our product.



We calculated the need for about 900 mudbricks. We now have 841 stored in the shed. The rain started last weekend and the remaining 60 are still trying to dry enough to be moved. Hopefully this weekend.

Each mudbrick is 350 x 250 x 120mm and weighs a bit over 18kg. Each one has been hand made, turned during drying, loaded onto a trailer, moved up the hill and unloaded into the shed and stacked on pallets. Needless to say, we've both lost weight and put on extra muscle.
As they've dried the smell of wet mud has gone.

We also sifted a few tonnes of clay/soil from the same site and bagged it up ready to make the mud mortar to hold all those mudbricks together.



I made up a batch of this mortar and it looks and works just like the "real" thing although it does eventually break down when left in the rain.

Can't wait to actually lay some wall....but there is so much to do before we get that far. We haven't even heard back about the building permit yet so can't even properly clear the site.

Wow that sounds fascinating! Look forward to seeing your progress!

Wow I am in awe

Look forward to watching your shed/studio come to life.

Good one, I love the roo fence, very nice indeed.

G'day Steve.
Nice to come across another "crazy" builder here. Certainly the DIY path is not for everyone but if you can do it, the rewards are well worth the effort.

I solo built my house on a hill too.


Built from stone and timber cut from the site. Instead of going up on stilts I blasted a chunk out of the rocky hilltop and built into the hill. But my efforts are no match for your precision and skill. Very impressive!

The last of the 900 mudbricks are now in the shed. That's one job down.

Still waiting for council approval. I rang last week but I'm still waiting for the promised call back.

Did the Emu leave a footprint? Could be a nice touch

I bet your glad to get them done and all undercover - especially with the weather forecast for the rest of the week

We have bricks with emu, sheep and dog foot prints in them. However the prints are on the tops and not the face.

We knocked off work early on Tuesday and picked up four jarrah framed glass doors very cheaply and several large jarrah framed windows for free, thanks to Gumtree. They all have good sturdy frames. Just got to clean off the numerous coats of gloss white paint. Maybe paint stripper... or I might try the hot air gun first.


And then last night the rains really came. We added more than 10,000 litres to our depleted drinking water supply. The paddocks are starting to turn green again and Lake Chittering actually has some water in it.

Score! Love those jarrah frames! I might use your build as inspiration for our shed too
The countryside is going to look beautiful after all these rains!

Excellent posts RuffTuff.
Are you constructing with Post & Beam or are the mud bricks loadbearing. ?

It will be a simple post and beam construction. Mudbrick will not be loadbearing.

I love your house and I absolutely love that fence RuffTuff. Looking forward to following this thread!

It's been raining most of the day so I took this opportunity to work indoors cleaning the paint off the doors.



Very difficult to get the multiple layers of paint off the corners and edges around the glass but I think they will come up nicely.

The council has given us planning approval so site works have now started. A number of trees had to be removed and this will provide us with some of the poles required for the build.

The engineer came through with a quote to formally draw up the plans. $2640 seems very high for a simple post and beam construction, especially when I've already done most of the work. I'll be writing back and asking for justification and seeking a second quote. I found this site which gives a guide on engineering charges.

http://www.nicollengineers.com.au/html/price_guide.html