Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 281Dec 11, 2020 6:46 am Weed numbers have diminished (spending only about an hour each day hunting them down!) so a little more time on the house. Have seen almost no snakes this season - except this one Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Had to shoo it outside. Started on the West side deck outside the main bed - there will be a small storage room behind the facade. The room will also act as a buttress style support to the facade as the worst of the winds come from this direction. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Anchoring Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Also added a couple of stirrups for additional support on the corners of the storage room Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hung three more doors (bathroom not shown) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And attempted my first external reveal on the 2nd bed door Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Blocked in the flashing support on the East side roof ready for the flashing and cladding Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And (as there was no wind to speak of) I put up the first sheet of cladding yesterday - tricky to manoeuvre by myself as they are 3600 x 1200 and weigh 52kgs each Insulation first (none in the upper sections as they are above the ceiling height) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Winds are back today for the next few days so I will have to see if I can do more of these cladding sheets. Teaching finishes for the year next week so hopefully I can get a lot more done. Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 282Dec 11, 2020 3:21 pm The winds this morning were quite light so I forged ahead to try and finish this whole side including under the verandah. Typically - as usual when I am on a roll something stymies the task. My fibro circular saw blade bit the dust so I was unable to finish. This cladding is 8.5mm thick so the fibro knife just won't cut it. (tee hee!!) Both my hardware stores don't stock them so I will have to get an online order which means waiting for delivery. Grrrr... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 283Dec 19, 2020 4:25 pm School finished up for me for the next 6 weeks on Wednesday so I can spend every day on site. When my fibro cutting blade broke last week I put up another full sheet as no cutting was needed. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Each sheet has screws every 200mm on the edges and horizontal studs, and 300mm in the middle. These are countersunk then covered with an epoxy filler which is sanded back when set. I thought I may as well start painting the sheets that are already up. This breaks up the work a bit and keeps it from becoming too repetitive. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I'm very happy with the shiplap join now it's painted. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Yesterday arvo my new saw blade arrived so today I was able to cut, fit and paint the missing piece on the back deck wall. 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 ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 284Dec 24, 2020 7:01 pm A bit more progress these last few days. Verandah end and 2 more cladding panels. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ First undercoat, plus I painted the verandah posts. I intend to put a matching beam at the end of the verandah roof - it will visually finish it off. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Put flashing on and clad the East wall roof - just need to add the capping and edge angle. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Also having a flat square edged roof line - it is a perfect roost for birds. So to prevent them from turning my white walls into a piece of Abstract Expressionist artwork I have made some bird deterrent strips. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I've installed a couple so far and they are not too visible. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Lets hope they work!! Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 285Jan 01, 2021 7:47 pm This last week the weather was being a little temperamental which slowed down my outside work. One thing I finished was the verandah end beam. What I thought would be an easy task - go to Bunnings and buy a 2.4m piece of 300 x 45 LVL - which is where I bought the other beams. Naturally they don't have any now - only 300 x 54. So I made one. I had all the materials already. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like the stone pylons at either end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which perform no structural or supporting purpose and are there to visually make the bridge look strong, this beam supports nothing but I think it finishes off the verandah nicely. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Next I made the main bedroom exterior window reveal: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And this morning, before the winds returned I managed to install two more panels. These were tricky as, after the window sections were removed, I was concerned about the panels being so fragile that they would bend and snap on the thin sections beside the window. The left hand one has such a thin section so I screwed a 3 metre, 35 x 90 piece of timber up the middle, spanning the cut out and lifted the panel using this timber. Success! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Tomorrow I'll paint the panels (2 undercoats) and 2 top coats of enamel on the window reveal - providing there is no rain. Then I need to make the door reveal (behind that sheet of ply) before I install the next panels. Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 286Jan 09, 2021 5:03 pm Well of course there was rain! (40mm on one day) not complaining though as we still need it. But drizzle days and cold too. So only a little outside progress since last post - have been painting door jambs indoors because of the weather. But I managed to get the door reveal made and painted (2 undercoats and 2 top coats). Installed another cladding panel around the door and then gave all the panels 2 undercoats. Hopefully finish the last bit on this side of the house tomorrow. 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 ⋅ It's starting to look like a real house from this angle!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The day after my previous post I came across a dead wombat a couple of kms from my front gate. When I stopped to check it, this was in the pouch: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ WIRES came over and took him. They've been sending me updates on Basil (they called him that when they saw basil growing in my veggie garden) This morning this came through with a message that Basil has been putting on weight and sleeps really well with a dummy Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 288Jan 18, 2021 4:01 pm Well the weather has behaved itself so I have managed to work every day on site. Finished the last panel on the West side of the house (the thin unfinished strip will form part of the facade so doesn't need to be covered just yet) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Have begun working on the East side of the house. Ran out of fibro screws today and waiting for Bunnings to order them in. But I have the kitchen window and door reveals to put in, plus undercoats and top coats painting to do, as well as ridge capping on the east end of the roof, and some more bird deterrents to make. So plenty to keep me occupied while I wait. The unfinished container end is waiting for me to construct a downpipe boxed in cover that can be opened if necessary as this is where the box gutter rainhead and downpipe will be. 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 ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 289Feb 07, 2021 3:05 pm Well it took Bunnings 3 weeks (!!!Grrr...) to get my fibro screws in. So while waiting I gave all the cladding panels their 2 top coats and then I began the formwork for the 28 metre long facade structure. It's going to be a little complicated so slowly...slowly... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The spacing on the left side is irregular as this is for the structure at the far left hand base of the facade. I have decided to put 4 planter boxes in it flush with the surface, and it will not be used for walking on. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ As my original design was rejigged and the facade is shallower than planned, using the original piers has left the front timber corner sitting on the edge of the pier. Although both timbers are right on the concrete, and the structure has very little more weight than the timber itself (plus surface material) I will put an additional stirrup under the timber for peace of mind! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This last piece of cladding will have to wait until I get the plumber to install the downpipe as this is the point where the roof drains. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I return to my paid job tomorrow (casual teaching) - it's been a fruitful 8 weeks off (though no income!!) So now it's back to juggling paid work with house building, So progress will slow again. Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 290Feb 18, 2021 8:37 pm A little more progress since returning to teaching - finished the last little bit of cladding then started on the facade. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Started on the small room just outside the kitchen. This will house the solar battery, my upright freezer (to free up space in the kitchen) and extra storage. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Then I put up the steel support that adds extra strength to the facade (we get some horrendous winds down this way at times!) The timber props are temporary. There's 16 bags of concrete holding it in place. The angle support is made from 100mm square steel tube. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Starting to lose some of my kitchen window view Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 291Feb 27, 2021 4:33 pm Bit more.... Support post is set. 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 ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Currently 3 days teaching a week so 4 on site. ATM I have a thick head cold (picked up from students - a common situation for teachers) so last couple of days been going slow. Today I spent 30 minutes nailing together the corner studs and noggins ready to put up - then completely stuffed up, getting timbers back to front and spending 45 minutes fixing it! I shouldn't try this type of work when I'm not 100%. Have been pre-cutting studs and noggins when the weather was wet. Just started today on the far end corner and hope tomorrow to get cracking on the parallel frame at the front (it will sit on that bottom plate timber you can see in the last pic). The walls will only be about 450mm apart. So I will probably add the ply bracing before I begin the front as I won't fit in between!! Just ordered the wall wrap for the little 'shed' to add protection for the battery and freezer and whatever else goes in there, as well as extra Easylap cladding. A curious visitor sat watching me working indoors. They seem to be slowly getting used to me being around. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 292Mar 06, 2021 4:03 pm Head cold is almost over but it slowed me down a little - especially as I couldn't afford to take time off teaching. My 3 days a week is paying all my bills and what' left goes into the build!! So since the last post my 4 free days have been thus; Spent half a day removing the old dam pump and installing a new one. The far end return took me about 2 hours to measure, cut, nail and install and then another 2 hours to pull it down, rip it apart and redo it as I stuffed it up completely!! (That's what comes from working with a head that feels like it has a king size doona stuffed inside it.) Then I tackled putting up the ply bracing on the interior of the first facade wall as the structure is going to be slightly under 500mm wide I wouldn't be able to add the bracing after the front wall is put up. Finally I joined everything to the east wall, including the porch roof from the kitchen door into the shed. Tomorrow I'm buying some corro to put on the shed roof, and then start putting up cladding. 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 ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 293Mar 13, 2021 4:52 pm My 4 free days this week don't seem to have produced much, but I was working quite solidly each day. Heavy rains also interrupted work a few times. All I managed to get done was to cover the little shed part with house wrap (and tricky to do on ones own especially if there is even a slightest breeze!!) and cover 2 sides with fibro. I did a little test piece and I can mimic the expressed joint found on the higher walls using this fibro. I will be putting in insulation the interior when the front is done. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I also covered the roof area with corrugated iron. It's my first time doing this so I was a bit slow - but happy with the results. I still need to figure out how to flash the house side and what to do with the finish on the opposite end. Also I want a guttering that isn't the standard style so will have to look around. This roof wont have much run off. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 294Mar 20, 2021 2:41 pm Only 3 days this week (including today) to work on the house. So made some progress on the front wall of the facade. More rain interruptions as well made it a nuisance - 20 minutes work then a rain shower - grab the power tools and run indoors for 10 minutes. Repeat! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This little enclosure will be for the solar battery storage and electrical box, plus lots of extra room for my upright freezer (to give me more space in the kitchen which is not huge) and etc. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Putting the top rail on was fun. By this time the winds had picked up and the top is 3.6M to the deck level and about another half a metre to the ground. Waving a nail gun up there is precarious! Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 295Mar 27, 2021 2:51 pm More rain - 75mm one day (almost 3") made working outside difficult. But it's filled my dam and the continuous drizzle will replenish the sub-soil moisture lost due to the drought over the past 2-3 years. It's been the wettest March on record down this way. Had what I'm certain is a Royal Spoonbill visit my dam a few days ago, not a great photo as I was very far away using my phone camera. But I saw a huge flash of white pass my windows and went outside to see what it was. It's a big bird!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And on cloudy days the house blends in nicely to the landscape. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The only outside building work I managed to get done was to start putting up the shiplap panels on the back of the facade. The first one I put up I really struggled with. They are 54kgs each so a little heavy to begin with. But I've installed over 20 so far but never struggled as much in the past. I felt quite weak and wondered if I needed more food for energy. Then it dawned on me - they have been laying outside for the last week or so and have absorbed rainwater. I'm guessing they must have had another 10kgs of water in them!! 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 ⋅ That's all for now folks! School holidays (2 weeks starting Good Friday) are coming so hopefully another building spurt. Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 297Mar 28, 2021 3:46 pm Hi Berek, When I originally designed the house I didn't have anywhere at that stage to build it (was looking for land.) That is why the front of the house doesn't face the street as North is the other direction and the large windows at the front of the house were to capture winter sun. (Passive solar heating). The elongated facade was part of the design aesthetics - the flat roof and long front was to create a house that sat long but low in the environment. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Also it was meant to hide the water tank as can be seen in this pic from the original design: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ But council said the tank wasn't large enough - so as I needed a tank double this size PLUS a firefighting tank of 20,000L in metal or concrete, I combined everything onto one 76,000L metal tank set away from the house. The facade also hides two small sheds - one for the electrical/solar batteries etc and the other a tool shed for garden paraphernalia. Where I am building is extremely windy at times and this part of the house I'm currently working on has created a nice little windbreak as most of the winds come towards the front of the house. The smaller extended facade at the other end will protect the main bed deck from the winds too. In this area I would like to create a sunken fire-pit and the large wall (which will be white like the rest of the house) will make a great screen for an outdoor movie projector - something like this perhaps!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Of course it could be just a pipe dream!! Hope this answers your question. Re: Tondelver House - Shipping Container Build 300Apr 03, 2021 3:44 pm Brief update for the last few days. Finished off the back East wall of the facade, epoxied screw holes and sanded back, then gave the wall and the 'shed' 2 undercoats. 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 ⋅ 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 ⋅ Also the recent rains have given me another huge crop of field mushrooms. Some of the heads on these are bigger than a bread and butter plate!! This was from one of several 'fairy rings' - I already have loads of cooked mushies in the freezer, so I left the other to reproduce for another time. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And on this mornings drive to the house I found another dead wombat beside the road and cut this out of the pouch. As it has no fur yet it cannot regulate its temperature so I had to hold it against my chest so it wouldn't get hypothermia for almost an hour until wildlife rescue came out to collect it. At least it gave me a good reason not to start work!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 1 10482 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… 7 17591 hi guys. Please be nice. First time home builder in Qld. I would like some feedback please on whether I should build my granny flat first before my main house at the… 0 4587 |