Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 241Aug 17, 2017 7:56 pm Hi - just arrived home. Sorry if anyone went to my travel blog - I forgot to take the little gadget that allowed me to download photos from my camera to my tablet. So I have begun blogging retrospectively if you are still interested - 3 posts so far (and will try every day or two to add more) which are primarily from the Tajikistan trek which had some incredible lakes. Managed to get out to the house today for the first time to check on things and plant about 120 red onions! Will be getting back to building ASAP. Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 242Aug 17, 2017 7:57 pm Will check out the updates on your blog Build thread http://tinyurl.com/llgc7yk Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 244Aug 22, 2017 1:12 pm How cool! Gosh look at those mountains Build thread http://tinyurl.com/llgc7yk Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 246Sep 12, 2017 6:00 pm Hey! I went thru all you posts and victim your journey. It's so interesting! Great Job!! Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 248Sep 16, 2017 4:37 pm Sorry Beetaloo - I'm afraid nothing to report! I've been home 5 weeks tomorrow and only managed to have 5 days out at my land!. So mostly been doing small unfinished jobs, getting the garden ready for more Spring veggy planting, a few hours of weed spraying and some truss strapping that I hadn't managed to complete. I also pre cut most of the big window surrounds as I am ready to have them installed (at over 200kgs each I will be hiring professionals for that task!) After doing the smaller windows I realised it is easier to get the angle grinder to remove the steel walls if the timber framing isn't in place. So now I pre cut (leaving a few little 20-30mm joins to hold everything in place) and THEN fit the framing. Just before each window is ready to be fitted I can quickly go round and cut these tabs and push out the steel panel. I am doing the same for the remaining two doors I have yet to put in. This was just after I finished cutting with slivers of light coming in: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I was working on the framing part today. I can't wait for the 4 big windows to go in - the place will be flooded with light. School holidays at the end of next week so hopefully progress will be made! Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 249Sep 29, 2017 2:14 pm Great idea WG, going to be so amazing with all that light streaming in. Look forward to seeing your progress over the holidays! Build thread http://tinyurl.com/llgc7yk Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 250Oct 14, 2017 8:39 pm I agree once you have the light coming through it will look amazing <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 251Oct 14, 2017 9:09 pm So where did you end up following the term 3 holiday break. OK, probably just framing as you've already said, but those windows are begging to go in. I've really enjoyed seeing the project come to life ever so slowly but as a DIY job it's always going to be a while. Keep up the great work Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 252Oct 15, 2017 8:41 am waxinggibbous How did I miss This gem....Great blog and posts but I can see some positives and Negatives here (Please dont take it personal) +ve:
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my2bits , Thanks for sharing & Goodluck Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 253Oct 16, 2017 9:19 am Hi StructuralBIMGuy
I don't take anything personally! Here's a few quick answers:
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all dimensions are on my plans,it's possible they were not shown on here.
The last point about the slow build is something I am often asked ("Aren't you finished yet"??) The reason has many different explanations which include: For the past 2 years I have been working almost full time. I am doing everything possible by myself. Some tasks would be 4 times quicker if I even had a spare set of hands available. Mostly I don't (My partner when visiting on the build is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike - and would readily agree with that)!! I am in a long distance relationship (500kms round trip) which takes me away for 5 days every 3 -4 weeks. Apart from the actual house I have 25 acres that I have been weed poisoning by hand for the past 4 years (about 60% or more of my land is not possible by vehicle boom sprayer) which would account for hundreds of man hours with a backpack spray. The payoff is that now I have almost no unwanted weeds. I have a large and very productive veggie garden to maintain which has provided me with almost all of my veggies for Spring, Summer and Autumn for the past three years. Weather and illness can interfere with building. I am 60 next birthday ( ) And lastly, what a lot of people don't understand is that when you have been working 7 days a week for several years there are days I get to my build and I just do not have the motivation, or am too tired, to do much at all!! But, as I have said in the past, the reason for doing this is not to save money but to go on the adventure of building my own house. The process for me is as important as the product. Despite the slowness, the tiredness/lethargy/disasters and problems, I want to (and am!!) enjoy the build. It is something I have wanted to do since I was very young. The school holidays are indeed over and I was away at my partners for some of the time, and my birthday in the second week needed some celebration!! And the rest of the time I plodded on with various tasks. I will update pics soon but (apart from weed spraying and veggie garden work - Spring is a busy time for both of these) I have finally booked in the roof builder who will be here in the next couple of weeks. I have been helping to prepare by ordering my insulation (delivered tomorrow) and constructing a ply skirting around the truss ends to stop the strong winds we get down this way from blowing under the tin roof. The ply was particularly tricky to put up on my own - even a slight breeze threatened to take me off the ladder like a kite!! I have also been cutting up some of my container wall offcuts to line around the base of the house ready for back-filling so the house looks as if it is sitting on the ground and not on piers. I intend to lay builders plastic against the steel before backfilling to extend the life of the steel. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ There will be another interruption in 2 weeks as I am jetting off to Norway for almost 2 weeks. (What a life!!!) Big windows still not in. An issue with the 15M awning above them is still causing me a headache. I was worried about having them installed before the awning in case of accidents. But I have decided to bite the bullet and get them installed. Pix when I do. Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 254Oct 16, 2017 9:22 am Norway very jealous much ........we just ticked over 5 years since we started Earthworks so I get similar looks <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 256Oct 16, 2017 10:57 am waxinggibbous "we just ticked over 5 years since we started Earthworks so I get similar looks" - that is very encouraging! I'm going to miss following your build when you finish - it's been a great journey and your place looks fantastic. Thanks WG - We wont know what to do with ourselves when we finally finish (Not quite true the boys have bought a 61 Falcon they are itching to restore and I'm going to turn my hand to gardening) <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 257Oct 16, 2017 5:47 pm "we just ticked over 5 years since we started Earthworks I also took nearly 5 years on my OB project from starting earthworks to getting my Certificate of Occupancy. (I was working full time and I had a 600km round trip to my country property so I only had only every second weekend to work on my build). I enjoy following the Tondelver build because it is being built largely single handed in the country as I did with my build. Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 258Oct 16, 2017 7:15 pm Thanks Beetaloo - always good to hear how long it took OB's. I've now been three years since earthworks so I don't feel too bad. Though I certainly don't envy your 600km round trip. I shall never complain about my paltry 80km round trip!! AKB - "and I'm going to turn my hand to gardening" - you'll have so much fun in the garden - I get an immense amount of pleasure working with my veggies (though I do wish the roos would leave the trees I plant alone ) Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 259Oct 26, 2017 7:02 pm Hi waxinggibbous, I just found this forum and your blog. What a great build, great ideas and workmanship on your build. Look forward to following the rest of your build:-D Re: Tondelver House - Southern Highlands 260Dec 10, 2017 1:44 pm Well the delays continue. True to form - just as things start moving (the roofer was booked for tomorrow - I was going to be laying the insulation as they lay the tin) another hold up. I've just had a heart attack. Currently in a country hospital waiting for a bed at RPA in Sydney which won't be available until Dec 22nd. Need bypass surgery. Recovery will be a minimum of six weeks. It wasn't a typical chest clutching shooting pain heart attack (I never do things by the book) It was a Claytons (The heart attack you're having when not having a heart attack...) I had no symptoms except a 'fluttering" in my chest like a butterfly was trapped in there. A trip to Hossy and they found my resting heart rate was 170. So as the stressed heart released a certain enzyme, it is classified as having had a heart attack. Who knew?!! It's family genes. Not stress/overwork/bad diet etc - they're well under control. It's odd that I feel extremely well. So unfortunately the build will be held up (yet again) for a couple of months. Will post again when I am allowed back to work. WG 1 10488 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 17628 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 4596 |