Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: About to step off the edge...... 141Feb 26, 2011 4:42 pm Our new passive house in Perth isn't very comfortable right now. We've had Queensland weather all this summer, with very hot humid days and warm, humid and still nights. So now, 20 days into the heatwave, the house, in spite of the correct orientation, thermal mass, insulation, ventilation (breeze paths), etc, is hotter than hell . Over the last few summers we've noticed a trend towards more humid weather and weaker or no seabreezes. In consequence, the house doesn't cool enough at night and gets progressively hotter each day. I'm not sure if the change's permanent, but, judging by the last few summers, it's progressing. It's too late to get airconditioning for this summer, but as soon as we've scraped together enough money, we'll get it for the next one. Maybe we should've built a Queenslander instead . Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 142Feb 26, 2011 10:53 pm sorry to hear about the house warming up but given the heat wave you guys are going through not even aircons make much difference i agree with the mugginest omg its terrible its definately everywhere hope you get cooler weather soon stay safe happy building Re: About to step off the edge...... 143Feb 26, 2011 11:22 pm Dont say that Chris!!!! Although I was at ours today and it was cool cool cool! So here is hoping. I will be begging borrowing and stealing for units in bedrooms though if it is bad. Actually there was specials in todays paper on split systems with interest free terms. PM if you want me to look up more! Also interested in your inside paint. We are going down the low voc cupboards so figure we may as well do all the same way! Re: About to step off the edge...... 144Feb 27, 2011 10:37 am Weeeell, it was a bit of a whinge, I exaggerated a little, we're getting up to 31 inside, which is rather out of our comfort zone of 21 - 27, especially with this muggy weather. We're still waiting for 4 security doors, so we don't get full ventilation yet - can't have them open because of the mozzies. I wish I could do a raindance, or something to bring about a cool change, I've been unable to touch any of the outside jobs I'm supposed to finish. Hope your leg's getting better Bingo, and you got over that bump in the road with your build Kay. Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 145Feb 27, 2011 11:31 am Hi Chris, i recon ur being a bit hard on urself just yet, get the screens on first, u only have to have 1/2 degree heat buildup over 8 days & u've bumped the 27 up to 31 with no chance off cooling..... i also had a look back at ur roof structure, & b4 aircon, how about thinking about one of those heat exhaust fans to pump summer heat out of the ceiling cavity.....if u look at that make sure it can be neutralised in winter (ie doesn't let cold in too much, not that that is such a prob in Perth. remember that was one of the old principals of building was shutters built into gable ends... cheers t. Re: About to step off the edge...... 146Mar 01, 2011 9:00 pm Hi Tony, T&V also had a look back at ur roof structure, & b4 aircon, how about thinking about one of those heat exhaust fans to pump summer heat out of the ceiling cavity.....if u look at that make sure it can be neutralised in winter (ie doesn't let cold in too much, not that that is such a prob in Perth. remember that was one of the old principals of building was shutters built into gable ends... cheers t. I've had a couple of Eco-Vents slapped onto my roof, they've a butterfly valve connected to a thermostat that opens them to ventilate the roof when it's above 30. I've checked them, they do open. Maybe I should've gone for a ridge vent, or that pump you're talking about. Cheers Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 147Apr 15, 2011 8:00 pm Should've finished long ago, but no such luck. Still a bit to do, even though we're 99% there. On Wednesday I've had the security screens in my doors installed at last. I'd warmly recommend that outfit to other Perth OBs, they're very service oriented, informative, did the excellent job even though never before dealt with the PVC frames and, what was a BIG surprise, charged me 8% less than quoted If someone wants a pointer, please PM me. Yesterday the liquid limestone paths were laid. I've an impression that I was overcharged, but the access was hard, thru the garage and the result's satisfactory. I had to remove 31 wheelbarrows of dirt to prepare the site They've managed to bust the stormwater drain that I had to repair, just as well I've some left over pipe. So now DW can start thinking about plants and I have to steel myself for more dirt shifting.... Got our first electricity bill after 3 months in the new house. With the new, efficient fridge, CFLs, no A/C, etc, we've been using only 4 units (kW)/day average, less than our photovoltaics produced, so we've got $60 credit. I'd love all our bills to be like that one! Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 148Jul 19, 2011 5:58 pm Hi Chris,any photo's please,would love to see your house We are chasing prices for bush poles & i see that you have used them,can you tell me where you found them & price,the ones we need are 200mm for verandah posts. The builder wants an arm & leg for them so i'm trying to find a better price. Congrats on being a OB too cheers kat Block bought 1st RBC X! 2nd Ventrua,Keeper! Pstart 18/7/11 Ethwks jan 2012 Slab Bricks- finished 7/6 Roof Trusses 15/6-cbond 21/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41185 Re: About to step off the edge...... 149Jul 19, 2011 6:44 pm kerry-ann Hi Chris,any photo's please,would love to see your house We are chasing prices for bush poles & i see that you have used them,can you tell me where you found them & price,the ones we need are 200mm for verandah posts. The builder wants an arm & leg for them so i'm trying to find a better price. Congrats on being a OB too cheers kat How many and how long do you need them? I am felling quite a few jarrah's in the next 2 months. I also have a heap that are already on the ground dried out for around 9-12 months. Re: About to step off the edge...... 150Jul 19, 2011 7:24 pm kerry-ann Hi Chris,any photo's please,would love to see your house We are chasing prices for bush poles & i see that you have used them,can you tell me where you found them & price,the ones we need are 200mm for verandah posts. The builder wants an arm & leg for them so i'm trying to find a better price. Congrats on being a OB too cheers kat Hi Kat, I've been very busy for the last 3 months making over my old house for rent and I haven't done much around the new one, so no need for new pics. Will post some shortly, as soon as I've done landscaping, together with an update on performance. As for the bush poles, I got 2 of them, 3m long, 200mm diam, from Collie timbers, for $166.50, inc GST and delivery. That was back in 2009, they might've racked up the price a bit since then, but it wouldn't be arm and leg. Cheers Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 151Jul 19, 2011 8:03 pm memphis kerry-ann Hi Chris,any photo's please,would love to see your house We are chasing prices for bush poles & i see that you have used them,can you tell me where you found them & price,the ones we need are 200mm for verandah posts. The builder wants an arm & leg for them so i'm trying to find a better price. Congrats on being a OB too cheers kat How many and how long do you need them? I am felling quite a few jarrah's in the next 2 months. I also have a heap that are already on the ground dried out for around 9-12 months. Thanks Chris,landscaping,hopefully thats easier than building Memphis i gather you are in Perth at the mo there is a saga going on regarding these poles at my house. I may have to do it on the sly coz i WONT THESE POLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a squiz at my thread & my last post Block bought 1st RBC X! 2nd Ventrua,Keeper! Pstart 18/7/11 Ethwks jan 2012 Slab Bricks- finished 7/6 Roof Trusses 15/6-cbond 21/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41185 Re: About to step off the edge...... 152Sep 24, 2011 6:54 pm Been a while since I last posted. We've been living in the house for 10 months now and it's wonderful. The work isn't yet finished though, I've just done hardscaping. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Sunken garden Had to load 4m3 of dirt into the skip, with wheelbarrow and shovel, no space for a dingo There were approx 250 solid bricks of various hues left, I've used them to pave a path around the house. It looks a bit busy, but will serve. It's amazing, the number of bricks was exactly right Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Path and the DW's plant nursery. I've scrounged a crate of slightly smashed travertine pavers for free, cut the best pieces down to size and used them to pave in front of the porch. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The rest will be good to edge the driveway. We'll start planting a few fruit trees and some herb/veggie beds shortly. They'll obviously need reticulation, so I'll have to install that. About 1/4 of the eaves and the garage ceiling are still unpainted. The old hardifence on 2 sides could do with paint too. And so it goes on and on, I sometimes envy people who move in into a 100% finished place, but on the other hand I'm having fun while saving money..... Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 153Mar 21, 2013 5:35 pm Hard to believe, but we've been living in the new house for almost 2 years now. So, time for an update. Well, I still haven't got down to painting the hardifence and rain water pipes, and the workshop in the garage is still on the "to do" list. The house itself has proven itself better than expected during 2 summers and 1 winter. I whinged in the past about it getting hot in the heatwaves, but after installing the security screens allowing us to keep it wide open at night it's coping very well. The greenery on the North side, planted and tended by green-thumbed DW (see the pics), helps too, together with the wood chips covering every inch of the dirt. In winter it's sunny, warm and cozy, we hardly ever turn on the gas fire, as the temperature very seldom drops below 20 without any heating. The floor heating in the bathroom is truly wonderful, one of the best spent $600 ever. 6000l water in the rainwater tanks last for approx. 2-3 months after last serious rain, for loo, washing mashine and drip watering the plants. Water usage bills are $30/quarter. Since moving in we've never paid a power bill and got approx $200 for the juice we've produced. Now for the bad things: - that &!@#! roofie put on a colourbond with a hole right under the sheets' overlap, so we had a persistent leak that took 2 roofers and $250 to discover and fix. Pox on him!!!! - we tried to save money on the bamboo floor and got it cheap. Bad decision! Some planks started cracking on the surface and we'll have to sand and re-seal in a couple of years. - Plumbers put the bad fall in the bathroom vanity drain under the slab, so it's gurgling and pinging, sometimes for minutes. It's a nuisance, not a problem, and can't be fixed without demolishing 1/4 of the house, so we'll have to live with it. - Half of the patio decking came pre-oiled. With (I suppose) cheap and nasty oil, so it faded badly. The 1-st half that I oiled myself holds fine. I'll have to sand and oil that 1/2 again. And now for pics: Path and Porch Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Garden Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I hope some of the old OBs I've met thru this forum are still around and wish them and everyone reading it a Happy Easter. Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 154Mar 21, 2013 8:12 pm Great to hear from you Kris, sounds and looks like you are very comfortable in the new home. Did you end up selling the front one? Also good to see yourSolar PV system is working well. I am still tossing up weather to install or not. With the constant rule changes (and even today news that Synergy wishes to levy extra charges on PV owners for the maintenance of the network) I'm finding it a very hard decision to make. You'll also be glad to know your old "Site Toilet" has been passed on to another good home and a new project. https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=44762 My Owner builder journey extending a 1930's Bungalow Re: About to step off the edge...... 155Mar 21, 2013 8:59 pm Hi Rob, docker_rob Did you end up selling the front one? Nope, we're renting it to a pair of exceptional youngsters. Exceptional, 'cause they work hard, never party (at least not so we can hear it) and look very well after the place. Quote: Also good to see yourSolar PV system is working well. I am still tossing up weather to install or not. With the constant rule changes (and even today news that Synergy wishes to levy extra charges on PV owners for the maintenance of the network) I'm finding it a very hard decision to make. Yeah, I'm glad we signed on when we did, we're on the 10 year contract and they've changed the rules since. On the other hand, the price of panels, etc came down quite a bit since, so I guess that makes up for that. We're toying with the idea of adding a few more panels, we keep hearing about future energy price rises. Quote: You'll also be glad to know your old "Site Toilet" has been passed on to another good home and a new project. Wow! Great to hear that! I knew that I built it to last, but the door was slightly flakey. Hope you're as happy in your new place as we're in ours. Cheers Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 156Mar 23, 2013 8:23 am looks fantastic chris congrats love the landscaping looks very mature well done and may you have many years of enjoyment and admiration in your new home stay safe happy building Re: About to step off the edge...... 157Oct 14, 2014 9:57 am Hi Chris, Have just joined and found your posts...great reading! Can you let us know the company that you used for your windows...if they are still in operation? Importing seems like a good option to explore. Thanks so much, Jude and Tony Re: About to step off the edge...... 158May 25, 2016 11:17 am I know, I know, this thread has grown quite stale, but I'm adding an update, for the sake of those few oldtimers that may be still hanging about this forum. We've upgraded the solar PV system to 2 kW 2 years ago and are now getting paid approx $600/year. One of the rain tanks cracked and started leaking, was fixed for free by the producer (Graaf), cracked again, was replaced a.a, cracked and leaked again, was patched up a.a, we're now watching it closely for new problems, keeping our fingers crossed. On the subject of rainwater, after 6 years of use the "u-beaut" automated RainBank switch Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ packed up permanently. The cost of new one - $600. Instead of forking out, I bought a $50 pump controller of e-bay, a few compression pipe joints, pipes and valves at Bunnings and replaced it with the manual system Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ for $150 + own labour all told. So now I just need to flip a couple of valves to switch over from rain to mains water. Our garden's grown and is both productive (lemons, oranges, kumquats, figs, and various herbs) and decorative, in a bit uncontrolled way Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The house is still great to live in, paying extra for all those green fancies was very well worth it. Booo!!!! to McMansions! My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: About to step off the edge...... 159May 25, 2016 3:56 pm Good on you Kris, I drove past your place yesterday (not on purpose) looked across and realised - That's were my Site Dunny came from! (I wonder where it is now? Still going strong I am sure) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=44762 My Owner builder journey extending a 1930's Bungalow the step up is 30mm and wanting it to be flat . how much does the concrete have to be lowered .we plan on removing bath and lenghten shower and adding seat. the old bath… 0 11828 Do I need to concern about this pattern of crack? Is this crack showing some signs of bigger problems? Thanks for any suggestions! 1 1911 Take a pick with a level sittingo n the slab and a pick with a level sitting on the sill please. This will help us diagnose the issue and therefore a solution. RE,… 8 9369 |