Building a new house from scratch

[Baretta11]

Well here goes, as suggested by Jason and Isobel, I'm starting a discussion/gallery of our dream home.

I've posted a few photo's of the build process and I'm happy to continue to include photo's of other stages of our build if anyone is interested in a particular process and perhaps how we went about doing it, given the entire home so far has been built by just the brains of the outfit, hubby and the site manager, myself ha-ha

I drew up the plans to scale and then sent them off to be professionally drawn up by an architect.

The home we are building is in Victoria, about 45km west of Geelong. It is approx 30 sqrs including an indoor pool. The cladding is Mt Gambier limestone blocks.

First photo shows the pool hole being dug, something that had to be done well before much else could be done with the construction.

Second photo shows standard clay bricks used to build up the foundations to the required height for both the house and veranda.

We decided early on, that we would not have timber veranda's for maintenence reasons, so the 3rd picture shows 90mm poly pipe at 5mtr intervals for ventilation under the home.

Fourth pic shows the stumps and we used LVL bearers that were 6mtrs long and the 5th photo shows the LVL's that were 12.5 mtrs long.

Last photo shows pool placement.

I'll leave it at that now so as not to bore anyone wih my project but feel free to ask questions and if I can help with answers, I have plenty more photo's.

Cheers,

Barbara

Well thought I'd add a little more to this topic, pretty cold day here today as I think it is almost everywhere with predicted hailstones.

Next photo in the build I have attached, shows completed pool prior to framing with my  offsider site manager Pipi checking the process as usual!

Next photo is a notherly view from the pool with framing going up.

Picture above shows framing in full swing and then came the trusses in the picture below. This part of the project was in my opinion the most challenging of anything else we've done on the home thus far.

The trusses were 12.5m wide with only the slightest overhang on the top plates of I think was only about 10cm or so. To pick the trusses up, we fastened two 8" x2" timbers in old measurements, in the main triangle section of the trusses so as not to compromise the gangnails, we then lifted them up with the trusty front end loader and sat the truss on the east end of the house. Then we fastened a rope at either end of the trusses and we dragged the it from the east to the west, some 17 mtrs initially, lifting or jumping it over the odd gangnail that was in the top plate here and there, until it was right up the west end and ready to stand up. Then we used a long board to start to lift the truss and took up the slack with two ropes fastened at the centre or top of the truss, one rope pulling east and the other west. Slowly aand painstakingly, we loosened one rope and tightened the other rope and mostly we succeeded with each truss, although the odd one slipped off the top plate and we had to re lower the truss, lift it back up onto the top plate by hand and start the lift again. To get the truss back up on the top plate, we had to completely skew the truss, even though we only had to gain that small amount of 10cm.

Fourteen trusses later and we had them up and then there were the smaller hip trusses but they seemed rather easy compared to the main trusses!!!

Next photo shows the pool roof. The picture can be a bit hard to make out but we actually have two roofs, the cathedral ceiling sitting under under the main roof of the home thus avoiding valleys. Gosh I hope there's no OHS workshop member analysing our makeshift scaffolding that we were working on ha-ha

If you look at the next photo, you can just make out the cathedral ceiling roof under the main roof.

The photo above shows the colourbond roof finally on and the brickwork on the go on the right hand side of the photo.

Last image below shows the brickwork on the south side almost finished and as I type we are now only about 80 blocks away from completion. Five windows on the east side of the home means lots of cutting, easy with a 9" grinder but very dusty. Limestone is very good to work with being able to fashion it very easily.

Will update again later in the week.

[Andy_Mann]

@Baretta11 it's a mega buzz reading your updates, & I acknowledge what you've said about the trials of doing the seemingly trivial stuff.

You & hubby are taking on the ultimate project, well below your age group, busting butts, yet come across as laughing off the hurdles. Have I ever mentioned here that I love country folk? I've met plenty in my working years, & never met one that I didn't like.

Best wishes to you the Barettas, & Barettaettes, life's good.

[Baretta11]

@Andy_Mann,

Hi John,

Thank you for your lovely kind comments.

The ultimate project heh!!.....I like that, sounds challenging and even makes me feel smart ha-ha

We will get there and I'm so proud of that for sure. Two more sheets went up today, yay!!!

There is an annoying problem though, I didn't know just how important it was to make sure that the rafters were not only straight but exactly at 1200mm spacings albeit I did try to do it right.

Hubby told me to measure and mark when there was terribly rough and uneven ground underfoot with fill for the veranda sitting at different levels, thank goodness for a ladder that can be adjusted to uneven ground, anyway, whilst

perched precariously at times on the ladder, I've obviously not been as accurate as I should have been and  now my rafters aren't too straight or at precisely 1200mm spacings and that has meant extra little chocks and noggins to be able to secure the sheeting properly.

Hubby has a bit of a grumble now and then and I simply say, "it is what it is" I did my best and he agrees with that and we march on. We've been using some 3 x 1"1/2" batons, no one will see my stuff up once the eave sheets are up ha-ha

Cheers,

Barbara

[Baretta11]

Hi everyone,
Busy hay season is almost over, just three more paddocks to go, one tonight and the other two over the weekend and then we can say OMG what a busy few months it's been!!
Biggest season we've ever had with a running total of16,330 bales.
Anyway, nothing done at all on the mansion, plaster lifter is still holding an eave sheet in place and has been like this since sometime in Oct I think ha-ha
BUT
Just paid for the septic tank this afternoon, so we'll be on the go with the excavator in the next few weeks to dig the tank hole and trenches, as well as the trench for the power, woohoo!!!
I'll keep everyone posted but in the meantime, hope everyone had a great Xmas and happy new year to all.
Cheers,
Barbara

[Helen]

Good on you, great thought went into your project, can see you sitting back in later years feeling very proud & extremely happy! Will be following your progress with interest!

[Jason]

Happy new year Barbara (@Baretta11) and many thanks for the update. Glad to see you have survived the busy season. Looking forward to seeing more progress on your house soon - hopefully after a well-earned rest.

Jason

[Baretta11]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the welcome back.

Acually I would have found time to make contact earlier but I was waiting for a post or discussion to come up but the Workshop seemed to be as quiet as I was busy, so I really haven't missed out on anything or had to read up pages of news!!

[Baretta11]

Hi Jason,

I started this post and didn't realize I had actually sent it so it was sort of half finished.

It's now officially March, my goodness my last post was wishing all a Merry Xmas, where has the last few months gone??

Indoors:

Hubby and I are getting lots of those little fiddly things done like the plumbing for the vanities etc...

Only 7 sheets of plaster left to put up and plasterer is due to begin stopping and sanding soon and then I'll begin painting. Tiles will be after that.

Outdoors:

Well septic tank and trenches are in and power has been laid as well.

Still have a dozen odd eave sheets to put up and have been busy today finishing vents for the range hood, inline fan for the bathroom and clothes dryer that are all vented out to the veranda.

Also been under the house and finished bringing the power cable up through the bottom plate to the internal power board.

Motoring along well.

Cheers,

Barbara

[Jason]

The year is indeed going quickly Barbara (@Baretta11).

What will you be working on next?

Jason

[Baretta11]

Hi to everyone!!
Just quickly posting before I head off to milking a few hundred cows for a neighbour.
The house is coming along in leaps and bounds this year and could be that it will be finished by early 2018!!
All outside work is complete.
Painting is all but complete indoors, so fans and downlights are in with just a few pendants still to hook up in the bedrooms with two rooms already partly furnished as I had some family come and stay and at least they didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore ha-ha.
We have a working toilet!
Power is on in most areas with just the pool room, a group of outsdide lights and the HWS to connect up.
Kitchen is being started and should be in situ by the end of Sept minus the benchtops at this stage but it's a start.
So finally everything is coming together and we are almost at the end, albeit we have a power of tiling to do with over 100sq mtrs of flooring and then two bathrooms with tiling going right up to the ceiling but first we must complete the skirting boards with almost all the architraves done!!
Will try to include some pics soon.
Cheers,
Barbara

[Baretta11]

My last post was Oct '16 and so much is now complete but especially the eaves or veranda lining spoken of the last time.
All the plaster and villaboard is finished, including in the pool room, all painting is also pretty much finished in the home, pool room still to go but that's a different type of paint. Final wall choice was Berger Polished Stone, half strength and the trim is Dulux White Exchange, quarter strength having gone through another 4 sample pots making it a total of 15 pots!!
Septic system is done, power is on, down lights are in including all ceiling fans.
Just completed the main bathroom having tiled to the ceiling. Huge job especially using 600 x 300 wall tiles and making sure we matched the grout lines with 300 x 300 floor tiles, very tricky but we got it!!

Still have to finish grouting but I've attached a few pics although they are only progress photo's.
Busy tiling the floors now and managed to lay about 150 tiles myself so very pleased with the progress. A few more weeks and we should have all the floor tiling that can be laid, finished and then we start on the second bathroom and hope to have it completed before we start with our busy silage and hay season that will probably start sometime in Oct again.

All in all, we've had a very busy 10 months with a wonderful hay season hence plenty of money spent since on the home!!