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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.
Many thanks for the update @Baretta11. Great to see your progress. Good luck with finishing off the bathroom.
Jason
Hi all,
Further to my last post, house is almost finished with two bedrooms decked out, albeit no carpet yet, just painted flooring for now but it looks and feels quite cosy.
Master bed has some furniture but we are still living in the cottage until we get the skirting boards up and painted.
Second bedroom
Third bedroom
Main bathrooms is complete including tv cable now too although shown incomplete in the photo
Ensuite complete
Kitchen has just gone in, bench tops will wait till next year but have used varnished green tongue flooring for now. Ovens are in situ and just need connecting and hotplates should be ready to pick up tomorrow!! Some safety switches to do once the ovens and hot plates are connected as well as finishing the cornice and painting the bulkheads
Main toilet complete including tiles but first photo was taken before that, second photo shows tiles done.
Photo's of a few other areas in the home including entry with hall stand and dining area with buffet. Plants next to the hall stand are meant to be in the pool room but dust from sanding was suffocating the plants, so I moved them into a better environment until they can return to their spot. If you look through the window beside the hall stand, one can see the ladders that we were using to stop and sand the pool roof but we have decided to delay any further works in lieu of filling the pool and making the most of it over summer. Will attach pool photo's in a few days, currently filling it with precious drinking water from our storage tanks, the sacrifices that we're making ha-ha!!
So you can see that the project is almost over, after 10 years it is so exciting to be almost at the end of it all.
Cheers,
Barbara
Hi everyone,
Further to the pictures already on view and having moved in, albeit there are still things to do, I have posted some more photo's showing some rooms complete, some almost finished and others with a little more to go still.
Kitchen is usable with polyurethane flooring as makeshift benches for now, soon to be covered with stainless with cook top and sink splash back also in stainless. Stone bench tops to come in a few years at a further $7000 cost right now, probably $10,000 by the time we can afford it, so the stainless will see us through till then!!
Next photo is completed office with lovely pure wool carpet.
Next three photo's show the lounge, no carpet yet but furniture in place. This room isn't used yet as we still have to get the monster TV!! First pic shows the couch against the laundry wall so east, second pic is due south and third pic slightly south west.
Next pic is the laundry with makeshift bench once again using the trusty green tongue flooring but at least it will pass for the certificate. Just the laundry cabinetry is over $5,000, special water resistand MDF as I understand it!! Dryer yet to be hung on the wall to the right of the towel rail
Congratulations Barbara (@Baretta11)
It's looking fantastic. You certainly have every right to feel proud of your work and all of your achievements.
By the way, I've changed the title of your first post so that community members and visitors looking for new home builds will be more likely to find your fantastic photos and project.
Thanks again for sharing and enjoy the house,
Jason
So fast forward it's now, Sept 2020, we've been in the home almost 2 1/2 years now.
Still a few unfinished projects like hanging some doors and door jams.
Pool room is no further advanced but we'll get there sometime ha-ha
So photo's attached include my completed laundry with stainless benches and splashback.
Our fully refurbished red gum table with liquid glass top.
Finally our red gum island extension.
Hi @Baretta11,
Many thanks for sharing the update on your amazing build. I trust our members will be interested in seeing what you have achieved over the last year.
You've got some really nice finishes there and I am a huge fan of the redgum which you have incorporated.
Looking back after living there for 2 1/2 years now is there anything you would have done differently or would have changed?
Mitchell
Hi Mitchel,
Thanks for your reply.
Would I have done anything differently??
Only one thing comes to mind, a very minor thing but as a result of putting one doorway where I put it to make the kitchen layout work, I have restricted myself on the size of a desk I want in my office. I can't go beyond 140cm and I had no idea how hard it would be to find a desk with the features I want that is only that wide but as I said it is really minor ha-ha
Having said that, I couldn't have changed it anyway as I would have impinged on the room next to the office but I will find a desk eventually!!
I've attached an updated drawing of the home and you can see where I have the BIR in the room where the sofa bed is, this is my office and on the other side of the BIR is our fridge so this combination worked perfectly but not so much for a desk on the other side of the door ha-ha
I had also stolen 300mm from the adjacent room to accomodate a doorway into the master that wasn't there before so that didn't help so it is what is is now.
You might say I could put the desk on the wall where the sofa bed is but for the 6 power points I had put on the wall specifically for the desk and all that's needed to run a business like a printer, computer tower, desk lamp, monitor, shredder and heater!!
Other than this, I love everything I've done.
Cheers,
Barbara
That's interesting to hear, many thanks for sharing. I think you've done a remarkable job only having one thing you would change out of an entire houses construction. I typically have three-four things I would've changed even on a simple woodworking project. I'm sure many people would be worried they'll make a huge mistake when completing a project of your calibre and I'm sure it is comforting to know it is achievable.
I trust there will be a Workshop Pool Party when it's completed?
Mitchell
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