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The shack stripped bare
Our first home on the property was loved (and lived in) by many; including mice, rats, huntsman spiders, humans, dogs, and even a micro bat! It was our humble home on the land while we built ‘The Nest’, and beat living in a caravan any day! It was originally a work shed predating three owners before us; the bushfires of Black Saturday in Feb 2009 however changed this. The main house at the time burnt down and this shed was eventually turned into a makeshift home by a latter owner. This ‘man-cave’ boasted a lounge, kitchen and two modest bedrooms when we purchased the property. The bathroom was taken down…
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Permission to occupy
This week has been exhausting, working 15 hours/day on average and even pulling our first midnighter on the build. Thankfully we did work tirelessly as the occupancy inspection got moved 48 hours earlier than expected! It was scheduled for Monday, 9th of October, but we got a call from the inspector this morning asking if he could come today, as he was in the area. He arrived 10 minutes later, did the inspection and….we PASSED!!!! Meaning that we can officially move in! Though we won’t as the house is not yet complete, mainly due to the floor tiles. Before I go into the nitty-gritty of the build, Matty and I…
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Let there be light
It is Piscean full moon tonight, and I feel like Diwali has come early. The final fix electrical was completed yesterday bar the rangehood and aircon connections…. and now we can see what the interior looks like (in something other than sunlight or spotlights that is). A few months back, Matty said he had a surprise for me. I was curious at the time, but eventually forgot about it (my bad!). Two nights ago I came home from work, to be told that my surprise is ready! He took me into the house and turned on a switch that I wasn’t fully aware of. Three lights slowly started to get brighter…
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Winter is here
Without trying to sound all negative and stuff, but it is winter.. and I can’t shake the cold off. The time has come for when the world slows down and allows you to recuperate and reenergise, just through simple rest; something that I feel we may have forgotten how to do. Thankfully the build stage agrees with this seasonal change, and gives us a chance to slow it down and go with the flow. The last few months have been a whirlwind of major structural work, and the tasks were all BIG! Now, as winter settles in, the attention goes inwards. The open fireplace One new addition of Cooinda’s Nest…
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Battens, cables and bales
It is nearly time for the house’s most distinguishing feature to be delivered. Matty and I went to inspect the bales this morning, and they are mighty fine. I ain’t any bale connoisseur but these bales definitely looked like they could be the muscles of our house (the render will be the skin, the frames are the bones….important to get these anatomical details correct :D :D). Each of these wheat straw bales measure 965mm(W) x 450mm(D) x 375mm(H), making the walls quite thick and insulated. 350 of these bad bales will be delivered next week, and the remaining 100 a fortnight after. Last week we completed putting up all the roof…
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….and then there was a slab
The concrete truck arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule, and took just over four hours to complete pouring. One of the concrete trucks hit a power pole at their depot which caused some delays, we had to wait for over an hour till we got the next batch of concrete delivered. This caused some concern as the previous concrete poured was starting to set, but thankfully the delay didn’t cause any issues. Turns out it was a blessing in disguise as the fish tank needed to be secured furthermore before more concrete could be poured around it. No more hurdles were encountered, and not much more can be said about the happenings…
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Fish tank setup and pre pour jitters
Less than 12 hours to go till the concrete truck arrives and the pour begins. Matty and I are feeling excited, nervous, worried, exuberant all at the same time. A minor (major) crisis was averted today as Matt found out that the formwork was 40 mm shy of the expected height. A somewhat cruisy day turned out to be a full on day fixing other people’s stuff ups. Despite the frustrations, Matty managed to get everything done for the 7am start tomorrow morning (along with extending the height of the formwork to the required 100mm). Here are some pics to commemorate the day: This house has a few little quirks, but…
