And the deck is almost complete. Yes you heard correctly, I started the deck as last years Christmas project #2 (http://onegreenacre.com/2009/01/19/christmas-project-2/)
The deck out back
The above image is from Jan 09
Now almost 12 months later I now have the deck done. Basically the area is now as large as our loungeroom and will provide a great space.
Andrew and helper (Alyssa)
While we have not been struck with some of the temps of SA or Vic, we have been quite hot here – and the veges have been taking a beating.
So the temps here have been
Expected today Sat 7 – 40 and the same for Sunday – we will see what happens. While our house is insulated and the eaves do their part, the house still heats up. And as this block was a ‘blank’ canvas there are no mature trees, near the house. As you would see in previous posts I am building a deck, this will one day hold the grape vines providing shade in summer. And some of the plants that we have planted around the house will also provide more shade, but that is years away. Anyway two more days and then hopefully a cool change and maybe some rain.
The Deck, it is almost completed. I actually started this back in Dec, dug post holes and bought timber, of course I didn’t get around to constructing anything till Jan and most of the wood had warped a bit, so I had to go and buy some more – that will teach me.
Anyway I have the basic frame completed, all now for is the actual decking. Can’t afford that for probably two – three weeks.
The deck out back
I came home on Thursday nite and Lee-Ann told me the first of my Broccoli is beginning to form a head, Always excited with the first one.
Also 21 garlic have now appeared.
And the cold is beginning to set in (the past few days), while the morning temperatures have been 8 or less for the past few days, it is really because the days have been overcast. Good thing we have the gas heater now – so lets see how many bottles of gas we chew thru.
Ok so the house was complete by July 07, basically after the delivery they send in the joiners and they complete everything, touch up the paint, install the tiles, guttering etc. The only flooring in the chipboard flooring, as carpets and other flooring will need to wait until next March or April.
The other parts required was the plumber and sparky in (all internal wiring and plumbing is already completed – so only external plumbing required) and they were both flat chat but they could do all the work by the end of September. Also I eventually chose a Biolytix system for our waste as I am not on town sewage (but would have done something like this anyway). Not thinking of where the dispersement area should be I have it in the middle of the back half of the land, and as this is black waer I am not supposed to grow fruit there. So I have a middle section that will become native vegetation but separates the orchard from the house.
There were two issues with the builder:
Well in June 2007 we had the house being delivered just two weeks after council approval (the factory take a risk and start building it several weeks in advance so it will be ready on council approval).
So we headed for Yass a few nights early and we thought they would have to come past the caravan park, but as they had not appeared by 9 am we thought we would go to the block and wait there. We saw them just arriving. The house comes in three sections, today the first two were being delivered.
Once there they maneuvered onto the block (they had to cut one of the trees on the nature strip out front). They raise the house on hydraulic jacks and then drive the trucks out. The workmen then scamper underneath and place the piers in place, then lower the house. The same is repeated for the second and third section (of course each section has to be perfectly aligned).
Also here you can see the hard cut into the earth and the bank at the front of the house which I have to fix for drainage.
Completed house – now just to get the plumber, sewage, electricity connected.
One of the things we had to do for the house prior to delivery was organise someone to level the land. So I had a friend who knew someone that could do the job so we met him on the land one weekend and we pegged out the area. We discussed the options and it was decided hat a hard cut was what is required.
The building company had also specified that where we do the cut that we create a slope so the trucks can roll out.
As it turned out the cut dug in approx 1 metre
- more than I expected. Also the width was a bit narrow and we had to get permission from the council to place the house 7.6 metres from the boundary rather than the specified 8 metres
Well late 2006 we started looking at houses – I had always wanted a straw bale house but for a few reasons that did not occur. Looking thru some different magazines we decided upon a to look at some homes that are built in a factory, transported to the land and tied down.
For some reason there is about 4 of these places in Wagga Wagga so off we went. In the end we chose a home by Better Look Homes (http://www.betterlookhomes.com.au/), they had the design we liked and came in at the right price as well.
Also one of the advantages of a home like this was they did all the council work (in regards to the house) and they know the councils. Also as Yass council is notoriously slow it would mean that we would have a house on site within weeks once the council approval came thru, rather than wait upto a year for someone to build something for us.
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