tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82060742024-03-08T09:34:38.818+10:30Building Our HomeFollow our adventures building our own home in the Adelaide Hills.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-14696735872396587282012-07-02T11:30:00.000+09:302012-07-02T11:30:01.226+09:30The roof is on<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q9or8G6-h2WtTmUl_r9_bWMj2312PMNUHr5IljrxHRkc0_9W6Mmq-pJGgnQ1Zk-P96OZYiHt6WrvAynnLeczftjciveXtKVnc4GMvNxlNuclfxDfgtLJciLOJaaEwWGjto_hcA/s1600/DSCN0083+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q9or8G6-h2WtTmUl_r9_bWMj2312PMNUHr5IljrxHRkc0_9W6Mmq-pJGgnQ1Zk-P96OZYiHt6WrvAynnLeczftjciveXtKVnc4GMvNxlNuclfxDfgtLJciLOJaaEwWGjto_hcA/s400/DSCN0083+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" /></a></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-83354464415774738092012-06-06T12:09:00.002+09:302012-06-06T12:51:18.978+09:30Doors and windows installedThe doors and windows will be fully installed by the end of today. This work has been done by Matt and Nash from <a href="http://www.sdwetc.com.au/" target="_new">Specialist Doors and Windows</a> who have done a brilliant job. The roof should be complete soon and that means the house will actually be lockable. Unfortunately, the dogs can no longer play on the slab and their favourite game of hide and seek has fewer hiding/playing spots!!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EcdKmEGSrkdCh_S9kPrygilCm0KsPVaYDKHiLmrNamhaFMBLPwdXgKncRR9ZTwhfQVgEEhfRHJ5ihq1GfMXGhdkU2nbeq3bCNcDtvK374vX5LBfIX0vH5wSCD3SqUUWLyWsnAA/s1600/DSCN0080+%2528Medium%2529%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EcdKmEGSrkdCh_S9kPrygilCm0KsPVaYDKHiLmrNamhaFMBLPwdXgKncRR9ZTwhfQVgEEhfRHJ5ihq1GfMXGhdkU2nbeq3bCNcDtvK374vX5LBfIX0vH5wSCD3SqUUWLyWsnAA/s400/DSCN0080+%2528Medium%2529%25281%2529.JPG" /></a>
The southern wall
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4__FuSYx_zLs3xvcFPZjje0WdOKEh4S7SoWWFSo7X34mhcoiGBrkU6WJ5QE1e9EK3GwwtPMCeBHsP1NRDCTtMD8PMFaa7u9wrDozhwQWOebi_LtoJHdKCaFHtLOb0NRpQtCZAUw/s1600/DSCN0081+%2528Medium%2529%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4__FuSYx_zLs3xvcFPZjje0WdOKEh4S7SoWWFSo7X34mhcoiGBrkU6WJ5QE1e9EK3GwwtPMCeBHsP1NRDCTtMD8PMFaa7u9wrDozhwQWOebi_LtoJHdKCaFHtLOb0NRpQtCZAUw/s400/DSCN0081+%2528Medium%2529%25281%2529.JPG" /></a>
The southern wall, some western wall, and part of a water tank with Sarah's unfinished Milky Way mural on it!!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLj4oCdHTMlxATRqrIK6X0qJUYOiCj_aMTNMoerlV2ay733yQ43rtN6arKduFWt24s2l-bVHi4eYEU3m4psx4VWrrwDN6RMkKVPkM8cNDPlnnvXjqd-9o5CQ-6B2JajOVtRS3xg/s1600/DSCN0082+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLj4oCdHTMlxATRqrIK6X0qJUYOiCj_aMTNMoerlV2ay733yQ43rtN6arKduFWt24s2l-bVHi4eYEU3m4psx4VWrrwDN6RMkKVPkM8cNDPlnnvXjqd-9o5CQ-6B2JajOVtRS3xg/s400/DSCN0082+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" /></a>
The northern wall, some western wall, raised vegetable beds, lots of rubbish, and part of our $100 swimming pool!!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfPo77E8mVmBK4m6ZJBoVQDHlZISPcQCSql7BoYbDdfPcqHFpHjYso5c5lxv88ZvwWtcM9AH0obyWRkawcy21dqoNmO1CWdTY7zKNwgHelMcmPdq79A-rXYnpMwDtEonUhQB-Bw/s1600/DSCN0076+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfPo77E8mVmBK4m6ZJBoVQDHlZISPcQCSql7BoYbDdfPcqHFpHjYso5c5lxv88ZvwWtcM9AH0obyWRkawcy21dqoNmO1CWdTY7zKNwgHelMcmPdq79A-rXYnpMwDtEonUhQB-Bw/s400/DSCN0076+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" /></a>
Holly realising that playing dress-up isn't as much fun as racing around the walls like a lunatic whilst Humphrey looks dismayed as boys don't play dress-ups.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1816176377533981062012-06-06T11:52:00.000+09:302012-06-06T11:52:08.965+09:30Trusses installed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_ypsLpB_l7D8C2HMcmRaBHgFaUKCbrWAzASzA9B1VoA4Mj0ZrTyHKfzJUsY51RTbMdgSixxGQyCo730V2FRJ1VyWGH-65U84CajjPy-NhI7WQN2xt48R5mjRB1uEVpcOHE0ftw/s1600/DSCN0081+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_ypsLpB_l7D8C2HMcmRaBHgFaUKCbrWAzASzA9B1VoA4Mj0ZrTyHKfzJUsY51RTbMdgSixxGQyCo730V2FRJ1VyWGH-65U84CajjPy-NhI7WQN2xt48R5mjRB1uEVpcOHE0ftw/s400/DSCN0081+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a>
Western facing wall
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUEmy2fCz4NYhyT3F2H7Ec9rdzP_raYvwyMnQDTl7G2_U26DKMrm6xlQO5HYT-88CCxrZjsapYDkDVg3H5uR3Xvdm8bQAZ4Hh6AAd6cCQnUyzDfw0_wh2deqAoeJU6WIER_ihfQ/s1600/DSCN0080+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUEmy2fCz4NYhyT3F2H7Ec9rdzP_raYvwyMnQDTl7G2_U26DKMrm6xlQO5HYT-88CCxrZjsapYDkDVg3H5uR3Xvdm8bQAZ4Hh6AAd6cCQnUyzDfw0_wh2deqAoeJU6WIER_ihfQ/s400/DSCN0080+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a>
Southern facing wallColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-52444783064606083832012-03-29T16:32:00.001+10:302012-03-29T16:34:26.698+10:30Walls and Lintels<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAyKCkBStOFw9LYcp_egPoMRFXPrIdq1e58ws-l6zuMo4BbtGFk8ZDzN8z6NL1Xk6kJN1FKJpQK0vx-QRmd2N1GBYWR7RdYnKJcn8I2CZnPMg3gu2rEOQQ_xP87mmFbMpHsvOjA/s1600/DSCN0073_%2528Medium%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAyKCkBStOFw9LYcp_egPoMRFXPrIdq1e58ws-l6zuMo4BbtGFk8ZDzN8z6NL1Xk6kJN1FKJpQK0vx-QRmd2N1GBYWR7RdYnKJcn8I2CZnPMg3gu2rEOQQ_xP87mmFbMpHsvOjA/s400/DSCN0073_%2528Medium%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725195864127357730" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XgtYg5u27pDuAepNScK4eN_B-JU6YY3s0MRlL5zhwnTmeUKiCJ7m-DTnzPbd7BssGdfcoHIWydArqN0RBImg0Xf7Lvc887tYmEG8gYBZ0QbGYHeo77641ddswujsnL08nMPbmw/s1600/DSCN0072_%2528Medium%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XgtYg5u27pDuAepNScK4eN_B-JU6YY3s0MRlL5zhwnTmeUKiCJ7m-DTnzPbd7BssGdfcoHIWydArqN0RBImg0Xf7Lvc887tYmEG8gYBZ0QbGYHeo77641ddswujsnL08nMPbmw/s400/DSCN0072_%2528Medium%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725195860773361490" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ1pyegPcTQU2AxWlg6OJrDSnJlYXX9c3X-uiT4v1XG4vZPYL-6nBFAVTrZeuSLwIdNQ_NNjXi9pZ6gMTy7YrXAMDMdGOBTGX4_wuf-kGjDtLPtblfQ1sp-276-UdwJF4pLEHRw/s1600/DSCN0071_%2528Medium%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ1pyegPcTQU2AxWlg6OJrDSnJlYXX9c3X-uiT4v1XG4vZPYL-6nBFAVTrZeuSLwIdNQ_NNjXi9pZ6gMTy7YrXAMDMdGOBTGX4_wuf-kGjDtLPtblfQ1sp-276-UdwJF4pLEHRw/s400/DSCN0071_%2528Medium%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725195859347318498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjQc0qz-HXEoySHZks1A4yGlp0pTLkKsb-Te8oG6enSxuk8mbrS7sAuv3Z-gYNjVBfq3UeHtLpUuQ7Xh7ags63kUtT9ltovj6ZTwwQZini_9I7phZwEHB6DsvDasdwhu77J2KNw/s1600/DSCN0070_%2528Medium%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjQc0qz-HXEoySHZks1A4yGlp0pTLkKsb-Te8oG6enSxuk8mbrS7sAuv3Z-gYNjVBfq3UeHtLpUuQ7Xh7ags63kUtT9ltovj6ZTwwQZini_9I7phZwEHB6DsvDasdwhu77J2KNw/s400/DSCN0070_%2528Medium%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725195854544534834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxKiu_LgufIE3PjU7KMHuaQQO9p2FsDS2C_DuYcfGoYQXzTjgPs9aVoKiVE1Veb8X21pB0YyKluhjfvob4opHU5beTuCM41MYEd3CvmhhVB2FFjIQK41_-xLRU8Oum6DRPnEmQ/s1600/DSCN0069_%2528Medium%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxKiu_LgufIE3PjU7KMHuaQQO9p2FsDS2C_DuYcfGoYQXzTjgPs9aVoKiVE1Veb8X21pB0YyKluhjfvob4opHU5beTuCM41MYEd3CvmhhVB2FFjIQK41_-xLRU8Oum6DRPnEmQ/s400/DSCN0069_%2528Medium%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725195851471282898" /></a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-58620320632125070732012-03-29T16:03:00.004+10:302012-03-29T16:32:16.903+10:30Finally some updates<center>Humphrey and Holly! The two best dogs on Earth.</center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2oCTBspxDlJ8jvYCEVMF6St9gqrHAxRoroD4NGmIBhlMAWbjA_PlLEIjPe06Q6qcl5f4nIe50C7MdRfQHg2uDvMgr7AxJi1TD_Hxau9hAhjwR8Mr5hMDwVi0Pu8n1_pCmnzBvw/s1600/DSCN0022_%2528Small%2529.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725194860857619330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2oCTBspxDlJ8jvYCEVMF6St9gqrHAxRoroD4NGmIBhlMAWbjA_PlLEIjPe06Q6qcl5f4nIe50C7MdRfQHg2uDvMgr7AxJi1TD_Hxau9hAhjwR8Mr5hMDwVi0Pu8n1_pCmnzBvw/s400/DSCN0022_%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><center>A fish pond which is part of the drainage system.</center><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLdjtHpx4QlMyVxpcVRASPCxAgLt9Fir9Unw94fntsWCGvlrLuw2HTHawdWMCMBiJwKp9BEfcMK1q_0YckkEIOxqwJ_8MlTkWbY6JGWLRBjOLbrHGzTdPaT1Y4WL2NhHZWCSCRw/s1600/DSCN0017_%2528Small%2529.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725194856797292306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLdjtHpx4QlMyVxpcVRASPCxAgLt9Fir9Unw94fntsWCGvlrLuw2HTHawdWMCMBiJwKp9BEfcMK1q_0YckkEIOxqwJ_8MlTkWbY6JGWLRBjOLbrHGzTdPaT1Y4WL2NhHZWCSCRw/s400/DSCN0017_%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-14816265454283769262009-10-07T17:39:00.006+10:302010-12-04T13:13:37.823+10:30Building Our Home! Finally!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hXNdYrLy-kTSrRqHnHv1kzwKxSN23sn141LLq5m_6aJgHNbX5rv9hfVjoFudVCajWnP9UL27IiwDG9ourU197tdHfssYcLeo022GknBakUYodujLvD9XZ3JaE_kzoOjf99ybWg/s1600-h/corner2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hXNdYrLy-kTSrRqHnHv1kzwKxSN23sn141LLq5m_6aJgHNbX5rv9hfVjoFudVCajWnP9UL27IiwDG9ourU197tdHfssYcLeo022GknBakUYodujLvD9XZ3JaE_kzoOjf99ybWg/s400/corner2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389751996675155714" border="0" /></a>Above is the north-west corner of the main slab. In the background is the double garage (which WE built) and in which we stay when onsite building. The reason for the difference in colours is the age of the blocks. The darker blocks haven't yet dried out. It takes a few days until they attain their final colour. You can see the final colour if you look at the garage in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZVZ-eyGkKDMCqENQIiv7GrIyISWoNiP7sNp4mtFuRrRAc4h8hRDyLU5j6JEs-Fm598Z_zQRY1aE0SD4Nb6PFQFBU-K64MN_2kl0bIjhzNgiyVUtKcAoVydP7UxkEofRxskpsAA/s1600-h/corner1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZVZ-eyGkKDMCqENQIiv7GrIyISWoNiP7sNp4mtFuRrRAc4h8hRDyLU5j6JEs-Fm598Z_zQRY1aE0SD4Nb6PFQFBU-K64MN_2kl0bIjhzNgiyVUtKcAoVydP7UxkEofRxskpsAA/s400/corner1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389752364716664834" border="0" /></a>This is the south-west corner. You can see the pipes fed through the blocks. The ones wrapped in orange are to conduct electricity across to the garage. The small white one is for a power point.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfTymVenpSG7yamiMkZ1fcEZSeuSFHdg87ur1HLiB03lxjflsLCCsIjLZKWMmPTrQ8OTpXglpOHV0rZYjXSd4uDowRS8VMMd25uAqxEb3b1sVc8-Otva0nw_5zmklRHNkFL_phw/s1600-h/corner4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfTymVenpSG7yamiMkZ1fcEZSeuSFHdg87ur1HLiB03lxjflsLCCsIjLZKWMmPTrQ8OTpXglpOHV0rZYjXSd4uDowRS8VMMd25uAqxEb3b1sVc8-Otva0nw_5zmklRHNkFL_phw/s400/corner4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389752509466483714" border="0" /></a>This is the north-east corner. No blocks built there yet but as you can see the molds are in place ready to go.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-8159938561586729012009-08-22T17:03:00.005+09:302009-08-22T17:31:37.204+09:30Rain and Electric Fences<center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRutk-wvCuRNhvLy3PQ8dTrOTT76UO9bB3C6_8ulE8011n6CPd2qCL-9Kq8mS7QQB81ic0i5aHWapBQRAiOujzYZ0IQfCTFFWu9npTCdyYsHY6wf2tNzVSsgeNMv4qj4JB2I9xZw/s400/Image019.jpg"></center><br />Due to poor weather we couldn't work outdoors so I used this <i>'opportunity'</i> to assemble the circuit board for our soon to be electric fence. I am building the electric fence from scratch as the commercial systems are just too expensive considering what they contain and do.<br />I am using a 12V car battery with the circuit board pictured above(tiny isn't it?) to drive an old car ignition coil. It has a variable pulse rate and costs in total around 15% the cost of a commercial energiser. You can obtain plans for this and other handy circuits at <a href="http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/" target="_new">Chemelec</a>. The plans are all free and as an additional service Gary provides kits for most of his designs.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-5436287678761760112009-08-20T23:50:00.003+09:302009-08-20T23:52:12.286+09:30Blogger FollowersI have added a new feature to the Blog. It may not be that new but it is new to me. It is called <i><b>Followers</b></i> and is to the right of this page. Just click on follow and you will be kept up to date on everything that happens. Hooray!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-52130304794898279732009-08-20T20:07:00.003+09:302009-08-20T20:12:19.810+09:30Construction restarting soonWe will be restarting construction within the next two weeks. Hopefully we will be able to recommence this weekend. Photo's, etc, to come. The story of my $11 home-made electric fence will also be told for those trying to do things on a budget or just good old DIYers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7khe1EujQK8K6OzVZ3QSxMRmQ2ACfNMzzHPSadhkTktv0_58upd6fm4pF96uuCg8bXMPWsNPRE-VoxN5NCMhdQFTBBdY3BhmpDHawovpT5fZtU_MrwjCgVsl_E2PNgb-lBHnmmw/s1600-h/underConstruction.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7khe1EujQK8K6OzVZ3QSxMRmQ2ACfNMzzHPSadhkTktv0_58upd6fm4pF96uuCg8bXMPWsNPRE-VoxN5NCMhdQFTBBdY3BhmpDHawovpT5fZtU_MrwjCgVsl_E2PNgb-lBHnmmw/s400/underConstruction.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371994137205616034" border="0" /></a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-2371757891477281212007-12-06T20:34:00.000+10:302007-12-06T20:46:59.438+10:30Hooray! The roof's on.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RpWVFgWwSwlYfw0j1nJzhTOg_rywMXkTfx8oo8LX6e6WOBvJzg7eyIDGqRsGMCrBzUjpMb47Rn3XGqM0wqwindYDcEIb-SjwncHL8vZWu9vBeX5hJlGRPqcJ-8qWMEPAUvjOjQ/s1600-h/DSCN0096.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RpWVFgWwSwlYfw0j1nJzhTOg_rywMXkTfx8oo8LX6e6WOBvJzg7eyIDGqRsGMCrBzUjpMb47Rn3XGqM0wqwindYDcEIb-SjwncHL8vZWu9vBeX5hJlGRPqcJ-8qWMEPAUvjOjQ/s400/DSCN0096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140799127975286770" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our wonderful garage complete with roof<br />and gable ends - though still a tad breezy!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgin4nf5OGk2htfICYQ4QG7b4rCVb4BgNgTar_9-jtQu2k8PyggvqWuJ4sx2m10nd5_jaqPEiMgVAzPmI3N4SwLdPDJkA6CnRRmd65_8IuTvRvh8YT7vqgqinAkvjhXw_jRsjXQ/s1600-h/DSCN0101.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgin4nf5OGk2htfICYQ4QG7b4rCVb4BgNgTar_9-jtQu2k8PyggvqWuJ4sx2m10nd5_jaqPEiMgVAzPmI3N4SwLdPDJkA6CnRRmd65_8IuTvRvh8YT7vqgqinAkvjhXw_jRsjXQ/s400/DSCN0101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140799179514894338" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The western end of the garage showing the rocks and shells<br />that I think are beautiful and that Colin has nicknamed the <i>'dodgy blocks'</i>!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgC37mLZ-_JpvvWiIQmcg2WUwXQ7j4i4XCCoeMZLiyEd2udsDGKxJk9fYvGKy9_KvIhbKlBf0aFTp1bMYQuykOO2RcBLzmrPXaIk8MraAOJLNzx96aR_d6HcJSqsZjxsdPHXgvg/s1600-h/DSCN0106.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgC37mLZ-_JpvvWiIQmcg2WUwXQ7j4i4XCCoeMZLiyEd2udsDGKxJk9fYvGKy9_KvIhbKlBf0aFTp1bMYQuykOO2RcBLzmrPXaIk8MraAOJLNzx96aR_d6HcJSqsZjxsdPHXgvg/s400/DSCN0106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140799183809861650" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A view from inside with 'old yella' in the<br />foreground which also serves as a sawhorse!<br /></div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1154329631203609542006-07-31T16:36:00.000+09:302006-07-31T16:37:11.206+09:30Level 8!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/1600/dodgyblocks64.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/400/dodgyblocks64.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Well here is photo of our 8 foot high walls, showing what Colin calls the dodgy blocks! The dodgy blocks are in fact my beautiful feature wall made of shells, rocks and coloured oxides. He calls them dodgy because they took me so long to make and they were much harder than I thought they'd be!! But they look excellent, if a little bit odd!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/1600/dodgyblockdetails64.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/400/dodgyblockdetails64.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is a close up of our first dodgy block!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/1600/riverlookinge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/400/riverlookinge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of our permanent waterholes, along the Marne River, which is also our northern border.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/1600/creeklookingsw64.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/400/creeklookingsw64.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This one we call the <a href="http://www.dunway.com/html/aussie_slang.html" target="_new">billabong</a> (that's Australian for waterhole) along the Springton Creek which also runs across our block.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/1600/bytheriver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4205/542/400/bytheriver.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is down by the river in about October, looking nice and green, but within a month it is very dry and brown!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1133830627269942272005-12-06T11:22:00.002+10:302011-02-04T14:06:07.332+10:30Greetings to Owner Builder readersOur building project is in the current edition of the Australian magazine 'Owner Builder'. We must apologise for the lack of updates due to the fact that I dislocated my elbow and then just as it was nearly 100% better I fell and broke my wrist. Hopefully the splint will be off this week and we can recommence building. <br />I have changed the comments to allow unregistered visitors to comment if they wish so feel free. <br /><br />Colin & SarahColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1123551871901454092005-08-09T11:10:00.000+09:302005-08-09T11:37:47.676+09:30Levels 7 & 8<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/19485589/"><img src="http://photos13.flickr.com/19485589_966ba65946_m.jpg" /></a><br />Completing level seven and still using straw bales as scaffolding. You can see our faithful Old Yella, which is our hand operated pallet jack. This allows us to lift the wheelbarrow right up to the level we are building at, which saves us having to pass up umpteen number of buckets!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/19485588/"><img src="http://photos17.flickr.com/19485588_567268b0f8_m.jpg" /></a><br />Here we are starting on level 8. Straw bales are gone due to Dad's concerns about their safety and stability up so high - thus he paid for the <a href="http://www.miniskaff.com.au" target="_new">Miniskaff</a> scaffolding! This has been great as it is stable, easy to assemble, and easy to move.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8206074&postID=112355187190145409" 19485586=""><img src="http://photos16.flickr.com/19485586_2ee9a8e02d_m.jpg" /></a><br />Level 8 is where booker rods need to be placed. These are threaded rods which are embedded in level 8, continue through level 9, and then anchor the roof to the walls via wall plates and trusses.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/19485590/"><img src="http://photos15.flickr.com/19485590_3aea33b8ef_m.jpg" /></a><br />Northern view of the garage showing the doorway and windows.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1123551601716607632005-08-09T11:07:00.000+09:302005-08-09T11:10:01.716+09:30Another little local<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/19485587/"><img src="http://photos13.flickr.com/19485587_21d0b617a1_m.jpg" /></a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1123551295436072642005-08-09T11:03:00.000+09:302005-08-09T11:04:55.443+09:30Winter Sunset<img src="http://photos13.flickr.com/19485585_5d0e438804_m.jpg" />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1097283633483820832004-10-09T10:19:00.000+09:302005-08-13T10:26:16.463+09:30Toilet Training!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/773240/"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/773240_ad2aa24d22_m.jpg" border="0"/></a><br /><br />Having a wee break!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/773251/"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/773251_6475453633_m.jpg" border="0"/></a><br /><br />Our hippy dunny!!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1096780892705352712004-10-03T14:49:00.000+09:302004-10-08T11:02:37.510+09:30The Garage<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/681255/"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://flickr.com/photos/681255_fabd707dfd_m.jpg" border="0"/></a>
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<br />This is the garage at approximately 50% built. As soon as this is finished we will be starting on the house itself. The garage was the first project so we could learn from our mistakes. Thankfully, mistakes have been few and far between.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1095216004999666862004-09-15T13:04:00.000+09:302004-09-15T12:18:45.573+09:30Requested by the SQL GuyMy recently refound friend 'SQL Guy' asked some questions and here they are answered in pictures. This blog takes requests :)
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<br />Above is one of the two permanent waterholes. The two waterholes stay pretty much like this even in the driest parts of summer. We will have to wait and see what happens in a major dry spell!
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<br />Above is a Wedge Tailed Eagles Nest. It is currently unoccupied but our land is part of the hunting territory for a pair of wedgies and we see them nearly everytime we are there.
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1095215198353956792004-09-15T11:53:00.000+09:302004-09-15T12:15:51.653+09:30A Noisy Neighbour<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/80735399@N00/442975/"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://flickr.com/photos/442975_80735399@N00_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>
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<br />We have thousands of these critters and the noise they make is so much more preferable to the sound of traffic where we are living now. I can't wait until we have finished the house and have moved in.
<br />I will be setting up a webcam so as blog visitors can be part of the housewarming party :)
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094469820900661852004-09-06T22:47:00.000+09:302004-09-06T23:55:47.496+09:30First Window<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/640/DSCN0188.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/320/DSCN0188.jpg" border="0" /></a>
<br />This is our first window sill. We clamped an insert onto the top of one of the shutterboards to create the window sill. The reason the blocks are two toned is that last weekend we discovered we had left the inserts behind. So we did the bottom halves a week ago and finished them when we remembered the inserts this weekend.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094475600941115882004-09-06T22:30:00.002+09:302005-08-13T10:26:47.786+09:30Building the WallsWe are constructing our home using <a href="http://hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/99/990514.html">earth as the building material</a>. There are several ways of doing this but in the end poured earth was the method that we chose. The main reason being the small environmental footprint(initial and ongoing).<br />When building with poured earth the blocks are made in-situ. To be able to do this you need a set of molds to put your earth in. We purchased a poured earth construction kit from <a href="http://www.formblock.com.au/">Formblock</a>, an Australian company.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/640/bays.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/320/bays.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />In the picture above we have assembled our 'formblocks' (a standard block measures 600x300x300mm), checked our levels, and are ready to proceed. The white conduit(pipe) is to allow electrical wiring within the walls. This particular one is a power point but the same principle applies for light switches, telephones, network cabling, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/640/filled.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/320/filled.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The earth mix is 8 parts soil, 1 part white cement, and approximately one part water. The molds are filled with this mix, tamped down, and left to set. We usually leave them to set overnight.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/640/finished.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/320/finished.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Then we dismantle the molds, clean them up, and are ready to repeat the process. The construction you can see is on the garage with the house's slab visible in the background. We thought it prudent to build the garage first so as to learn from any mistakes and then to not make them on the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/mud/">Earth construction has quite a history</a>.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094383631651138082004-09-05T20:52:00.000+09:302004-09-05T22:24:25.673+09:30Greetings EveryoneMy Name is Colin and my wife Sarah and I are currently building our dream home in the Adelaide Hills. Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia which is of course in Australia.
<br />For a little while this blog will be running a little bit back to front as I will be blogging what to us is history but to you will be new (and hopefully interesting).
<br />I hope that someone (or two) out there finds this interesting and maybe picks up on some information that they aren't yet aware of. Something that may help them to build their own home or maybe just motivate them to do something new, creative and/or different.
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094400175380995402004-01-11T01:32:00.000+10:302004-09-06T23:46:30.336+09:30Another One of the LocalsThis is an <a href="http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/echidnas/">echidna</a>. Just another weird Australian animal.
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<br />Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094392928874197292003-07-05T23:32:00.000+09:302005-08-25T12:35:47.436+09:30One of the LocalsTo reach our place you need to drive for about 1.5 kilometres along a dirt road which has historically only been used for sheep. This road is supposedly maintained by our local branch of government so when a tree fell and blocked vehicular access guess who had the chainsaw out?<br />There's always a silver lining though and here it was that day in the form of a very young <a href="http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/blue_tongue_lizard.htm">stumpy-tailed lizard</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/640/Baby%20lizzie.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/45/1624/320/Baby%20lizzie.jpg" border="0" /></a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206074.post-1094386375600436472003-03-28T23:42:00.000+10:302004-09-06T00:26:59.986+09:30We've got the PowerAfter some investigation we discovered that power connection would cost us close to $100,000 and also mean a bunch of unsightly power poles dotted across our property. On top of that we would be spending a large amount of cash just to ensure ourselves of a regular and ever increasing energy bill.
<br />We took the alternative approach and went for a Solar System which cost less than half what a connection to the mains supply would have cost.
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<br />As the sun isn't out at night we needed to store the power somehow and as my experiments in cold fusion weren't going anywhere we decided on an array of 24x2volt Sonnenschein batteries.
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<br />And for those exceptionally rare times when additional power is needed we have also installed a 9hp diesel generator. We chose diesel over petrol because you can actually run diesel engines on vegetable oils. It's a little known fact that when Rudolf Diesel demonstrated his invention at the Paris Show in 1900(1895?) he ran the engine on peanut oil.
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<br />And if anyone actually believes that the current spike in energy prices is a temporary aberration caused by instabilities in the market then I have a bridge you might be interested in time sharing with my alpaca.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16199883490270667568noreply@blogger.com0