Abdallah House - Redesigning a Home

Our netted chook run and future orchard

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:38:00 +0000

Principle 7: Design from patterns to details

We got our first three pullets (Golden Pencil Hamburg crosses) a year ago from my mate Dylan who was 'cleaning up' this rare chicken breed. I set up a temporary netted yard to prevent them escaping, which they were keen to do early on, using old children's play equipment as a chook house. I clipped their wings but found this an unsuccessful way to prevent these flighty birds from taking off. I eventually gathered the courage to let them out to free range and had a number of interesting episodes trying to get them to return home. On three occasions I'd given up on escapees, once in a neighbours yard (with a dog), once on another neighbours roof and once found at night in the reeds down the creek after the kids had chased them away - somehow we still have all three.
We waited nearly six months before we got our first egg, which was very exciting for us all. Before long we were getting up to three eggs a day and our girls were returning home with just a clap of the hands.

We got up to three eggs a day from our three young chooks

Letting the chickens out to free range has it's pluses and minuses. The slaters (Woodlouse) are hardly a problem in the back yard, but are a real problem in the front where the chickens rarely venture. They get a rich and varied diet at the expense of some of our young plants. Protection of seedlings is essential to ensure survival, and I tend to only let them out for an hour or so in the evening to prevent too much garden damage.
I had been giving thought to the idea of a intensive netted area that provided a larger safe place for our chickens to scratch around as well as grow soft fruit trees that are irrigated using our grey water. After many ideas I settled on using two inch poly pipe on star pickets for the frame with a material netting. Stage one was getting the netted enclosure completed to provide easier access to the chooks and a place to dump green waste for the chooks to scratch up.

Three hooped two inch poly piping mounted on star pickets form the frame of the new chook run, replacing the temporary one on the right.

Three sheets of corrugated iron were screwed together on the ground and then screwed to timber attached to the star pickets

Wire threaded through and wound onto screws attach one side of the net

Netting pulled over hoops and attached to timber battens to give even tension

Netting wound around battens and screwed to inside of corrugated iron. Old roofing tiles set below ground level to deter dogs and foxes.


Stiff wire mesh fills the gaps on the western side of the orchard

Wire mesh added to base to create a dog / fox proof chook house

Aluminium security door fixed to metal pole with small concrete path section underneath

Stage one of the netted chook run complete

It's about 8x3 metres and 2.8 metres at it's highest point and looks kinda sleek with those curves.

Bringing outdoor furniture back from the dead

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:13:00 +0000

Principle 12: Creatively use and respond to change
While this project illustrates a few design principles, including produce no waste, I wanted to focus on principle 12 because I think that the proverb "vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be" is most appropriate.

The plastic chairs that my got handed down to me are cracking up, ugly and unsafe. Outdoor plastic items don't seem to last very well, and end up in the bin after a few years, best avoided in my book. I think that it's just about time to take them to the tip, where they may be able to recycle them if we are lucky.
We went to the local Scout car boot sale to try to find a replacement. We hit the jackpot with these pressed metal beauties that had been rusting away outside for years. My guess is that the chairs we made in the 50's or 60's, so they'd be over 50 years old and still perfectly useable. At $1 each we decided to buy 10 of them.

Pressed metal chairs that we bought at the local Scout car boot sale for $1 each, we got 10 in all.

After washing them and treating the rust with a dissolver the legs were given a couple of coats of black enamel

After a good clean we realised that they were different colours! We decided to go the whole hog and paint them, which I wanted to do properly so that they would last and look great. I had a 500ml can of 'Killrust' epoxy black enamel which I thought would look good for the legs and we bought a 500ml can of 'Metal Armour' flame tree red for the pressed metal seat. I used some rust dissolver - which may not have been necessary - to inhibit the rust, as I had some laying around and figured that it would ensure a longer lasting job.
Two coats of paint for the legs and two coats for the seat with some new feet so we can use them inside or on the deck. Now we don't want to leave them in the weather because they look so good, so keep them in the shed until we get around to making a cover for them.
All up the job cost about AUS $45 for the paint (with some left over), $10 for the chairs and $25 for the feet - $80 or so in all. It was a fairly long job as each coat took a day to dry, but not an unpleasent one and very rewarding in the end. Now we've got 10 sexy chairs with a story that should another lifetime (or two or three).

The stack finished chairs with two coats of flame red paint and new rubber feet

Inspired to touch up the outdoor table that I recovered from hard rubbish in Melbourne, I gave the frame a couple of coats of left over black enamel and used some old decking that I'd salvaged from a skip to rebuild the table top. With a couple of coats of linseed oil it looks as good as new! Now I'm thinking that I want to make a big Red Gum dining table for the chairs to sit around in the living room.

Table made from all recovered waste and repainted, while the chairs were brought back from the dead after a clean and paint.

I also gave an old rusty wrought iron table in the living room the 'chair' treatment while I was at it. Came up a treat and goes well with the bright red kitchen cupboards.
Well made metal outdoor furniture certainly lasts and can look great with some TLC, puts plastic to shame, and even wood, which, more often than not is uncertified and from rainforests. Wood has a very limited life outdoors, but is probably the most sustainable option if it is certified as sustainable, a hardy species and regularly maintained.

Wrought Iron table that was found in hard rubbish many years ago transformed with a couple of coats of paint (and some hard cleaning)

One rubbish and recycle bin used for the whole year

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:21:00 +0000

Principle 6: Produce no waste

One year on, and mission of only using one rubbish and one recycle bin achieved. Christmas tree with mostly home made decorations made from recycled paper in background.

Our 'binimum' mission of filling one recycle bin and one rubbish bin in one year has been successfully completed! There was even a little bit of room left for more recycling, but we wanted to hang onto some of our containers because they are so useful.
I was pretty sure that we wouldn't make our rubbish goal with a couple of months to go, but some gentle persuasion (jumping on rubbish) we managed to get all of our household and shed waste into the rubbish bin. Unfortunately it was so well compacted that only half came out when the bin was 'emptied'!
The recycle bin was less of a challenge, though it is twice the size of the rubbish bin. We reused a lot of the containers that we bought, and even asked for more from our neighbours when we were preserving. I'm sure that there is a limit to how many you can hold on to, but I'd still like to get some more of those oil cans to turn into drawers.

Here are some of the things that we did to reduce our waste:

Old or underused clothing gets given to friends or sent to the Op-Shop if it's good enough, if not we cut them up and use them for once-off baby wipes which are then composted (not synthetics). Other old clothing material is used as rags before being thown in the bin or composted as appropriate.
Underused toys or electronic gadgets are given to friends or sent to the Op-Shop if they are good enough. If not they are disassembled to recover anything useful (like screws) or recycle what we can before the rest is thrown out. I even unsoldered a circuit board from a broken toy organ today and recovered a number of LEDs, a switch, speaker and electronic bits & pieces. I wonder if I'll ever use them?
Plastic bags and containers are washed and dried if they are good enough, so we can reuse them. Some are given away with excess produce to friends, most end up recycled or in the bin.
Soap nuts were used for washing dishes and clothes. Bi-Carb, vinegar and 'Sard Wonder' soap for other cleaning.
Our philosophy is to grow, make and use as much as we can ourselves, which avoids most waste all together.
We try to swap or exchange with local friends who also grow
We try to source what we can from local farms, buying in bulk (like wheat and olive oil).
We buy bulk foods using our own containers where possible, and use the supermarket as a last resort (it is really handy at times).

The experiment of radically reducing waste is not only possible but fun and creative too. We wont continue the challenge in the new year, but will keep track of how many bins we put out. I'm curious to see how much waste we produce over the coming year now that we have become more established in our home and are more aware of how to reduce and even eliminate rubbish altogether.

Many containers reused in the shed. Three old doors and offcuts used to make the working bench and shelves.

Particularly useful are the old oil tins that have their sides cut out of them, making fantastic drawers. Smaller tins are used to divided them up.

Some tin cans were kept in the shed for use later. I've found the sardine cans useful in the garden as beer traps for slugs and slaters.

An old paint tin used to store small metal scraps that will be recycled when I go to the transfer station next

Some extra beer bottles left over from my 40th that are yet to be cleaned and reused for preserving or brewing

Jars and beer bottles reused for preserving some of our boysenberry harvest. We made cordial, jam, sauces and just plain fruit.

Bottles reused for purchasing liquids in bulk and for storing Kunie's kombucha

Other jars and containers are washed and kept inside for storage or preserving

Paper, boxes and excess produce scraps are fed to the compost. Tasty produce and food scraps fed to chickens and worm farm.

Kai in the tree house serving up a imaginative meal of 'carrot and pumpkin soup with lollies', reusing broken toys, beer caps and old containers.

UPDATE: 31st December 2011
I was contacted by a social worker in India recently with this question:

"We have no government/city waste management available here. We compost our food waste, burn our paper, reuse/recycle our plastic bottles...but we have nothing to do with wrappers (for potato chip bags, candy wrappers, etc.).

We don't have a lot of these items, but we want to know what to do with it. How we can bury it so that it has low impact on the soil."

At the time I responded with:

"One thing that you may want to consider is looking at the properties of the material. The fact that it doesn't break down could be useful. Perhaps they could be twisted together and made into something else that is useful, a basket perhaps? Be creative and think outside the square...

Of course it would be better not to buy them in the first place."

The question has stayed with me and I mentioned it to my builder mate Pete who suggested that the material might make good insulation. Crumpled up and stuffed into bags it could be used in the roof space or wall cavities. Then I realised that a lot of the chip and lolly wrappers these days have foil inside and I wondered about finding a way to stick the wrappers down onto a sheet of something flat (even sew them on some material) and use them like building foil to reflect heat.
They could also potentially be used to replace foil in conjunction with other waste plastic to replace the paper (for insulation) in the making of solar cookers like the tyre cooker from the video below.

Town branding rejected - with some help

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:37:00 +0000

Principle 4: Apply self regulation and accept feedback

After seeing the new Seymour branding designs at the local market I was inspired to write an article in the local paper offering an alternative to a military theme for the town, that being the railway. It seems that there was quite a bit of support for my suggestion, and others who supported the inclusion of the Goulburn River / Historic Bridge along with the Military and Railway. In fact nobody that I spoke to supported a Military theme on it's own.
Unfortunately the recommendations made to council did not reflect this and figures supplied in the recommendations still suggested that 90% of people supported the military theme.
I wrote this letter to the councillors just before their meeting:

I write to inform you of my objection to the branding of Seymour with a Military theme and the process employed.

The options provided to the public were all military based and did not actually provide any real option at all.

At Chris Guthrie's presentation at the Seymour market he did not present an option to object to the concept, but asked which of the logos was preferred. In my feedback at the time I selected one of the designs (best of a bad bunch), but asked the question why Seymour was not being branded as a railway town. Chris dismissed the idea and included my feedback as support for the design that I indicated. I later provided extensive negative feedback to council via email.

It seems that feedback made by passers by at displays is valued in the same was as extensive and well documented feedback presented to council.

I later wrote an article in the 'Seymour Telegraph' proposing branding Seymour as a Railway Town and asked locals what they thought about the idea. Everyone that I spoke to thought that it was better than a Military theme and offered more business opportunities for the town. This suggests that the "90% support for a military theme", as Mr Guthrie suggests is not accurate at all.

I have also been told that staff at the shire have had only negative feedback to the military image, and that "something is really wrong with Chris's calculations".

I request that you reject Mr Guthrie's recommendations and look at real options for the branding of Seymour. That being the River, Rail and Military - even in combination.

Regards,

Richard Telford
Graphic Designer for the branding of Violet Town
and Seymour resident

I wasn't the only one to object to the original branding concept, I had support from other locals. Together we put pressure on council to reconsider, and they did. The result has given me some faith that I can make an impact on the wider world and that hidden agendas will need to face scruitiny and feedback from people like myself.

Article from page 3 of the 'Seymour Telegraph' Dec 14th 2011

Something smells fishy around here

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Principle 6: Produce no waste
Principle 11: Use edges and value the marginal

Snapper fish stock in the making

A phone call from my mate Brian produced an unexpected frenzy of activity at our house recently. In preparation for a wedding reception at my old home of Commonground, three and a half large (20 litre) buckets of filleted Snapper fish frames (and one whole one) were made available to us. There were probably 30 - 40 of them, all caught in Port Phillip bay the day before. Rather than just compost these we decided to value add them, as Kunie was very excited by the idea of producing fish stock.
We weren't really set up for dealing with such an abundant harvest, but got to task as soon as I came home with them. I chopped up the frames into more manageable pieces using a tomahawk and we filled up a large pot which was topped up with water and put on the gas - about five times. Once brought to the boil the frames were removed and fish meat carefully separated.
Meanwhile... I raced off and went shopping for a freezer, as we had no way storing that quantity of meat, along with one whole fish. Being 4:35 on a Friday afternoon I didn't have much time. Fortunately I'd done a fair bit of research on freezers in the past, and had a good idea of what I was after and what was a good price. I wanted a small chest freezer, these easily be converted to a super efficient fridge with the addition of a control box that uses a temperature sensor to turn off power.
I managed to buy one and find a mate to pick it up for me within the hour.
We were up till 1:30am separating the meat and packing it in the freezer, collecting about 7kg in all. The next day we used the stock from the initial cooking to boil up the bones again, to extract even more flavour. We decided to light a fire in the backyard to do the job, cleaning up scrappy bits of wood to do the job. We ended up having three pots on the boil for most of the day, making about 10 litres or so of very strong stock and quite a smell too boot. We bought 10 ice cube trays and froze some in this way, with the rest in small zip-lock bags.
While I was keen for the chickens to pick over the scraps, they weren't interested. The bones ended up in the compost bin covered with a layer of soil. The smell has lingered longer than expected, but the little insects are having a ball and should get through it in no time, producing fantastic compost for our vegies.
I couldn't bring myself to eat fish soup for a few days after, but yesterday we had a noodle soup with some fish stock, and a risotto that used the stock and fish. Both were delicious!
The new freezer has got us thinking about a mission for next year, a year without a fridge... more on that later.

Tree House evolution

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:13:00 +0000

Principle 5: Use and value renewable resources and services

Kunie collecting vegetables for dumplings while Nana, Sen and Kai watch from the tree house

Over the past four months the stark box in a tree has transformed into a treetop wonderland. As the canopy regrows after the heavy pruning it provides a ever changing shaded play space that overlooks the gardens and activities below.
Pruning continues ad hoc as the internal area of the tree house is used in imaginary games (fishing, cooking etc). It's envisaged that the larger surviving branches will be tied together to create an espailered dome after the leaf drop, further enhancing this creative space that continues to evolve.

Kai in the tree house

Kai preparing a meal of 'bacon and eggs' for Nana in the tree house

The longest pelmet ever?

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:29:00 +0000

Design Principle 2: Catch and store energy

I spent quite a few months thinking about the best way to build a 7m long pelmet, and came up with this approach...

Living room pelmet under construction with extra support added to curtain rail to prevent sag

The finished pelmet, made with lining boards recovered from the original bungalow, oiled and varnished

...90x45mm pine battens were screwed into the box beams on the ceiling, supporting the structure. 75x19mm pieces of pine were attached at an angle to the battens so that they run vertically and a small chock of wood was added to brace them onto the rail brackets. The weather boards were nailed onto these mini studs. I added some extra support in between the curtain rail brackets using metal bracing off-cuts. I added a plain pine cornice and oiled and varnished the lot, so that it ties in with the rest of the room.
The diagram below shows how the pelmet prevents convection currents in winter, during summer our eaves do most of the work by preventing any sun from hitting the north (sunward) facing windows. Sun reflection off the decking and the external temperature transfer heat through the glass during summer. We close the curtains on really hot days, keeping the room dark and reducing the heat transfer as the hot air gets trapped between the curtain and the pelmet, unable to continue to rise up. Gaps at the edges of the curtains reduces the effectiveness of this though. Extra external shading would be better, but I have been reluctant to install sails as everyone that I know that has them does not take them down during winter. Options of easily removable shading or decidous plants are more appealing, but I haven't quite figured the best way to do that yet.

Curtains and blinds together with pelmets will help to keep heat inside the home. They prevent warm air from coming in contact with the cold glass. Source: www.sa.gov.au

I was contacted by a teacher who was running the 'Home Sustainability Course' at Seymour's Go TAFE. She asked if she could take her group to tour our home during mid winter, and I was happy to oblige. As a bonus, one of the teachers that joined the group was an energy assessor who brought along his thermal camera. Wayne took some around the living room that show the effectiveness of curtains with pelmets in regulating temperature extremes and how aluminimum and single glazed glass act as thermal conductors.

Sliding doors on northern window (Aluminium strip between)

Thermal shot showing west living room window with curtain open

Same location showing west living room curtain closed (with pelmet)

Thermal shot of west wall showing timber studs acting as thermal conductors, not as dramatic as aluminium or glass though.

Finishing touches

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Principle 7: Design from patterns to details
There have been a bunch of jobs that I've been working on while the family have been in Japan visiting family. The types of things that I can live without doing, but haunt me every time I walk past them. The details.
The bathroom sink cover plate was quite a task, though a relatively small one. I tried to find a piece of timber that would cover the plumbing with a natural edge on the bottom. Of course there wasn't one suitable, so I had to make it up, gluing two pieces together.
I made up a template to get the shape that I was after and transferred this onto the red gum. Getting the curve to fit below the sink was a bit tricky without the right tools. A band saw would be great, but a drill and some wood files had to do.
I attached brackets to the inside and mounted the final piece from the back. It was oiled with linseed and painted with three coats of floor bio varnish so that it matched the rest of the bench.

Creating a template using cardboard to cover the plumbing

Cutting a curve through 35mm red gum using a drill

Joining two pieces of red gum using PVA glue and clamps


Finished job; sanded, linseed oiled and three coats of bio varnish

Principle 6: Produce no waste

When we moved in we were in such a rush that some of the I didn't get a chance to paint the floor as much as I would have liked. I gave the bathroom floor another six (or so?) coats of varnish to protect the timber, as it was beginning to show signs of water damage. I gave the toilet, hallway and kitchen floor another couple of coats after giving them a good clean and light sand.
The kitchen bench got another six or so coats too, as it too was showing signs of wear, and the silicon was touched up around the edges.
The Natural Timber Oil that I used for the north facing deck was very disappointing, but on the south side, where it is in shade and under cover it looks great. I decided to over paint the north deck with linseed oil instead, giving up on the 'polished' look, but re coated the south deck with the remaining timber oil as it has held up well. The north deck also needed some leveling out as the red gum had moved in places which created some tripping hazards.

Another six coats of vanish for the kitchen bench

Small areas of the red gum deck have moved and were planed and sanded back

Rather than continue to use the disappointing decking oil I decided to paint it with linseed oil

Front deck freshly recoated with Bio decking oil (2 coats)

Heritage right outside the door

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:21:00 +0000

Principle 1: Observe and interact

On a walk through the Seymour Market recently I noticed a council display putting forward some logo designs for the new town branding. All four of the designs were a Military Theme. As it happens, I have been reading a book about the history of Seymour called 'New Crossing Place' by H. G. Martingdale. The impact of the railway on the town was enormous, and I felt that council should consider, and offer as an option, the branding of Seymour as a Railway Town.

The Yarra Parlour Car (1906), refurbished in 1964. A stunning display at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre that was originally used by people who thought that first class wasn't good enough, and paid for the privilege.

A detail from the Parlour Car showing one of the lights (originally gas), pressed metal ceilings and lead light windows

The X31 loco (1966) at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre. For every one diesel introduced from 1965/66, two steam trains were scrapped.

I contacted Chris Guthrie, the business development officer who presented the councils proposal and asked why the option of branding Seymour as a Railway Town was not put forward. In his response he said:

"...during consultations undertaken to date (around 180 people have provided opinion already at public displays of the brand throughout the town) the Military Theme has gained strong support. I would say overwhelmingly – above 90% of people support this approach. People are generally proud of Seymour’s military heritage and history and are happy to support the approach. Railway Heritage has been mentioned but only by a very small minority."

While there seems to be strong support for a Military Theme for the town, there was no alternative offered. I began asking what other local people felt about the Military Theme and was not surprised to hear that most people had no idea that the branding exercise was happening and that most people that I spoke to preferred the Railway Town branding alternative as an option. I contacted the editor of the Seymour Telegraph, our local newspaper and asked if he would be interested in the story. He was "more than interested", so I wrote the following article.

Railway Town Revival?
(retitled Promote Railway Past, appeared in Seymour Telegraph 19th October 2011)

The role of Seymour as a 'crossing place' along the Goulburn River was transformed after the floods of 1870, when the railway arrived in 1872. With the addition of a Goods Shed later that year it became the first railway town in Victoria. The town centre gradually moved east from Emily Street to the higher ground at Station Street to avoid the risk of flood damage and take advantage of the commercial benefit of the new railway station. The railway became a logistical hub and a boon to the emerging farming economy that had relied on bullock drays, stage coaches and paddle steamers to transport people and goods. Being near the junction of three train routes brought with it large marshaling yards, an administrations and maintenance centre. At its peak the railway employed over 400 men and about one third of the towns population were railway families. The refreshment rooms at the station became the largest in country Victoria that once employed 34 people and catered for 150 in the buffet and 112 in the dining room.

The future of transport
With the arrival of cheap oil, cars and trucks took the place of many of the railways functions. Worldwide oil production is now declining and trains are once again becoming a preferred method for transportation. Trains are the most efficient form of overland freight / long distance passenger transportation that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and lessen our impact on climate change. Major investment has been made on upgrading the rail networks and patronage has increased on regional lines by over 100% during the last six years. In the transition to a low energy future trains will play a major role, and Seymour is well placed to support the revival.

Seymour, a Railway Town
There are a number of existing enterprises, events and attractions in the district that support the branding of Seymour as a Railway Town.
- The Seymour Railway and Heritage Centre, located near the heart of town, with tours of vintage locomotives, magnificent parlour and royal cars and an assortment of carriages.
- Regular heritage train tours that run from Seymour to locations such as Tocumwal, Geelong, Melbourne, Marybourgh and Creswick.
- The restoration and maintenance of locomotives and carriages by local volunteers at the Heritage Centre.
- The Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail which runs from Tallarook to Alexandria / Mansfield (134km) due for completion at the end of 2011. Funding is currently being sought by council to extend the trail to Seymour.
- The grand buildings of the Seymour railway station including the largest country refreshment rooms in the state.
- The 'Tastes of the Goulburn' food and wine festival, held at the station each year for the last 10 years - usually featuring heritage train rides.
- The high profile steam train at the JW Elliot reserve on Anzac Avenue, opposite the train station.
- The Kerrisdale Mountain Railway and Steam Museum display (20km S.E of Seymour)

Attracting more business to Seymour
Further investment in developing the Heritage Centre as a major tourist attraction would bring with it more business to the heart of Seymour. It's location, an easy walk from the station, brings people to the doors of local shops. With picnic areas nearby, pubs, restaurants and take away food stores along Station Street there's plenty of reason for visitors to stick around. Not to mention the Post Office Gallery, Goulburn River Walk, the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk (that will be constructed), the Light Horse Memorial Park and Bushland reserve further afield.
The refreshment rooms at the station have great potential to become a social hub for the community, much like Maryborough Station which has a café, wine bar, art gallery, antique store and holds markets that attract around 3000 visitors each market. Building on the Tastes of the Goulburn, Seymour stations refreshment rooms could build on the existing café and offer gourmet local foods and wines and display local artwork and crafts with more support from the local community. Perhaps a restaurant, food co-op, or model train display in the unused dining rooms along with a community market in the park could add to the attraction?

Will a Military Theme benefit local business?
The councils current proposal to brand Seymour with a military theme does not bring visitors into the heart of town. The main military attraction to the area is the Tank Museum in Puckapunyal. The Commemorative Walk and Light Horse Park are attractions that support the rich heritage of the railway, which originally attracted the military to the area, but are not major tourist attractions in themselves. A military theme would best be reserved for Puckapunyal, where the military reside. Let's look to a future for Seymour and build on our railway past.

Chris Guthrie, from Mitchell Shire, stated that over 90% of people he has consulted support the military theme - but there was no alternative provided. Your feedback is urgently needed if you support the revival of Seymour as a Railway Town. Feedback on the branding exercise ends on Friday the 28th of October. Email tourism@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au with your comments or suggestions.

Article that I wrote for the Seymour Telegraph that looks at branding Seymour as a Railway Town, rather than with a military theme which is being proposed by council

Q-class steam locomotive, Seymour roundhouse, circa 1890s (from Museum Victoria)


'Seymour Loco' (Seymour Locomotive Depot) 1950. To the left of the picture is the coal stage, an elevated track that was used to transfer coal. Large amounts of firewood stacked at base of photo, used to start off the boilers. The large roundhouse (now demolished) was a maintenance shed built around the turntable, which is still in operation. Oak Street on bottom right of image.

Since I wrote the article I have been contacted by steam driver Jim Rae, who worked in the railways for 38 years from 1949, and in Seymour from 1954. He worked with Jack Kidd, who was part of the maintenance crew, and the man who owned the bungalow that I deconstructed and turned into Abdallah House. He brought around the Seymour Loco photo above and told me all about what was happening in the image. This area is just 100m from my house, and looks nothing like this now, none of the buildings remain. I am looking at recording an interview with Jim as he discusses the history of the railway heritage of Seymour.

New life for Cherry Plums

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:44:00 +0000

Principle 9: Use small and slow solutions

When I bought this property I inherited about a dozen wild Cherry Plum trees. I've retained most of them with the idea of grafting on other fruiting varieties. Using the Cherry Plum as a root stock gives me the ability to graft on varieties of the Prunus family: Plums, Peaches, Necatines, Apricots, Almonds and Cherries.

The Cherry Plums were all out of control, I removed a few of them and have been gradually prunning back the rest of them, using a few different approaches.

The ground level pruning approach, with lots of young whips coming up.
The hack it back really hard approach, with pretty good recovery.
And the slowly, slowly approach which leaves some mature branches to bear fruit and still offer shade for the summer. I've used this later approach in prunning the established apple and pear tree, with a three to four year vision for bringing the tree down to a more managable level.

I've uses hand tools for the majority of the pruning, and it's been a huge job. The advantage of using hand tools is that I can use every part of the trees in the most constructive way. Large branches were cut using the prunning saw for use as poles / firewood. Medium sized branches were cut into smaller pieces using heavy duty lopers for use as firewood and stakes. The whips and small branches were cut using the secateurs and used for weaving on garden edgeing or kindling. Leaves and twigs were cut up usings secateurs for mulch, though I've recently been given a electric mulcher that I'm now using for that job.

One of our Cherry Plums before pruning

Lopers, pruning saw, secateurs and gloves used to cut back overgrown fruit trees making mulch, firewood and poles in the process

Weaving long whips through stakes that surround a vegetable garden, with lettuce and parsley taking advantage of the edge

Weaving smaller straight stick into reinforcing steel off-cuts as a garden edging

The trees have been cut back pretty hard, leaving the really large branches for the chainsaw, some mature ones to fruit and young whips remaining as grafting stock. I was given a range of largely unnamed prunus scions to practice with along with guidance from local gardening expert Brian Bowering. I made about two dozen grafts using the cleft / wedge and whip and tongue grafting methods. The idea being that I should do as many grafts as I could to practice with the tools and techniques, surprising to me was that most of the grafts took. As well as good technique / guidance, the timing is critical. As the tree begins to move out of dormancy, before the buds swell too much.

Cherry Plum heavily cut back, but leaving some braches to fruit and whips for grafting on to

Grafting knives; orange one with a flat edge and a sharp edge folding knife. Tape; green one (florist tape) is used for taping up the end of the scion to reduce moisture loss, while the clear tape is to secure the graft.

A Peach (I think) cleft grafted onto a Cherry Plum, notice tag at base to identify it

The graft has taken, the tape will be removed at the end of the season

Building a treehouse

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:25:00 +0000

Principle 11: Use edges and value the marginal

The tree house, which should soon be overgrown with new foliage

I had been wondering whether or not to remove this large tree from the backyard for some time. I've had it identified by a couple of people but never written down the name and forgotten it promptly. It's an elm of some descrition I think and I'm pretty sure that it's considered a weed. It's a fast growing and brittle timber, very light like balsa wood. I prunned it heavily to about a third of it's height about a year ago.
There have been a few good reasons why I've kept it, even though it shades out my minimal prime vegie growing land. It's deciduous, providing shade in the summer for the kids to play under, it can provide an ongoing timber source (firewood, garden use) and I saw potential for it to become the base for a tree house for the kids. Creating space where there wasn't any before - important stuff on a small block.
After a year or so of mulling over the idea of a tree house I decided to do it. I got inspired into action by a mate who built one for his kids, "even though there were plenty of other important jobs to do", you've got to do these things before the kids grow up. I was keen to get the job finished before the new growth started so that it would eventually soften the stark project.
I had the idea of using chains to suspend the floor joists. There are three joists, the middle one sits nicely within two opposing forks in the tree, which just happen to be near on level. The other two have a direct connection to the tree at one point and hung from a chain at the other. One of the advantages with the chain that I see is that it can be adjusted as the tree grows, to help keep the floor relatively level. The joists were fixed together to make the base frame, painted with linseed oil and strips of cement sheet were fixed on top before flooring was laid, to help prevent rot. 30mm x 90mm timber was used for flooring to give added strength and longevity. Uprights positioned and corrugated iron fixed for walls, which brace it well. Then it was painted with linseed with the help of it's new owner.
It feels very sturdy and can easily hold the weight of a couple of adults. A lot stonger than the tree houses I made when I was a kid. I think that it should last as long as the kids should want to use it... then I got thinking wouldn't make a great platform for a urban beehive?

Two chains were used to suspend floor joists

Cement sheet offcuts were used between the timber to help its life

Thick hardwood (old wall studs) timber flooring painted with linseed oil

The grand opening on Kai's 4th birthday

Binimum: 100 days (or so) to go

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:53:00 +0000

Principle 4: Apply self regulation and accept feedback

Produce available for swapping and sale without packaging at our second Black Market

Our mission to only fill one rubbish bin and one recycle bin for the year is hitting some challenging times. Our 240lt recycle bin is about 70% full, but our 120lt rubbish bin is about 90% full. I feel confident that we can use just one recycle bin for the year, but I'd pretty much given up on the idea of only using just one rubbish bin.
Then an interesting development unfolded, Kunie and the kids decided to go to Japan for a couple of months to visit family, while I stay at home to finish off some projects. So we might still be in with a chance to reach our goal after all. With a more productive time in the garden ahead as Spring begins, there will be less need to purchase packaged food.
As my 40th birthday approaches I've been thinking about how I'm going to manage waste if I have a party here. I'm madly brewing beer, and should have enough to supply guests. The garden will be pretty active, so salads should be covered. If I buy meat from the butcher then there wont be much waste, so a BBQ could be the go. I think that I'm going to have to request that guest don't bring anything that will need to be thrown out, and explain why. It will be an interesting challenge and education for guest.
We have been finding some reuses for our containers, like guards for seedling and containers for trading seedings at the Black Markets. I've been disappointed to discover that waxed milk cartons are now plastic coated, not waxed and 'biodegradable plastic' is not really that biodegradable. Really, we are better off avoiding packaging (especially plastic) all together if possible.
In some more positive news we've been using bamboo toothbrushes that are great to use and affordable, and we are trying out soapnuts to wash our clothes and dishes. So far the results have been very good, better than using our grated soap concoctions with less environmental impact.

Using milk cartons to protect seedlings from being scratched up by our chickens

A "100% biodegradable bag" pulled out of a compost bin that had been active for 6 months or so. It's still useable!

Plants in reused containers for swapping at the Black Market

Energy audit and reducing consumption

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:48:00 +0000

Principle 4: Apply self regulation and accept feedback
Principle 6: Produce no waste

Small energy meter used to measure the watts used for our 23 year old washing machine

Energy audit
During the last 12 months we used about 2.9kWh of electricity per day, this has not varied much over seasons, which surprised me somewhat. The Jan - Mar quarter is the hottest time of year when we were running the ceiling fans frequently, electric bread maker and also an electric fruit drier which helps explain the higher usage.

July - Sep 2010 (87 days) 238 kWh = 2.74 kWh per day
Oct - Dec 2010 (91 days) 250 kWh = 2.75 kWh per day
Jan - Mar 2011 (98 days) 315 kWh = 3.21 kWh per day
May - June 2011 (89 days) 245 kWh = 2.75 kWh per day
Total power usage for the year 1048 kWh = 2.87 kWh per day

I purchased a small energy meter that allows me to see how much power an appliance draws and uses over time. I have been monitoring some of our major appliances so that I can see where our energy is being used.

Electric fruit drier - 4180W for one batch (plus time in the sun)
Electric bread maker - 330W for one loaf
Fridge (150lt) - 690W per day (before being moved)
Washing Machine - 100W for a load and approx 40W / 70W for water pump (small / extra large load), probably do about five loads per week as we wash nappies.
Water Pump (water pressure for household rainwater supply) - 610W per day average
Computer and peripherals - 1435W (with nine hours 'on-time' during the day)
Entertainment system (TV, DVD and amplifier) - 510W (3 hrs use 4.5hrs on - heavy use for us)

Standby power consumption
While I have been aware of stand by power consumption I didn't realise how much power it actually consumed. I discovered the following:

Water Pump - 19W per hour
Computer and peripherals - 41W per hour
Entertainment system - 14W per hour

Reducing energy use further
We have been considering and applying the following:

Electric fruit dryer - We have decided to limit our use of this appliance and use a solar dryer as much as possible.
Bread maker - We use this during the summer months when the wood oven is not running. 1-2 loaves per week. I'm investigating whether we can use it to make sour dough bread by just using the bake setting as we are not impressed with the quality of the standard loaf that this makes with home ground flour. This will reduce our use slightly, as we wont be using the mix cycle - also we wont need any ingredients other than home ground flour, water and salt.
Fridge - This 150lt bar fridge was given to me when my grandfather died. It was made in the USSR in May 1988. It was positioned in a enclosed space and allowed to frost up considerably. I have since moved it to a more open location that receives little winter sun and have got into the habit of defrosting it every couple of weeks (or when needed). It works much better than it did before and I'm sure uses less power than indicated about (but I haven't measured it yet).
Washing machine - I was surprised at how little power our Maytag washing machine actually used, especially considering that it was made in June 1988, some 23 years ago. It's water use is considerable though, 75lt for a small load, and 150 for a large one. Since we use water collected on site and have had plenty of rain, this has not yet been an issue. I imagine that we will reduce usage later next year as Sen gets out of nappies.
Water Pump - I've been thinking of using a timer to switch off the pump from 11pm - 7am, saving about 152W per day / 55.5kWh per year (A$12.76 saving per year at 23.5c per kWh).
Computer and peripherals - We have been changing our usage pattern, turning the computer off during the day when not using it, rather leaving it on all day and relying on sleep mode. Another issue has been the three external drives that are connected, each with it's own power supply, I will only leave the one that I use for back up connected when the computer is on from now on. We also now switch the computer and all peripherals off at the power board, so that there is no standby consumption. This will save us 615W per day / 224.5 kWh per year (A$52.76 saving per year at 23.5c per kWh).
Entertainment system - My electrician suggested that I add an extra switch on my light switch that controls a power point, which I did. We were using this for controlling a lamp. I have since changed this so that it can control the entertainment system. We now turn off the system when it is not being used, which will save us 273W per day / 99.6 kWh per year (A$22.90 saving per year at 23.5c per kWh).

With these simple measures I estimate that we will save about 1kWh per day / 380kWh per year, over a third of last years energy use. A saving of A$89.30 per year with our new higher electricity rate (assuming all power charged at 23.5c per kWh which it probably wont be).

Conclusions
I feel that using old appliances, the 23 year old fridge and washing machine, is better that throwing them out and buying new 'low energy' ones. The embodied energy in these needs to be valued, and their actual use of power is not huge compared to other areas.
I'm actually surprised at how valuable an exercise this has been, and has made me much more aware of how and where we use electricity. Installing the solar PV system has been a real motivator in exploring and reducing energy use further.
While numbers vary a lot, the typical Australian household uses around 20kWh per day, with the changes mentioned above we are looking at using about 10% of that without compromising our lifestyle, more like 7% (1.4kWh per day) if we were using mains water and not pumping it ourselves. Anda that's with a family of four, which not typical of Australian households.

Solar PV: Connection

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:28:00 +0000

Principle 1: Observe and interact

It took about seven weeks before the system was actually turned on, fortunately this has been during mid-winter, the time of year that generates the least amount of electricity. The hold up was the time it took for the electrical inspection and meter change over. I have not yet received a bill for the meter change over, the total cost so far for the 1.5kW system is A$3390.
I have taken a lot more interest in seeing how our power is being used since we have had the system turned on, while observing our system generate power and feed into the grid. We have generated 54kWhs, exporting 41.8kWhs and importing 18.1 kWhs over the past two weeks, using (54 - 41.8 + 18.1 =) 30.3 kWhs. This is an average of 2.16 kWh per day, which is significantly less than our average over the past year of 2.9 kWh per day.

Grid interactive inverter showing watts generated over a day during mid winter

The newly installed import / export meter showing power exported to the grid over the first day and a half

I received an email from the Alternative Technology Association a couple of days ago with a pre-emtive warning that the Victorian Governments intends to change the premium feed-in tariff. I predict that the generous rate of 60c / kWh will be reduced considerably. The ATA told its members who have recently installed PV systems to contact "your preferred retailer to discuss establishing a premium feed-in tariff contract for when the smart meter has been installed." I had no idea that this needed to be done.Damien from the ATA told me

You have to have a signed ‘premium feed-in tariff contract’ with an electricity retailer in order to obtain the feed-in credit. It is a specific market contract, between yourself and the retailer.
The silly thing is that they don’t just send you this contract, once your system and meter is installed and signed off, as you indicated in earlier forms that you wanted to take part in the feed-in tariff. That’s large, unweildly organisations for you!
I hope that the form you have just filled in is a specific ‘premium feed-in tariff contract’. Only once one of these is signed and dated can you begin to receive feed-in tariff credits.

I contacted Origin, my retailer, and established that I had not yet entered a contract for the premium feed-in tariff. I told them that I was not happy about this situation, as I may have missed out on the reason why I got the system when I did. I filled out the forms and emailed them to Origin today, asking them if I have done it all correctly and when I might find out when this is all sorted out. I got back this response:

Yes this is fine, thanks. As discussed the rate you were on previous to returning this agreement was the standard rate on 23.5c. The 66c will be applied to the account and effective today.

I'm glad I checked this all out, I certainly got a good return on my ATA membership, I think that the email that they sent me will make me thousands of $ over the next 15 years.

Making the most of firewood

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:30:00 +0000

Principle 3: Obtain a yield
Principle 4: Apply self regulation and accept feedback

Gourmet combustion stove in full swing, cooking on stove top, drying clothes, boosting hot water, heating oven and warming our house

We obtain multiple benefits from using our combustion stove, because it is designed as a stove / oven / heater and hot water booster, which helps to maximise our yields. We also get the added benefit of a glass door, which creates a fantastic ambiance and allows us to more easily monitor the fire to ensure that it burns hot, key to a longevity and low emissions. One of the inefficiencies with this style of cooker is that we use more fuel than we would for a specific task focused model, because we are performing many functions from the one task. In our case, the advantages multiple functions outweigh the disadvantages.
Some of the other functions that we use our stove for is to dry clothes, dry citrus peel (in oven overnight) for use as firelighters, warm our sourdough bread before baking, keep a large pot of water on the boil for cooking or topping up the bath.

Firewood: sustainable and appropriate energy source
This is an extract from the article of the same name from the eBook David Holmgren: Collected Writings & Presentations 1978 to 2006 available as a free download (article 41 written in 2005).

...wood heating has lower greenhouse gas emissions than any other fuel heating. Even poorly managed woodlands supplying wood heaters (60% efficient) up to 400 kms distant, have a net greenhouse gas production of one third that of natural gas and one tenth that of electricity. The figures for sustainably managed regrowth native forest are one third that of woodland systems while new plantations managed for timber and firewood have no net carbon dioxide emissions and actually take 0.17kg of CO2 out of the atmosphere for every kWhr of heat produced.
Heating only requires low quality energies such as passive solar gain or firewood. If we use high quality energies such as electricity for space or water heating then this is wasteful (and therefore environmentally damaging in some way) whether that electricity is from coal or renewable sources. We should reserve electricity for lighting, communications and electric motors.
In a more enlightened sustainable and low energy future, the very real problems of localised air pollution from wood burning in cities needs to be addressed by better training of firewood users, better designed wood burning stoves and most importantly, use of cleaner burning charcoal produced in sustainably managed forests using modern wood gasifer technology which recovers the waste heat.

Our fuel supply
Most of our wood was sourced from the large red gum that was on site, but we have also been using off-cuts from the building of the new house, scrap timber from the deconstruction of the old bungalow and prunings from other trees on site. We also use scrap paper / card and oven dried citrus peel (high oil content) to start the fire. The wood stove provides us with the service of being able to use this renewable natural resource that would otherwise need to be disposed of (or composted).
I expect that this intial supply will keep us going for a number of years, but in the longer term we need access to a good wood source, this means either buying it in (very expensive) or cutting it up ourselves from appropriate locations. If my only option was to buy firewood from a expensive or unsustainable source I would think twice about using a wood stove as my primary heating and hot water back-up system.
Living in the country and having established good contacts throughout the local community makes cutting wood ourselves a good option. We'll source it either from friends or with permission from the appropriate authority from public land. I've learnt how to use and maintaining a chainsaw by working with friends who know what they are doing, gaining enough confidence to operate the machine on my own. Since moving here I've acquired a 30 year old chainsaw and purchased the accessories and safety gear to be able to use it as safely as it can be used.

Storage location
Originally I stacked our firewood in the backyard, against a south facing wall, thinking that this would be the best spot. This was based on the belief that the space wouldn't receive any sun, so it wasn't good for growing, was fairly close to the house and would have good access to the fireplace.
After our first year I realised that this was not a good spot at all. In order to collect wood in winter I needed to get out into the elements, putting on boots and sometimes braving the rain. The other issue with this location was that I would need to transport any new wood that I collected all the way around to the backyard to stack it.
I have since begun stacking wood at the front of the property, where there is better access and it's close to the covered entryway where a smaller stack of wood is stored on a stand near the front door. Using the stand I can measure how much wood we use over the cold season, so I can estimate how much wood I need for the future. I measured the stand space in cubic metres and mark how many times I fill it over the season. By locating our wood stack in a good spot we've saved ourselves a lot of time and effort, a good example of design principle 4.

Chopping, stacking and seasoning
Wood needs to be cut into pieces that can easily fit into our stove. Big rounds may need to dry for quite a while before you can chop them up. I like to leave pieces as big as possible as they will take longer to burn as they have less surface area, but you need smaller sizes too to get the fire up to temperature. I like to use smaller diameter branches for this purpose. I've found that its easy to cut branches to size using loppers while wood is green or with a drop saw when its dry, or if it's too thick for loppers.
It's important to stack the wood so that air can circulate and carry away moisture as it evaporates through both ends of the piece. I make sure that wood stacks lean slightly back to the wall and that the pieces fit tightly with each other. By stacking the wood well I can be sure that it wont easily fall over and can be covered to help keep it dry.
Freshly cut wood has up to 80% moisture content, it must be seasoned (dried) to 20-25% before it should be used. Leaving wood in the rain will cause the wood to reabsorb moisture, reversing the drying process, so it need to be covered for at least 6-9 months to dry sufficiently. Leaving big chunks will take much longer to dry, 2-3 years is not a bad guide, if wood sizzles when it burns then it's not dry enough.

Red Gum and building offcuts stacked and later covered with a tarpaulin to dry

Cutting up and stacking dried red gum branches for firewood using a drop saw

Small branches are cut to length when pruned and stacked for use as kindling. Smaller pieces are chopped up finely and left on site for mulch.

Oven dried citrus skins makes great fire starters because of the high oil content

Efficient burning
Most of the remaining moisture in wood is the resins. When the wood heats up in the firebox the resins emit combustible gases, when these ignite they can account for as much as half the heated output of the fire. If the wood is not properly seasoned then steam is emitted when the wood heats up, preventing the gases from igniting. These unignited gases build up on the glass door, if you have one, and inside the chimney as creosote.
Creosote is highly combustible and condenses in liquid form as the wood exhaust cools up the chimney, solidifying as it dries. As it builds up it increases the risk of a chimney fire, which can burn for an extended period and reach temperatures that can destroy your chimney. Creosote is also caustic and will reduce the life of your chimney.
By seasoning firewood and giving it enough oxygen to properly combust you will reduce creosote formation by burning the gases and sending more heat up the chimney, thereby reducing flue gas cooling.

Method
Learning how to use a wood stove takes time, and each stove has its own intricacies. Practice makes perfect, but these tips that I've picked up may help.

If the firebox is filled with ash it may be a good idea to remove some. With our stove we leave a 25mm bed of ash to prevent the oven below getting too hot, but too much ash prevents the oven getting hot enough. With kitchen stoves it may be best to remove all ash, but the wood heaters it's sometime best to leave a nice bed. I like to leave any coals in the firebox to give them a second chance to burn.
Start with well dried citrus peel or eucalyptus leaves as a fire starter, lightly scrunched paper with small dried twigs and sticks stacked around the paper like a tepee. Open up the flue damper and air controls before lighting the paper, and leave the door open until the fire takes. Then close the door, leaving all vents fully open.
The fire should get roaring pretty quickly. Once it begins dying down a bit you can flatten out the remaining material and add some larger sticks on the small bed of coals, criss-crossing them to ensure that there is plenty of air around them. Leave all the vents fully open still.
Let the fire roar some more. Once it begins to die down again, after 5-10 minutes, add some small logs onto the bed of red hot coals. You can then close the flue damper, but leave the air vents fully open until the logs are well alight.
Once there are plenty of hot coals you can add big logs and control the heat of the fire using the air vent. With our combustion stove it's important to open the flue damper before opening the door to add more wood, otherwise smoke will flood into the house setting off the smoke alarm.
Burning the fire hot initially helps clean the chimney and glass door and gives you a good coal bed that allows large pieces of wood to burn. Once the wood box is hot it's much easier to burn the combustible gases and make the most of burning wood. You can see this happen with a glass fronted firebox, as flame dances all around the space - which is beautiful to watch. There should be little to no smoke.
If the fire dies down and smokes a lot then you will need to stoke it up and add some smaller branches to get it fired up again. Smoldering wood creates pollution and doesn't have the heat to fully combust resins, reducing efficiency.
I tend not to completely close the air vents (we have two) overnight unless there are just hot coals left in the firebox. The thermal mass of the stove keeps the chill off the air overnight after the fire has gone out.

Some other information in this post was sourced from the fantastic article: Wood Burning Basics by Tom Oyen

Free mulch

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:40:00 +0000

Principle 5: Use and value renewable resources and services
Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

Powerline maintenance crew drop off a load of mulch

Each year the electricty provider sends out a crew to prune trees that are getting too close to the overhead power cables. I noticed them doing this recently, leaving branches on the nature strip. A couple of days later I heard a large mulcher at work, and went outside to watch. When the workers were finished I asked them if they wanted a place to unload their mulch. When they were next in the area with a near full load, they did just that.
During the drought, a few dollars was handed over for the favour, but since we've had wetter weather noone seems to want mulch anymore. I got this load delivered for free. Can't get better than that!
With the rains constantly filling the infiltration basins around the garden beds I was having difficulty accessing the beds to harvest vegetables and maintain them. I was thinking of draining the water out of them during the wet season and damming the overflow drying the dry. Laying thick mulch over the paths was a good alternative solution, covering the water which would soak into the material and reduce evaporation during the dry season. The mulch will break down over time and may used in the garden, replaced by more when available - possibly next year when the maintenance crew return.
I didn't quite realise how much there was until I started to move it. I had enough to cover every path around the house, and some garden beds. I avoided mulching right up to the house as it may attract termites. It looks quite neat now, and shows clearly just how much space is used up as paths. I'd like the garden beds to encroach into this space more.

Mulch laid on thickly to cover and soak up water on infiltration basins

Mulched path and infiltration basin provides better access and reduces risk of mosquito breeding

Full of light on the shortest day

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Principle 1: Observe and interact

Winter solstice, the day of Sen's first birthday, is the shortest day with the longest shadows. I thought that I would take some photos around midday to record the extremes - fortunately the sun came out to help me.

Observing the solar gain in the living room at midday on winter solstice

Sunlight heats most of the slab during the shortest day

Whilst not necessarily the coldest time of the year, with temperatures hovering between 5ºC min and 14ºC max there have been a few frosts. Average temperatures get lower during the next month or two as the thermal mass of the earth cools down, a bit of a delayed reaction. During this time of the year we see sunlight (when it comes out) cover most of the slab, providing us with valuable radiant heat which is stored in the thermal mass of the concrete, helping to stablise the temperature of the house. It can get very bright in our living space and we sometimes close the curtains so that Kai can watch TV or if we want to sit together at the table, as the sun comes in at eye level for Kai.
The fire is lit every evening now, and sometimes during the day when it's overcast, ensuring that we have hot water and a comfortable living space.
I took some photos around the house to make a record of where the extreme shadows fall. A couple of the garden beds are completely shaded during this time of the year. It may be best to let them fallow during the winter months and just use them as summer gardens, but I've planted them out anyway to see how they go.

These vegetable gardens on the north side of the house remain in full sun for most of the day

Shading from the neighbouring fence and garage over the backyard garden

Shading from water tank over garden near front entrance, which is planted out with broad beans

Most of the garden beds on south side of the house completely shaded by the house

Solar PV: Research and installation

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Principle 5: Use and value renewable resources and services

8 x 188W panels installed giving a total of 1.5kW, more than enough for our needs

On this cold and frost morning two young men arrived to install our new solar system. It's been just over one year since we moved into Abdallah House, a fitting gift to celebrate the anniversary.
I know a little about solar systems, having installed a very small system on my VW Kombi about 12 years ago. Gearing up for a home system has been a much more complicated process, especially with all of the changes to rebates along with the hundreds of different types of systems available and **FANTASTIC OFFERS** that flash brightly before your eyes.
Justifying the purchase of a photovoltaic system has been difficult, hours of research, contimplation and discussion are behind the image that you now see.

Subsidies
In Australia solar systems are subsidised by the issuing Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs - previously called RECs). These certificates represent the polution that they save from going into the atmosphere, they are a 'tradable commodity' and are purchased by big polluting business to allow them to continue to pollute. So by selling your STCs (and getting a cheaper system) you are negating the 'clean energy' that you are creating.

Green Power
There are other options available such as GreenPower. While you can get 100% green power, sourced from mainly wind farms and hydro power plants there are some draw backs. The first one is the loss in transmission, which can be significant. There are no wind farms or hydro systems anywhere near us. What you are actually buying is primarily coal power with a greater allowance of green power being fed into the grid. Also, there is no direct connection between how much power you use and what is required to generate it. I believe that if you understand what is involved in producing electricity then you will be more conservative in how you use it.

Usage
While using renewable energy sources is a vast improvement on using fossil fuels, there needs to be a reduction in energy usage too. Why? Fossil fuels are an amazing source of concentrated energy that have been created over millions of years, we are using this energy much faster that the earth can replace it. By setting up renewable energy systems on a more appropriate scale that reflects the power that is required we can significantly cut back on our demand for precious fossil fuels, saving them for times of real need.
We have designed this house with energy use as a key design issue. In our home we consume, on average, 3kW per day. The average Australian home consumes more than 5 times this. This means that we require a much smaller solar system to provide for our needs, in fact with a 1.5kW solar system that would normally supply about 30% of a homes power, we could become a net exporter of power and generate an income in the process - which could in turn pay for the system.

Payback
People often look at payback time as a way of justifying the purchase of a solar system.When people purchase a spa or a larger TV do they consider this? No, not usually. In most cases payback on a solar system is not a good way to measure the benefit. In our case, however, this is different. Why? Because of the way the Premium Feed in Tariff works, along with our our energy efficient household.

Premium feed in tariff for Victoria is 66c per kWh exported
Current power cost is 25c per kWh peak, 15c per kWh off-peak
Estimated average production in Melbourne is about 5.4kWh per day for panels facing true north with a 20° tilt angle (according to the Clean Energy Council). Since our panels will have a less than perfect tilt angle I will assume that we will generate 5.2kWh per day.

The peak time that the panels generate power is between 9am and 3pm (varies considerably between summer and winter). The energy that we use during this time will reduce the amount of power that we export to the grid, and hence get paid for. So reducing power usage during this time will increase our income. This can be done by doing our clothes washing early in the morning or at night for instance. I'm estimating that we will use about 1.2kWh per day while the panels generate power, so we should export about 4kWh per day.

Solar power exported: 4kWh x 365 days x 66c* per kWh = about $960
Peak power (weekday) not paid for: 1.2kWh x 261 days x 25c per kWh = $78
Off-peak power (weekend) not paid for: 1.2kWh x 104 days x 15c per kWh = about $19
Estimated income from panels = $1057

Estimated bill from power company (2011 prices)
Service fees: $70 per quarter = $280
*I estimate that 60% of our power usage is peak and %40 off peak
Peak power imported: 1.8kWh x 365 days x 60% x 25c = $99
Off-peak power imported: 1.8kWh x 365 days x 40% x 15c = $40
Total power expenditure = $419

Estimated revenue from 1.5kW solar power system is $638 per year (decreasing as power costs and service costs increase). The system cost us $3390 plus ?? connection fee. If prices don't change and we don't increase our power usage then the system will pay for itself in 6 years. Knowing that prices will increase dramatically in the next few years we can assume that it will take longer, although we still wont have to pay for power regardless of price increases. After that, any money generated by the system will be a profit. In the process we will be exporting an estimated 1460kW of electricity during peak use times over the year. We will become a mini power station for our community.

*Note In NSW the premium feed in tariff (which is no longer available) is looking like it could be retrospectively reduced from 60c per kWh to 40c per kWh - update - NSW gov't backed down on this issue. This could happen in Victoria (where I live) too. New systems in NSW only get 20c per kWh as a gross feed in tariff (all power generated by the system). State and Federal number juggling is causing huge uncertainty in the industry and for consumers. As if it wasn't confusing enough as it is!

Siting panels
For grid connect systems the ideal angle of of the panels should be the latitude (Seymour is 37°) minus 10° to maximise the amount of energy produced annually. If I was installing a stand alone power system the ideal angle would be the latitude plus 15°, because I would want to be maximising solar input during winter. (info and image source: Your Home)

The orientation of our house is nearly due north, which is ideal, but the pitch of the roof is only around 12°. From what I've found it would ideally be 27°. An installer quoted me $770 to install a tilt frame that could be use to achieve the perfect angle. This should improve the efficiency of the panels by about 7%. A friend of mine in the industry suggested that the tilt frame was not worth the cost for us, considering our tilt angle and orientation.
* Update 28th June - I recently discovered a great solar calculator that can estimate the power generated at different tilt angles. According to this calculator the power generated at the ideal angle of 27º (due north) is 1911kW per year / 5.24kW per day, at 12º is 1848kW per year / 5.06kW per day, a 3.4% / 63kW per year / 170W per day loss.

Variation of solar module output with orientation and tilt angle for latitude 35°S. (image: Your Home)

The outputs of crystalline modules are affected by temperature. As the temperature increases, the output of the solar module will decrease. Amorphous solar modules are less affected. To keep mono and polycrystalline modules cool they should be well ventilated, with a gap of at least 150mm behind them to allow airflow. Exposure to cool breezes when siting modules is an important consideration.

Hybrid systems
I have investigated getting a hybrid system that is both a grid feed and grid back-up system, which would mean that the system would continue to run, even during a black out. Straight grid interactive systems cut out when the grid fails, as a safety precaution. While the grid is very reliable at present where we live, that might not be the case down the track. The inverter is quite a bit more expensive and the system would require batteries (which need maintenance and replacing). This type of system could be used to maximise the feed in tariff by using off-peak electricity at night to charge the batteries, which would then power the house during the day. Thereby allowing you to export all of the electricity that the panels generated at the premium rate. While I like the idea of this system, the numbers don't add up. The system would cost about three times more and the payback would not be significantly greater than a grid only system, because we use such a small amount of electricity during peak energy production times.

The system we chose
I've chosen to install a Sharp system, both panels and inverter after considerable research, for a number of reasons.

Sharp are a trusted brand, in the solar business since 1959 (they claim to be the world's leading manufacturer of solar panels)
The panels are made in Japan (usually a sign of good quality, and my partner is Japanese)
The inverter is made in China, but under strict quality control from Sharp
Sharp make other products, so the company should be around for many years to come
The system is a mid-range system, not the best of the best, so not outrageously expensive.

I requested eight 188W mono crystalline panels, rather that the option of seven 220w or 215W polycrystalline panels, not because they are significantly better, but because by using eight panels (an even number) I could more easily convert the system to stand alone or hybrid system (using batteries) at a later date if I so desired.
Origin Energy were offering, what I think, was a great deal on these systems. About $400 more than a standard system. Total cost was A$3390, which was about what we were prepared to spend.
Origin were also offering the ability to pay it off interest free over a year. The price for this system has increase significantly since I ordered it, as the rebate has reduced more than originally anticipated. We got in just in the nic of time, with a rebate of nearly $5000.

Panels being mounted onto a raised railing, allowing for airflow that helps keep the panels cooler during summer. The pitch of 12 degrees is less than ideal, but probably wont significantly affect the amount of power that we can generate.

Grid interactive inverter being installed

Sharp grid interactive inverter and DC isolator installed, allowing for the system to be shut down easily

The alternative standard system that Origiin were offering included the questionable Aero-Sharp Inverter, and the possibility of unknown branded PV panels like 'SolarFun' (you don't get to choose the pamnels - get what your given). I have heard people in the industry that there are dedicated people for installation providers who job it is to fix (replace) this particular inverter - yet companies like Origin still insist on selling them. I found this comment on a discussion list regarding this these two inverters:

"Aero-Sharp has a longer warranty :) 10yrs vs 5yrs for the Sharp."
"Very clever marketing trick. Makes an illusion of quality... There is plenty of products on the market with the same or even longer warranty than prestigious brands. The truth is the business case for those products take into account (in some cases) up to two full replacements of the item during the warranty period! They are so cheap to make that the manufacturer will still make a profit after two full replacements. The probable number of replacements is determined statistically. An owner of Aerosharp will get through 10 years without out of pocket expenses albeit with disruptions. But they have to conceive the fact that after 10 years they are up for a new inverter."

Summing up
My advice is to be very careful when choosing a PV system. Read up on solar, the Clean Energy Council consumer guide and the Your Home technical manual are a great start, so that you can understand some of the terms, have an idea what to look out for and what you are talking about.
There are plenty of shonky operators out there, if the deal is "too good to be true", it could well be just that.
We originally signed up with another installer who offered us a 'great deal' that was heavily discounted - in exchange for using our project as a case study and to promote their business, but I found the pressure selling techniques that were employed disconcerting - and so I would find it difficult to recommend that company to other people. I pulled out of the deal during the 10 day cooling off period, as was not impressed by the manner in which the company handled the situation.
Even dealing with a recognised company can be dodgy, especially at the lower end of the market. It's important to ensure that quality components are installed and that the system is going to be installed by experienced technicians - backed-up by a warranty from a company that should still be around to address any issues before the warranty runs out.
If you don't want to do the vast legwork to save a few dollars (and risk an expensive mistake), then deal with a reputable and experienced installer like Sun Real or Going Solar, that have been in the game a long time. Suppliers like these only deal in quality components and ensure that you will get the system that you need, rather than one that someone wants to sell.

Binimum: Five months on

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:13:00 +0000

Principle 6: Produce no waste

Rubbish Bin (120lt) is about 60% full, Recycle Bin (240lt) is about 25% full.

I noted in my previous binimum entry that I wasn't sure whether I should include my workshop waste in the exercise, as that increases our load considerably. Well I have, and we are now 'over budget' with our hope to only fill one rubbish bin for the year, but it's still a posibility. As we adopt this approach as a way of life we find that we are reducing our rubbish more and more without effort.
One big change has been the amount of food that we preserve. This is a everyday part of our lives now. There always seems to be something sitting in a box ready to be bottled, jars ready to go to the cellar, fruit ripening in the sun, something bubbling away on the bench. It's a busy and rewarding life, no time for TV (although we do watch the odd movie). We find that we see containers as a valuable resource, gathering them from neighbours (as we don't buy them), rather than something to put into the recycling bin. In fact I wonder if we are going to suffer from a shortage of paper to start the fire - as we no longer buy the newspaper and don't accept junk mail.
We are finding that we are becoming more in tune with the seasons. Produce comes in waves, persimmons, feijoas and olives at the moment. Quinces have just finished and we had boxes of them to preserve - they are great stewed up on porridge. We don't actually grow these ourselves, but are given them or buy them in bulk when they are available - while we wait for our new fruit trees to mature.

Dehydrating
We've been finding that drying food is the easiest way to preserve. Solar drying is great when the sun is out (and it's hot) - but a few cloudy days in a row can result in fruit going off (check the forecast first). Of course we can use our electric dehydrator, but the electricity use is excessive in my eyes, using 4-5 kWh to dry five trays of plums. As a comparison we use about 3kWh per day to run our household. I have found the electric dehydrator very useful to finish off fruit if the sun decides not to come out, preventing it from spoiling.
As the seasons change so do the methods that we use for preserving and cooking. We have had success drying persimmons inside. Fruit is now cooked up on the wood stove top, and jars sterilised in the oven instead of using our gas stove and sterilising in boiling water. I am keen to try preserving using a solar oven next summer...

Homemade solar dehydrator full of fruit ready to dry - having it enclosed like this means that it can stay outside overnight.

Solar dehydrator exhaust fan, which operates using a small photovoltaic panel

One batch of solar dehydrated apples and nashis ready three days later, with solar dried nappies and clothes in the background

Sun drying peeled persimmons hung by string on a wooden frame inside our house, based on a traditional Japanese method

Olives
We continue to buy food in bulk, recently purchasing 20lt of olive oil that was grown at a permaculture property called Murrnong in Violet Town, about 75km north east of here. We were invited to help with the olive harvest, in exchange for a share of the oil. The day that we were there was fun, with people from all ages and abilities getting involved - learning by doing. After being involved in the process we were keen to buy our supply for the year, direct from the farmer at a very reasonable price (not industrial organic either). The 20lt container can be cleaned and returned once it's finished for reuse.
A call from another friend, to pick some eating olives, has led us to some new preserving techniques. We are using two methods. The more mature olives are sliced and stored in a strong salt and water solution, mixed every day for one month. The harder green olives are crushed to remove the seed and soaked in a weaker brine, which is changed each day for a minimum of 10 days. Once ready, and the bitterness is removed, they will be stored in oil to exclude the air.

Murrnong - Harvesting olives for olive oil production using a 'net' that is wheeled under each tree. Plastic rakes are used to strip the fruit, which rolls into one of four areas.

Murrnong - once the olives have been 'drained' from their area on the net they are unloaded into fruit bins.

Olives (that we picked from a friends tree) being prepared for preserving using two methods. The darker (softer) ones are sliced and the green ones are crushed with a beer bottle to remove the seed. Salt is used to remove the bitterness.

Some lessons learn't

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:08:00 +0000

Principle 4: Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

During an interview for Grass Roots magazine yesterday I was asked "What were some of the lessons learnt?" I didn't give a very comprehensive answer at the time, but was awake at night thinking about it. Here is some of the things that I learnt:

When Project Managing your own house build, make sure you do all of you research before you start the build - time is of the essence when the project is underway. This is particularly important with the sourcing / selection of materials.
If using second hand materials, make sure they are all on site, cleaned up, easy to find and ready to go before the framing starts. This is especially important for windows and doors - all of ours were second hand. Building a timber rack before you start is a really good idea.
If thinking about building a cellar / cool cupboard, do you research first, and perhaps you will avoid some of the issues that I faced - water can be a problem when you go underground.
Whenever you have paid workers on site, make sure you are there and ready to answer any questions, get whatever they need and direct them in what you want done. If you manage to get any physical work done yourself then that's a bonus.
Allow some time to clean up at the end of each day, pack away tools and give the place a sweep - so your ready for a fresh start the next day and can find what you are looking for. Spend the evening planning for the next day.
Don't underestimate how much work there is to do - it's full on for the length of the build, and even the months leading up to the build. Loosing sleep because you are thinking about the next step is not uncommon either.
Work with someone who knows what they are doing, I found it great to have a guide. I had next no experience when I started the project, other than helping out on a couple of building sites as a labourer - and being the maintenance co-ordinator at Commonground for five years, a bit of a jack-of-all-trades.
Think about how you can reuse your bathroom, laundry water for irrigation before you do the pluming rough in. Make sure you don't mix it with kitchen or black water before you pick it up.
Work out your wiring plan carefully before getting the electrician in. Think about every switch, power point, internet connections, light, fan, and possible solar PV install. Where is it all going to go. Buy all of your lights / fans / smoke alarms before hand and save money.
Spend money buying good tools early in the process. That way you can use them!

Food, water and energy

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Principle 10: Use and value diversity
The article 'Food, water, oil' in the current G magazine that we borrowed from the library recently, made apparent that these issues are becoming humanities greatest challenges. I got to thinking about how we have addressed these topics. This became part of my introductory talk on our most recent 'sustainable house tour', organised by local enviroment group BEAM and the Sustainable Communities Program.

Richard addressing a group of 30 sustainable house tour guests

Food
While we will never be completely self-sufficient in food production on our small block, we have managed to produce the majority of our non-staple vegetable needs within the first 10 months that we have been living here. This has been supplemented by our network of generous friends and neighbours who often share excess produce with us along with visits to the 'black market', farmers market, local market and stupermarket (in that order where possible).
We are getting into the habit of ensuring that people always leave with something that we have in abundance when they visit, more often than not, visitors bring something they have when they come. This informal exchange has no checks and balances, it just 'kinda works out'. I think that this works because the people that we associate with have a 'generousity of spirit' embedded within, and that spirit is infectious. I have come to realise that this is one of the greatest ways to ensure food security during times of crisis, building a sense of trust within our wider community.
We buy dry goods (wheat, sugar, grains, seeds, oil, nuts etc) in bulk every few months or when available which we sometimes trade with. This helps keeps overall costs down, and reduces our need to continually go shopping. We mill our own flour when we need it, which ensures that we get the maximum nutriment.
We collect and grow food from non-hybrid seed. Our garden has become a living seed bank that we can share. During the year we have harvested the following from our garden:
Potatoes, Silverbeet (chard), shallot onions, spring onion, garlic, beans, broadbeans, peas, leeks, tomatoes, turnips, radish, daicon radish, zucchini, pumpkin, jerusalem artichokes, lettuce, rocket, cucumber, rhubarb, chilli, strawberries, (pop)corn and herbs (mint, basil, vietnamese mint, chives, garlic chives, lemongrass, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary). We have also harvested some apples and a large quantity of pears and wild cherry plums from existing fruit trees.
Growing our own food results in an abundance of certain types of food at certain times, to deal with this we share excess and preserve what we can. I've found solar drying the easiest way to preserve food, but we also heat treat fruit in jars and ferment vegetables using a variety of methods.

Seed bank, containing a mix of seeds purchased, seeds given / swapped and seeds that we have collected ourselves. Each variety is bagged and labled with a card to include details about planting or collection. Bay leaves and silca packet to deter insects and excess moisture

Water
With our 23,000lt and 8,000lt rainwater tanks we have so far managed to supply all of our water needs both domestically and out in the garden. We use our smaller tank as a back-up supply, in case our larger tank fails or becomes contaminated. If both of these tanks run out then we can use the mains water connection, which has not been used since we moved here (and hopefully never will be).
There are plans to install a gravity fed greywater system using Art Ludwigs design to irrigate fruit trees, making use of this valuable resource, but since we have had such a wet year this has not reached the priority list.
Harvesting rainwater within the soil has been part of the design plan, with infiltration basins around vegetable beds, which reduces the need to irrigate. These basins are filled with coarse mulch, and the vegetable beds are topped with grass clippings from neighbouring properties to help retain moisture. Storing rainwater in the soil is the cheapest and best way to keep your garden healthy.
Because we only use water we collect we have become acutely aware of when it rains and how much water we can use. We have been having baths often, because we have the water (and love baths). We wash nappies using our 30 year old top loading machine (using up to 150lt per wash) without concern, when the need arises we will reduce our usage accordingly.

Energy
Rather than focus on just oil, I thought that I would look at all our energy use.
Electricity: We use electricity to provide water pressure, wash nappies, mill flour, preserve food and we spend most of our time at home (I work from home) - so we should really be using more than the 16-20kWh used per day in a typical Australian household (2.5 people). From the bills that we have received so far (first 6 months) we have been using an average of 2.8kWh per day for our family of 4 people (about 15% of 'normal').
We have achieved this because we heat our house and hot water using the sun and wood. We use the sun to dry and sanitise our clothes / nappies and we have a small (25 year old) bar fridge that we use in conjunction with our (as yet unfinished) cool cupboard and cellar.
Gas: Rather than connect to the mains, which runs to the property, we have elected to use bottled gas because we are only using gas to run our two burner (40+ year old) stove. It works out much cheaper than paying for the connection fees for a mains gas connection. We are yet to empty a 45kg bottle.
Petrol: Living in Seymour, a small rural service town of around 6000 people, we find that we can walk just about everywhere we need to. Most of our needs are met from within our local community, but if we need to travel to the city we can catch the train, which runs every hour and takes about 1hr 20 min. I have driven about 1500km since Christmas, mainly to visit friends in hard to reach places.
Wood: Using our recently constructed wood cabinet I should be able to accurately measure how much wood we consume this year. All wood that we have used so far has been sourced on site, and we should have enough to last 2-3 more years.
Solar PV: I have been investigating the installation of a PV system. Current grants heavily subsidise systems up to 1.5kW. A system of this size would easily provide for our electricity needs, in fact would would be able to export most of that power back to the grid and generate and income of close to $1000 per year. There are a huge range of systems available in the market at the moment, and many not so ethical sales people. I'm interested in buying a mid-quality system from a trusted company. I'm also interested in buying components from a company that is not solely reliant on solar as their main business. It's hard to imagine that of the hundreds of solar panel manufacturers around at the moment that they will be around to cover their 25 year warranty.
Money: According to the Melbourne Institute, a family of four (in Australia) that earns below $765 per week is below the poverty line - we generated a family income of about $385 per week last financial year, making us officially two times below the poverty line (And yes, we do have a mortgage - that we hope to have paid off in 2 years). Funny thing is that we have never been richer!
Time: While we don't have much money we do have time (you usually have one or the other eh?). I have time to raise my kids, I have time to potter in the garden, I have time to make and fix stuff, and occasionally finish off bits of the house but I don't have time to watch TV or even videos! It's a very rewarding existence, that's busy and challenging.
Waste: By buying food in bulk, preserving food ourselves, using cloth nappies, growing our own food, and adopting a frugal lifestyle we are on track to fill JUST ONE rubbish bin and recycle bin for the entire year. We call it binimum - minimising waste, and it's a very effective way off reducing the amount of energy we consume.

Storage systems from marginal materials

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Principle 11: Use edges and value the marginal

Living in a relatively small house (about 100m2 internally) requires smart use of space. I'm a big fan of making use of what's around me and so I've been designing storage systems within these parameters.

The Red Gum bookshelf

Shelving unit made from red gum milling off-cuts and recovered materials from bungalow deconstruction

Searching through a large stack of off-cuts from the milling operation I came across a 3.5m long piece that caught my eye. Being flat on one edge made it relatively easy to work with a power saw. I cut the length in half, squaring off the ends, and measured where I wanted the shelves to go. I used a piece of plywood clamped to the timber to give me a guide for the power saw, moving it 5mm at a time. I then used a chisel to break up the fragile wood and clean up the recess, leaving a nice clean insert for the shelves. The red gum was then sanded smooth with 40, 80 and 120 grit papers.
The shelves were selected from the old bungalow framing timber. Each piece was given a quick sand with course paper (40 grit) to clean it up. A small off-cut from one of the shelves was sanded back and used as a drill guide so that I could position the holes evenly along the red gum. Using long batten screws the shelves were fixed, given the structure enough strength that it did not require bracing.
The unit was painted with 2 coats of raw linseed oil before being positioned in the living room and fixed to the wall, so that it wont tip over and kill someone (it's heavy).

Power saw used to create rebates for shelving on a piece of red gum

Framing timber from bungalow given a quick sand to clean it up for use as shelves

A block of wood used as a drilling guide where shelves will be fixed

Red gum shelf unit under construction on a level base

Firewood and shoe cabinet

Shoes are 'not on' in our house, something that my Japanese partner insists on. So we have had a pile of shoes gathered at the front door. Along with this, I've been thinking about building a firewood box that could live on our deck near the front door. This would mean that wood could be stored out of the house, but undercover with easy access - instead of tramping out in the rain to get more mid-winter.
Combining the ideas, and building on the cellar storage system concept, I designed a rough outdoor cabinet to do the job, with four plastic drawers used below a bench that holds firewood.
The structure is built from left over timbers from the bungalow deconstruction, along with some fence palings and corrugated iron offcuts from the house build. The drawers are plastic crates that were once used for flowers at the wholesale markets, bought for A$1.50 each in bulk. Shoes are stored in the bottom two crates, with paper, and kindling stored in the two drawers above. Finished just in time for the cold season.
Another reason why I built this unit was because I wanted to measure how much firewood we use over a season. By having a unit to store wood, measuring that unit (.2m2) and then keeping track of how many times we fill it up over a season, I can work out how much timber we use. This will be useful in working out approximately how long our current wood source will last, and when we need to get more wood to season.

Firewood storage cabinet under construction

Storage cabinet stocked with firewood off-cuts with drawers below used for paper, kindling and shoes

Spreading the word

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:10:00 +0000

Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

Today I received a copy of Owner Builder magazine, which features Abdallah House in the centre spread, six pages in all. It's a good summary of what we have been up to here and is sure to help get the story out to a wider audience.

I've also entered a competition called Sustainabilty Drive. It gives up to 20 people in the street the opportunity to share in $1 million in sustainability features. I got interested in the idea after I realised that it was a great way to share a little of what we are doing with people around us. Perhaps we might even win too? Yer... right. Anyway, I've put together and entry and I'm in the process of putting together a letter that I am going to drop into my neighbours letterboxes to invite them to join in. Check out my submission and click the green button if you like it.

Coming up soon there are a couple of opportunities for people (like you?) to come and visit the property to see what it's like in the flesh.

Our second 'Sustainable House Tour' on April 16th 2011 run through the local councils Sustainable Communities Program
National Permaculture Day, May 1st 2011 with tours at 2pm and 3pm

Renewable energy solutions

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Principle 5: Use and value renewable resources and services

Wood stove / oven / heater / hot water booster, which hasn't been needed for the last four or five months

The solar hot water system has provided for 95% of our hot water needs during the hotter months

Since moving into the house nine months ago we have been using no electricity or gas to produce hot water (except for cooking), which is normally one of the heaviest consumers of non renewable energy in the typical 'first world' home. The system that we installed is a combination of a solar hot water system with a wood fired stove to back it up. It's made up of Australian made components that includes a heat exchanger, situated below the hot water tank. I was usnsure whether we needed to include a gas booster to back it up further and so arranged for the plumbing to allow for one during construction just in case.
The system was designed with consultation with Richard Morton at Sun Real. I've found it extremely valuable to work through my ideas with a professional that has had many years experience and knows what works and what doesn't. I've come across sales people before that are pushy with particular products that may not be suitable to my needs or budget. This type of system is not something that you would want to modify later on, you've got to get it right the first time around.
While the system was not cheap, costing well in excess of A$10,000 to install (before rebates) we have found that it has provided for our hot water needs 95% of the time. The only time we run out of hot water (only having warm water) is during the warmer weather when it's too hot to light the fire and we have had several days of clouds. This could be resolved by installing the gas booster, but we have decided to 'rough it' instead.
The system runs itself, and uses no electricity, as the water thermosyphons around the pipes as it heats up. The only costs in running it are associated with wood supply, which can be very expensive if you need to buy it in. I have several years worth of supply left over from the felling of the huge Red Gum on site, along with off-cuts of timber recovered from the original house that I glean from my regular storage building projects.
Having installed this system has meant that it was cheaper to use bottled gas rather that get mains gas connected, which runs right past the property. A 45kg bottle costs A$95 delivered, and A$30 bottle rental per year after the first year - we are still on our first bottle. When I costed it last year I found that the connection fee for mains gas was aroung A$170p.a. with the the equivalent of a 45kg bottle of gas costing A$33.
We have cooked without the wood stove during the warmer months by using our small 1960's gas stove, but have missed the excellent baking oven. We've been using an electric one for baking bread instead, using around 330W to bake a loaf. Without an oven, Kunie has been using a steamer to bake cakes (Asian style) and we have been investigating making a solar oven for slow cooking and preserving, but havn't got around to it this season.
We are currently looking at installing a Solar PV system to generate electricty, more on that later...

Gas booster location for the hot water system, plumbed in but is not yet needed

We use an electric breadmaker during summer with freshly milled flour

Finishing off the cellar

noreply@blogger.com (permie) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:38:00 +0000

Principle 1: Observe and interact

The time had come to focus on the cellar and try to address the final issues surrounding water infiltration. There have been a number of issues that I had encounted earlier:

Water was running under the house during minor flood events and finding its way into the cool cupboard pipe, which runs into the cellar. This was addressed by building up earthern banks around the low points around the edges of the building.
Water was running into the cellar during minor flood events via the hole that was left for the outlet for the sump pump and rainwater pressure pump, which is located inside. Earth was built up around the edge of the cellar to reduce this.
Water was falling into the stairwell when it rained, which flowed into the cellar. A cover was built that addressed this.
Water was weeping through gaps in the mortar when the surrounding earth become sodden. Channels were dug around the cellar to redirect runoff, which reduced this, but did not solve the problem.

Filling in the gaps in the mortar was a job that I finally got around to doing. It was a fairly big one, so was put off for a long time - while I waited for the ground to dry out. I figured that if I filled any obvious gaps then water infiltration would slow down.
This was done by mixing up a 9:3:2 mortar mix (sand : lime : cement) which was pushed into gaps with a putty knife. A wet sponge was used to wipe away excess and ensure that the gaps were filled.
I had thought about painting the brickwork to further prevent seepage with either a lime wash, polyurethane paint (left over from polishing the slab floor), or using a product called Silasec made by Bondall. I decided not to attempt any of this in the end as I felt that, while one of these approaches may work for a period of time, eventually the cellar would leak again as water pressure would push against the treatment. These treatments would be more effective if painted on before the earth was filled in around the exterior of the brickwork. I have succumbed to the fact that 'nature abhors a void' and as a result will pump water out when necessary.
Since the work was done there have been some heavy rains and water still gets into the cellar, but it is no where near the problem it once was.

Filling gaps in the stairs with mortar

Mortar gaps in the walls of the stairwell before being filled in

The finished cellar stairwell

Filling gaps inside the cellar

The finished cellar wall

The cellar is made using reclaimed brick with mortar and concrete, with an internal circumference of 2.2m and 2.1m of headroom. It sits 1.5m below ground level, with a 160mm thick concrete roof, forming the base for a 8,000lt water tank. The tank is our back up water supply that sits 800mm above ground level, allowing for gravity feed. There is a 400mm diameter pipe that leads from the cellar up to the kitchen cool cupboard. Air will be drawn through the cellar, reducing the effects of ethylene off-gassing which can spoil food.

Principle 7: Design from patterns to details

Once the cellar structure was complete I focused on the storage system. It was difficult getting my head around building a system within a small circular space. I was keen to use what material that I had available, which included timbers left over from the house construction and crates that once contained flowers that my mate Brian picked up for $1.50 each. I figured that these could make great drawers.
I laid out the crates in the cellar to get an idea of how they might fit into the space. Then I built a unit that could hold six crates, which was the maximum height I could fit. Moving the unit into the cellar I confirmed that two would fit nicely against the end wall, deciding that shorter ones with benches on either side would make the space more usable.
Once all of the frames were set in place I joined them together, fitting triangular shelves between them which braced the entire unit. I added some smaller shelves above the benches and painted the lot with linseed oil to protect the timber against moisture.

The frame of the six drawer unit under construction in my tiny shed

The six drawer frames against the back wall with shorter bench frames either side. Cement sheet off-cuts were used to choc-up the legs on the sloping floor.

Gaps between frames filled in with triangular shelving, these ones can only be accessed when the crate drawers are removed

Drawers in place. 16 can fit in all, although only 14 used. The benches are handy to put crates onto when sorting through produce. Some crates currently used for storing cleaned preserving jars and bottles.