Our Tassie Treechange

Yes we moved in and we didn't drop of the face of the earth

noreply@blogger.com (Derek and Kylie) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:56:00 +0000

I know that it's been a long time between posts - I was trying to make a point with Derek (since it was his job to put the photos up - yes it was!) but I've relented.

We moved into the house in the middle of July, which was really good timing since I started working from home at the end of June, so I didn't have to spend too much of winter in the hard to heat house in Huonville.

There is still a lot to do before we get the certificate of completion (hopefully in April), but we're in and we're comfortable and slowly working through it all. So here are some pictures of the (semi) finished product.

Slightly blurry photo of part of the pantry - Derek did all of the cabinet work

The open plan living space is fantastic - so light and airy with the cathedral ceiling but still feels cosy

And of course the fantastic red stove - the hero of the kitchen

The window seat is the next on the list to be built, and the old lounges are gone now

Derek now has a reclining chair with footstool in place of the old lounge - lots of sleeping in front of the TV planned

Still working out what to have as our bedhead - too many choices

A few little bits to finish in our ensuite

And the vanity needs to drop about 10cm so I don't have to stand on tippy-toes

My studio - not as it will finally look. It's doubling as the guest room since the guest room isn't rendered yet. It also has everything we're planning on storing the guest room, so very cluttered. But the bookshelves are fantastic!

The main bathroom - or the guest bathroom as we call it

The woodland grey painting has now finished, so the downpipes are hidden against the house

There is still a bit of final coat render to do outside, but we will probably get someone else to paint it.

And the view of the house from up the road, with Lily in picture of course.

The house is extremely well insulated, so the extended winter that we've had this year has been very comfortable for us. Of course we've still had fires of a winter's night, but there were only a couple of days I had to have a fire during the day.

And it's just wonderful living up here. It's so peaceful and I occasionally get wallabies outside the window I work at. Of course we always have wallabies around the house at dawn and dusk, which can send Lily off on a chase, but we discourage that behaviour.

We also have a resident echidna, who I have named Ernie. I usually know he's around because Lily runs up to him and barks at him. I think she put her nose a little too close once, because she doesn't get too close to him, she just likes to let me know where he is. He's great as well because once I shoo her away he has no fear of me at all, which is how I can get cool photos of him.

We do have other wildlife - lots of birds, quolls, (we think) devils, rabbits, these odd little marsupial rats, and the odd snake. Fortunately we haven't seen any yet this summer, but the dog in the house up behind us was bitten recently so we're being vigilant.

And on other things
Derek has been enjoying his job, although I know he wishes he was still working on the house every day rather than driving into Hobart to deal with an office environment. I keep telling him if he can find someone who will pay him to finish the house then feel free :-) He hasn't managed to black out the State yet, so I think he's going pretty well.

I've launched my business 'dinkylune' (it's an anagram of my name), and am fortunate enough to have a job working from home that gives me time to work on it. It's a bit of a soft launch at the moment, since I still have a lot of work to do before I can really get things going, but since I published the ebook and have been making jewellery, I thought it was time to make the first move.

We hope that you all have a lovely festive season!!! We will be eating too much at the Taste of Tasmania again this year - some traditions are too good to break - and then I believe we're contemplating getting that final coat of external render on.

Certificate of Occupancy

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 07:49:00 +0000

It has been a while since we have posted anything. Things have been pretty busy with us. Between continuing to build the house, me starting a new job and Kylie starting a new job this week, it has been hectic.

Today we had our Certificate of Occupancy inspection. It went as expected and we will be issued with a certificate with conditions. The conditions will be simple things like external doors with too big a drop have to be locked.

So we can now move in. Yeah!!!

The Kitchen (and the Stove)

noreply@blogger.com (Derek and Kylie) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:17:00 +0000

These are fairly low quality photos, since the light was poor this morning and they were taken on Kylie's phone, but since we're both at work at the moment we don't have time to take a better one so here is a preview of the kitchen. The bench is about 3.4 metres long, and will have the same tiles put on the back of the bench as we have in the fireplace (hopefully that will happen next Tuesday).

And of course there is the wonderful stove, that we have had sitting in the garage for two years just waiting to be used. It's a mainly induction cooktop, but has a ceramic hotplate so if you have non-induction friendly cookware you can still use it. Can't wait to start cooking up a storm in this kitchen.

Floors Sanded and Sealed

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:56:00 +0000

Last week saw the floors sanded and sealed. The sealing uses a gloss coat whilst the finish coat will be a satin, so the final finish won't be as "shiny" as the photos below.

This week also saw the ensuite tiled. There was a lot of discussion with the tiler on the best way to achieve what we wanted, we're really happy with the final product.

Last week was a big week for both of us and not just for the house. Firstly I finished two weeks of full-time work (behind a desk) and that has been extended into a 6 month contract. They are happy for me to work part time for June so that we can move into the new house. Big change from the house building.

Secondly, Kylie resigned from her public service job, talk about not even waiting for the dust to settle after I returned to work :-) She's been struggling a bit with the job for a little while now, so she's decided to leave to try to pursue something that will be more creative, or at least get her there.

All in all a big week for everyone, even Lily had her first full week of day care. Next week we should have the kitchen installed, which includes the big red stove. We'll try to get photos up as early as possible.

Tiling

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 27 May 2013 11:53:00 +0000

Last week saw the tiler make some significant progress. Only has the shower recess in the main bathroom and the ensuite left to tile. This is the fireplace

and this is the sunspace.

This week the timber floors are being sanded and sealed. This is the main living area before the sanding and sealing. Hopefully in a few days there will be photos of it sealed

All going well the kitchen will go in next week and it will be getting just that little bit closer.

Studio Floor

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:19:00 +0000

Finished laying the floorboards in the studio. We are really happy with how it came up. All going well the floors will be sanded and sealed in a week or so.

Painting

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:52:00 +0000

This week the painters were in. They have done the ceilings and first coat of colour on the walls.

The builder and I have also been busy laying the timber floors. Have done the bedroom, kitchen/lounge/dining and pantry. Should finish the studio by the end of this week.

Everything is happening very quickly now. Hard to keep up and with the shorter days even harder to get photos with decent light.

Help with Rendering

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:11:00 +0000

Over the last two weeks we have some professional help with the rendering. They have rendered the block work inside and out. Much faster than us and a better finish. Also means that we could continue with straw bale rendering.

This is the garage wall completed....

This is the internal block wall rendered. This is very close to the final colour as well.

Internal rendering is going well. Had Kylie helping the last four days and we have finished the laundry, pantry, studio, lounge and our bedroom.

We have acknowledged that we cannot render the guest area before moving in, so that means we have completed the internal render for the painters. Just have to wait for it to dry.

Final Render Coat

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:06:00 +0000

Kylie took some more time off work to help with rendering. We continued with internal render and on Tuesday and Wednesday we had some extra help so we took on the final coat on the outside.

In two days we managed to do three of the four gable walls, which reduces the number of levels I have to carry render on my own.

On Thursday we took a day trip to Devonport and picked up the last of our lights. Now we just have to finish plaster, render and painting so we can fit them.

Plasterers Busy

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:13:00 +0000

The plasterers have been busy the last few days. I finished with the electrician last Thursday doing the electrical first fit and we have only just kept ahead of the plasterers.

Despite today being a public holiday in Tassie they worked today and got a good portion of the living space done. This shot is taken from the window seat.

All very exciting and has resulted in Kylie saying "can you just finish it now" about 20 times.

Lock Up

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 09:29:00 +0000

Kylie and I fitted the last two windows today getting the house to lock up. Very exciting!!!

Plasterers return this week to start on the rest of the house, so some future pictures will be of the inside.

We now have a whole heap of decisions to start making about skirting boards, tiles, kitchen, taps etc. although as of today we have sorted out all of the internal doors, and on Friday we sorted out all of the lighting. So we feel like we're on track to meet the June deadline, let's see how that goes.

It has been a while

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:33:00 +0000

Has been a while since we posted updates - too busy doing!

Two weeks ago we put in the last straw bale. A few days later the wall was wrapped and ready for render.

Once the wall had a single coat of render, we had the builder come back to help put in the windows into the guest area and finish the eaves.

At the same time we had the plasterers put the ceiling in the garage

Since then the builder and I have finished the blocking the plasterer needs in the rest of the house, I have nearly completed the second coat of render outside, we have dry fitted one of the two garage windows and I have got two coats of paint on the garage ceiling.

All going well the garage door will be fitted next week and if the weather holds I can get the two garage windows in. We will then be at lockup which is very exciting.

Guest Area Progressing and lights

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:39:00 +0000

The guest area has progressed with one and a bit of the three sides having two coats of render.

Work will now begin on the straw walls on the other two sides of the guest area. Once they are done I can get the builder back to help me install the windows and do the eaves.

We're waiting on the electrician at the moment so we can get the plasterers in for the garage. The panel door is ordered and in about six weeks will be ready to install and get us to lock up (everything else going well).

We also had a big breakthrough last Friday when we were in Devonport. We visited a local lighting store and finally found a store with a great range at a really good price - Halley's Lighting if you want to know. Kylie has found the perfect light for her studio and our kitchen lighting is pretty cool as well.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:43:00 +0000

Well it is the new year and the neighbour has had his excavator home. Which allowed for some larger scale earthworks to occur.

We moved the original drain which was closed and open, open bit shown below.

The new drain is a little longer but it is all underground.

And once it is covered in gives us a little more space.

We also had the mountains of soil moved so now the ground is a little more even around the house.

Now we just need to get on and finish the last of the straw walls. (And by we Derek means he!)

Window in the Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:15:00 +0000

We fitted the window into the main bedroom at the end of last week, which closes that room up.

We have also made a large start on the guest area. Hopefully the weather in the new year allows us to get the guest area wrapped and rendered, then it's a relatively small step to lock up.

Bedroom Second Coat of Render

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:07:00 +0000

Kylie has taken a week off work to help with the build. Last Friday we started on the second coat of render for the bedroom and finished it today. The walls are quite high in comparison to the others.

So now it is onto the guest area. We started baling on Saturday which was quite warm (by Tassie standards) and will continue through this week, assuming I don't break Kylie.

External Cladding

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:06:00 +0000

The external cladding is all but complete. Finished outside the ensuite and the window seat on Monday. Also did some more of the eaves along the front of the house

Finally finished the clerestory window, and put up the eaves and cladding for the guest area.

Hopefully the weather improves from the last few days so we can get the second coat of render on the bedroom.

Brush cutting walls

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 10:32:00 +0000

Friday was supposed to be my day off, but I had to go into work in the morning for a COAG Standing Council meeting. This meant that I spent the morning around Minister's from the Commonwealth and other States as they talked about high level Human Services policy issues. This is the first one of these meetings I have attended, and it was pretty interesting.

Then, as a complete change of tack, I changed out of my office gear and into flannie mode to go and work on the house. This has always been a job that I've been comfortable doing, as Derek says I'm not comfortable with the chainsaw, but brushcutting walls is a different story.

Of course Derek has to do the bits up high, but I can pretty much get to the sixth bale (ceiling height) without too much issue.

We're getting pretty close to finishing the bedroom walls at the moment, which is pretty exciting. Basically when this is done it is just the guest area left and then the walls will be complete (there is a little bit of cladding but that's a small issue). I'm planning on having a week off form work to help get that room done before Christmas, if that is possible.

We're getting really close to lock up now. There will still be a lot to do once we reach that stage, but it is extremely exciting.

External Cladding

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:11:00 +0000

Last week I had the builder help me put up some of the external cladding for our non-straw walls. A cement sheeting product that is quite heavy but very happy with the finish. There's a little more to do but it is getting there.

Have also finished bailing the front wall of our bedroom. Behind the plastic is a wall 9 bales high with some render on it. If the weather allows (no wind and no rain) then the wall will have two coats of render and will be unveiled.

Bales for the bedroom and wildlife

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:53:00 +0000

Made a good start on the bales for the bedroom. Managed to get up to ceiling height pretty quickly. Have slowed down cutting the bales to get through the ceiling joist etc.

Work did slow for a little while as I had not one but two encounters with this little guy. Scared me the second time as he was hiding under the scaffold. Kept Lily in the ute and hoping that it doesn't come back. One of the joys of living in the bush.

Front Door

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:37:00 +0000

The weather yesterday left a little to be desired, so it was primarily inside work. This included fitting the front door.

The days before we installed the window in the clerestory, some of the external cladding and some more eaves.

We were hoping to get some more of the external cladding on, however the weather was not favourable. Next time the builder is back we should be able to fit some of the cladding.

Studio

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Today I finished the render on the outside of the studio. It is nice to see the outside of this area done. Trying to make straw bales fit into a triangle with a round window in it was very challenging. Looking forward to just doing straight straw bales for a while.

Waste Plumbing

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:26:00 +0000

Last week saw the waste plumbing all but finished. The only things left to do, is install the pump and the high level alarm. The absorption trenches went in in the rain and Kylie was a little sad to see all the bush go. However we now have a clean slate and can control what we want to grow back or plant - maybe. The photo below is after the land was cleared but before the trenches went in.

I had a fun half day cutting slots in the pipe. Needed 120m of slotted pipe so it was either pay the plumber to cut the slots or do it myself.

Plumbing Waste

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:01:00 +0000

Today the plumbers were on-site to start the waste plumbing, septic and all of that. The apprentice rang in sick which meant I was the apprentice for the day. A successful day with the ensuite and kitchen being plumbed into the septic tank, that was also installed today (not going anywhere with 3000 litres of water in it).

Tomorrow the bathroom and laundry should be plumbed in, pump well installed and a good start made on the absorption trenches. After that they should also start on the rainwater catchment.

In this process there will be a lot more soil moved around so the outside of the building will look different again.

Eaves, stairs and general progress

noreply@blogger.com (D Smith) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 12:05:00 +0000

This week has seen progress on a number of fronts. Had the builder back and we put up some eaves. This also meant that I had the electrician wire up for the outdoor lights to be fitted.

Whilst the builder was on site we fitted the circle window in Kylie's studio and fitted some internal cavity sliding doors. Now I just have to work out how to make straw bales curved. We also have scaffolding back on site to help finish the higher bits of the straw walls.

We also had the stairs delivered and fitted. Kylie and Lily are very happy now as they can both get to the guest area without using a ladder and squeezing between studs. I am really happy with how the stairs have come up, they will match in with the floor very well. The tops of the stairs in the photos are MDF which will be taped on to protect the treads whilst the rest of the build goes on.

This week should see the plumbers back to start with some of the external plumbing work, which will include the destruction of Mt Dunn and Mt Smith, as all of the excavated soil is placed back around the house.