# Forum More Stuff Go to Whoa!  Dont ask me why I did it ....

## jago

So a few pictures of the outside of the 3 floor 5 level wood and brick house, my wif and I bought in Port Macquarie ...a lot of convincing by my wif, head scratching and negioating with the Vendor (more about that later) we completed in August 2008.  
So with a background as a picture editor and not a builder we moved up from Sydney with our 8 month old baby daughter. The plan... live in the house until we understood it and then work out how we wanted to use it for the next 10+years.  
All the work would be carried out by myself with all legally required work carried out by those with a licence ( plumbers and electricians). Where I couldn't do the work through lack of skill or knowledge I would do all the project management and labouring. 
June 2009 we had planning consent and I had fainted when realising that I could not get any machinery down the sides the house or even over it, height and power lines. cont/. ext post ground work. 
Picture 1 Street side of house with entrance via carport
Picture 2 Rear of House North Facing ...Yes the colours are Orange Green and Pink!
Picture 3 Entrance via carport on to mid floor for front door! Pool area
Picture 4 West side above pool showing the 45% degree pitch on the North side
Picture 5 West side entrance balcony untreated pine
Picture 6 Middle floor balcony rear of house over looking garden lounge on right
Picture 7 East side of house lots of wood and 6 metres up to street level
Picture 8 Looking down from master bedroom at part of the garden

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## brissyboy

wow looks way interesting. it's fun reaching those heights isnt it.

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## jago

Hi Brissy Boy, 
The height is an obstacle as we're within 800metres to a large surf beach (lots of salt spray) so painting is going to be an expensive future pain, its approx 18 metres to the ridge line,m with limited access down each side. 
The guy who sold it to me painted it 3 years ago those colours and to be honest appart from him being colourblind the paint is buggered, he paid $12k for the scaffold plus the painting. 
If you've any suggestions on cladding for the top half (bottom to be rendered)...please holla. 
The house has changed somewhat since these original pics,I'm  in the process of looking through a couple thousand pics ... to put the time line together in a way that hopefully make sense.

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## jago

Pic 4 above shows the problem a 1400mm cantilever off a timber stud (2nd floor) holding up a wall that is 6 metres plus high both sides supportig a 45 % pitched roof. 
The bottom foot print is 7.2 metres with the top floor 10 metres wide. All of this in an area known as Termite Hill. The house had termite damage on the building inspection report,so I suspected that there would be future problems! :Doh:

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## jago

Inside pictures by floor not all,but an idea of what I'm up against. 
3 floors and 5 levels 17 rooms becomes a complete rebuild frpom the guts out becuase of termite damage and some bad 1980's design!  *Pic Top Floor* 
1 . Master Bedroom with 6 metre high ceilings and lovely pearlescent Blue walls and gold woodwork. Love this room for the sheer volume and views. 
2- 4 Master Bedroom showing balcony due North views of the mountains and ocean, the reason I was convinced to do this project. Balconies have been pulled off due to dangerous construction and will be replaced with panoramic frameless glass windows.. 
5. Spare bedroom shares the same views as the master but is smaller 4.4 metres by 4 metres. 
6.Daughters room, again a fair size 4.6 by 3.8 
7. Topfloor bathroom room, tiny only wide enough for shower and toilet...I have planning consent to enlarge but that envloves removing and re-laying the roof once brick walls have been built west side.  *Pics Mid Floor*  
1. Old entrance to house via stairs down from carport!
2 -4 Lounge room and I blame the reno shows for the wall colour !
5. Kitchen which is tucked behind the right hand orange wall on th mid floor, I mad place to have a kitchen, it heats and stinks the bedrooms up very quickly, the island is facig east and gets no natural light   *Pics Ground Floor + Split level* 
1. Rumpus room ground floor garden on right of wall all brick walls to be removed apart from a 1200mm pier next to door entrance and with the introduction of lots of steel tohold up the 2 floors above.It should open the space right up 
2. looking the other way in rumpus 4th bedroom ( new kitchen) behimd right wall of this pic
3.Down stairs shower ...need I say more
4. Up 7 stairs from ground floor is a room directly under the old garage and the same size plus it is linked via a window pic 5 to the lareg outside pool room.
6. Bonus ; left a slate table as it's to heavy to remove this area is elevated approx 1400mm above the swimming pool. 
Now I have got the main pics out of the way I can do them (future) pics by project.

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## murray44

mmmm.....never seen a green shower screen before. Hope I never see another one! 
Good luck with it all, looks like a very interesting house.

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## jago

I think my wif must have been obsessed with the Ginger Bread house as a kid!    :Shock:

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## jago

Once I got over the drama of having an engineer spec the project and the thought of having to hand dig the footings ... I could not a sensible quote to have the footings dug as No access for machinery.  
The engineer specified pier and beam footings 450 mm wide by 2 metres deep x 6 plus beam of 450 square with a 250 mm slab top!!! The other side any easy 600 x 450 footing. Lucky he's a mate as I spent two weeks digging red clay for   10 hours a day, tools; crowbar, post hole digger, sharp spade and a wheel barrow...approx 22 m3 of clay must be in the region of 60 tonnes. Just so I can pour loads of concrete down it!  
I have spit the picture in to East (easy) side and west side, unfortuatley I didn't take to many pictures, too busy bloody digging and carrying bricks. 
Next 10 thousand bricks to be hand carried on to scaffold, this is going to hurt! :Eek:

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## jago

I had to move 6 thousand bricks down stairs (6 meters drop) and the hire shop said that it was first for them seeing a brick lift in reverse lowering bricks but it worked. The other 4 thousand I carried out on to scaffold. :Eek:

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## jago

This is the only project that is near completion, because , the wif had to have an office to work from and opening the garage door to enter the house was a PITA, plus coming home drunk was fun with a large garage door ...lol 
Eventually the house will be reclad and the carport roof will change to refelect the main roof and be enclosed to stop the bird nests. 
Pic 1 . Garage with asbestos linning board on all walls and ceiling, to be removed 
           by yours truly. 
Pic 2.  Close up of above 
Pic 3.  After I removed the asbestos, time for batts as it didn't have any every stud 
           size/spacing was different; who built this bloody house! 
Pic 4.  Stud wall up and gyprocked to to create an office  5.6 metres x 3.8 metres 
          and reception/lobby area 4.2 metres x 3.8 metres. 
Pic 5.  Painted floor until I lay hardwood floor, temp office so that the wif is happy. 
Pic 6. No more noise at 1am opening the garage door drunk, we have a front door. 
         It took a day to take out roller door and construct and install this panel of doors     
         and all for less $800 :Biggrin:

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## sundancewfs

jago,......
I think you are crazier than me  :Biggrin:  
Amazing to think of all the effort you have put in, to overcome your site access problems!
I'm half expecting you to tell us that your 75 years old and doing this as a retirement project

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## jago

Nah I'm 86...

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## jago

Actually I might as well be 86 but I'm a house husband of 39 with two slipped discs and  various broken bones from re-building the house!  :Doh:   
Last injury broken ribs and bruised kidney and broken hand (lump hammer and steel dont mix ) . I slipped down scaffold on the first day of gutting the house (back in Feb), I removed the floors and timber walls...carried on for a week before the pain got too bad then one hospital trip later (given Hillbilly heroin and told to take it easy for 6 weeks)  and 1 day off. 
I ended up doing 22 days straight, because  I had to put 5 steels in, 3000 bricks laid,  140m2 of flooring laid, plus 84 Ibeams installed and 8 new stud walls and a new staircase (4 flights, local builder made) to fit plus a stair weel to gyprock ...amazing the inner strength one gets if you have to move out and live with the outlaws, I only felt the pain of the ribs once I moved back in to my home and could relax, even if we still dont have any windows, its home. 
Site access it's a real pity no one had a camera when I moved the steels, I must of had the whole if the street watching when I got the boys (8) round to move the big coat hanger 600 +kilos 7 metres long, 3 hours of grunting and chaos to get it from front yard to backyard position. the other 4 steels were carried by 3 people each and not so eventful. 
Yours looks just as interesting but you have slighlty  bigger acess than me, very jealous! lol :2thumbsup:

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## jago

Once the external brick walls went up and carried the weight of the top floor and roof I started on removing all the floors and timber walls.  :Doh:  Some serious formwork scaffold was used inside and out to carry the roof and top floors whilst I dealt with the lower problems, thank god for a great Scaffolder!  *Middle floor Pics* 
1 - 5. Internal wall taken down, opening to old kitchen exposed.
6.    All the floor out, standing in old ground floor rumpus looking up and mid floor old lounge.
7 - 8. Outside mid floor wall removed and big coat hanger put in (steel). The steel only took 35 minutes to lift (chain winches) and position, well surprised that 2 people could do a major job so quickly.
9-10. Looking from outside,on scaffold at the void of the mid floor, new steel in and blocked ready to lift in IBeams
11-12. Floor in and outside frame up 
13. White wall at end used to be the exterior wall under cantilever and carry all the weight of the joists and roof
14. Gyprock off and the stud is f*cked (pic 2 termite) I cannot believe that this frame has been holding up the roof and 6 metres of wall plus carrying a heavy floor load, before I carried on I got a mate who is a builder to look; well he pissed himself at how bad the house had been originally built. This load bearing wall was balancing on on 2 x 100mm blocks off of a single leaf wall underneath a single joist!
15. Quick lets get the brick work finished so that I can change the joists and wall plates upstairs, my father-in-law ( brickie) laid over 1000 bricks and almost killed me in a crazy 7 hours of labouring for him.
16.  3 x Steels in top floor and half of the joists changed feeling a bit more confident that the house won't collapse!
17-18. How it is today pretty much just waiting on the windows and then framing inspection, hurry up windows its getting cold !!!  *Termite pics* 
1 Outside secondary stud holding up undersized header carrying floor above and roof.
2 Stud wall see pic 14 for reference

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## zacnelson

Wow, I just love this thread!  Thanks for all the detailed photos and descriptions.  I get tired thinking about how much work you did, especially carting stuff up and down the hill, especially all the rubble from demolishing! 
Have you done all the bricklaying and concreting yourself?  I thought your formwork was extremely neat.  I notice that you left the timber stakes (including the angled bracing stakes) in the concrete.  Is this common practice?  I have often wondered about that.  It doesn't reduce the strength of the concrete does it? 
Also, I noticed it is cavity brick - you don't see much of that in Australia.  Why did you choose to continue with cavity brick on the extensions, I thought perhaps you could have chosen brick veneer instead?  It is interesting to see that you carried on with the bricklaying without installing the windows.  How will you install the windows later?  I thought with cavity brick it was necessary to build the windows in using brick ties that are embedded into the courses. 
Sorry for all the questions, I like to pick peoples brains whenever I can!  Make sure you keep posting hundreds of photos there is never too many.  You can check out my renovation/re-build thread on here too, I'm about to post some new pics of my latest progress.  My project is a bit like yours in that we are still living in the house and I am re-building it almost completely, in stages.  However I don't have difficulty with access!

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## jago

Hi Zacnelson, 
Thanks, I have already added you link as a subscription. I admire the render job you have done, thanks for the info, I'm not game to try  ...as two stories to do. Congrats on your project so far. I note you're a nutter like me, living on site with a new born ..thats the easy bit, it's the hormonal wife thats difficult... opps mine I meant! lol :Doh:  
Becuase I knew there would be termite damage we decide pretty early on to rebuild from the guts out and the quotes for the spec and size we wanted cost in the region of $450k.  
I have projected the costs so far, to have hard wood flooring throughout, travertine flooring in the wet areas, top spec white goods,  new 2 pac kitchen with stone benchtops, glass splashbacks etc and  rewired (22 circuits so far) re-plumbed,  hardwired in case of a third world war, for a third of the original quotes. 
Concreting yes me, with help from a mate who is a concreter, he did the formwork set out, me the steel and groundwork and the pour we did together as it was alot of concrete in a small area, next to the pool its about 11m3 poured in a space 1400mm wide, footings and slab poured in one.  Because of the restricted access I  had to use a line pump which added another two people as the line is pretty heavy over 25 metres so a team effort. 
Brickwork ; father in law laid (he's a brickie)  whilst I mixed and loaded bricks etc. I have the saw shoulders and calf muscles bucket after bucket and all those bricks ! Hats off to brickies its a tuff game! 
Engineer specified double brick because of the block steepness and height (16 metres of building) of which we were changing things he felt double brick would spread the floor loads more effeicently.  
We added 5 large steels which required us to change direction of the top floor joists, so 9" wall to take the strain on the point loads and stop the walls pushing out. He originally drew the building brick veneer with 12 plus steel posts 100x 100 x 8 mm it meant ugly bulk heads alll this steel at a time when steel was very expensive so I sent him back to his drawing board, with a swift boot up the @@@@...he came back with pared down drawings to give me a lot of latitude with work arounds and the local building inspectors. 
Erm, yes, well the windows should have gone in once the first leaf of brick had been laid but this house is a major jigsaw and because we couldn't scaffold the inside (only 900mm wide between existing wall and new) my brickie didn't want to build the inside leaf, called over hand, two stories high. 
 So we went with the outside first and then we had to rake the inside up to take the steels, plus prop with acrows to allow me to get new joists and  floors in etc. We actually started the brickwork last October and each weekend did more based on what we could access...Anyway the upshot is I consulted the window company and fitter before-hand, along with a builder that I use as my technical advisor and they all said not a problem as we will fit through the reveals.  The 6 plus metre stacker that is for the downstairs will have to be bricked and a team effort to remove bricks and replace and fit.  
Who needs a gym membership... I have so far had 22 skips with the last 5  - 12m3 in size. I spent this Saturday moving bucket after bucket of building rubble up to fill the 8m3 skip which is 2/3rds full, thanks also to a mate who is trying to get fit and calls my house Jagos Gym. Note to self : - don't load a 12m3 bin with rubble they only just managed to lift the bastard! :No:

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## jago

A few more pics of the house this time the bedrooms on the top floor .  *Top floor Pics* 
1- 3 Daughters room before and during gutting, look at those yummy Orgeon beams termite catnip
4-7 Master bedroom same treatment except beams have changed form East West to North South direction
8 Have removed the door and balcony and replaced with frame for panoramic frameless sash windows
9-10 To me this is the building equivalent of freeballing in cut down jean shorts, letting a 6 metre high stud wall free hang... whilst I move a steel UB and plate underneath.This wall seperates the master bedroom and spare room. :Shock:  
Extra pics self explanitory...I help.

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## zacnelson

I noticed on one of the plastering threads you posted that you were planning to use the ezyjambs and ezyreveals on your renovation.  If you look closely at some of the pics on my renovation thread, (the ones with the kitchen and interior) you'll see that I used ezyreveal on my windows, also you can see an interior door in the background of one of the photos which has an ezyjamb.  It's not `ezy' but the look is very sleak and modern.  They're not easy to plaster because they sit a lot further proud of the plaster than say a normal external corner bead, so you have use your coats to make up a lot of thickness and blend it in.  Where do you buy your ezyjamb and ezyreveal from?

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## jago

Hi ZacNelson, 
Thanks I will have another gander at your pics , I'm home alone with child as wife is away for a week on business, hence the surge of picture uploads and questions.I'm prepping for the next series of work as I have not had a fix of building work in a month or so !!! 
I didn't expect them to be Ezy just the name warned me otherwise...lol  A mate in Newcastle is an Interior designer and she said that the jambs come in at about $100 per door.I have not got any further than that at the mo, apart from having a look at the weblink she sent me. There may be a problem with the retro fit window and Ezy reveal and square set ! 
Where did you get yours and how much where the reveals, I am also looking to use their skirting product. 
Questions re roof earlier I was tring to to get a m2 cost so that I could guesstimate the cost to replace my roof, so no need to know that actual m2 just approx. :2thumbsup:

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## jago

Ground floor opens up 
Pic 2.    Looking East old rumpus room now pushed outby 1200mm each end giving another 9.6m2 per end per floor
Pic 3.   The new laundry space ...used to house a green shower ! Honest.Not a fan of normal so plan is to have, traventine floor, black 2 pac cupboards ironbark benchtop white circular semi recessed sink (personal but cannot stand tubs)
Pic 4.   New kitchen space used to be bedroom 4, now sized to be approx 4.2 metres x 4.0 metres, I hate overhead cupboards so rear wall won't have any.It will have a  2x 65 litre underbench ovens with a 900 mm gas cooktop. 900 deep stone benchtop looking at hot pink cupboards something different anyway. Island in forground will 2500 x 1200 stone with central sink square undermount, plus enough room for dishwasher,  wine fridge, beer fridge and 3 seats and book racks this side.
Pic 5.    Looking west 2 the pool area, laundry past pier on left as is new toilet. 
Pic 6.  Walk in pantry under stairs and hidden fridge...fridges are to keep food chilled not a fashion statement.  
Extra 3 pics ,before shots of above.

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## jago

Why if you owned a wooden house in a known termite area would you  
a. leave it to be destroyed
b. not have inspections 
c.not fix the damage 
Anyway it's all part of the reason I got it cheapish .... 
Old outside stud wall that carried all the weight ! 
Nest egg well sort of, this was found between what was left of the main outisde beam topfloor and inside joist, the plate had some rough sawn timber strip glued overwhat remained so if peeled the plaster back it looked ok!! 
Erm I was going to keep it (egg) and spray lacquer it for a reminder to never take things for granted but the pest guy told me that the house had been sprayed so much with Heptachlor in the 80's when this damge was caused that the Pest company went out of business with the fine! but that could be a local myth.  
Before I bought the house it had only been treated once in over 30+ years but had 5 owners OMG. 
Pics of the beam that started all the work, it's on the stairs that were covered in T&G, I removed this the first week we moved in! 
One of the reasons I bought this house, looking west down my street a sunset over Wauchope way, magic.

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## jago

> I noticed on one of the plastering threads you posted that you were planning to use the ezyjambs and ezyreveals on your renovation.  If you look closely at some of the pics on my renovation thread, (the ones with the kitchen and interior) you'll see that I used ezyreveal on my windows, also you can see an interior door in the background of one of the photos which has an ezyjamb.  It's not `ezy' but the look is very sleak and modern.  They're not easy to plaster because they sit a lot further proud of the plaster than say a normal external corner bead, so you have use your coats to make up a lot of thickness and blend it in.  Where do you buy your ezyjamb and ezyreveal from?

  
Yes I see the square set windows and door they look great and worth the extra work, definatley the way I am going. 
I went to my building mentor yesterday (too much time and started to worry) re my retro fit windows and he drew a very quick (typical back of fag pack) builders sketch of how I need to go with fitting the windows through the reveal etc and I will need to remove bricks for the 6 panel downstairs window, but No biggy. I will ask a question about square setting wooden window reveals in the plastering forum...and see what the plastering gods come up with. 
Your windows in the dinning area are very similar to my west side widows...what was your reason/s for having them as awnings ?

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## namtrak

This looks great, will follow your thread to see how it all pans out.  Good luck with it!!

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## jago

A couple of pictures of the colour scheme on the rear, just in case you can't see it  
Bronze Green roof 
Pink Gutters
Blue board   
Does anybody like my sheet windows middle floor ? Hurray up winters on its way !  :Cool:

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## ChunkyCharcoal

Amazing build!  :Eek:  
Definitely subscribing...

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## dazzler

Nice work. 
Are the old people sucking the life out of you in retirement land. 
Thats what keeps them alive so long, living off the life blood of young people. 
Keep garlic handy  :Tongue:

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## jago

Dazzler  :Adult:

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## jago

Says it all :Yikes2:  :Bartmoon:

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## jago

Yep, I got bored saying whilst drunk to the drivers ' pull in the house with the skip' so I got four  for a change of pace! 
Not too much going on as I'm waiting for my windows order to be delivered, so, I decided to finish carting up a load more rubish only another 30cubic  for the enitre job and I should be done. 
Any volunteers PM me ...lol :happy:

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## jago

Thats right folkes 3 windows and 2 doors have arrived onsite :brava: , after 4 bloomin months I've one quater of the order!!!! ....problem now is I will have to remove the fixed panel front door to get the 2200 high sliders in feck bugher feck!!!! And _I lost my building  mate to a big  job bugher_ feck again! :Doh: so will have to wait a week before he can help me install them, fingers crossed we've more 27c days like today as my girls are really getting up me about not having doors  and windows in winter. 
So hopefully my next post in here will have some pictures of the middle floor locked up and most of the electrics in for me an important stage...mozzies are on there way.

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## Black Cat

I have a spare caravan if you want, lol. No doors and windows can be a challenge. Especially in a coastal location like yours. PM may be cosier than Tassie, but it can still get pretty chilly there in winter. Hope when they arrive, they are the right size and actually work (which would be an improvement on mine).

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## barney118

Great work, by the time you are finished your kids would be moving out! I know how you feel, I am waiting on the go ahead from council to enclose my deck, I have built 2 walls and I have all but removed my exisiting back wall and I get drafts from the winds, Its like a patchwork quilt and the decking boards dont help.
Obviously you have past the point of no return, surely it would have been cheaper to knockdown.

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## jago

> I have a spare caravan if you want, lol. No doors and windows can be a challenge. Especially in a coastal location like yours. PM may be cosier than Tassie, but it can still get pretty chilly there in winter. Hope when they arrive, they are the right size and actually work (which would be an improvement on mine).

  
Silly thing is my wife keeps trying to get me to go camping...yer right! 
I'm tuff and cold is cold I from London where 16c is a summers day and shorts are required but wife (an Aussie) and 2 year old daughter arent fans of the Nor Easters we get in Port at this time of year.  We're at the top of hill overlooking the town and ocean so can get a very blowy. Since May we've only had a front door and one bedroom window the rest are blank or have blueboard  over to stop my daughter falling out. 
anyway I tried the 3 windows in their voids perfect I just cannot lift or fit the 2100 x2200 sliders too heavy for one man so have measured ... all good, but  will have to dismantle and hoist up one floor which is going to be fun!!!  
Pics next week. :Cry:

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## jago

> Great work, by the time you are finished your kids would be moving out! I know how you feel, I am waiting on the go ahead from council to enclose my deck, I have built 2 walls and I have all but removed my exisiting back wall and I get drafts from the winds, Its like a patchwork quilt and the decking boards dont help.
> Obviously you have past the point of no return, surely it would have been cheaper to knockdown.

  
Argh child you mean ...we've gone Chinese on this.... one child policy!   
I started June last year and because I'm a stay at home dad I work nights(summer) and weekends on the house. 
I remember the wait for our approval a real pain in the A-hole...we even had a spot inspection by the local surveyor whilst our application was in, as the engineer we used was well known for doing retro apps which they don't like. 
I've  had 28 skips of rubbish most 12m3, could you imagine what it would have been if I had knocked the basterd down. But that said I'm still doing the whole house for $150k  so puts it in the 7's with hardwood floors, marble,  Bosch,  granite, Cat6 40k coastal and mountain views etc etc you get the picture and the cheapest quotes to clear and rebuild to similar spec was  3 times the price, putting us in a million dollar bracket. Worst house best street policy but by the time we're finished it will be the newest in the street the value at the moment I can't worry about way over capatilized, well sort of. 
This is the biggest and most expensive jigsaw I have ever done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :Shock:

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## andy the pm

Ahh London, you'll like this pic then...

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## jago

It's been a long time coming ...the windows that is. So this is the middle floor which looks North along the coast to Cresecent head and I will put a  25m2 balcony outside the sliders eventually. 
We then had to break them (sliders) down, cut a section of the fence and remove a garden gate to carry them down the side and lift back through the openings with 10mm either side spare.they're not that big 2200 high by  2100 wide. Just the access problem again! 
Pic 1  the moving in picture looking through the Entrance door  well actually a side door that was accessed down 2 flights of stairs on to a timber balcony) to the lounge roomon the middle floor. 
Pic 2 Lounge  room ( fuggly furniture courtesy somebody else) real estate shot. 
Pic 3 The destruction...opps my construction work. 
I have added 22m2 to this floor to increase the floor area from 50m2 to approx 72m2, includes TV nook,lounge and Library. :2thumbsup:  
Some extra pictures from this floor.
Looking out from the Tv  Nook at  the lounge area new doors oh ....and the sparky came so we now have lots of HALOGENS. :Clap2:

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## jago

My wifes only request apart from a large office was a library area so that she could start collecting books  plus we can add the home computer there for our daughter (not even 3) and surfs the net well Itunes looking for games to download to our iphones!! :Yikes2:  
So back to the Reno this area (library) is directly under the bathroom which will be the last thing to be done as it requires removing the roof and rebuilding  the frame etc. It was a bit of an engineering challenge destructing and constructing load  bearing walls using several metal and wooden props to remove the far wall as it was shot and looked like it was about to collapse. 
Stage1   Remove all old timber walls except rear load  bearing.take out the floor and old Oregon beams, install new Ibeamsnew ply floor leaving last 2 joists out so that old bearing wall could be removedprop bathroom floor using acrows and timberCross fingers ....remove  load bearing wall under bathroomreplace  last 2 joists plus add extra floorfinish studwall and flooring. 
Pic 1 Middle floor cupboard next to stairs , old balcony and entrance on right has been repalced and extended by a windowless wall. 
Pic 2 Sledgie made short work of these punny walls 
Pic 3 Now for the floor 
Pic 4 Ibeam ..too easy,  nearly there 
Pic 5 A new space ...just some gyprock and I can hand it over to the girls, well except the ceiling as we've got to wait until I rebuild the bathroom and that means a new roof! :Yikes2:

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## jago

Pic 1 Looking from the East side  bottom  left of picture is the TV nook top left past pier is the Library area. 
Pic 2 Real Estate shot mirroring picture one ..the old entrance used to be the glass door we now come via the old garage door...see earlier posts for entrance. 
Pic 3 looking West, so I replaced slim line timber (termite damaged )windows with ali ones as it gives you shards of light without letting tonnes of heat in.

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## jago

TV room window is installed,  instead of the ply knock out we've had all winter! 
Blue spiders web on the back is the Cat6 about 25pulls so far another 60 to go straight through the wall into the server room. :2thumbsup:

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## mattcz

..................I am speechless............ 
This makes mine look like a doddle..... 
....you also make me look sane. I thought that the only thing thing that would make me look sane would be completion.  
But it is looking stunning and making me homesick and you will surely join the ranks of the brilliantly misunderstood sane ones when you complete. 
@@@@ me!

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## jago

> ..................I am speechless............ 
> This makes mine look like a doddle..... 
> ....you also make me look sane. I thought that the only thing thing that would make me look sane would be completion.  
> But it is looking stunning and making me homesick and you will surely join the ranks of the brilliantly misunderstood sane ones when you complete. 
> @@@@ me!

  
No you're not  
Mines easy compared to yours ..period buildings  have more unforseens plus you have the drink barrier. 
I will look for another site possibly the southern states for another project before this one finishes. 
It keeps me out of the pub doing stuff like this so all good :Biggrin:

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## barney118

> It keeps me out of the pub doing stuff like this so all good

  But the bottlo is making heaps !

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## Black Cat

There's a gorgeous wee two room cottage on the market in my village Jago - timber, not been painted since it was built, I don't reckon. The previous owners wanted to knock it down but Council refused permission so it is back on the market. Not too sure of the price but it will be in five figures for sure. And a large block as well.

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## jago

> But the bottlo is making heaps !

  4 slabs a week at the mo  so I think I should start brewing my own... :brava:

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## Black Cat

If you are feeling ambitious, this one is still on the market. Vendor a little uncertain of commitment, but still, in the right hands ....  Parattah, contact agent - House for Sale #106743404 - realestate.com.au

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## jago

> If you are feeling ambitious, this one is still on the market. Vendor a little uncertain of commitment, but still, in the right hands ....  Parattah, contact agent - House for Sale #106743404 - realestate.com.au

  I'm always up for a challenge thats why I was convinced to buy the ginger bread house...our next will be an investment so no living in it! 
Parattah - I would pull the top floor off and that extension OMG horrid and rebuild in stone with a very modern interior. :Doh:

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## Bedford

Here's a fixer upper I looked at a couple of years ago, but it's got an incomplete title, so didn't proceed. 52 Barr Street, Tungamah, Vic 3728 - House for Sale #106751065 - realestate.com.au

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## jago

> Here's a fixer upper I looked at a couple of years ago, but it's got an incomplete title, so didn't proceed. 52 Barr Street, Tungamah, Vic 3728 - House for Sale #106751065 - realestate.com.au

  Cheers Bedford but ergh no thanks especially title problems. :Sneaktongue:

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## andy the pm

This one has...errr...potential!  12 Macquarie Avenue, Cessnock, NSW 2325 - House for Sale #106790716 - realestate.com.au

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## mattcz

lol......omg..... 
there was a church for sale here with little more than the first few rows of original stonework still in place. I can't find the link f uck it but it is right up your (very unique) alley. 
the vast majority of my work is superficial rather than structural. you are managing (?) both. There are plusses to drinking. Not only keeps you off the streets (at least til later in the evening), it also stops you from doing the building equivalent of threading a camel through the eye of a needle. 
DRINK DAMNIT!!!! 
(well done and hats off and all that)

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## jago

oK oK enough you bunch of clowns :Smack:  I have bought one mad house no more please...I'm thinking more along the lines of a repaint on a house or two in Country Vic or Adelaide

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## jago

I've just had the GM (think fat golf playing salesman) of the window company on-site for a meeting nothing really resolved. :Banghead:  
He did leave saying "Oh so you're the bloke who bought the opera house!" I thought WTF does that mean, he then said "oh thats what we locals call the house!" I'm glad I see myself as a local of the world if the inbreeding  is that bad....thats the 3rd time somebody has reffered to my house this week as the opera house. They are thick as fick (German) up here the Opera house is a series of curves right .....okay mine is a series of straight lines and 45 degree pitched oblong roof . :No:  :Russian roulette:  :Surprise:  
The only connection to the opera house is... my mate Mike who offered to do the drawings on this house before I found out he re-did the real opera house  and I politely declined. :Biggrin:  
God gave them gobs but not brains up here ! 
Another month and I might be able to lock the house up and maybe a holiday somewhere hot!

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## Black Cat

> I would pull the top floor off and that extension OMG horrid and rebuild in stone with a very modern interior.

  Only if you wanted to die young :Rotfl:  
The local historian, the local heritage adviser and me would be standing there armed with blockbusters to stop you!!! Admittedly a 1920s upper floor on a convict built base, but still very much a feature of the neighbourhood's history. As for the extension - I would be giving you a hand with that one... 
Not much of the original interior left from what I hear so you could have pretty free reign inside ...

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## jago

> Only if you wanted to die young 
> The local historian, the local heritage adviser and me would be standing there armed with blockbusters to stop you!!! Admittedly a 1920s upper floor on a convict built base, but still very much a feature of the neighbourhood's history. As for the extension - I would be giving you a hand with that one... 
> Not much of the original interior left from what I hear so you could have pretty free reign inside ...

  Correct me but mock  is to ridicule so a Mock Georgian building who do we ridicule and sorry a fuggly building end and top floor is it really worth saving even if it has heritage  :Minigun:

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## multiblade

You should see some of the fugly dumps they put heritage listings on..  lol

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## Black Cat

Mock relates to the stucco and thin timber stuff that goes with stockbroker tudor. This one is tudor revival reflecting the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement. William Morris and that lot ....

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## jago

BC- OMG I was messing with you but I can see you have heritage issues :Doh: 
Truly, why stop somebody knocking off the top and re-inventing it with some guidelines, because as is it's FUGGLY, when it was originally built the people had a poor eye for design. Why revive poorly designed buildings 400 years later in Victorian times (bloody victorians ) and dont get me started about the arts and crafts movement or that print man, not a fan of either 
Morris didn't believe in his own design as his famous Red house had no stucco or any of his wallpaper that he was pushing if my memory serves me right and his Abbey mills ( in merton) was not that far from me in Wimbledon a pigs ear considering it was his design studio.. 
Multi - Too right.
I saw on TV a while back a couple whose fibro house had a heritage order slapped on it in Western Sydney ...poor basterds couldnt sell it, thats when a nanny state needs a swift kick in the nuts. 
I've had my fights with the pen pushers of English Heritage ....jumped up prigs cost couple of hundered grand to put back in their places.

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## andy the pm

> I've had my fights with the pen pushers of English Heritage ....jumped up prigs cost couple of hundered grand to put back in their places.

  Yep, there are dozens of old buildings and structures in the UK that are falling down because they are too stuck up their own arses to allow a restoration that didn't adhere to traditional building methods. 
Having said that, I've worked on numerous grade I & II listed buildings and never had much of a problem with them...

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## jago

> Yep, there are dozens of old buildings and structures in the UK that are falling down because they are too stuck up their own arses to allow a restoration that didn't adhere to traditional building methods. 
> Having said that, I've worked on numerous grade I & II listed buildings and never had much of a problem with them...

  
I wrote somewhere else  about my fight with English Heritage on a grade ll listed Georgian mansion that I was told to paint Puce over the white stucco ..feck off and see you in court. 
I  dont adhere to the facile way people want buildings restored to there exact period we as humans have adavanced a long way in the last century, especially modern design and construction  Sure the buildings speak to you and it does have a history, respect and communicate that but don't tell me I cant put an outside electric light up as the Georgians didn't have them (no @@@@@ shelia). I wouldn't mind actually being able to see when I put the keys in the door escpecially if  it has to be pink, I want to laugh!

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## Black Cat

:Rotfl: Did i mention, the reason I was working in the UK was because I was working for English Heritage? 
It is a common mistake to assume that something must be a thing of beauty to qualify as heritage. Not at all. After all, who determines what is beauty? And even public perception changes fairly rapidly. For example, in the 1960s Georgian architecture was considered the creme de la creme and any of the more baroque and ornamented Victorian places were seen as tizzy and over-decorated, so were freely demolished. 
Identification of a heritage place is a more objective process (though not always I am afraid to say) that evaluates how that particular place (building, hole in the ground, whatever it is) provides evidence of a particular phase of human occupation - for example the Parattah Pub was built in the 19th century at a time when it was a long way from nowhere. When the rail service went through in the 1880s, Parattah rapidly boomed and became a rather larger town than Oatlands nearby (hard to believe when you compare them these days). That rapid and sustained growth of P is reflected in the need to extend and 'modernise' the hotel adjacent to the railway station. So the bit you see as ugly is actually quite an important part of the town's history.

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## Bedford

Here's a bit of light reading.  Burra charter

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## jago

> Did i mention, the reason I was working in the UK was because I was working for English Heritage?.

  Dont mind me  :Rofl5:  I think I best agree to not say anymore before we start a long thread ...lol 
I won't hold it against you EH and there was me thinking you were a HR person oiginally (sorry another rant) :Sneaktongue: .

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## jago

> Here's a bit of light reading.  Burra charter

  Was it written in English or by a lawyer before I read it? :Biggrin:

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## Bedford

Don't know, but I think it's the basis they work from. :Smilie:

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## andy the pm

[quote=Black Cat;810435] :Rotfl: Did i mention, the reason I was working in the UK was because I was working for English Heritage?
quote] 
My other half worked for EH as well  :Hahaha:

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## Black Cat

It is, however in pseudo-legalese and it takes years to work out just what it all means when it comes down to the individual place. 
Essentially a place is assessed against certain agreed criteria which in most states run to seven, but are basically around historical, aesthetic, social and technical significance. then it is rated - is it locally or internationally significant or something in between. And then, depending on your state, that determines which authority is responsible for managing it.  
Once you have worked out if it is significant or not, then you need to work out which bits of it demonstrate what aspect of its significance. 
Unfortunately architects tend to dominate in the field, so you run into all sorts of problems if the significance is not architectural. One example was a place I knew in northern NSW which was listed in the local plan (on the basis of a rough wind-screen survey) as being significant as the first California Bungalow in the area. Fair enough, it was. But the front verandah had a particularly tacky fibro enclosure at one end. Turns out that is where one of Australia's more important authors penned some of his first novels - so the tacky fibro bit was a lot more important than the California bungalow. Based solely on taste, it would also have been the first thing to go if an architect had been in charge of conserving it... 
In the UK that is usually the local council that deals with heritage places, and EH limits its interests to places they have listed. But there are always situations were the local council is incompetent, or has no expertise and EH will also step in then or they just stick their nose in cos they are interested in a particular architectural style (for instance, the anderson shelter in my back yard in Kent).

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## twinny

in my experience architects are the artists who enjoyed getting tooled  :No: , without knowing the use the tool was designed for  :Doh:

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## Black Cat

My experience too twinny - they get a bit carried away with their creativity at times, lol.

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## jago

> in my experience architects are the artists who enjoyed getting tooled , without knowing the use the tool was designed for

  With exception to friends and family members that are Architects the rest are like architraves useless dressing hiding the/ir mistakes! Thats why I couldnt in the end do the 9 years to be a RIBA. :Biggrin: 
But here ends the heritage topic on my Go to whoa unless the mods want to move it to its own thread...then you can all let loose. :Wink 1:

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## Black Cat

Fair enough too Jago - have the windows and doors arrived to be fitted yet? Soon you won't be needing them anyway due to the heat!!

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## jago

> Fair enough too Jago - have the windows and doors arrived to be fitted yet? Soon you won't be needing them anyway due to the heat!!

  
BC stop drinking lol ... try two pages back, post 36, pictures already  posted I did one of the floors but the heat has already arrived had 28c & 25c the last two days with rain today I'm just waiting for that 80%+ everyday like last year! :No:

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## Black Cat

Ah yes, I blame the dentist's anaesthetics .... I hate hot weather, I have to say, and hot humid weather is not ideal for working in at all. We have rain today so I will stay inside, sort out the kitchen as far as I can, and perhaps bake a cake instead....

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## jago

I forgot to add a semi before and after shot for the rear since I put the doors in ...just for you BC :Biggrin:    picture from a couple of months ago with scaffold on rear...today lots to finish like more windows and then a complete render ..any volunteers daily free beer and grub, in a warm PMQ!when my daughter says that she wants to learn to skip...I get really confused :Doh:

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## namtrak

> .....................when my daughter says that she wants to learn to skip...........

  Yep, bin there before mate - know how you feel   :Frown:

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## jago

Namtrak thats a shocker ... :Doh:  
Thats a 12m3 bin number 24 out of  28 that I have paid for and filled.My wife keeps looking at me saying how many more,no more than 6, I hope!

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## Black Cat

Know how that feels. I seem to go to the tip several times a week myself. And I still have a yard full of stuff to get rid of. Still at least the rusty ute is no longer a feature of the 'estate', lol. Jago that will be the best house on the street by the time you are done - it looks amazing!!!

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## jago

Well thank you BC, its coming together slowy,should be locked up in the next 2 weeks all windows and doors, then I've just got to build a large steel balcony, make a kitchen, build a new bathroom, fit (gyprock) out the house including a gym, new roof (should be interesting 45 degree pitch), new pool room ,new pool and ground works! then and only then I will start another house. 
I wanted something that nobody else had.....a different design, the original brief to wife when she started looking was I want something that will make people think why do that do that,: buy the house that is!. I didnt expect her to come up with the winner that she did. 
I have grand designs for the furnishing of said house I've only just been talked out of a hot pink kitchen but I hate with a passion, conformity...even the laundry needs to be functional but with style so dont expect it to look like a laundry well except that big white washing machine. :Doh:

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## jago

Spent all day diamond sawing 250mm wide strip footing that council want to inspect blah blah blah blah becuase they want to inspect a footing that a 6.5 metre door goes on but I can lay 10,000 bricks over 2 floors without an inspection until they're all up ...go figure. 
Anyway I pushed over the small ground floor wall between the old doors to make a space for the new 6.5 metre panel door...boom boom shake  the room, dogs and small children literally cried when the boom of a couple of tonnes of bricks went over ..too much fun was had, before I spent all day cutting concrete and steel.  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  
sequence of pics tommorow

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## mattcz

> Namtrak thats a shocker ... 
> Thats a 12m3 bin number 24 out of  28 that I have paid for and filled.My wife keeps looking at me saying how many more,no more than 6, I hope!

  tell her "a few........but, if you want, we can skip a few"    :Biggrin:  
It is looking sweet as, Jago.  :2thumbsup:

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## jago

> tell her "a few........but, if you want, we can skip a few"    
> It is looking sweet as, Jago.

  Keep them up  boys ...bin a long time!

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## twinny

jago are you really rob oakeshott?  :Shock:

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## jago

> jago are you really rob oakeshott?

  
Could be .... :Happydance:

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## twinny

i heard a rumour  :Yikes2:

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## jago

> i heard a rumour

  They're all true ...you've my attention what are you trying to say? :2thumbsup:

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## twinny

he's from port macquarie  :Shock:  
where's the updates mate?

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## jago

Robs a nice country guy caught in the headlights of Canberra and National politics, hes not tough enough for the bitches of Canberra. 
Updates soon as the wifes away in New York I'm looking after our 3 year old and doing the building work so no real time to sit down and sort pictures. 
The windows are all in as are the doors so I have gotten to lock up before the dreaded mozzies arrive..actually here tonight  :2thumbsup:

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## jago

So the wifes away and I am left holding the baby ...well 2 and a bit year old whilst I try and build  with quiet few tears mainly mine not hers.Lol 
I have the windows and doors in but after taking off the protective plastic there are some deep  scratches on the 6.5 metre panel door ...not happy Jan of course they are trying to say I did them ...bolloxs it was under the film and there are too many, after some discussion with window company they concede they MIGHT have tried putting the panel frame on a 4 metre truck which would have meant the frame being laid down and potentially scratched before they realized that they need the big truck!!!!!!  We will see if these no-marks try and wiggle out of fixing the scratches. 
So really my time has been taken  up with these  idiots!   
I have managed to put concertina aluminimum insulation in and throw some Gyprock up (what a basterd of a job, how Rod does it ....) doing  6 metre wall boards on my own was real fun especially trying to lift them up the stairs but my daughter found it funny ...all the shouting and swearing. I have gyprocked  3  bedroom walls and did most of a stairwell on the upper floor. It was a 25c day and I had to get up about 4 metres in the stairwell under a tin roof ...shi te it was soooo hot, I took a digital /therometer up which read >57c , I lasted 3mins. 
I used all my off cuts of plasterboard to do the pantry and outside wall of the laundry with the smaller pieces used for blocking. 
Today after my AFl team St Kilda lost yesterday to those bogans :Doh:  I decided to build a walk behind bedhead wardrobe area ...I've put the framing in and sort of decided of using veneered Queensland Walnut panels any other suggestions for a timber veneer, earthy tones? 
Pics soon :2thumbsup:

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## sundancewfs

Sounds good jago.
I can appreciate the building with toddlers bit.......We start plumbing rough in tomorrow, with my two terrors in tow (2 and 3.75)

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## jago

So some pictures of the outside rear showing the windows and rubbish every where,also what my lower neighbours have to look at ... 
Pic 1 Back of house some months ago 
Pic 2 Downstairs wall pushed over about a month ago ...I did not go out due to the security risk!   Well there were a spate of burlgaries the week I I had to do this. I was originally going to do it just before the door arrived  but council wanted a stroio footing installed and I needed to give the concrete time to set before putting the large stacker door in. 
Pic 3 The mound of rubbish builds again! 
Pic 4 The different coloured bricks show the old wall and width of the base, looking from East side 
Pic 5 The blueboard, green 45degree roof with pink gutters can be seen from miles away, as we're up a large hill,  I think my wife says "oh no thats not ours" when asked. 
Pic6 Shows the car port (top) and pool room underneath which I have to cut slab out of  drop the level 400mm resurface and then glass fence and stairs down to pool. 
Pic 7 Finally we cut the blueboard out of the top floor ...hurray light and fresh air again, well once the dust from using a diamond blade on a grinder settled. 
Pic 8 Panel doors in getting close to lock up 
Pic 9 Top  windows in which was approx 3 weeks  ago lucky as has p issed down nearly everyday since,thats my excuse for not clearing the back garden of rubbish...too slippery 
So the house is offically locked up now. 
This means that I can go out but also concentrate on getting the house wired elec and data (50% done), gyprocked a new kitchen and bathroom pus floor covers (marble hardwood and carpet) etc.
More pics later. :Sneaktongue:

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## andy the pm

Holy crap thats alot of work! Makes my place look like just a lick of paint...what sort of time frame are you (or not) working to? 
Andy

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## Black Cat

At least Illawarra won the NRL

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## jago

> Holy crap thats alot of work! Makes my place look like just a lick of paint...what sort of time frame are you (or not) working to? 
> Andy

  Its nearly finished what are you talking about :Cry:  time frame is ...well started last June I really only work weekends did 90 % of the work myself and expect to have it all finished with new roof, re-modelled gardens pool etc by this time next year...sooner if I can get some serious cash sorted out as I'm the stay at home parent its a bit slow. 
By the time I am finished it will be a complete rebuild which we would have added 40m2 of new building

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## jago

> At least Illawarra won the NRL

  Have you been drinking the Tasmanian water again BC ... I'm a Saint Kilda & Storm fan I know I heard all the jokes my neighbour is a Parramatta fan and not funny but does brew the best beer so he's forgiven! :2thumbsup:

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## jago

So just following on from my earlier post a few more pics of the ground floor from the inside getting ready for the large panel door... 
Pic 1 Old wall before I pushed it over ..wow what a noise.
Pic 2 Job done time for beer...I wish.
Pic 3 350 something bricks down sh it I need to pick them up now
Pic 4 the view of the rubbish  tip sorry garden
Pic 5 Just finished cutting old slab edge to pour new footing
Pic 6 More of the same
Pic 7 Shuttering in plastic and reo in...check just have to bucket 1 cubic metre of concrete down 3 flights of stairs, F$"£k
Pic 8 Argh the view north, just ignore the rubbish
Pic 9 Windows and door have arrived
Pic 10 Frame for the panels having its flashing put on
Pic 11 My helper for the concreteing job she did well lasted the 7 hours it took me to do the 5 strip footings not bad for a 2 & 11/12ths year old. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Black Cat

> Have you been drinking the Tasmanian water again BC ... I'm a Saint Kilda & Storm fan I know I heard all the jokes my neighbour is a Parramatta fan and not funny but does brew the best beer so he's forgiven!

  Well that's us done then. Both my teams won last weekend :Happydance:

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## Black Cat

Bet it was fun knocking down that wall but! It really looks fantastic - and your daughter will probably grow up to be either a beautician or a chippy - which would you prefer. More money in chippying I suspect....

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## jago

Black Cat Charlotte at 3 wants to be either QC or pilot at this stage she has been obessed with aeroplanes since she was a small baby...I'm  hoping the latter and she can buy daddy an airline to play with... Lol

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## jago

Pics 001a Real estate shot entering the master bedroom 
Pics 001b Old balcony looking north to Cresecent Head 
Pics 001 New floor goes in after we changed all joists to run north south from east west 
Pics 002 Walls and floors in 
Pics 003 Tyvek up blueboard on it forms the temp walls which we will overcladd in the future. 
Pics 004 Windows went in about 3 weeks ago also dedided to move bed forward and put in a walk behind wardrobe (we stay in too many hotels) which will house our books plus  data points and all the gizmos. 
Pics 005 Concertina foil insulation double layer goes in as we face North and have high humidty  it will  help us achieve a RT of 3.2 for the walls. 
Pics 006 I know its plasterboard but getting these 6 metre boards up the stairs and on the wall nearly killed me! 
Pics 007 The bedroom takes shape, the blue framing is for the bedhead mulitmedia wardrobe centre which will take a 2200 wide by 2380 high wardrobe. I'm looking at either flame mahogny of some other feature wood for panels possibley some burl .... 
Pics 008 looking from spare through wall at Master.

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## jago

Pics 009a Looking at the spare room sans new floor 
Pics 009 Spare room floor and walls in 
Pics 010 A couple of weeks ago looking from master to spare 
Pics 011 More concertina foil this time spare room...I must get a proper camera and stop using the camera phone. 
Pics 012 More Gyprock it has been finished well put up honest, 
thats me for pictures for a while unless you want to see pics of pantrys gyprocked etc. :No:  :2thumbsup:

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## barney118

> Black Cat Charlotte at 3 wants to be either QC or pilot at this stage she has been obessed with aeroplanes since she was a small baby...I'm  hoping the latter and she can buy daddy an airline to play with... Lol

  Steer Charlotte towards a QC, I went down the pilot path, mate did too, I have my dormant licence (its great fun and its probaly costs as much as reno to have that fun), my mate now works all sorts of inconsistent hours etc and the companies are trying to cut thier costs down so they want to pay them less, QC is a much better attraction, chippy has a lot more fun.

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## barney118

great progress. concertina foil where do you get that? is it better than wall batts? how many rooms will it be when finished?

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## jago

I'm sure by the time she wants needs to work out want she wants to do we would have been through a series of characters ... Ballerina is quiet high as well. Her grandfather would be very proud if she became a chippy my dads a furniture maker.  
Barney I'll answer your pm in athe am When I have my thinking cap on.  :2thumbsup:

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## an3_bolt

> Black Cat Charlotte at 3 wants to be either QC or pilot at this stage she has been obessed with aeroplanes since she was a small baby...I'm hoping the latter and she can buy daddy an airline to play with... Lol

  Airline stuff looks good from the consumer end - not always so great from the operating end. Nothing like looking at a black windscreen for hours on end over the middle of nowhere at 2am - still there at 3am - still going at 4am - still got 10 hours to go now....... Most probably never be living in Australia again, just visiting when you have holidays....I was lucky - I only spent 5 years in the middle of nowhere flying in Aus, a few years flying in Papua New Guinea and then a few years flying in Asia before I could finally get home. 
The raw skills of flying are great and very satisfying - but cost your young jedi somewhere between $100-150K to get up and running for commercial ops (small light aircraft). Return on investment these days is non-existant to very poor with the low cost airlines paying peanuts, and treating staff like monkeys. The old days of a respected well paying profession are gone. 
I think your Jedi has the look of a specialist medico - like a gastroenteroligist or an ENT......or possibly the steady hand of poking wet concrete might translate into a cardiothoracic surgeon :2thumbsup:  
If she is good at wacking things with sticks - I think the press might be looking for Tiger Woods replacement.... 
Good work on the reno - looking great. :2thumbsup:

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## twinny

what finish you putting on the blueboard jago? 
looks like you've removed the scaff before poly rendering it?

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## jago

> great progress. concertina foil where do you get that? is it better than wall batts? how many rooms will it be when finished?

  Not better but more suitable to the wet heat we have.. as a form of insulation it works on the radiation by reflecting 97% of the radiation and 97% of the heat back into the room,  where as a batt  slows the progress of heat down by capturing the heat and slowing its progress down so our house was hotter at midnight than at 6pm.   
so after some research I've decide to stop  the heat from coming in with foil and blinds on the north side. I will put batts and foil in roof space and I have put batts for (sound) in the internal cavities... IMO the drawback to foil is its lack of mass so sound can be an issue but in my case I have blueboard and I will be adding Scyon cladding over the top so a total of 23mm of concrete sheet. :2thumbsup:  
I got  the foil from Melbourne i t was cheaper than the NSW guy! http://www.concertinafoilbatts.com/ 
Total rooms 15  which about 300m2 plus balconies and patios and pool area .........

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## jago

> Airline stuff looks good from the consumer end - not always so great from the operating end. Nothing like looking at a black windscreen for hours on end over the middle of nowhere at 2am - still there at 3am - still going at 4am - still got 10 hours to go now....... Most probably never be living in Australia again, just visiting when you have holidays....I was lucky - I only spent 5 years in the middle of nowhere flying in Aus, a few years flying in Papua New Guinea and then a few years flying in Asia before I could finally get home. 
> The raw skills of flying are great and very satisfying - but cost your young jedi somewhere between $100-150K to get up and running for commercial ops (small light aircraft). Return on investment these days is non-existant to very poor with the low cost airlines paying peanuts, and treating staff like monkeys. The old days of a respected well paying profession are gone. 
> I think your Jedi has the look of a specialist medico - like a gastroenteroligist or an ENT......or possibly the steady hand of poking wet concrete might translate into a cardiothoracic surgeon 
> If she is good at wacking things with sticks - I think the press might be looking for Tiger Woods replacement.... 
> Good work on the reno - looking great.

  Goodo two responses from pilots you and Barney...Charlotte is obessed with planes as I used to be; start em young flying and then get her to levreage a buyout of an airline with everybodys elses money I think :Biggrin:  
She's very strong and I'm sure she will do what she wants, money isn't a problem as we're believers of ... do what challenges you and makes you happy  and the money is a bonus  chase the money it wont make you happy. So if she ends up poking people with a stick sorry as.s doctor, fine.

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## jago

> what finish you putting on the blueboard jago? 
> looks like you've removed the scaff before poly rendering it?

  The scaffold was struck back in May...the rental was silly anyway not planing to clad and render the house until we re-roof next year.The scaffolder is doing a mates rate actually he wants me to work for him! :Doh:  
I am using Sycon cladding over the top of the blueboard. the blueboard is/was a temp measure to protect against the elements and to stop anybody falling out of the top floor but as its there we will just overclad,plus I got the board really cheap  
It will give about 20-23mm of concrete for thermal mass we are high on a hill and a tall building North facing etc. 
The brick work will be rendered ..any suggestions on type ? :2thumbsup:

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## jago

Nothing to report on the build as I had a serious case of man flu for 4 weeks and spent two weeks in Adelaide snooping around show homes.... 
The rain has encouraged a good growth spurt for the veggie patches, the butter  lettuce has gone all mutant on me and is growing tall so far about 14inches but not wide any green thumbed suggestions welcome...our parsley got to about 2 metres last year so is it the soil conditions? 
To cheer up anybody living with rain a sunrise and sunset my local; Lighthouse beach and a Sunset from my street some time ago. :Biggrin:  
Ps pics of the rubbish I carried up by bucket over the last month or two whilst I waited for the windows.

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## Black Cat

The butter lettuce is running to seed and will start flowering soon. Leave one plant to self-sow and rip the rest out. Pretty well everything I nurtured over winter is doing the same to me. Sad but a natural response to the odd weather we have been having ... 
If it is any consolation, I am still two doors down due to hiccups and having to reprioritise my time and resources into hosing down the neighbour's latest complaints ...

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## jago

> The butter lettuce is running to seed and will start flowering soon. Leave one plant to self-sow and rip the rest out. Pretty well everything I nurtured over winter is doing the same to me. Sad but a natural response to the odd weather we have been having ... 
> If it is any consolation, I am still two doors down due to hiccups and having to reprioritise my time and resources into hosing down the neighbour's latest complaints ...

  
Thanks BC I only planted the seedlings mid September... 
Two doors down what ?  :Biggrin:  
Neighbours I always finda good bottle  of Scotch there's three ways to use it 
Drink it down in oneand then go around and  ip in crack them on the noggin with the empty
Take it over and get pissed with them
Slowly  drink it put music on and dont worry ...

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## Black Cat

The two doors between the bathroom and the kitchen, which are fairly critical to get my certificate of occupancy (though I am sure there are other requirements I have yet to deal with). 
And the bottle of Glenfiddich I recently re-discovered in the shipping container has been a very soothing nightcap of late. 
Not picking fisticuffs with the neighbour - she is a biiiiiiiiiiiig girl and scares me with her potential for making a mess of skinny old me if she decided to go for it. Hence calling the police for advice and making sure they were aware of my concerns ...

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## barney118

Jago, I looked back at some of your pics, how did you get away with building so close to the boundary (pool shot looking towards house). Your pool and I think its a garage or carport 2nd level. Also whats the plan with the pool fencing?

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## jago

> Jago, I looked back at some of your pics, how did you get away with building so close to the boundary (pool shot looking towards house). Your pool and I think its a garage or carport 2nd level. Also whats the plan with the pool fencing?

  So  Barney mate sorry for late reply. 
The pool was there before me same for carport set backs must have been not adhered to in the early 80's. I have 1500mm clearance between the fence and house on East and the pool is 900mm nearest edge to west fence..... 
or is your question about how I could build the house so close to the pool? 
Glass pool fencing incoprorated into around balcony at rear ...door I've still to work out, as they passed it but its stupid with a child in the house to have a door straight onto a pool.The door opens inwards so I will  have to build a glass enclosure of some sort leading into  Pool room and fence back around. 
Before I do that I need to remove the battered area under car port about 30-50 tonnes of red mud by &$E# hand lower a slab by 800mm , reslab and and glass fence the area under the carport to make an outdoor room (pool room).

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## barney118

> The pool was there before me same for carport set backs must have been not adhered to in the early 80's. .

  When I put my original DA in they jacked up about stuff like this and refused to pass my DA, so I had to comprimise (ie fire rate a deck 900mm from boundary and cut roof back same distance).  

> Glass pool fencing incoprorated into around balcony at rear ...door I've still to work out, as they passed it but its stupid with a child in the house to have a door straight onto a pool.The door opens inwards so I will  have to build a glass enclosure of some sort leading into  Pool room and fence back around.

  I had some issues with the slope of the site to fence it to Aus Stds. How do you go for a door leading onto a pool as if its fenced (with lock) the lock has to be 1.5m high?? so the lock or handle must have to be the same in the house?  

> Before I do that I need to remove the battered area under car port about 30-50 tonnes of red mud by &# hand lower a slab by 800mm , reslab and and glass fence the area under the carport to make an outdoor room (pool room).

    Good luck ! I wish I were a neighbour sitting on my deck drinking coldies watching you sweat  :Biggrin:   
You are opening a can a worms lowering a slab that much, water, termites similar probs to ! mine has been excavated with no DPC or termite protection or plastic under slab! 
I think we should start another sub forum called "working bee" where we can get together to give each other a hand for a day and pay it back.

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## jago

Okay Barney... 
So right of picture is my West side for reference. 
I think one reason they allowed the carport up to the boundary is the house on my west boundary is set back  and the closet part of their building to the boundary is a double garage. My carport does not interfere light wise. So there is a gap of 1500mm between the fence and his building put there is actually 10 metres between our houses.  
My pool area is actually level as is the backyard apart from  the area with the pool table centre of pic. Now this area was laid with no tremite treatment no planning permission no plastc and no drainage so its best to dig the 200mm slab out (poured by amateurs, too thick and I bet no steel) so I will hire a concrete cutter on a trolley and demolish. The fill will be used  for the retaining wall project at the back fence line 18metres wide 2 metres high,I digress as usual.LOL 
The pool table area once lowered wil still be higher than the pool area so I will enclose with Glass fencing and have  stairs leading down centre into pool..the door left of picture below this area I will createa glass corridor that leads to these  stairs ....well I think, I will discuss with council before I spend that amount of money. Council here are slapdash about pool fencing as both my neighbours dont have one at all,not that I agree  :Annoyed:   The inspector made me drain my pool when we originally put the scaffold up,  he deemed it a safety issue (it was in part, overhanging the pool)  as I said I rather plunge  50feet into water than a extra 2 metres on to solid concrete he stood on the scaffold and said what I a nice view I had, what of the 8 gardens or so most  with out  fences!!!!!!! 
My neighbour out the front sits there drinking coldies whilst I load skips all 250m3 of them and says things like " you're making me tired" or "you look  hot" guess what hes going to find I've bricked his *&^*&%$ doorway up when he goes on holiday! :Harhar:

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## jago

Barney  
Forgot to add my picture don't laugh too hard.....its dificult to draw freehand with a mouse, honest. 
Steel concrete balcony with glass balustrade and glass pool fence.

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## jago

@@@@@ my garden and pool need to be cleaned ...even from space they're a mess    PhotoMaps by NearMap  
Not much is going on as beer cheer keeps  happening ...well my gyprocker booked for the 15th December went and broke his wrist and is unfortunatley out for 4 months and of course everbody else is booked up or on holiday! 
I did meet one but decided he wasn't on the level when he told me is surname was Function, first name Mal, I know its a cash job but seriously do I look like the ATO! 
Little jobs have happened; replacement of the buggered ply flooring ..the Boral rep paid up, so I got my mate the builder in. The ply had delaminted through the whole length of the board but because of the way the floor  has been spaced 400 centres with a span of 310mm (ibeam are 90mm) and glued and nailed every 200mm it was impossible to tell what was going on but as soon as we cut lift a section it became evident what the problem was. 
I actually ventured in to a Bunnings and got a bargain !!! 15 12v Led Deck lights for $160  they are now on a timer (under stairs behind the new fridge) lighting the 4 flights of stairs...it impressed the wife. 
Another 1000ft of Cat6 has been run for Data and TV points I was impressed with 4cabling (no association apart from being a happy shopper) one day delivery of the cat 6 cable plus face plates all for half the price of the local TLE and CNW on trade rates ....c'mon guys your prices aren't good even for tradies, somebody really has to keep you honest.

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## barney118

I wouldnt be a happy camper with the delamination issue, did they pay you for the labour for removal/replace? Boral plywood vs particle board right.

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## jago

Yep not  happy but the merchants Mitre 10 have been great throughout they admitted liability straight off ...it took months for boral rep to come out. Anyway they paid  for all materials and builders time. So a result. :Doh:  
Couldn't use yellow tongue on this floor did on floor above because the original head height was just legal....on this middle floor so the 4mm was looking critcial when considering overlaying a hardwood floor but all has changed since then and I now have 60mm to play with but I'm not wasting money by replacing the ply.

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## barney118

Dont you hate that when you find yourself with extra head room. I initially planned to build ontop of a crappy infill slab (50mm) and based a lot of calcs around this meaning build up the surrounds to give a level start point. I have since killed the infill and now have an extra 50mm to play with too, so I can now if I want put chipboard ontop of slab and then fix hardwood floor instead of tiling, but I will wait until the concrete and walls up before I make that call.

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## jago

Barney mate ...yep! Bloomin engineers specing  huge  bloody joists to span 4 meters+ when a 200mm I joist was passed. 
It was totally not necessary considering  the umpteen meters of height of the building....If  I had to do it again I would make each of the major floors (x2 ) 3.6 metres high plus a 5 metre top floor ... I just love the volume . 
My ground floor has changed between Traventine and Ironbark so many times I ...well its going to be Traventine at the time of writing ( lol) I have 3 floors in hardwood 1 in traventine and 1 in wool sisal plus the stairs in the same and  apart from the 6+ metre ceilings on the top floor I've had minimal tolerances on floor heights and minimal temper!

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## barney118

Mate, being an engineer (mechanical), I'd rather take my chances at designing it myself, (have done some civil subjects). At least I know what give and take I have and huge options to play with, paying for one the response is alway "yep no probs can do that" but what they dont tell you is where they make thier money. "engineers" they are like feeding a leech it never stops the bleeding (from the bank account!)  :Biggrin:

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## jago

Our engineer is a family friend and I still called him a tosser more than once especially when he tried to bill us double for half the work...he ended up bring me a couple of slabs!

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## Wombat2

I admire your work Jago - and people thought I was crazy when I built a 320m² house by myself  :Rolleyes:   But I've got to ask - why didn't you just demolish the lot and start again?

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## jago

> I admire your work Jago - and people thought I was crazy when I built a 32m² house by myself   But I've got to ask - why didn't you just demolish the lot and start again?

  Thanks but who you calling crazy  :Evillaugh: ...I'm officially only adding under 50m2 ! 
The original qoutes to build to the standards required on this block with variations would have been in $450 -500k mark. Simply not a million dollar house/block even with the views etc. Houses that are neat and tidy at the 300m2 size that require an update from the 80's decore are fetching $500-$600k mine when finished will be of a good spec and we would have spent $600k all up, so no capital but not worried aboutb thatas when we move we won't sell...just do a coporate let. Anyhoo enough about the finance. 
I like a project and its streched me a number of times and still will until its finished.my daughter starts at pre school soon so I will have 5 more days a week to destroy things!

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## jago

Apart from the obvious of Gyprocking the whole house my building projects are  
Sort out 
Storage room end of pic ....turn rest into music room ...I was so looking forward to a gym.
Anyway the room is 3.6 wide by 10 metres long  and needs a bllody good tidy up  before I gyprock and then lay a timber floor. As its a direct stick and I have only done a couple not going to bother doing it myself save my back and get a pro in. 
My major project is to move the bathroom wall out to meet with the existing clad wall which will give  us an extra 1500mm on a bathroom that is tiny. It actually means removing the trussed carport roof and then competley gutting the bathroom addding new framing, joists (box beams or techbeams) new sub floor and then walls one massive one ! Then fit out with a walk  in wet room Mizu Showers Mizu Open Walk-In Shower System | Products | Bathroom | Reece and a free standing bath double  vanity etc. I've allowed $12,000 for  the whole  build and scaffold plus fit out. 
I also have to reclad the whole top  floor and re-roof whilst I am there then get the renderers in to render the bottom 2 floors. Still looking for suggestions for the cladding...not wood as it doesn't stand up to the weather (the paint) less than an K to a huge surf beach , so lots of salt spray. 
The pool room well I discussed this recently I have to drop the slab and remove the wood retaining move 50 tonnes of red mud (by fecking hand  again) build a set of stairs down to the pool and the put in safety fencing. 
The view North to Crescent Head and Point Plomer and my motivation when I wake up

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## twinny

> The view North to Crescent Head and Point Plomer and my motivation when I wake up

  that'd be the killer for meself mate, wake up see the swell and wind direction, either chuck the mal in the 4'by an drive up nth beach or chuck the twinny in the ute and head down to nth haven.............  :Doh:

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## barney118

You are going to need a lot of copper nails or 'special stuff' to get rid of those trees when they grow up !

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## jago

> that'd be the killer for meself mate, wake up see the swell and wind direction, either chuck the mal in the 4'by an drive up nth beach or chuck the twinny in the ute and head down to nth haven.............

  So  when do you go to the Hastings if you're down south. 
Unfortunatley I dont surf...I  cant after busting the knees a number of times.

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## jago

> You are going to need a lot of copper nails or 'special stuff' to get rid of those trees when they grow up !

  Don't start about the neighbours trees the last but one owner of mine put up 150w halide spots up to shine in the house below all  night  court cases etc....Anyway the gum must be at least 100ft high and the eucalypt must be aroud 40ft+ 
My garden gets regular treats of Glyphosate and liberal doses of white spirits and the  lantana and bloody tobacco keeps growing ....plus the onion weed grass and all the other weeds known to man! 
Enjoy the pink day tomorrow its a pity Aussies will lose again.

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## twinny

i's a 2428 kiddy jago, just came down here with work, met a local lass years ago, had some kids, etc., etc., and here i is........ home still be the mid nth'y and just got back the other day from some time up there.......... we should've been living in nth haven 2 years ago, but GFC project financing problems knocked the development on the head and ended up staying here wit the work we alreay had.......... that mid nth part of the coast will've always been me stomping ground as a grub and have all those magic kid / late teen memories but...........  :Biggrin:

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## Wombat2

Re cladding - My daughter has just had one of those American style barn garages put up - been clad in colourbond steel that looks like horizontal weather boards to match the house.

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## jago

> Re cladding - My daughter has just had one of those American style barn garages put up - been clad in colourbond steel that looks like horizontal weather boards to match the house.

  
Any pictures David?

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## Wombat2

> Any pictures David?

  Requested - will post as soon as I get them

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## Wombat2

Here it is - Colourbond cladding to look like weather boards. Think there are different profiles available and can't see any reason it can't be installed on the rake.

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## jago

> Here it is - Colourbond cladding to look like weather boards

  
Cheers David could you PM me the type and cost please.
PS thats not a shed or barn but an English mansion. :Wink 1:

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## sundancewfs

jago,
would I be right in assuming from the pics of your views you have posted that you still have dry feet?

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## jago

The wife reports the house is dry ... I'm slumming It in a beach house down in Grange SA which today has been humid and wet very annoying all this Global Warming!  
Anyhoo more red requires drinking.

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## jago

Due to me not agreeing  with about 90% of whats written on here...ciao ...I can be found elsewhere :2thumbsup:

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## jago

Not guilty for that last comment...sorry to any followers, people drink too much. 
Anyhoo a lots been going on but unfortunatley not too much building work due to the scheduled Gyprocker breaking his arm. So I have had a go at some of the walls myself. 
Today  being Australia day instead of getting the mower or whiper sniper or some other petrol machine out and annouying the neighbours. 
I was told to get the TV wall finished which meant getting sparks in to disconnect & re-connect (lucky he lives 100 metres away and hes a mate) throw a couple of sheets up, build a back box, add in some very itchy rockwool and a TV bracket and I am set at 6pm to sit back and sink a few coldies. 
Its not finished as I will cover with another layer of 13mm sheets as the frame is already semi decoupled two 90 x 45 mm studs seperated as per all the info out there .The finished wall be 200 mm deep with 100mm rockwool and 3  sheets of 13mm gyprock.

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## d00biez

gday jago, looks good mate. 
just one question, how are you gonna finish plastering that join with the bracket in the way ? 
just wondering thats all.

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## ibuildbenches

"people drink too much" 
Im hearing you!!

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## jago

> gday jago, looks good mate. 
> just one question, how are you gonna finish plastering that join with the bracket in the way ? 
> just wondering thats all.

  
The brackets is a simple 4 bolt job and I have run two studs next to one another so that  I don't miss... I also plan to get a bigger TV one day. 
Anyhoo I will take the bracket off as I still need to overlay with another sheet. I am square setting the ceilings,so, when the plasterers arm (he broke it) is fixed he can do the ceiling and then we can put a 1350mm sheet over the TV wall.... I read that when double sheeting for noise you should offset the joints so the first is 1200 just taped and filed and the next will be at 1350mm and taped but the finished joint. 
The joys of doing jobs weeks apart is there is a lot more fathing about and hanging the bracket 3 times is one of them, lucky the bracket has its on little spirit level in it. :2thumbsup:

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## jago

> "people drink too much" 
> Im hearing you!!

  I've learnt to log out and turn the computer off when I go away so that random comments dont appear all over the place ! As I said some people shouldn't drink. I'm just waiting for calls from the dating websites or stamp collecting clubs! :Doh:

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## barney118

I think you should drink some more, when you pass out you have had enough. :Beer:

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## jago

> I think you should drink some more, when you pass out you have had enough.

  
I cant afford to drink like that anymore ...I'm a renovator. Gone are the days when I would live at the pub and do keg a weekend. :No:

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## barney118

> I cant afford to drink like that anymore ...I'm a renovator. Gone are the days when I would live at the pub and do keg a weekend.

   Yes being a renovator is like a leech the cost keep on getting sucked up !
Maybe thats my problem, spending too much on beer and not enough on renovating. :Biggrin:  Now you have brought it too my attention I shall get going.

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## jago

So not too much has been going on with the house as I have been waiting for a new Plasterer to turn up but also have had several trips to Adelaide and Sydney so the house is slowing up. 
I have given a brief recap of the downstairs area in pictures; May last year is the first picture. 
Pic 2 is the kitchen wall and pantry back in May. Check out my fantastic cooktop had this for a year now! 
Pic 3 Plasterboard up a couple of months ago I was sick at looking at studs plus we kept using the noggins to store items, a recipe for disaster. Oh yeah the white arguments starts again !? 
Pic 4 A week ago I put in the Batts to get ready for the plasterer ...he's on his way! 
Pic 5 View from kitchen still dark bit this will lighten with gyprock and paint. 
Pic 6 THe room feels small now we've lived in it for a couple of months 
Pic  7 He's (plasterer) here and a weekends work will have this room finished all bar the topping and sanding.  
Pic 8 Alot lighter with the plaster up  just need sparks to arrive so that I can get some lights back on  
Pic 9 view from kitchen  
More when we get the lights on this evening.

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## jago

so a busy weekend for me 3 coated the ceiling all bloody 60m2 of it and did the walls and I knew it would happen, the pantry took the longest even though its an old doorway and under-stairs bit, on to the middle floor this weekend 9/10th and another 60+m2 of ceilings to paint once we've thrown them up anyhoo  
Pic 1 THe Kitchen well old bedroom on destruction time Feb 2010
Pic 2 Same but May 2010
Pic 3 its starting to look like a kitchen just need the cabinets made and a sprayer that can match the hot pink I want. :2thumbsup:

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## jago

A bit of the ground floor that I forgot to add as I was drunk ... 
pic 1. The dinning area opposite the kitchen looking west at the rest of the room, don't be too concerned the outdoor furniture will go back outside once the reno is finished and real furniture put in its place.
pic 2 the kitchen wall hides many sins 
pic 5 The nook for the fridge yes I g0t silver after moaning about them at christmas I cant seem to find a white fridge I like, its a tight squeeze but there is 30 mm either side to slide this puppy in.
pic 4 the pantry part of the fridge nook... its a sensor so that don't have to put my grubby hands on the lights when cooking on the picture left wall will be the pantry shelves I am aiming for a modern look using floating glass and or small brushed nickel brackets they have to be demountable so that access if required to the fridge is not a major build.
Pic 3 Home sweet home for the fridge at least anyway it only comes back out when I put the traventine floor in laster this year.

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## jago

So a recap of the the Kitchen conversion to a Tv room on the middle floor. 
I have managed to throw the Gyprocker out before I knocked him out , LL cool J style! He started to take the royal piss with his billing as good as he was and family friend etc I was very close to pushing him out of a 3rd floor with all his back chat and I told him if I wanted and intellectual I would have hired one so stick some plaster board up and for the love of things small and furry SHUT UP! 
We got Two floor sheeted and set and now painted . 
The room formerly known as a KITCHEN (TRFKK) now referred to as the TV room...[ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH] 
My brain hurts and I cannot get the pics to run in the correct order as they are back to front the first picture is what we have arrived at from the last picture. :Doh:

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## sundancewfs

Great work jago. That room has nice aspect and light.

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## jago

Cheers Sundancewfs.... 
The light up here is good at this time of year but yes the room is  solar North facing so floods the rooms with great light. I used double layers of concertina foil on these walls to reflect the heat back out.  
I did forget to post more pics as usual I am using the computer in between building jobs and forget to do both sometimes... 
The rest of this room middle floor plus my hub ( library area) that is still to be completed.

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## jago

Projects I must complete before we go on vacation .... 
New toilet downstairs 
New laundry .... the plumber screwed up the plumbing the first time so need to get another one! 
The spare room convert in to a gym  and cut window and re-enforce for french door cut and drop slab outside by 600mm  
should keep me sane until my break.

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## sundancewfs

Ahhh, so your off on holidays next week?  :Biggrin:

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## jago

In the morning....lol

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## barney118

seems like a lot of bad advice/workmanship up Nth going on, keep it up and no one will work on your place lol. :Annoyed:

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## jago

Argh Barney his work is good it was just his mouth, like a broken tap it kept running ...typical small towner full of @@@@! 
Anyhoo I now have two floors that the wife whats to spend a billion dollars furnishing I keep telling her to wait until I have put a kitchen in, plus lay two floors still but as she doesn't cook its low on her list unlike expensive sofas and furnishings and artwork. 
I am off to smash something up in the garden as we have overseas visitors coming I have to clear jungle.

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## jago

So its been raining too much up here and with nothing better to do I put up the pantry shelves well 3 of the 4 ; as I'm still trying to work out if a 4th will work.

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## RONCA

Hi Jago, I have been folowing your build for since you started. Whats happened? Are you OK? 
RONCA

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## jago

All good nothing sinister just been in London for last couple of months having a well earned break .... Updates will happen in a week or two once jetlag has passed and I have laid my bamboo flooring.

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## sundancewfs

nice to know someone from the forum got a wedding invite!  :Biggrin:

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## jago

Oh the stories I could sell of Kt but being a gentleman I wont....maybe for a slab of beer!

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## Black Cat

Price has gone up then ....

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