2017

November, Even slower.

Epoxy Nwing2
The image above shows 1/4 of the floor epoxied. I've now done 1/2 but I'm being more selective about what I display publicly.
I had a minor set back with a trailer problem. This slowed the move down a few weeks and moving has stalled for a time because everything needs to be squeezed into one wing as I wash and prep the remaining slab. After the next section is washed moving can start again.

The grey-water system is the critical hold up. Things have stalled as the plumber is waiting for council to get back to him - never a good state of play.
One concern is we are approaching the traditional wet season which is not a good time to dig trenches.
Some good news is my leaking tank has stopped leaking but the base is eroding.
The tank installation was a bit slack and the tank overflow was not diverted away from the tank.

There is still the issue of the in slab piped being stuffed up and I may need to run ugly pipes along walls.

I have been working on my tank/pump monitoring and control system. Things are going well except for the fact my eBay pressure sensors are crap.
One of them doesn't work at zero pressure and both have about a 1% temperature co-efficient. Sensors from trusted sources are over 10X the price and there is a risk water hammer may destroy them. I have all the parts to put the system together but it may be easier to wait till I'm ready to use it for real.

October.

22nd - Slow.

Slabetch
Tanks are full but one is leaking.
I have some plumbers but the pipes in the slab have problems. We are still waiting to see if the kitchen waste outlet has been cemented over by the deck slab that was not meant to be there. Even if we find it it will be hard to get adequate slope to the waste tank. There are no good and legal options.
The shower drain pipe is in the wrong place and also won't be used.

My nodered IOT system is having big problems with internet access. What data I have captured hints at lower ground floor temperatures than I have in my current home. This is relevant because I was avoiding being there for the first summer.

My big task now is painting the slab. I'll the trying dymark epoxy. They say one coat but we will see how it covers. Colour choices are very limited and I'm going with "sand dune" which is a little like my "paperbark" trim. Each 8 litre kit covers 36-40 SM and costs $186 - 6 kits = $1116 for the kits alone - more if two coats are required. In other words $5/SM if all goes well.

Prepping one 4 by 13.5M bay (photo above) took all day so it will take till xmas to do all four sections. I'm only working on it a day or two a week.
I washed it with a patio-washer, then a turbo-lance, applied etch and washed it again.
It could do with more work but it will have to do. The slab is not uniform in surface. There are still some tyre marks from the scissor lifts - hopefully enough cement is showing through for the paint to bond. There was assorted crap stuck to the slab in places.
Controlling the waste water from the washer wasn't as bad as I'd feared but it will need some management to keep my stuff dry.

There is a chance grey-water, toilet and some solar power will be in place this year.

Sept.

22nd - Lock up.

Locked Red
Apart from two pieces of trim the AGS builders have finished.
Next the tanks are going to be installed by different people.
I moved the fourth trailer load of stuff down - it has hardly made a dent in what I have remaining.
It has felt weird leaving the place with doors and walls missing. It now feels weird locking up.
Because the screens can be latched from the inside but have no key locks it is possible to lock yourself out when exiting via the garage.
The glass door latches are different to anything I've used before and took a few minutes to work out for the first time - no instructions.

August

22nd

Stacker Red
Slow progress. The builders are moving between three different jobs.
I let them know wet weather was forecast and they made the upper level water resistant. All windows are in along with the deck "stacker" door. Some sheeting is missing but it is sealed well enough rain should not be able to wet the mezzanine particle board underfloor. I don't think it would withstand a storm. Storm session starts about now but no storms are expected in the next week or two. It should be storm proof soon.
It would also be good to get the guttering and tanks in place to capture some rainwater.

July


12th


Roofandrock2
Mostroofon Barn Ceiling

1st

The crane is onsite - delivered on a Saturday. Looking promising for Monday.
The wet has repeatedly delayed work. Another company doing work at the southern end of the co-op have been delayed even longer.
Theirs is a smaller job but access to the South is far worse than to my site.
Last week Glen did 1.25 hrs work repairing my road with his excavator. We are coming to the end of the heavy traffic.
In the meantime I'm repairing water-damaged shelves in readiness for moving them to the new place.

I did move my para-glider onto the property (not on my site) and got bogged for the first time in about 20 years.
It has been wet wet wet with no time to dry out between rain periods.

June

16th

Wet wet wet.
The frame kit has been on site for 3 weeks but no construction. The bridge has been underwater four times since Saturday.
Windows are due from next Tuesday but it is extremely unlikely AGS will be ready.
There was another stuff up. After many reminders that I didn't want concrete under the deck and assurance the plans would be corrected they poured a slab under the deck area. Unless you are there to supervise there are almost always screw-ups. I'm glad they don't build aircraft.
One stuff up on my part is I assumed the roof support would be like all the sheds I've seen for the last 10 years - un-trussed with a strong top bracket.
My mistake - it is trussed and this impacts the look I was after. Slightly moving a wall and making the trusses a feature might work.

I was going to move my para-gilder on the property today but the weather wasn't good. Maybe next week.

I've used the wait to work on my node-red IOT system for remote monitoring of the building. Getting a remote connection over mobile (4G) network is not trivial. I finally succeeded by using a pagekite.me (pagekite.net) account.

May

15th.

My three Aluminum ground floor doors were left off the G.James order so I've sorted that out. I was surprised that my Aluminum windows and doors have wooden reveals. I was trying to avoid wood near the ground floor perimeter. In particular the bottom of the doors are quite close to termite bearing soil. Two or more doors are likely to open onto garden beds which are termite friendly.
I upgrade all the reveals to H3 treated pine.
I was not shocked by the window bill but was by the price of the doors. In particular the garage doors.
I want to be able to insulate the garage doors or have them pre-insulted. Tilt and panel-tilt are about $2k a piece without insulation.
Insulated panel-tilt $2800 each.

8th.


4th.

The cement pour was planned for tomorrow but has been delayed till Monday because of wet weather.
To kill time I've done some more work on the sketchup model.

Over the last 3 months I've also been working on the "smarthouse" electronics and software.
I have a small node-red network running.
I've also ordered bits and pieces such as water pumps and pressure gauges.

1st.

Site prep starts.

April.

18th.
This week is expected to be a little damp.
Work scheduled to start on or about the 24th.

March.

30th.

Site flood testing in progress. Flood levels are approaching the 1954 record.
Creek height at Nimbin almost 8 metres and rising.
8.7M....Peaked at 8.7.... for now.

27th.

Too wet to start, tropical cyclone Debbie probably isn't helping.
ATM I'm not optimistic we will have good weather till after Easter but perhaps the forecasts will improve once Debbie blows out.

20th.

One week to planned start. I did yet another rough peg out.
Pad looks good for planting rice ATM.
Our bridge was under 5M of water last week with minor bridge damage.
We were flooding in briefly after I took this photo.
Current forecast is for showers on the 27th and fine for the 28th.
Fingers crossed for a start next week.
Site13 Paddy

15th

Wet weather.
Site prep planned for the 27th if the weather Gods start to behave.

1st.

Nothing happened in February.
Today I heard I have approval and work is expected to start in a few weeks as long as the weather co-operates.

January.

19th.

Housepad2

Another round of council approvals is in progress. AGS submitted the last lot of information on Monday and we have no idea when we will get a response - it could take months (PS it did take almost 2 months).
We only have one impossible condition left. LCC approved our effluent plan but amended it with a clearance which isn't physically possible.
My drainage engineer is waiting for LCC to return his call.
I met with AGS on Tuesday and most of the loose ends are under control - for now.
One roller door position is still uncertain and I need to choose the trimming colour - possibly
"paperbark".
We ordered the two main 22500L water tanks - a bit over $3000 each - pale eucalyptus colour like the house walls.
Back to - wait wait wait.


eddie
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