|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
These photos were taken quite recently, at the end of a three month dry spell, which wasn't much help to the farmers but was great for building. The drought has now broken and the real winter weather is here in force. It is actually snowing today but still nothing like a UK winter! So, instead of trying to brave the elements outside, I'm here inside, reasonably warm and snug, catching up on Emails. Despite the challenging weather conditions, by Australian standards, I love living in Oberon and don't have any regrets about leaving Sydney. I can't wait until the house is finished enough for me to move into. This little rental house is a bit of an "old banger" as some might say - appropriate for me! - and seems devoid of much in the way of insulation against the elements. I have blocked off the unused rooms with full size sheets of 75mm thick styrofoam, to allow the remaining areas to maintain a bearable temperature. Without this, it's too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Hopefully the new house will live up to its passive-solar-design performance and I won't have to worry about local weather conditions any more. Time will tell. After years of pouring over plans and solving construction problems on paper, it certainly is exciting to see the real house gradually taking shape. A bit like modifying a car - you can't wait to see how it will go!
There was a time when the bad weather wouldn't have stopped me. I remember an occasion, when I was building the Prudhoe house, bricklaying at night in the falling snow, Tilley lamp in one hand and trowel in the other!! So I must be getting older or smarter! Well, I know for sure I'm getting older! Although I don't think I'm doing too badly for a septagenarian, amateur, owner-builder. My blocklaying speed is even getting quicker and I think I might have all the walls finished, ready for the big roof, in about another six months. This probably seems a hell of a long time, compared to a modern brick-veneered house, but there are 5,400 blocks in total, I'm doing nearly all the work myself (apart from the slabs and electrics ) and being a fussy bugger doesn't help. As you can see from the attached photos, I have made a couple of tools to make the laying of the heavier blocks possible (in the case of the 29kg solids) and easier, for the channel ones. It is also keeping me healthy and I'm enjoying myself, so I must be doing something right!