Design
Waffle Pod Raft Slab
A ‘Waffle Pod’ slab is now probably the most common Concrete ‘Raft’ House base. It has generally taken over from the Conventional Raft Foundation. It’s an example of composite construction with polystyrene pods forming the voids in the underside of…
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Building On Fill – Concrete Piers
Its not unusual for the Site Investigation Report for your new house to reveal loose fill materials above a more stable clay or rock. It might also reveal the soil is in poor condition. To deal with the problem of…
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Conventional Raft Slab
A ‘Conventional’ Raft Slab is a concrete base laid directly on a compacted base. It is strengthened by cutting trenches in the base and adding reinforcement. These ‘thickened beams’ are formed at the edges and also under loadbearing walls. This…
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Building On Sand
Building on sand at first seems to be an issue…… although I have heard it said that sand is actually the easiest ‘soil to build on. If you live in West Australia there is a good chance that your house…
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What’s The Side View Of Your House?
When most people look at a display home the two first considerations are: The Floor Plan. The Front Elevation. (Like the impressive facade in this photo) Sometimes that works fine when all the houses are in a line, and the…
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Roof Space – Access
One of the things that frequently gets forgotten is the hatch that gives access to the roof space. Location A usual location is in acorridor close to the secondary bedrooms. It doesn’t seem that important but when you need the…
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Double Glazing or Smaller Windows?
I’ve posted on Double Glazing but that not the only way to save heat loss through windows so I thought I would do a numerical comparison of the various options for glazing treatment of windows. In a bedroom of our last…
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Understanding your Survey Plan
I’m used to look at survey plans but I do understand that most people struggle to understand them. Here is a quick guide to help you understand the survey plan for your new house. The plan below shows a survey…
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Wall Dimensions Standard Bricks
When you are deciding about building dimensions its better to take into account the size of building materials. With brick veneer being so popular that means the dimensions of the bricks. Make sure that all lengths, are based on either…
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Door Opening
One of the small things that can really make a difference to your house is how doors open……..but its one thing that is frequently forgotten. This sketch shows a typical bedroom and ensuite layout. (I know it doesn’t show the…
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