The truth is a little less exciting. Actually its an apartment block, just off Punt Road.
It got me wondering whether they have summer barbecues, or human sacrifices!
Wood can be the Most Expensive………..or the Cheapest heating available for your new home.
It all depends on your level of commitment.
Buy firewood at the service station and burn it in an open fire and it could easily cost $20-$30 for a few hours in the evening.
Use a slow combustion wood heater, collect and split your own wood, and it can be less than $10 for a week of continuous heat.
From my experience of heating a 180sqm home I reckon about ten 6×4 trailer loads (around 10 cubic m) is enough for a typical winter.
Another way of looking at it is what a friend of mine says “All you need to heat a house is to pick up three logs every day of the year”. I would say that’s about right.
Don’t forget to have a look at the Footpath and Nature Strip!
Often forgotten but what’s there can affect what you can do with the block, and general livability.
The other day I saw this garden wall .
It looks like mowing the lawn could be dangerous!
I certainly wouldn’t like to catch my ankle on that sharp piece of brick.
A few years ago a kiln fused brick like this would be called a reject and sent to the tip.
Now its a premium product, which some people are paying top dollar for to get that “Rustic” Look.
These cures relate to general rattling or banging when you turn the tap on.
The various reasons for these noises, and their cures are:
Air in Pipes
Typically occurs in new systems, or after some plumbing alterations. You need to purge the air from the system. To do this
Steam in Pipes
Can affect solar hot water systems and hydronic heating. Generally means the system is running too hot.
Insufficient Fixing of Pipes
Affect all sorts of plumbing systems. May need a combination of four different approaches
If the problem is a bang when you turn the tap off then you need to see the post on Water Hammer.
During your Selection or Pre-Start meeting It isn’t just Picking a Brick. You also have to pick a mortar colour and a type of mortar joint.
If you have been to a Brick Display Centre check what colour mortar they use in the test wall of the brick you like. This will probably be the best colour for your house.
My E book Guide to Selection/Pre-Start includes lots more information and checklists to help you choose the details that will make your new house a home.
Over a week I would probably visit between 150 – 200 homes.
That’s a lot of door bells pushed……..and if the bell doesn’t work it can be a lot of sore knuckles knocking.
The bell push in the picture above, seems to me, to be most often found at houses where the doorbell doesn’t work.
If you are looking for a doorbell push I couldn’t honestly recommend this one!
On a lighter note here is a different sort of door bell, that worked first time.
A logo has appeared next to the title at the top of the page, and some of the other parts of the blog are looking different.
My daughter, a professional web designer, has decided that dad has been muddling through for long enough and needs a re-branding and general upgrade of the look. I can’t disagree as my interest for this site has been more about the content, rather than the look.
Work on changing the look and feel of the site will continue over the next couple of weeks. It will include new covers for the two existing E books, and the new book “Choosing a Block”, to be released soon.
One thing that will remain the same is the actual content of the posts and books
Retaining walls are created to hold soil behind them. They can be made to control soil erosion due to hard rains, surround a garden, create a terraced yard, or retain soil along a highway.
When designing a retaining wall, take note that there are several factors that will affect the type of wall and material you build.
These include the following:
Location – it’s best to understand your property lines and your underground as well as above-ground utilities, including stormwater irrigation and management systems.
Soil – the soil that makes the base or foundation of your wall must be checked to determine if it meets the strength needed to support the wall. The bearing capacity of the soil, its type, friction angle, and stress parameters of the soil used for the foundation should be determined. Generally, wet soils, like clay, aren’t suggested for infilling. In locations with freezing temperatures, wet soil can contract or expand, possibly damaging the wall. Sandy soils provide excellent draining.
Design – To start the design, you should calculate the footprint sizes, wall heights, slopes, and setback angle, which depends on the site grade and elevation.
Drainage – Since water is usually the primary reason why retaining walls fail, it’s crucial to ensure that your wall has excellent drainage and there won’t be water buildup behind the wall. It’s best to check the site for drainage patterns and create a drainage system behind the wall. For excavation services, you may contact professionals, such as Hammer Excavations Melbourne, to help you. A good drainage system can include the use of drain pipes, backfilling, or using ‘weep’ holes to let water pass through a wall.
Here are some details I would be using to build a retaining wall with galvanized steel posts up to 800mm high. This is not a guarantee that these details will be suitable for your application.
I would want to be building it in reasonable ground such as Hard Clay, Compacted Coarse Sand, or Gravel.
It is possible to build walls in poorer ground such as fine sand, soft clay and more loamy soil but specialist advice will be required.
A minimum diameter hole of 300mm dia holes at 1250 spacing (so sleepers cut in half will fit) between posts. Depth to be equivalent to wall height plus 100mm for a gravel layer at the bottom of the hole.
The minimum post lengths to be twice as long as the final height of the wall.
Set the posts a minimum of 5mm below the planned finished height. It’s safer with the hard steel edges below the softer timber.
Spend some time making sure the tops of the posts are level as any mistakes really show up.
If I was using timber, rather than galvanised steel posts, I would have them on the front face of the wall so the whalings would press against the post.
Use an Aggi Pipe with a 100mm gravel surround, maximum stone size of 10mm. Continue the gravel up to just below the surface at least 100mm thick behind the wall. This is to relieve water pressure on the face of the wall. (not to drain surface run off in a storm)
Make sure the ground slopes away from the base of the wall as it helps to keep the soil around the post holes from becoming waterlogged and softening.
Available now the latest edition of the E-book
PRE-START / SELECTION GUIDE
This major revision, and expansion, of the Guide means you now get:
All aimed at making sure you think about all the details that need to be included in your new home.
Previous Purchasers
