Waterproof material, or construction, does not allow moisture to penetrate through it.
Water Resistant material, or construction, means it restricts moisture movement and will not degrade when it gets wet.
Where it matters
The Building Code of Australia (Volume Two – Table 3.8.1.1) provides details of the ‘wet areas’ that are required to be water resistant or waterproof.
Below is a short summary:
Showers
Waterproof: Floor, 150mm up walls, all wall and floor junctions, all penetrations.
Water Resistant: Walls up to 1800mm from floor.
Areas adjacent to showers
Waterproof: Timber or particle floor, all wall and floor junctions.
Water Resistant: Concrete and cement sheet flooring.
Areas adjacent to baths and spas
Waterproof: Timber or particle floor, tap and spout penetrations.
Water Resistant: Concrete and cement sheet flooring, exposed wall from 150mm above hob down,
Laundries and toilets
Waterproof: Junction of fitting to wall, surface penetrations.
Water Resistant: 150mm above fitting where fitting is within 75mm of wall.
To me this seems a bit lightweight. . . . Over the past 40 years of homeownership I have experienced both an overflowing bath, and a broken laundry hose.
I would suggest you consider at the least extending the waterproofing to the whole of the bathroom and laundry floors.
Some time ago I went ‘Glamping’ and was really struck by how the company had built a really compact en-suite. . . . so I thought I would share it with you.
As you can see its actually built out of a galvanised steel water tank.
A really good idea if you are an owner builder who wants to live on site.
With fully waterproof walls it’s just a case of installing the fittings and painting the concrete floor with an epoxy seal . . . and away you go.
You could say it is very fashionable if you like the ‘industrial’ look.
Basically it’s got a shower area at one end and the toilet at the other end, with the wash basin in the middle.
One thing I have never understood is why Australian Houses nearly always seem to have their fireplaces, and chimneys, on an outside wall.
I was brought up in an English terraced house, and a significant source of heat in winter was the heat radiating from the wall against next door’s fireplace and chimney.
Even the cat knew which was a nice warm spot!
If you are planning to build a detached house with a fireplace don’t position it on an outside wall.
There is going to a lot of heat you have paid for that will be lost to the outside.
Historically
A hundred years ago, when all cooking was done on a wood stove, there was a good reason for the kitchen fireplace to be on an outside wall.
Cooking on a hot Australian summer day meant that you wanted to minimise the heat going into the home, so an outside wall could be a good choice.
These days with almost all of us cooking using electric, or gas, that reason no longer applies.
Planning a house
Check this link to see how I designed a house with a central fireplace: Bubble Diagrams
Did you think about your pets when you planned your new House?
Will the House and garden be safe for your pets when you move?
Here are some things to think about:
Planning
Where will the pet sleep at night?
Where will it have access to during the day?. . . . For instance check out this Cat Lovers House
Where will it food be placed? and a litter tray be for cats? I like to keep the litter tray away from carpets, and anywhere else where I might walk with bare feet.
Are you going to give a dog access to the whole of the back yard or just a run.
Will there be shelter for the dog in the yard? We used to leave the dog bed under the verandah at one house, at another we had a porch at the back door.
How are you going to deal with a wet dog after a walk?. . . a regular reader of this blog told me they have planned an extra large laundry with a shower big enough to wash their two dogs.
When You Move In
Are any fly screens cat/dog proof , , , I would recommend any fly screens that protect doorways have a strong metal mesh.
Are all gates in place.
Do the fences go right down to the ground, and are high enough to prevent jumping. . . . we had a medium sized dog which had never escaped until we moved to a new house and my wife got a job. . . . It then started jumping a 1.5m brick fence.
Is there a risk your pet will try to dig under the fence?
Do you check your plants to check they aren’t toxic to your pets?
We have only had dogs and cats as pets, so there may be other questions for different pets.
I am sure you have seen many different photographs of these houses if you have seen any publicity about San Francisco.
They are known as the Painted Ladies. . . but why are they always photographed?
I think the houses in the next block in the same street are more interesting.
Well the reason relates to the way our brain reacts to what it sees.
Experts say that the brain likes to see patterns so we find the repeated pattern of the Painted Ladies pleasing.
The more interesting different houses along the street are a bit more jarring.
So what does this mean for your new house?
Well I am not suggesting that you build an identical house to next door, . . but you could think about making sure your house does have some recurring pattern.
For example:
Aim to have the windows the same size and shape rather than a mix of sizes and shapes.
Use a similar colour and style for the house and garage doors.
Avoid too many different materials across the front facade.
If your vehicle is a specially adapted off-roader like this Land Rover then driveway slope is not going to be an issue.
For the rest of us it is something you should be aware of.
If you have lowered your suspension, installed a body kit, or have a sports car then it could be critical.
Maximum and Minimum Slopes
For proper drainage of the driveway you will need a minimum gradient of 1 in 100 (1%, or 10 mm per metre)
This could be either along the driveway or cross fall.
Local Authorities rules on maximum slopes do vary (so check) but typical gradients are:
Public areas 1 in 20 (5%, or 50mm per metre) in the public footpath area or
Within the property boundary 1 in 4 (25%, or 250mm per metre) .
Transitions
At the top of slopes there is a risk of the underside of the vehicle grounding.
At the bottom of the slope the front or rear of the vehicle can ground.
For standard vehicles a change in gradient of 12.5% is typically the point where problems can start to occur. (For lowered vehicles it may be much less than 10%)
A typical way to minimise the risk is to have a transition section of around 2m long between the two gradients.
For example
To go from a Flat slab (gradient 0%) to a gradient of 15% a transition section would be 7.5% ( [0% + 15%] / 2 )
