How Not to collect rainwater!
I suppose its cheap…….but it’s not the most convenient for filling your watering can from.
You can also see that algae is growing in all those open containers.
It’s not something most of us would want on our front gardens!
On the plus side it probably looks very spectacular in heavy rain as the water overflows into the various containers.
Have you ever wondered what this is in your garden?
Perhaps you have seen ‘ORG’ on a drawing.
Well the answer is it’s called an Overflow Relief Gully. It needs to between the house and the connection to the main sewer.
An ORG is a vital part of protecting your house against Sewage blockages in the main causing an overflow inside your house.
The grate is set 150mm below the level of the lowest waste water fitting in your house. Normally the shower drain or Floor Drain. ( In cases where the 150mm minimum height cannot be achieved, a reflux valve should be installed in addition to the ORG)
In the event of a sewer blockage the sewage can flow out of the ORG. Not very nice!…….. but much better than flowing out across your floor.
To make sure it works when you need it:
The Internal Frame is the key structural element in most Brick Veneer House Construction.
In more lightweight structures such as timber cladding and lightweight render it takes on an even more of the structural loads.
The overall frame is composed from a number of individual wall panels, which when fixed to the base, and fastened together, form a rigid box like structure.
The frame carries several main structural loads:
I probably walk past at least 5,000-6,000 different houses a year but this one has more front steps than any other I have seen.
Really good for making sure your glutes are well toned with 35 steps just to get the morning paper.
In my opinion considering sustainable design for your new home will save you money as well as the environment. Here are three reasons why:
A key sustainability principle is to minimise the use of resources. Getting a Smaller House means you save money on materials. The smaller house also has less wall and roof area where heat is lost. Reducing the size by 20% should reduce heat transfer through the roof by the same amount, and reduce the heat transfer through walls by around 10%.
Getting the Correct Orientation can add an extra star to the house energy rating at no extra cost, which is going to save on your heating and cooling costs. It will also fill your house with light without causing overheating in summer.
Windows are the least effective element of the house as far as heat transfer is concerned, even if double glazed. Most windows are also much bigger than they need to be. Reducing windows on the West and East of the house and reducing the size on the South is normally a no cost option.
Get these things right and you will be saving money on the mortgage, and on your heating and cooling bills.
The concrete pavement comprises the actual slab and its foundation known as the ‘Subgrade’
A lot of concreters will say a concrete slabs don’t need any foundations……That’s Bulldust!
The area around your new home is likely to have had service trenches dug across it and be churned up by construction activity, which is not going to provide a strong enough base.
Basically you need to get rid of all unsuitable (soft) material including topsoil.
It needs to be replaced with a minimum of 100mm of suitable subgrade material such as roadbase.
See Preparing the Base for more information,
Here are some recommendations for the minimum concrete slab thickness:
The reason why I suggest 150mm for the main driveway is because this has the biggest risk of something like a delivery truck using it.
No this isn’t photoshopped……..It’s actually a scuplture of a shark crashing through the roof of this 150 year old house in a suburb of Oxford.
To find out more click on this link Headington Shark
A small strata development is a way of retaining an existing house and providing a rear Block. It is an alternative to a Battle Axe Block. 
With this type of development there are 3 Titles as follows:
So what are the issues if you are thinking of buying the back block for you new home?
You will be need to bring in some, if not all, of the following service for an extra 20-30m.
The sewer is usually at the back of the block but check before you buy.
I have heard additional building costs of more than $15,000 for these blocks because they are Restricted Sites
Aimed at making sure you consider a wide range of issues to ensure you get the right block for your new home!
Posts from this Blog and Much More.
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82 pages packed with advice including Comprehensive Checklists that can be printed out.
If you are serious about wood fired heating you are going to have to think about storage.
Firewood should be seasoned, until it is thoroughly dried out.
For freshly cut wood that typically means for at least 2 years.
Wood gathered from the forest floor still needs at least a years storage.
Unseasoned wood doesn’t burn as efficiently as seasoned wood. The difference is noticeable, and some of the problems are:
As Enough Wood for a Year is around 10 cubic m you need to be able to store around twice that amount.
This can be split between 3 places:
One of the things I sometimes see in those trendy magazines is firewood storage next to the fire. A bad idea in my opinion there is going to be a lot of spiders and other insects in the firewood.
