05 Apr 2010 The main thing that's happened in the past few months is the rain! We had nearly 2 weeks of rain in mid-February, and the water tanks went from nearly empty to actually overflowing. Compare this aerial picture taken in January, with this one taken today - it's a whole lot greener everywhere. This long shot, taken today, shows the difference even better when compared with this from 25 Jan. This zoomed image shows the house as it is now in a bit more detail. There are a few clumps of grass growing at the front of the house, where the grey water irrigation pipes are, but generally it's still a dustbowl and we're hoping to put some topsoil down and seed it in the next few months. Aside from that, there are no major plans, we're just enjoying the house and working all hours to pay for it...
04 Jan 2010 - Continuing to settle in, getting pictures on the wall - pic1, pic2, pic3, (and pic4 including Sadie the new pup). Telstra have certainly kept us entertained with the phone line project, our Telstra case manager called on 22 December to say that the cable splicing couldn't be done until 26 February, which was a surprise to us as the cable splicers were on-site at that moment doing the work. The current connection promise is this thursday 7th Jan. Over Christmas it was a bit overcast for a few days and the solar system ran a bit low, it tried to start the generator but the generator didn't come on. Given the holiday period, there was no one available to fix the generator so we just moderated our power use instead, and lived like wild animals. Well, wild-ish animals, with a fridge and freezer and television running but absolutely no dishwasher, it was tough. The next day the sun came out again and the batteries charged up very quickly. Here's an evening shot to show off the lights, and a view off the verandah as the sun goes down, both of which show the rocky tundra we've got instead of a lawn, might have to defer the croquet season this year...
19 Dec 2009 - We've been in for a week and things are going along well. We've had some really hot days (up around 40 degrees), but the house has remained cool thanks to the concrete slab and the thick insulation in the roof and walls. There was rain on Thursday night and we could hear it running into the tanks, almost enough for one teenage-daughter-hairwash... The house is starting to look lived-in (East view, North-West view, interior1, interior2), and we're on a learning curve for the solar water heater (the panel was installed a couple of days before we moved in), as well as checking power usage and tapping the water tanks as if we know what we're doing. Power generation is great at this time of year, we're making way more than we need although one interesting side-effect of the over-generation is that digital clocks run faster, and as the system endeavours to automatically compensate for this we're finding that the clocks are more for entertainment than information. Naturally the one service that comes in from outside, the phone line, has been the main drama of the build, and Telstra still haven't connected us, though they've given us a temporary phone which uses the mobile network and at least allows us voice calls, but no Internet. They promised an update "within 2 working days," that was over a week ago and our case manager isn't contactable because her mailbox is full, so it looks like being after Christmas before we'll have a proper service. THIS Christmas, I'm hoping.
12 Dec 2009 - Moving in! We did the move ourselves, using the horse float and various utes. It was a long day, but thanks to Lou's great organisational skills we were fairly straight in the main rooms by the evening, when Mary turned up with some food and wine and told us to stop working.
07 December - Yes! Power is ON! Pyramid Power have connected the system and backup generator, and we're generating kilowatts of energy (and using it to power the clock on the cooker, which is the only device in the house so far). The moving date is this Saturday, and we've already started moving some stuff across, including Millie's kennel.
29 November - This week trenching was done for the phone line and also the backup generator, about 300m in total. The floors were sealed (pic1, pic2), and the glass splashback for the kitchen was installed. Power isn't on yet, but with the generator slab due to be poured this week we're getting very close. Plumbers were in on Saturday installing the radiators, the solar hot water service should go on the roof this week. We now have a moving-in date - 12 December, over a week ahead of schedule!
22 November - This week the Biolytix waste management system went in, it consists of a buried plastic tank about 2m deep and 1.5m across, and 200m of irrigation piping laid in front of the house under what will eventually be the lawn (we hope). When the system is commissioned, worms will be added to process the...stuff. The front view of the house is pretty much finalised now, as the lights are all on and the windows have been cleaned. Inside, the lights are all up, and the floor polisher is due this week, his machine looks like Robbie the Robot from Lost in Space (though with a very small head and apparently wearing a nappy). Other interior shots (Pic1, Pic2) show how near we are to completion. This week the power will go on, phone line will be connected, floor will be finished and potentially the solartube skylights will go in too.
8 November - Painting is complete, including the sliding and hinged doors and the yellow and orange feature walls. The outside at the front is really just awaiting lights to be fitted, the back will have a concrete slab outside the laundry door. This coming week the Biolytix waste system is being delivered, and we're hoping that the power might go on when sockets etc have been connected.
31 October - Painting is progressing, and fittings have been going in, including taps, showers and toilets. The kitchen and living area are looking good (pic1, pic2), and the main ensuite and 2nd bathroom too. The project in general is ahead of schedule by at least 2 weeks, so we're hoping for completion around the start of December!
24 October - Solar panels are on! Pyramid Power have done a great job and the installation is 90% complete, including the array of batteries, each of which weighs 80Kg. The panels are arranged so that there's a gap for the Solartube skylight to go in above the bathroom. Inside, the kitchen benches are installed (though still covered with cardboard so not much of a picture), the wood burner has a chimney, and the sliding doors are on. Painting is scheduled for the coming week.
10 October - We have water! Over the past couple of weeks there's been some decent rain, and there's now about 21,000 litres in the tanks, which takes us above the level reserved for the fire brigade. Not a lot has happened to the exterior, aside from a bit of painting, the main work has been inside, with joinery proceeding in the study and kitchen.
28 September - More painting has been done inside, we've also had some rain, though not enough - about 10,000 litres so far, and mostly red from the dust storm that came through last week. More rain please!
21 September - all the work is happening on the inside now, the plasterers are going well and the waterproofing was added today to the bathroom/toilet/laundry areas. (waterproofing Ha! - there's still nothing in the water tanks after 2 weeks - some promising clouds today but they've been unreasonably continent!). Opening the big doors in front of the main room & kitchen shows some of the progress, including the important artwork entitled 'bath filled with insulation'. 12 September - the edging (capping/flashing) has been put on the roof, so it's water-tight now, and the tanks have been connected, so we're now scanning the skies for clouds in the hope it will rain. The first 20,000 litres have been reserved for fire protection, (the upper outlet is for the house), so there will have to be a fair bit of rain before we can actually drink any of it. The plasterboarding is going well inside.
05 September - The outside has been painted, and the plumbing work has started, with the solar water heater pipes laid from the roof through to where the hot water storage tank will be (this is just visible as a cluster of pipes on the side of the corro cladding). The front of the house is coming along well, and the bath is sort of nearly in, too!
30 August - the corrugated cladding has made a big difference to the way the house looks, blending across to the tanks. The back of the house is transformed, there's some good detail too, though the interior awaits more attention!
