There has been some progress on the Laurence/jones Mansion and I have finally got round to updating the WebPages. Not to long now and we will be moving in. :)
http://users.tpg.com.au/jonsey/index.htm
It's really looking good, Jonsey! Bet Mrs. Goanna Jonsey can hardly wait to move in!
I really like those exposed beams and your blog! It's helpful to those of us that haven't done this before. As a matter of fact, I'm going back to it now!
The place is looking great, Jonesy. Quite the mansion, mate.
Thanks for the comments, you two three. ;D I'm really pleased with the way the trusses have come up, it took a bit of work but worth it I think. We are both keen to move in and I'm now getting pressure to get the sewing room done. Don't forget to check out the links page. :)
I was just there and there's lots of useful information. It's amazing the thought that went into your design. Everything ....and I mean everything was done for a purpose. Lots of thought and planning went into the details and it shows.
Lookin good! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Great site Jonesy :)Lots of info .
You have a lil termite problem looks like , Ididn't read all your stuff sorry, all that steel must be to ward off some bug :o
Is that whole in the roof , in the valley the sky light ? That will be a , ahhhh, issue to flash :o :o
And when you get rain , looks like you get
[size=48] RAIN [/size] :o
Gerden looked good a well :)
Nice job :)
Thanks Pegg,
Termites are a real problem over here and they have eaten a lot of the older houses out. That is one of the reasons steel foundations and sub floors are so popular in Australia, that, and timber is so expensive.
We get around 14" of rain a year, not much compared to what you get but when we do get it, it comes in truckloads. That is the reason I have used big gutters on my place.
We are into winter down here and the garden is going well with swedes, carrots, broccoli and silverbeet. I am in the process of updating the garden page of my website at the moment, so keep checking. ;D
Boy, mate. I'm glad I don't live down there and have a wooden leg. Just a fleeting thought. I know. It didn't fleet fast enough. :-/
Glenn: Wouldn't you just weld up a steel leg? :D
I imagine you could do that faster than most of us.
Good idea John, if he used the adjustable version it would come in handy for getting round that mountain he lives on. ;D
Jonesy:
Got a chance to look through your project blog (http://users.tpg.com.au/jonsey/index.htm). Just a first rate job and thanks for producing a valuable story. It's an informative and fun trail of bread crumbs. :D
Building a house - it's such a human thing! Far too personal to be left to an "industry". ;)
Sample picture of the trusses:
(http://users.tpg.com.au/jonsey/house/gibstoper5.jpg)
Thanks John,
Although, not strictly a small cabin/cottage most of the stuff is still applicable to that type of construction. There are also some construction details that differ from country to country but maybe some of it will be useful to others. :)
You know, guys --- a steel leg --- I don't know ---seems a bit hard but then again - a leg I could screw on could come in pretty handy. :-/ :-?
I have a question about the tubes you put in the ground. have you gotten to use them ? how long are they. how much does it cool down the air coming in. I have thought about something loke this. has anyone in the USA done this? Maybe I missed it. How do you control the air flow. whould one of the wind turbines work to sen it to the house. just thinking Thanks Mike
Hi Mike, sorry I missed this one.
The tubes are not in use just yet so I don't have any info on how well they work at present. We are just moving into our summer down here and I will have them hooked up and working shortly. I will do an update on the web page when that is done. We should know by Christmas if they have been worth the effort.
Jonesy, being a new kid on the block I finally found time to look at what you have been up to. Beautiful. My hat is off to you mate!
I am impressed with the homework you did when designing your home. Everything is so well thought out. And those trusses are top shelf. Being in termite country myself I was really interested in seeing how you combined metal and wood framing to keep the little buggars at a distance.
Hi desdawg,
Looks like you caught me not paying attention again. ;D Anyhoo thanks for the comments. The trusses have come up well, Mrs. and I are both pleased with them but they did take a bit of time. I had originally oiled them but at the time I was working on the roof we had a fair bit of rain so they suffered a bit of water stain. That kept bugging me so I eventually decided to sand them back to clean wood and stain them. About a month of sanding off and on but I'm a happy camper now. Steel is a common building system down here for the reason you mentioned and it's used in fire prone areas as well.
The web page has another update but is still lagging the job. We have power, the bathroom has had the vinyl done and wall linings are on. We just need a plumber to hook up the can and it's all done. I am working on kitchen cabinets as we speak, another couple of weeks and I will have caught up to Jimmy.
We know you have been busier than a cat covering up crap, Jonesy, but we always look forward to hearing what you've been up to. :)
I've been up the back of Burke Mate, way beyond the black stump. I've been helping my sparky mate install air conditioners for those poor folk out in that blazing heat.
I found a job that would have made PEG smile. ;)
We had to put some insulation in the roof of one of those houses. As I climbed up on the roof to make a start, I noticed the ridge had a bit of a slump in it and the roof felt a bit springy. So I moved to the gable end and took a couple of sheets off, what do ya know "NO RAFTERS" just 4"x 2" purlins. Apparently, this house had small rooms about 8' wide so they had just run purlins from wall to wall. A bit later someone had knocked out some of the walls and had just put a short plate with four bolts to join the purlins together. The only thing holding that roof up was the iron and a little bit of string that God was hanging on to. I told the owner that my mate PEG would have a blue fit if he could see this, and, I'm not getting up there again without some props under it. So as you can imagine that job took a bit longer and cost a bit more than the owner was expecting.
There ya are, mate. Out beyond the old black stump, eh? mate. (Where'd the Canadian come from?)
Bet it was hot enough to make you want to blow the froth off a few coldies.
My friend in Melbourne told me about the old black stump -- way out in aboriginal lands and beyond. Possibly you saw my old friend Baz there. Deza thought he may have been out by toad poppers run -- he was really getting worried about him.
Deza and Baz are cane toads by the way.
More of the story here. Note that Deza is cute, crude, rude, potty mouthed and is not afraid to show a bit of cartoon violence, but he is an award winner too. If you click the link below, you only have yourself to blame. I warned you.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7977384941688540038&q=cane+toad&hl=en
History and info in the side bar of the video.
Later, mate. Keep us posted. :)
Jonsey:
Good story!... It's always amazing what you can find standing.. against all odds. Those strings God used to hold that roof together, let's hope there's plenty more where that came from. Stupidity seems unlikely to run out anytime soon. :D
You're in the hot sun and AC season down there... If I could I'd ship you down some of our very heavy NW rains and cool weather. The rains and wind are lashing the office as I write. I'd gladly trade a boat load of this for a bit 'o your sun! And we'd both be better off.
Too bad nobody's been able to make money trading weather. ;)
Just thought I'd let you all know that I've had the final inspection on the house. The occupancy certificate will be in the post tomorrow, and the marmalade is heading out the gate on its little bike, bound for the new house as we speak. ;D
Good show mate :) Whats a marmalade?? A jelly?? ;D :-/
That's great Jonsey.
PEG, marmalade is what the little chick said when his momma laid an Orange.
He said, "Oh look, did you see the Orange marmalade?"
Humm OK so how does a lil chicken have "it's bike " as Jonsey put it :-? ;D
I'm guessin a building insp, AKA gestpo / jack booted Govt' thug :-[ :-/ ;D
No offence to any building insp. out there :-*
Or" No building insp. where harmed in the writting of this post!" ;D
You were right the first time, PEG. Marmalade is like a jelly - like orange usually has a bit of the orange peel in it too. :)
The marmalade: It's an old Australian custom, Amanda will be able to tell you all about it. ;)
http://www.duckpond-design.com.au/theduckpond/emerginghouse51.htm
Is Amanda Aussie ?? So you move the jelly and that makes ya "feel " moved in ,EH. Well ya must be feelin chuffed about the whole deal eh mate! :)
QuoteIs Amanda Aussie ??
I don't think so mate, as far as I know she's bluegrass through and through, but we would be quite happy to adopt her if you don't need her anymore. ;)
I thought she would have been on to the marmalade thing but maybe she's not paying attention.
The Mrs. and I are both pretty chuffed now the end is in sight. It's been a bit of a marathon but worth it in the end. One shinny new house and no mortgage. You just gotta be happy with that. :)
Well done Jonsey! I don't know nuttin' about any weird upside down customs involving jam but I do know you've been working on this project awhile and it appears you've finally "got the T-shirt"
Congrats Bro, and here's to many happy years in the place! :) :) :) :D
G'day and congratulations Jonsey, you should abso-bloody-lutely be pleased after all that slog! Once again my hat is off to you. Put the billy on we are coming to celebrate your success.
For those of you who wish to make a study of the foreign language know as Australian I refer you to the following link:
http://www.aussieslang.com/slang/australian-slang-a.asp
I need to sit down by the ol' black stump with Jonesy and have him teach me some Aussie speak.
Hope you are enjoying the new home, Jonesy.
Congratulations Jonesy! So glad to read that it's marmalade moving time at your house too - such an important psychological milestone don't you think?
cecilia
www.duckpond-design.com.au/theduckpond
I must have told the marmalade moving story to 25 people.
Makes perfect sense to me.