Normally the scene should have shown bright spring sunshine, not hail stones bigger than a large egg...
Some were the size of my fist, but the storm had stopped by the time I ventured out and it was melting!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Extreme weather
After a week or so of unusually inclement weather things are returning to normal. but last Tuesday we had a HUGE hail storm, as witness these photos:
Normally the scene should have shown bright spring sunshine, not hail stones bigger than a large egg...
Some were the size of my fist, but the storm had stopped by the time I ventured out and it was melting!
Normally the scene should have shown bright spring sunshine, not hail stones bigger than a large egg...
Some were the size of my fist, but the storm had stopped by the time I ventured out and it was melting!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Little boxes on the hillside
At home I've continued to enjoy myself with making a model of our new house, from the architect's plans. It's been tricky in places! Mainly, I think, because the plans have been printed and reprinted on different printers, with the result that not all the sheets are to exactly the same scale. Although technically the plans are 1:100 at A3 size, variations in printing mean that they're not all the same, which has made resolving the design of the roof particularly difficult. Luckily I'm enjoying the challenge and here are some working photos from this morning.
Anna Fisher was very helpful, telling me that usually architects' models are made from foam core and mount board, which saved me the hardship of trying to cut thicker greyboard and paint it white.
The house, without internal walls, obviously
This is the bedroom end
Looking into the studio - office building
There's a garden storage room on one end; I made models of the larger furniture!
I have to say that making the models is fascinating: not in an Airfix-ated kind of way, but because making the models and seeing how the spaces fit together gives me a huge insight into how the building is going to 'work' for us. Already I'm conscious of how much bigger the studio/office building is compared to the house's main living areas! I want to finish the models soon, partly so that Michael and I have a chance to think carefully about the way the spaces work, and partly so that our builder and our architect can use them.
Anna Fisher was very helpful, telling me that usually architects' models are made from foam core and mount board, which saved me the hardship of trying to cut thicker greyboard and paint it white.
The house, without internal walls, obviously
This is the bedroom end
Looking into the studio - office building
There's a garden storage room on one end; I made models of the larger furniture!I have to say that making the models is fascinating: not in an Airfix-ated kind of way, but because making the models and seeing how the spaces fit together gives me a huge insight into how the building is going to 'work' for us. Already I'm conscious of how much bigger the studio/office building is compared to the house's main living areas! I want to finish the models soon, partly so that Michael and I have a chance to think carefully about the way the spaces work, and partly so that our builder and our architect can use them.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Water, water
Water does seem to play a big part in our life at Wakelands Road, particularly when there isn't any. You'll recall us running out of water late last year when we didn't understand how the bore/tank/hose/tank/pump system worked, and the belly-laughs we had trying to convince our managing agent that the noise of water in our bedroom betokened the hot water system gaily pumping our drinking water out into the paddock...
A week or so ago the "water feature" that diverts half of the pool cleaning pump away from cleaning the pool ceased to flow because the motor went and the motor had to be replaced as the water went green and furry.
Yesterday we tried to turn on said new pump and nothing happened: no water flowed through the water feature and into the swimming pool, but we don't think the motor has failed (although we're not sure what the problem is, exactly).
Today's moment of amusement came when Michael tried to turn on the pump leading from the bore up to the above-ground holding tank, thinking that he'd pump up a tankful of water and use it to help fill the swimming pool which has been gradually going down through evaporation as we've had quite a dry winter. Well nothing happened. Or more accurately, the pump sprang into action as soon as the power was switched on but nothing came out of the ground.
Does this mean that there's no more water in the bore? I guess it could be the case, after all I don't suppose we're the only household around here using the bore - it would be quite odd if a geological feature like that was reserved exclusively for this house. Or does it mean that co-incidentally the water pumps are failing almost simultaneously?
Whatever the answer, our problems are compounded by the fact that it's a bank holiday and our managing agency is closed, and as it's the school holidays our landlord is away. Of course, this house is also on the market, and our landlord is going to be thrilled to bits that things are breaking down at a point when he's trying to sell the place because he doesn't have any money, so I daresay we won't be popular when he finds out!
Talking about selling the house, one of the selling agents brought around an American family on Saturday to look at things, but they didn't get as far as looking in the office where Michael, Ella and I were holed up because as they said to Jim, they really loved the scenery but would bulldoze the house! They also commented that for the money they'd expect everything to be spick-and-span. I don't envy the agents, really. The house is on the market with two companies, one of which is the agency through whom we rent it, and both agents had the tricky task of telling our landlord that they think he's put it on the market for too much money. Jim said our landlord clearly thinks they don't know how much he paid for it, but of course they have access to previous sales figures through the Land Registry. So they know that he's asking $100,000 more than he paid for it two years ago, and the problem is that the market here is stagnant and the house has been quietly deteriorating. Our landlord has put in a new kitchen, but it's nothing flash and hasn't been properly finished so it would have cost him $8,000 at most and certainly doesn't justify the hike in price.
Anyone buying this place would have to spend money on the spa (which is cracking and will need to be replaced), the swimming pool (a 25 year old concrete pool with deteriorating grout and half a cleaning system which has broken below-ground pipes), the pool area (rotten timbers and uneven tiling), the gutters (almost all of them need serious attention), the roof (decidedly dodgy and leaking), the bathrooms (all of which need renovation) and the windows (all of which have corroding aluminium frames). All up you'd probably have to spend the best part of $100,000! And for the same money around here you could buy a 4 or 5 bed new build home on less land but with a new pool and ocean views...
Who knows what will happen. My money is on our landlord reducing the price of the house he lives in and managing to sell it, and thus booting us out of here so that he can move back in. I'll cope well enough with that as long as it happens after Christmas! I just don't want to up sticks and move again now. If we can get our building going and put the shed up, and if I can see progress and we have to move the other side of Christmas then I might be more sanguine about the idea of living in a caravan on-site, or moving into the shed for a while. We could just say stuff it and set about finding a new home for 6 - 9 months right now, but I don't have the energy and we've got enough other changes on the cards, not least getting our daughter through the process of starting at a new school.
A week or so ago the "water feature" that diverts half of the pool cleaning pump away from cleaning the pool ceased to flow because the motor went and the motor had to be replaced as the water went green and furry.
Yesterday we tried to turn on said new pump and nothing happened: no water flowed through the water feature and into the swimming pool, but we don't think the motor has failed (although we're not sure what the problem is, exactly).
Today's moment of amusement came when Michael tried to turn on the pump leading from the bore up to the above-ground holding tank, thinking that he'd pump up a tankful of water and use it to help fill the swimming pool which has been gradually going down through evaporation as we've had quite a dry winter. Well nothing happened. Or more accurately, the pump sprang into action as soon as the power was switched on but nothing came out of the ground.
Does this mean that there's no more water in the bore? I guess it could be the case, after all I don't suppose we're the only household around here using the bore - it would be quite odd if a geological feature like that was reserved exclusively for this house. Or does it mean that co-incidentally the water pumps are failing almost simultaneously?
Whatever the answer, our problems are compounded by the fact that it's a bank holiday and our managing agency is closed, and as it's the school holidays our landlord is away. Of course, this house is also on the market, and our landlord is going to be thrilled to bits that things are breaking down at a point when he's trying to sell the place because he doesn't have any money, so I daresay we won't be popular when he finds out!
Talking about selling the house, one of the selling agents brought around an American family on Saturday to look at things, but they didn't get as far as looking in the office where Michael, Ella and I were holed up because as they said to Jim, they really loved the scenery but would bulldoze the house! They also commented that for the money they'd expect everything to be spick-and-span. I don't envy the agents, really. The house is on the market with two companies, one of which is the agency through whom we rent it, and both agents had the tricky task of telling our landlord that they think he's put it on the market for too much money. Jim said our landlord clearly thinks they don't know how much he paid for it, but of course they have access to previous sales figures through the Land Registry. So they know that he's asking $100,000 more than he paid for it two years ago, and the problem is that the market here is stagnant and the house has been quietly deteriorating. Our landlord has put in a new kitchen, but it's nothing flash and hasn't been properly finished so it would have cost him $8,000 at most and certainly doesn't justify the hike in price.
Anyone buying this place would have to spend money on the spa (which is cracking and will need to be replaced), the swimming pool (a 25 year old concrete pool with deteriorating grout and half a cleaning system which has broken below-ground pipes), the pool area (rotten timbers and uneven tiling), the gutters (almost all of them need serious attention), the roof (decidedly dodgy and leaking), the bathrooms (all of which need renovation) and the windows (all of which have corroding aluminium frames). All up you'd probably have to spend the best part of $100,000! And for the same money around here you could buy a 4 or 5 bed new build home on less land but with a new pool and ocean views...
Who knows what will happen. My money is on our landlord reducing the price of the house he lives in and managing to sell it, and thus booting us out of here so that he can move back in. I'll cope well enough with that as long as it happens after Christmas! I just don't want to up sticks and move again now. If we can get our building going and put the shed up, and if I can see progress and we have to move the other side of Christmas then I might be more sanguine about the idea of living in a caravan on-site, or moving into the shed for a while. We could just say stuff it and set about finding a new home for 6 - 9 months right now, but I don't have the energy and we've got enough other changes on the cards, not least getting our daughter through the process of starting at a new school.
Monday morning, 6am
I couldn't sleep last night, probably not helped by our darling daughter's incursion into our bedroom after she'd had a nightmare. Usually I can nod back off again without a problem, but not today, so after fidgetting for an hour I decided to leave Michael in peace and sneak off to the office to catch up on a few things! As I write there is that lovely early-morning cool in the air, with the scent of wisteria wafting in from outside and a band of marauding wood ducks advancing across the paddock. Lovely. I can also hear, from the sound of the hot water tank which is in the office, that Patrick is up and about and having a shower, ready for work. He's going to be a bit surprised to see me up!
Anyway, never mind all that. I was going to refer to a few websites I've found recently that contain things I'd love to have for the house but can't afford...
It seems, looking at what I've been looking at recently, that I have a bit of a love affair with paper, particularly in sculptural form. I stumbled across the somewhat improbably named FlexibleLove website a while ago, after I saw pictures of their expandable cardboard seating in a design magazine. I just love the incongruity - and what you might call sustainability - of using cardboard for seating. Sadly, however, the cheap nature of the materials is rarely reflected in the price...
Farm Design's furniture uses similar materials in some of its furniture, but while I love Giles Miller's Pool Rocker I'm not going to pay GBP750 for it... If I'm that keen, I'll have to use all the boxes from moving house, cut them up and work out something for myself! The thing is, though, I'm perhaps being a little unfair about the cost of design and of the work that goes into making something. No matter what the end result is made from, someone has spent considerable time and effort designing and making it, and the high unit costs for the production model reflect that, as I know from making my own work. So the truth is that I would pay the money (if I had it), but sadly can't afford the item.
I clearly do love cardboard, for another website that caught my eye was Bloxes.com. I could see myself making something from these just because they're so ingenious. I'd say Andrew Wilson and Aza Raskin have had a lot of fun with them, judging by some of the photos on the website... Just great for kids, I reckon, viz. the giraffe!
Perhaps my favourite website for corrugated paper furniture and products is Molo. They make honeycomb paper structures that act as seating, partitions, lamps and dividers, and the overall effect is beautiful. They're based in Vancouver and if I had the money I really would buy some of their products. So there.
Anyway, never mind all that. I was going to refer to a few websites I've found recently that contain things I'd love to have for the house but can't afford...
It seems, looking at what I've been looking at recently, that I have a bit of a love affair with paper, particularly in sculptural form. I stumbled across the somewhat improbably named FlexibleLove website a while ago, after I saw pictures of their expandable cardboard seating in a design magazine. I just love the incongruity - and what you might call sustainability - of using cardboard for seating. Sadly, however, the cheap nature of the materials is rarely reflected in the price...
Farm Design's furniture uses similar materials in some of its furniture, but while I love Giles Miller's Pool Rocker I'm not going to pay GBP750 for it... If I'm that keen, I'll have to use all the boxes from moving house, cut them up and work out something for myself! The thing is, though, I'm perhaps being a little unfair about the cost of design and of the work that goes into making something. No matter what the end result is made from, someone has spent considerable time and effort designing and making it, and the high unit costs for the production model reflect that, as I know from making my own work. So the truth is that I would pay the money (if I had it), but sadly can't afford the item.
I clearly do love cardboard, for another website that caught my eye was Bloxes.com. I could see myself making something from these just because they're so ingenious. I'd say Andrew Wilson and Aza Raskin have had a lot of fun with them, judging by some of the photos on the website... Just great for kids, I reckon, viz. the giraffe!
Perhaps my favourite website for corrugated paper furniture and products is Molo. They make honeycomb paper structures that act as seating, partitions, lamps and dividers, and the overall effect is beautiful. They're based in Vancouver and if I had the money I really would buy some of their products. So there.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Progress
We have development approval! We have development approval! We have development approval!
Well, clearly we don't have it in our sticky mitts yet (too much to hope for, we're only 6 months into the planning process...) but we have been reliably informed that it was being typed up on Monday to be posted to our architect, scanned and then passed on to us. So we spent a couple of hours down at the Council offices yesterday filling in forms and paying over outrageous sums of money to get the whole Construction Certificate process underway. For the uninitiated, Construction Certificates are a way of progressively inspecting and certifying the build once it's underway, so that it can be said to conform with bye-laws, planning constraints etc.
On a slightly LESS enthusiastic note, we also have the proposal for a Coffs Harbour by-pass which, if the relevant legislation goes through and the land is bought up and so on, will pass within a kilometre of the bottom of our block, although it will be partially hidden by trees. I suspect we'll get some noise from it; eight lanes aren't quiet, after all. However, it isn't even going to be started for another decade and Australians seem generally quite sanguine about living near big roads so I doubt if it will have any effect on the financial value of the land. And it's so far into the future, who knows what will happen?
Well, clearly we don't have it in our sticky mitts yet (too much to hope for, we're only 6 months into the planning process...) but we have been reliably informed that it was being typed up on Monday to be posted to our architect, scanned and then passed on to us. So we spent a couple of hours down at the Council offices yesterday filling in forms and paying over outrageous sums of money to get the whole Construction Certificate process underway. For the uninitiated, Construction Certificates are a way of progressively inspecting and certifying the build once it's underway, so that it can be said to conform with bye-laws, planning constraints etc.
On a slightly LESS enthusiastic note, we also have the proposal for a Coffs Harbour by-pass which, if the relevant legislation goes through and the land is bought up and so on, will pass within a kilometre of the bottom of our block, although it will be partially hidden by trees. I suspect we'll get some noise from it; eight lanes aren't quiet, after all. However, it isn't even going to be started for another decade and Australians seem generally quite sanguine about living near big roads so I doubt if it will have any effect on the financial value of the land. And it's so far into the future, who knows what will happen?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fingers crossed..?
The first potential buyers for this place come round on Friday, and there's a possible visit lined up for next Wednesday too. Apparently the next-Wednesday-visitors are a couple from Dorrigo who want to buy an investment property and rent it out, so who knows, if they were to proceed they might be interested in letting us stay put...?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Solar power for gadget freaks
OK, here's some funny stuff. We've been having a lovely conversation with Steve from Bellingen Solar, who is a very nice chap who came round and smiled at us again yesterday. I do think we must be a great source of amusement locally, for all sorts of reasons.... especially this one.
When you embark on the whole road-to-Damascus-solar-conversion thing you have to take a stock of your current electricity consumption in order to determine the necessary size of your save-the-planet solar power system. This exercise requires a small gadget that plugs into your power points and appliances and laughs itself silly at the resulting HUGE consumption figures. Wonder why we've been delaying this part of the process? Anticipatory embarrassment, that's why. Only now we're up to genuine embarrassment because we've discovered that our 52" plasma TV consumes ONE THIRD of our total electricity.
ONE THIRD. By itself. Not even counting the media centre and the sound system.
No #1 daughter's expression is incidental. She's indicating scale, not humour
This is really embarrassing. Our TV consumes FOUR TIMES MORE POWER than Michael's powerful server uses. TWICE what our fridge and freezer combined use when they're drawing full power from the system on a hot day with their doors open.
What does this mean, apart from the fact that we clearly have a very large TV screen? Well in solar electricity terms it means we need a $40,000 stand-alone system JUST TO POWER THE TV.
What does that mean in financial terms? We'll be selling the TV shortly. And please don't talk to me about things like under-floor heating for the bathrooms OR air-conditioning, because right now these items can't squeeze onto the "if my wish-list had a wish-list..." list. Instead, we're going to be SO green we won't know ourselves, and we'll be replacing said LG plasma screen TV with an LCD screen TV very shortly on the basis that even if we can't sell the plasma TV the LCD screen replacement will pay for itself immediately by NOT costing $40,000...
When you embark on the whole road-to-Damascus-solar-conversion thing you have to take a stock of your current electricity consumption in order to determine the necessary size of your save-the-planet solar power system. This exercise requires a small gadget that plugs into your power points and appliances and laughs itself silly at the resulting HUGE consumption figures. Wonder why we've been delaying this part of the process? Anticipatory embarrassment, that's why. Only now we're up to genuine embarrassment because we've discovered that our 52" plasma TV consumes ONE THIRD of our total electricity.
ONE THIRD. By itself. Not even counting the media centre and the sound system.
No #1 daughter's expression is incidental. She's indicating scale, not humour
This is really embarrassing. Our TV consumes FOUR TIMES MORE POWER than Michael's powerful server uses. TWICE what our fridge and freezer combined use when they're drawing full power from the system on a hot day with their doors open.
What does this mean, apart from the fact that we clearly have a very large TV screen? Well in solar electricity terms it means we need a $40,000 stand-alone system JUST TO POWER THE TV.
What does that mean in financial terms? We'll be selling the TV shortly. And please don't talk to me about things like under-floor heating for the bathrooms OR air-conditioning, because right now these items can't squeeze onto the "if my wish-list had a wish-list..." list. Instead, we're going to be SO green we won't know ourselves, and we'll be replacing said LG plasma screen TV with an LCD screen TV very shortly on the basis that even if we can't sell the plasma TV the LCD screen replacement will pay for itself immediately by NOT costing $40,000...
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