Bunnings have Click LED GU10 bulbs, 5W for less than $10 each. I think they are great.

As I've said before, Lexicon is a unique colour (and a great color). It's (the only?) colour made by just adding black to white paint, so it's neutral.
Let your furnishing…

Hi BuildingNewHome,
I used Merit Homes, which were not on my original list.
The house was finished 3.5 years ago and I am very happy with the result.
I can certainly recommend Merit…

Everyone is looking at the thermal resistance (R value) and ignoring the other important aspect, which is thermal mass (C value). If you want to have a thermally comfortable house…

If the perpends are 20 mm that is a defect. Clear and simple.
Good luck.

jj1, are your brick defects as bad as Anthelas?

Anthelas,
A building inspector will be able to tell you if the brickwork is acceptable. They will quote the appropriate standard and there will be no ifs or buts about it.
I'm…

The two windows are 2 bricks wide and 2.5 bricks wide. The brick layers should have built the wall so that each course alternates and the vertical joints all line…

Lex, I have a couple of questions for you. Is your current hot water heater gas or electric? In your previous house, was your hot water heater gas or electric?

Hi Emy,
I've been reading about your neighbour's builder cutting up to the boundary. There is no doubt about it, if they have cut to the boundary then they need to…

To me, in both cases, they didn't alternate brick courses. Brick should be laid so that each course alternates, but in both cases where there is a problem the courses…

I've been going a lot of reading over the past week and building quite a knowledge base on local government and planning principles and laws.
It appears that the magic number…

Hi Stewie,
Thanks for you input. Much appreciated. It's a difficult time for me trying to get this DA over the line.
I just did a recalc of the FSR and it's…

I'm in Ryde Council. It's an extension (under the house and totally within the building envelope) and boundary retaining wall. The Council's concerns are that the FSR will now be…

Hi all,
I've just received from Council a Development Application - Notice of Refusal for an extension and backyard work.
I'm wondering if anyone has received one of these and what they…

leighton -1 (yes, minus!)

This is ridiculous. I would not proceed further with the company that designed the house and would ask for a full refund since the design is faulty. I would also…

Transferring heat is also useful at bed time. Transfer any heat form the living areas tot the bedrooms.

An ag pipe sits under the dirt, is surrounded with gravel and then is covered with soil. The ag pipe itself will have a "stocking"

Mine was cured with what I think is a PVA based coating. I hope I can tile on it, since I've just done the outside terrace, which was cured, and…

My slab had a curing compound applied to it. Something that was sprayed onto the slab about 4 hours after it was poured.

7.7 cents per kW, for you to supply them with peak electricity. That's disgusting. I wouldn't bother.

Legally, no water from your neighbours property is allowed to enter your house.
BTW even though your decking will be at the neighbour's level. As far as water concerned, nothing has…

If only for cars, 6 m x 6m
If adding a workbench, add 0.5 m to the length
If adding storage, add 0.3 m (preferably to the width)

Went to the SRCC website (http://www.solar-rating.org) and compared an Apricus AP-30C evacuated tube panel to a Solahart flat panel. There are different climates and application so…

The proof is on page 36 of the book "Solar Water Heating" by Bob Ramlow and Benjamin Nusz. There is a graph that shows that only when the collector inlet…

Wow, are 20 cm setback. That's small!
Someone must have approved the construction, in which case it should be fine. (I assume it's a 20 cm setback and not a 20…

Just normal solar hot water panels are fine. (Evacuated tubes are not as good as flat solar hot water panels.)

The plastic is referred to as a vapour barrier, not waterproofing. My structural engineer reminded me of this every time I called the plastic sheet under the slab waterproofing. I

It would probably be cheaper to use solar hot water panels and use these to heat the slab. In summer the hot water can be directed to the domestic hot…