Cheers Bruce. Yep, I can highly recommend it. Best part is visiting the site and seeing things progress -- the frame was probably the most exciting. The…

I've started building a low stone wall up the driveway -- about 40 metres. It's slow progress, especially as I'm embedding little deck LEDs every 70cm to illuminate the driveway.…

Apologies for the slow reply Dean. Yep, Greenglue is pretty expensive -- but it certainly soundproofs the room. I wouldn't hesitate using it again if sound isolation was a…

Thanks for asking Sloppy. I finally got around to installing the theatre screen today... a bit tricky getting the AT fabric tight, but in the end it worked out…

Here's a pic with the snow from Tasmania's latest cold snap. I was snowed in for three days! So cool...

No worries Tim. Nope, the house is all brick -- concrete blocks for the foundation walls, and commons for the rest. Then rendered over the top.
When I eventually…

Tim, I sourced Eldorado Stone through Adbri Masonry down here (the first to do so in Hobart apparently). It's made in Indonesia, so I'm guessing they get it shipped direct.

Let there be (pink) light
I had to share this -- we finally fixed the in-ground spotlight (thanks Matty!)... just in time for a Eurovision party at my place. I…

Cheers guys. Yvonneh, the red bricks came from someone in West Hobart who'd demolished an old wall. Red bricks for paving are remarkably hard to find in Tassie (the…

Paved
The paving is done! Looks the goods...

And just in time for... the first snowfall of the year!

Paving the way
So now it's time to get on with the landscaping. I've cleared the land below the house of weeds and branches, and it's looking quite nice; next…

Thank you so much everyone -- I love it!

Hi Lorri. There are pictures on my blog, and it's relatively straight forward. I used 18mm marine ply as the backing of the shutter, and 12mm hardwood strips…

A couple more photos from the article...

The house received a lovely write up in today's TasWeekend Magazine:

http://hobartdesign.com/clients/Hobart-Design-TasWeekend.jpg

Sorry I wasn't keeping track of this thread -- I can try and help with any specific requirement questions you might have (my house is BAL29 rated, and I pretty…

Hmmm... strawbale and mudbrick are excellent ways to save money on materials -- but the labour is intensive and (to my mind) unfortunately not worth it (*unless you can source…

My house (just completed) was split between BAL29 and BAL40 (yes, I don't understand how it can have two fire ratings either). I've pretty much memorised the Standards, so…

Hah! I just posted on your thread, Lizzy. Glad you like my place -- took me quite a bit of time getting the "look" right (but definitely worth…

Hi Lizzy,
A lot of what you've been thinking about, I did as well -- a small but liveable space, comfortable, but still with old-world character. It can be done,…

I don't, but I'm working on getting some professional shots done -- just need to finish off the shelving for the built-in bookcases

Moving in
Thanks all for your kind words. Yep, I did pretty much go part-time with my real job while I worked on the house over these past years. …

Almost there
Just finishing up the final bits and pieces before organising the removalists. The carpet was completed Friday (pictures coming soon) and I've hung all the internal doors and…

Cheers guys. Rob, 2 years I won't get back is right... gotta wonder if I'd ever do it again. Hmmm... then again, it is a bit addictive...
Today I…

Snow
The recent cold snap saw a bit of snow fall at the house -- here's the deck:

And the biggest news: I have occupancy! I received my Certificate today, so…

Just a shout out to my new favourite colour: . I've used it on feature walls, the ceiling of the home theatre, and today I picked up a semi-gloss…

This is a really good example of why you should learn the occupancy requirements by heart before starting the build (something I only skimmed myself!).
Truss certification is standard, and if…

Applying the makeup
The inside of the house looks (and smells) like a paintshop at the moment -- doors everywhere, skirting & architraves tacky or about to be. This last…

Shuttered
I'm not sure I've shown a picture of the face of the house yet with the shutters in place. The arched shutters really frame the French door nicely.
The colour…