A brief update

It has been too long since we updated the site but been b usy busy busy!!

Sustainable House day is up and coming again with 20 houses open across Northern Tassie. If you are interested then this link is to our  LOCATION SHEET

We have been busy on our kitchen and starting work on the ramp which may be the last piece of major work before we apply for a completion certificate from our local Council. We shall see.

Also had a great series of photos taken which really make the house look a million dollars. Will upload them also.

Thats it for now

How the house is behaving thermally !!

Well as we are in the middle of several things at once but not far enough along on any of them to post them I thought I would re visit the steps we have taken to make the house thermally more comfortable than when we moved in nearly four years ago.

This year is the first year that the house stays noticeably warmer inside than the outside temp, even in the morning. Now winter is not here yet but we have had several mornings of below 5 degrees.

Here is a list of improvements we have made and there links to the relevant posts.

• Insulation blanket instead of sarking when roof replaced – https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/roofs-and-gutters/
• Cellulose insulation pumped into walls and topped up in roof https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/insulation-the-tale-comes-to-a-satisfying-end/
• Sealing air gaps in windows and doors https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/stopping-the-draughts/
• Draft Stoppa fitted to bathroom fan/vent  https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/draft-stoppa-installation/
• Floor length backed curtains put on all windows
• Pelmets made and fitted in all rooms that have been renovated https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/pelmets/
• Secondary double glazing film installed in three rooms so far (Clear Comfort) https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/secondary-double-glazing/
• Double glazing installed in new studio extension which is North facing https://greentasreno.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/windows-what-we-are-doing-and-where-we-are-up-to/

Now individually each thing has only helped a little, some more than others, but put together it means that the house is so far consistently warmer than it was and is using less fuel, in this case firewood, to warm it up.

Another year on

Well its now about 2 years since we bought the house in Westbury. Initially I thought it would be a two year project. Plenty of time, two years! Well it may be in verybody else’s world but in our world we are only half way through the renovation.

true we have had little things like work and health issues and community work, but still some days it feels like we have achieved nothing.

Time seems to compress itself when ownerbuilding. I had read other articles about this but until you experience it for your self it makes no sense. One job leads to three or four more which have to be done before you can do the next big job. Then there always the jobs which  you will get round to. But never do. You know the ones, the ones that make or break the finishing of the room or sanding the plaster so you can paint.

We still have the studio to build although the dinig room and kitchen are well under way. The electrician has been and fitted LED downlights which are great. The plumber has fitted out the second toilet and laundry and belatedly installed our enviro saver valve which directs all the cold water in the hot water pipe into a water tank. Amazing how quick the hot water cools down. The plumber was a little bemused.

The garden being halfway through winter looks like @#$% and we only have 6 weeks before we open for another Sustainable House Day. Somewhere we have to find time to finish a ton of stuff, publicise SHD 2010 and make it all work and update this blog as well.

Oh well the impossible we do now and miracles take a little longer.