Good Measure

I almost wrote off today, I woke to dreary & cold rain and little light. One of the Tree guys Clare has been dealing with called and said he couldn't make it out to the block today. I responded with "I don't think we'll get out there either".

Within 2 hours the rain had passed & there was suddenly sunshine and patches of blue sky.

We loaded the tribe into the bus and headed to the block. Just as we pulled up I remembered that I forgot to pack my 100m measuring tape, no great loss as the 2 youngest girls were napping so we made 20 minute round trip home again to grab it.

Knowing know that our floor plan translated to a 25X14 house (extra with veranda) we mapped out approximately where it would sit and what trees may or may not be in the firing line. It was a lot of fun and great to get a feel for the space and also what sort of clearing/leveling will be needed. The children all chipped in running the tape in and out and serving as corner markers.

I also had a good chat to one of our neighbors and we tentatively plugged in a chop fest for some of the trees in the coming weeks.

Running the line out
And round a tree
The boys were eager to help
Our eldest son snapped some shots to the state forrest across the meadow
Teamsters
More scenic shots care of our 11 year old

Using some tablet GPS software to ascertain North
If I had a magnet and a paperclip I would have totally gone old school
The grass is down nice and low care of our neighbors miniature horse which apparently is an eating machine, it means no mowing for me (yay) and our soil is getting plenty of manure.
Its all for you
The biggest tree that needs to come down (Previous owners ring barked it)
After finishing off our measuring we stopped for some afternoon tea then headed across to chum creek where the builder we are hoping to use was nearing the final stages of a 3br straw bale house.

It was close to rendering, all bales and windows were in, all the interior wall frames were done and wiring was in progress. It was not quite at lock up so I was able to have a good look through and even take a few measurements. This house is on a steep block and was built on a combination of brick bearer/sub floor and stumps for the veranda & is around 10m wide so slightly smaller than what we are looking at building.

I probably should have taken a snapshot but didn't feel comfortable, despite the builder encouraging us to go and have a good look it wasn't our house so I resisted. It was so good being inside one (a straw bale house) they have a sort of dense silence about them, somewhat a kin to being in a sound studio I'd imagine. I took the time to take in the smells and feel the textures of the bales and left feeling very positive about this builders work and inspired about what's ahead of us.

Other 'Building a House' Blogs

I have been looking at other building a house blogs for years now. I have noticed a few things between the different types of blogs.

There are the blogs that talk about the whole process. The planning process, the ins and outs of designing the plan, the soil on the land/block, the foundation, framing, roofing, basically the technical side of the beginning process.
They offer pictures of every step, and how it works, why they went with a certain way over another etc.
These blogs I like the most. Most often they are Owner Builders (and/or Earth Homes being built) who write these blogs.
As the build goes on and fittings and fixtures are needed they talk about these, and mostly it is not just about what looks good, but what is functional, and also practical.
Last they will get on with decorating when the house is complete.

There are blogs that are all about decorating, curtains, chairs, bed linen, fittings such as kitchen and laundry, and colours of everything. Their blogs are filled with pictures of finished rooms, designer rooms and completed houses.
Every now and then there is a picture of the actual house they are building. Most times these blogs are people getting a builder to do the whole thing from soil testing, to handing over the key to the owner.

Then there are the blogs in between these. Owners who are both keen about the actual build, but not to the extent of my first example. They are also posting a lot about the decorating of the interior and garden.

I feel we are a mix between the first and third. We are very keen and wanting/needing to know all the bits and pieces of the whole process. As Owner Builders this is a given. There is so much more freedom in what we re doing, but also a lot more responsibility.
In the end this is what we have to do to get the house we want, so while the journey is going to only get harder, it is worth it.

Before we 'started' with getting everything done for our Planning Permit we were looking up lots of pics of Straw Bale homes, colours for walls inside and out, style of roof, type of windows, fireplaces, kitchens etc.
As far as interior decorating though, I'm just not interested at the moment. I do care, I just don't care right now. There are major decisions to be made, and they all much be made correctly, and also carried out correctly.

The biggest priority right now is the kind of soil we are going to be working with, and the best foundation for the soil type. Followed closely by us choosing who we will get to do the foundation, and ensuring is done right.

I am no doubt going to be stressed, upset and cry along the way. But who wouldn't for their forever house?!

So, this very eclectic blog of ours will flow as much as possible, but I will guarantee there will be a random post here and there about something totally off track.

What's happening this week?

What else? more phone calls of course!

I have spoken with council planning a few more times. Always a different person, which is interesting.
I have two quotes from Soil Testers.
One of the Quotes was for Site Classification, Percolation Test, BAL (Bushfire Assessment Level) and LCA (Land Capability Assessment)
This came in at approx $610 total.

The other quote was for Site Classification and Percolation test.
This came in at approx $1400 total.

Now having spoken to both about what exactly they do with regards to each test. There is no difference in method of carrying out the tests, or the report.

This is a huge price difference. Massive actually. In doing research I have found others have come across the same thing. Several quotes for the exact same thing, yet vastly different in price.
Its hard not to think 'Is it too good to be true?' It might be. But I really don't get the feeling. I have recommendations from others on the cheaper quote so I feel confident.

I have a feeling this is going to happen often through this journey.

What else have I done? I have spoken with a lovely woman who lives not too far from us and is going to chat with me about drawing up all our plans. House plans, site map, Elevations etc.
She does not charge for visits/appointments. A little saving there, but to be honest I do not mind paying for a great product. Plans are very important and while shopping around for quotes is important, the person doing the job, and final product are more important.
I will be seeing her in a few weeks with our 'as much to scale as possible' house plan.

Next phone call! Just to make things interesting, and while I do understand, it's a pain in the butt, sorting out septic tank permits are not through the planning department, but the Public Health department at the council. What this means is talking to both departments back and forth in regards to what they need. Considering a lot of the homes in this shire have or will have septic tanks, you would think all the information we need to know could be accessed through the planning department. It would be easier if they could just say, "Ok, now in regards to Septic Tanks you need this, this and this for your permit" and I would be all "Yay."
But year, not that easy.

So what do we have to do? We have to apply for a septic permit through the public health department. To apply for this permit we need a Percolation test done on the site where the tank will go. Fingers crossed this goes smoothly and we are issued the septic permit. Now the tricky bit. The septic permit does NOT need to be included in the planning permit. As in you can apply for that when you want, after the percolation test is done.
However, the planning permit does need the report from the Percolation test included.
Clear as mud? good.

Thankfully I have been given the name of the person who deals with septic permits at the council. Hoping this helps with the back and forth phone calls.

I have made an appointment to see a person from planning department next Thursday. I have a huge list of questions, hope they are ready for me! I will let you know how I go.

An Arborist report is needed to be included in the planning permit. Yup, more reports, more money, more phone calls, more quotes!
I already have a list of 4 in our local area. I am trying to keep it local for both supporting local tradies, and also due to us being in a semi rural area. You have to travel to get to anything out here.
From the little research I have done, charges can differentiate greatly between Arborists, like most things though hey.
I will make those phone calls this week and see how we go!

Next on my list will be looking into different kinds of slab for the house foundation. Yes, there are different kinds, it is not 'just concrete.' Didn't think it would be that easy did you? ha!
The builder spoke to me about Waffle Pod, being an alternative to the raft slab. So I am searching my building and owner building forums about others opinions and experiences with using it. Thank goodness for the internet, it makes researching soo much easier and convenient.

The footings and slab are going to be quite an expense, which we know and are expecting, so lots of researching and quotes to be had soon. Word of mouth, as usual will always favour for us.
So, people out there in the building industry, it pays to do a great job! Word of mouth is very powerful.

Strawbale Links

We have been looking at Earth Buildings for several years now.
I wanted to add some of the sites that have helped us learn more about and understand better the house of straw!

Earth Garden has a whole section on Straw bale. The link I have provided goes to the FAQ page. Many questions follow after we tell people the kind of home we are building, so I thought it would be a good idea to start on this page.

Build Your Own House ~ The ultimate website for owner builders and DIYers. A great Forum with practical and professional help and advice. I really like searching through the posts and reading about others journeys with building their homes. All types of houses are included, earth and modern.

The Last Straw ~ The International Quarterly Journal of Straw bale and Natural Building.
A great website full of photos, tips, advice, and step by step guides in the Blog section.

StrawBale.com ~ A World Leader in Straw Bale Education. A website with everything you could want or need in regards to building your Straw home. Pictures, videos, guides, tips, advice, professional help, articles a blog and also a forum to ask questions.


There are hundreds of websites online about building with Straw, these are just a pic of my top sites. They all cover everything you could want to know about building and living in these wonderful homes.