HOTFR8
Banned
Great progress. Shame about the power company not being organised.
Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT New home and 3 car garage in Melbourne, Australia
- Thread starter Geoff289
- Start date
Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
Danshell
Well-known member
Nice neighbours, sounds like you owe them a drink
So your garage walls are effectively triple brick once the outside 'proper' bricks go up?
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Geoff289 looking great.
I see you have a 3 phase supply, well done.
I see you have a 3 phase supply, well done.
Nice neighbours, sounds like you owe them a drink
So your garage walls are effectively triple brick once the outside 'proper' bricks go up?
Yes, so far we have lucked out with neighbours which augurs well for living there. I met the guy over the road today for the first time and he's a good guy too. I took him for a short spin in my Mustang after giving him a tour of the house layout.
No, the garage walls aren't triple brick. The full height wall on the boundary is conventional double brick construction 230 mm or one brick length thick in total (apart from the recess near the back end of it, which I'll explain a bit further down the track - there is a reason for it). What you see is the internal face of the wall. I will be painting it (maybe bagging first) for light reflection so it made no sense to use the expensive face bricks there. On the other side, the neighbour's side, we'll render it to suit the neighbour down the track. The house on that side sold a few months back and the new owner is doing what we're doing, knocking it down and building something new. Again, putting up more expensive face bricks there that may not match what the new house on that side ends up like made no sense.
The low walls at the back and the other side of the garage don't go any higher than they are now. Apart from the setback of the house from the side boundary behind the garage, those walls adjoin the house itself and will have stud and plaster walls built on top of them. The garage floor slab will be on top of the walls as you see them and the walls themselves will effectively be buried, so again no point in more expensive flash bricks there. Hope that all makes sense.
Geoff289 looking great.
I see you have a 3 phase supply, well done.
Well we have no phase supply just now but yes, trying to future proof as much as possible. While I became convinced it was the thing to do it doesn't matter how much I read about it I still can't quite get my head around how it works but I guess I don't need to.
Danshell
Well-known member
Ok I think I am seeing what you are saying. If I am not it will become clearer soon enough.
3 phase power....hmmm down here it is an extra charge and it is expensive. My dear old dad has/had a few 3 phase items I was offered but at the time I knocked them back. I dont know a lot about it but 'if' I do take the offer up (the tyre changer/balancer is enticing) Ill try to do one of those transformer things?
hewey
Well-known member
Great progress The great neighbours bodes well for the future too. Laps of the block in the Mustang is a great way to get them on side too
The great neighbours bodes well for the future too. Laps of the block in the Mustang is a great way to get them on side too HOTFR8
Banned
Always great to have neighbours willing to help.
I might not be explaining it as clearly as I could. See if this helps. The light blue represents the floor slab of the garage, the red represents the stud and plaster walls that will separate the garage from parts of the house (I am hoping the tradies get these elements a bit straighter than my dodgy photo editing skills have produced).
Great progress
Yeah, he was grinning a lot, especially when I lit it up a bit.
Yes, as I said, I think we're pretty fortunate on that score.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Geoff, I am really enjoying your build. When we lived in Manly the house next door was being replaced and I was fascinated by the construction techniques. The window of my office/guest room overlooked the property and I spent a lot of time trying to understand the process. I am not aware of any areas in the US that have double-brick or triple brick construction. In Florida the closest we have is CBS (concrete block on slab).
When shopping for our first Florida home we chose one with "brick" stucco. It's made with a top layer of brick-colored stucco over a gray or white stucco. The mason then carves the mortar lines so the gray or white layer shows through. We were moving to a hot climate from a cold one and this looked like it belonged in a cold place.
When shopping for our first Florida home we chose one with "brick" stucco. It's made with a top layer of brick-colored stucco over a gray or white stucco. The mason then carves the mortar lines so the gray or white layer shows through. We were moving to a hot climate from a cold one and this looked like it belonged in a cold place.
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Danshell
Well-known member
Ok I understand what you are saying no Geoff.
Bob I find the construction idea's in the US to be quite different. I like to watch youtube vids of peoples builds and a lot of them over there do not use any steel in their concrete slabs. No wonder they have the saying that there is only two types of concrete...one that is cracked and one that is going to crack
Also I had never seen traditional timber frame buildings until I followed some youtube channels, it is a great way to build a home if you are into that look.
Sorry to go off topic a bit.
Bob I find the construction idea's in the US to be quite different. I like to watch youtube vids of peoples builds and a lot of them over there do not use any steel in their concrete slabs. No wonder they have the saying that there is only two types of concrete...one that is cracked and one that is going to crack
Also I had never seen traditional timber frame buildings until I followed some youtube channels, it is a great way to build a home if you are into that look.
Sorry to go off topic a bit.
Geoff, I am really enjoying your build. When we lived in Manly the house next door was being replaced and I was fascinated by the construction techniques. The window of my office/guest room overlooked the property and I spent a lot of time trying to understand the process. I am not aware of any areas in the US that have double-brick or triple brick construction. In Florida the closest we have is CBS (concrete block on slab).
When shopping for our first Florida home we chose one with "brick" stucco. It's made with a top layer of brick-colored stucco over a gray or white stucco. The mason then carves the mortar lines so the gray or white layer shows through. We were moving to a hot climate from a cold one and this looked like it belonged in a cold place.
Thanks so much for taking an interest Bob. Our property has a covenant on the title that requires any "structures" to be of brick or stone construction. This is fine with us as we want to build a solid place that is as maintenance free as possible. The volume builders here usually go with some form of lightweight cladding that is then rendered (what you call stucco). How it looks is a matter of taste, I guess, but this approach is often a recipe for cracking down the track and/or needing to be re-rendered or painted. Render also seems to nearly always show dark streaks from contaminants in rain running down the walls. This approach wouldn't be allowed in our case even if we did want it.
The brickwork completed so far is double skin because these elements are structural. The rest of the house perimeter will be what is conventional here brick veneer - a timber frame with a single skin of brick outside it.
That's interesting about the "faux brick" stucco on your Florida house. There are various products here that emulate brick but I don't think I've seen that here.
Ok I understand what you are saying no Geoff.
Bob I find the construction idea's in the US to be quite different. I like to watch youtube vids of peoples builds and a lot of them over there do not use any steel in their concrete slabs. No wonder they have the saying that there is only two types of concrete...one that is cracked and one that is going to crack
Also I had never seen traditional timber frame buildings until I followed some youtube channels, it is a great way to build a home if you are into that look.
Sorry to go off topic a bit.
Yes I agree that different approaches to construction in various parts of the world are interesting. The stick barns over Bob's way that plant the vertical timber frame members in the ground and the slab is poured around them at the last stage are certainly different to the conventional approach here of laying a slab and building on top of it.
Belting down rain here today so probably nothing happening with our build.
Danshell
Well-known member
Same here and likewise. I shouldn't complain though because it has helped with the bushfires we are having. I just hope the tradies are out working in it....
Coolabah
Well-known member
Looks great ! Are you going to have an access door through your garage brickwork there? I know it might seem silly with such a low headspace but I stored all my leftover roof tiles etc there rather than throw them out- (might never need them , but, hey...)
There will be quite a bit of sub floor storage space. I'll try to explain. In the picture below we are standing on the lower level floor slab looking towards the front of the house. The outside wall of the lower level will rise vertically from the blue plastic at the edge of the slab to the level of the top of the garage footing which is the low brick wall running through the middle of the pic. The top of that represents, more or less, the ceiling height of the lower level of the house.
Between the wall of the lower level and the sleeper retaining wall you can see is a bit over a metre (3'3"). The base of this area will be concreted and there will be an access door to get into this area. It will have about 2.6 metres (8'6") of head height. Other than the tank for the heat pump hot water unit this area will be available for storage. I plan on putting my compressor down there and running suitable pipe up into the garage (compressor on a timer so it doesn't start refilling in the middle of the night) and some shelving about 400 mm (16") deep.
As well as this the earth "shelf" above the retaining wall under here will be levelled and I will put some suitable suspended floor or some sort in there to store large bulky items. For instance, I have a number of original Mustang panels - guards, bonnet, doors etc. - as insurance against a future bingle given that reproductions just don't fit as well as original metal. These take up a lot of space in my current garage but will slide in there perfectly.
At the other end of that sub floor space the area between the lower level and the retaining wall is wider but this is because that area is where the rain the two 5,000 litre (about 1,375 US gallons) rain water tanks will go.
Hope this makes sense. If not, I can have a go at some more photo editing.
Danshell
Well-known member
Geoff are the water tanks something that is required in your area or something you elected to put it?
I am putting a small one off my garage but only to recirculate my still water when the still is running
I am putting a small one off my garage but only to recirculate my still water when the still is running
Geoff are the water tanks something that is required in your area or something you elected to put it?
I am putting a small one off my garage but only to recirculate my still water when the still is running
Collecting as much water off the roof as possible is our call, as far as I know there isn't any requirement, although I think tanks can assist in meeting the mandatory 6 star energy rating if needed.
While water is relatively cheap, being environmentally sound is important to us and my partner is a very keen gardener and there will be another serious drought in Melbourne one day. As well as the basic design of the house and effective sun control it'll have double glazed windows all round, higher than usual insulation rating, all electric, no gas, big solar system etc. I don't expect to pay any electricity bills at all and the water usage should be quite low (but they still get you with fixed service charges etc.)
The tanks will be plumbed to the toilet cisterns and the garden taps and have a mandatory mains change over gizmo for if and when the tanks get too low. We are also having these devices
http://www.redwater.net.au/
on the hot taps. They divert the cold water in the hot water plumbing to the tank until such time as water reaching it is actually hot and then it comes out the tap you've turned on. Better than all this cold water going down the drain while you wait for the hot to arrive at the tap. I expect that this will save as much annually as flushing the toilets will use from the tanks.
Danshell
Well-known member
Those redwater diverters are a great idea, especially for people using instant gas/electric style water heaters because they are not so instant depending on there placement.
I might fit one to my camper, it has an instant hot water heater and I cringe everytime I see so much cold water going down the drain waiting for the hot.
Our house does not have enough 'living' area glass facing the northern sun so we are also over insulating above 'code' rating and due to our BAL fire assessment we also have double glazed windows, even though we requested then regardless.
May pay the price with condensation for all the insulation but time will tell.
We are using a 12kw ducted heat pump for heating, Id imagine your climate is similar to ours.
I might fit one to my camper, it has an instant hot water heater and I cringe everytime I see so much cold water going down the drain waiting for the hot.
Our house does not have enough 'living' area glass facing the northern sun so we are also over insulating above 'code' rating and due to our BAL fire assessment we also have double glazed windows, even though we requested then regardless.
May pay the price with condensation for all the insulation but time will tell.
We are using a 12kw ducted heat pump for heating, Id imagine your climate is similar to ours.
Coolabah
Well-known member
Ahh yes I see- guess I was thinking near corner was around 7 bricks high , but can see the other side is much higher.
I used to have my compressor (at my old house) under the house sitting on dirt but I'm guessing you'll do it right and have a slab under your slab so you don't keep blowing dirt dust everywhere ?
I've never heard of redwater diverters before - what a great concept !
Our place is subject to a BAL rating https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/21321/Victorias-Bushfire-Mapping-System.pdf too due to the nature reserve at the rear. Given that we just had the 10 year anniversary of Black Saturday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires its kind of hard to regard this as unreasonable bureaucracy. Our rating is just the lowest one of 12.5 so the implications are minimal. Really the only issue is that we can't use the composite decking boards we are having for low maintenance within 300 mm of a window or door so we'll have to use something else for that narrow strip of the external decks on both levels.
I looked into the condensation issue a fair bit too. We have specified that particular attention is paid to sealing the place up. I decided in the end to see how it goes after we move in and that an air circulation system could be added easily enough if it turns out to be necessary.
We are having ducted heat pump heating and cooling too. We are going with this control system https://www.advantageair.com.au/myair/ as it can control the zoning much more flexibly and precisely than anything else I've looked at.
Here's another pic I took today that shows the start of the side wall of the house from the garage back which maybe provides further illustration of how it all fits together.
Yes, the area where the compressor will be located will be concreted. I am looking at this system http://www.rapidairsystems.com.au/rapidair.html for getting the air up into the garage and distributing it to a few locations in the garage. The starter kit seems like reasonable value. Does anyone have any experience of it? I will look at getting the builder to run it inside the walls for me to finish off with outlets etc.
As I was leaving the site today a truck was arriving with the frame sections for the lower level. I couldn't stay to get any more pics but we might have this part of the frame up by the end of next week. I couldn't stay because I had to meet the good lady to look at bathroom fixtures. Not quite so much fun.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Geoff, I installed a 30-meter starter kit between my garage and workshop, running along the top of the fence (I had planned to bury it along with the electric and water but priorities changed). Because it was exposed, vermin (rats or squirrels) used the nylon pipe for teething so 30 meters of perforated blue pipe ended up in the landfill. There is a more expensive version that uses coated aluminum pipe. I'll be using stainless tubing instead. I don't know if there are similar sources down under but McMaster-Carr sells 100-foot length of 1/2-inch diameter 304 stainless tubing for less than $180 (https://www.mcmaster.com/8989k981).
Danshell
Well-known member
Ours was BAL 19 however they down graded it if we build this hideous 23 mtr long, 2.4 mtr high colorbond fire wall above our house to shield the bush.....or to shield us from the bush, perhaps both. However like you, I agree it is a necessity to have BAL assessments.
Hmm interesting on the decking, we had planned on using composite decking as well, so that is something Ill have to consider because the deck runs past two large 2100mm wide floor to ceiling windows.
I am unsure if BAL building requirements are a Australia wide standard or state by state based but a part of our 12.5 rating is to seal all openings so they are ember proof. So again we may need to consider some sort of circulation in the roof cavity if condensation is too much of an issue.
That myair system looks fantastic, I am going to see if it can be fitted to our system.
Thats two significant finds due to your build so far! Anymore interesting concepts you have researched?
We use rapidair systems at work so I will also be using it to run airlines in my shed. My work throws out perfectly good fittings and long enough lengths of pipe for a home user so Ill scab as much as I can
gazza
Well-known member
Hi Geoff,
I have been following your build from the start and really enjoy the attention to the finer details.
We built our similar style house back in 1996, ours is 3 levels, a combination of double brick and brick veneer, concrete slab on the 2 story part and stumps at the back for the single story. We are on a hill and the front of our house faces north so the whole house is designed to be solar efficient. Lots of north facing glass including celestial windows that are all shaded from the direct sun during the summer. Our kitchen and living area are both upstairs to appreciate the views we can see as far as Mount Dandenong.
We nearly built a planned extension back in 2014 after fighting through all of the new BAL requirements, finally getting the town planing approval but before we could start we had to redesign things to meet the new BAL requirements. We gave up in the end as our circumstances changed There was a new need for some inlaw accommodation so we purchased a DPU (Dependent persons Unit) which is now in the back yard.
This DPU not only had to meet the BAL ratings but also all of the new energy ratings which dictated how it was built. We were told we had to have north facing windows for natural light (and heat, no shading) and it is fully sealed and insulated. Which brings me to the second issue we have, because of these rules there is no natural airflow so condensation is a major problem to the point that some mornings there is so much water on some of the window frames that it runs off onto the carpet so much for energy efficiency.
Over the last few years I found it necessary to read up on all of the BAL requirements myself as it seemed most of the information I was receiving from suppliers was conveniently suited to exactly the materials that they supplied, funny that.
I downloaded the originals back in 2013 and more updates late last year.
We are planning again to build the extension later this year, if we can successfully wade through all of the new requirements.
Good luck with the build.
cheers
I have been following your build from the start and really enjoy the attention to the finer details.
We built our similar style house back in 1996, ours is 3 levels, a combination of double brick and brick veneer, concrete slab on the 2 story part and stumps at the back for the single story. We are on a hill and the front of our house faces north so the whole house is designed to be solar efficient. Lots of north facing glass including celestial windows that are all shaded from the direct sun during the summer. Our kitchen and living area are both upstairs to appreciate the views we can see as far as Mount Dandenong.
We nearly built a planned extension back in 2014 after fighting through all of the new BAL requirements, finally getting the town planing approval but before we could start we had to redesign things to meet the new BAL requirements. We gave up in the end as our circumstances changed There was a new need for some inlaw accommodation so we purchased a DPU (Dependent persons Unit) which is now in the back yard.
This DPU not only had to meet the BAL ratings but also all of the new energy ratings which dictated how it was built. We were told we had to have north facing windows for natural light (and heat, no shading) and it is fully sealed and insulated. Which brings me to the second issue we have, because of these rules there is no natural airflow so condensation is a major problem to the point that some mornings there is so much water on some of the window frames that it runs off onto the carpet so much for energy efficiency.
Over the last few years I found it necessary to read up on all of the BAL requirements myself as it seemed most of the information I was receiving from suppliers was conveniently suited to exactly the materials that they supplied, funny that.
I downloaded the originals back in 2013 and more updates late last year.
We are planning again to build the extension later this year, if we can successfully wade through all of the new requirements.
Good luck with the build.
cheers
hewey
Well-known member
For those of you interested in sustainable homes, I recommend checking out Josh's House. Josh Byrne is one of the presenters on Gardening Australia, and has built his personal home as a showcase, but included telemetry in partnership with a local uni to actually track its performance accurately.
https://joshshouse.com.au/
This graph below shows its thermal performance on a day in late January - the temp outside hit 40 degrees, and it peaked at 24 degrees inside with no air con, just good solar design and good insulation.
https://scontent-syd2-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50834249_2242692359122992_3595871144198012928_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.**&oh=cfdc305981d388811054a6fccc815804&oe=5CE43BA3
You might also be interested in Passive House principles. Passive homes are big in Europe and starting to gain traction here in Australia. Note the comment about creating a thermal gap between inside and outside, to minimise condensation as a material like window glass isnt exposed to temp differences on each side.
https://passivehouseaustralia.org/passive-house-in-detail/
https://joshshouse.com.au/
This graph below shows its thermal performance on a day in late January - the temp outside hit 40 degrees, and it peaked at 24 degrees inside with no air con, just good solar design and good insulation.
https://scontent-syd2-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50834249_2242692359122992_3595871144198012928_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.**&oh=cfdc305981d388811054a6fccc815804&oe=5CE43BA3
You might also be interested in Passive House principles. Passive homes are big in Europe and starting to gain traction here in Australia. Note the comment about creating a thermal gap between inside and outside, to minimise condensation as a material like window glass isnt exposed to temp differences on each side.
https://passivehouseaustralia.org/passive-house-in-detail/
Thanks for the input Bob. It's very useful. I've found that the same local supplier has the RapidAir aluminium pipe in a starter kit for only an extra $80. Even though vermin aren't really an issue in these parts and my pipe will mostly be in the wall, for $80 I'll get the better stuff. Thanks again.
I think the BAL rating system is national but the building requirements for each level are different in each State.
Yes, I am very sold on the MyAir. It's not just the enhanced zoning flexibility vs. other systems, the sophisticated multi vane "valves" (not sure if there's an industry technical term for the components that shut off zones) are just different league better than the simple circular flaps like throttle plates that most systems use.
I'm glad you found some of my research helpful. There will probably be more to share as we progress. One that comes to mind is a solar powered vent to **** hot air out of the ceiling space. Apart from reducing heat soak into the house itself, keeping the ceiling space cooler means you ducted air con isn't losing coolness from the ducting in the ceiling as much so the system doesn't have to work so hard. This is the one I'm getting
https://mjproducts.com.au/home-2/so...0w-14-brushless-motor-adjustable-solar-panel/
There are similar products at the big green hardware place that are cheaper but they are rubbish compared to this one.
By the way, we have had to give it a miss this year but the Mustang Owners Club here has an annual trip to Tassie each February. We all put our cars on the boat and hook up with the Tassie chapter in various locations over about 5 days. I'll have to drop in on you next year if we come.
Thanks Gazza. I have edited out a fair bit of your post in the quote for the sake of space but read and absorbed it all. Your condensation experience is interesting. As I said, I've decided to **** it an see if anything is needed in this area.
I hear you about suppliers. My guiding principle as I've researched the hundreds of different issues is to believe no-one and assume nothing. The BAL stuff hasn't been too much of an issue for us, but the overlooking provisions of the building regs have been the major design challenge we've dealt with.
Thanks Hewey. I know all about Josh. That Gardening Australia program is on high rotation in my household. While I hadn't looked at the website for a while, I went through it thoroughly during the design phase and learnt from it. I have also looked at the Passive House concept and actually visited and talked to a PH accredited fella about his own house here in Melbourne.
Our's will fall short of PH but it will be very significantly better than most. In particular it will be way better than the volume builders produce. I reckon most of them specialise in bad design. I expect our's to be 9 stars of a possible 10. The major PH omission in our case is interior thermal mass which just wasn't feasible with the main floor of the house elevated like it is.
Danshell
Well-known member
A few more pics to show more progress late last week.
Lower level framing ready to go up.
Couple of brick piers to hold up the single storey front part of the house
When we get to landscaping there will be some steps down between the house and retaining wall. The pic gives a distorted impression the height is greater than it is. It's just shy of 1.8 metres (6 feet) and with standard tread and riser dimensions will need about 10 steps.
With this pic I was trying to get an impression of what the view from the main living and bedroom will be at the back of the upper level. I was standing on the wall at the rear of the garage so the floor level of the house will be about 200mm (8") higher. You have to ignore the building site in the foreground of the pic and imagine standing about 11 metres (37 ft) further back and all you will see are trees in the nature reserve at the rear. In the back garden there will be planting that largely hides the rear fence so it'll all look like one great big backyard.
Garage wall on the boundary now at more or less finished height.
This last pic shows the start of the two walls that will define the front part of the house itself, with the garage to the right. The property faces West so we didn't want too much in the way of windows in heavily used rooms facing the blazing Western sun in the late afternoon in Summer. This front section is just entry immediately to the left of the garage and a study/office.
Off topic, the Mustang Owners Club had a run out to the All American Car Show at Gembrook in the Dandenongs yesterday. This is always a great show with lots of variety. I posted some pics from this event a year ago but didn't take any myself this year. However, for those interested the club website has some pics up http://vic.mustang.org.au/clubphotos/20190217_Gembrook/index.html#thumbnail1
Lower level framing ready to go up.
Couple of brick piers to hold up the single storey front part of the house
When we get to landscaping there will be some steps down between the house and retaining wall. The pic gives a distorted impression the height is greater than it is. It's just shy of 1.8 metres (6 feet) and with standard tread and riser dimensions will need about 10 steps.
With this pic I was trying to get an impression of what the view from the main living and bedroom will be at the back of the upper level. I was standing on the wall at the rear of the garage so the floor level of the house will be about 200mm (8") higher. You have to ignore the building site in the foreground of the pic and imagine standing about 11 metres (37 ft) further back and all you will see are trees in the nature reserve at the rear. In the back garden there will be planting that largely hides the rear fence so it'll all look like one great big backyard.
Garage wall on the boundary now at more or less finished height.
This last pic shows the start of the two walls that will define the front part of the house itself, with the garage to the right. The property faces West so we didn't want too much in the way of windows in heavily used rooms facing the blazing Western sun in the late afternoon in Summer. This front section is just entry immediately to the left of the garage and a study/office.
Off topic, the Mustang Owners Club had a run out to the All American Car Show at Gembrook in the Dandenongs yesterday. This is always a great show with lots of variety. I posted some pics from this event a year ago but didn't take any myself this year. However, for those interested the club website has some pics up http://vic.mustang.org.au/clubphotos/20190217_Gembrook/index.html#thumbnail1
Danshell
Well-known member
Some decent progress happening there Geoff.
Thanks for sharing the mustang pics. I have to wonder what the mustang owners think of the Supercars version of the mustang?
Being a diehard Ford man the shape of the supercar kills me! It’ll be at least two years before they allow a lower roll cage and get the proper shape homologated.
Thanks for sharing the mustang pics. I have to wonder what the mustang owners think of the Supercars version of the mustang?
Being a diehard Ford man the shape of the supercar kills me! It’ll be at least two years before they allow a lower roll cage and get the proper shape homologated.
My main motor sport interest is drag racing but I do follow the Supercar series to the extent that's possible without pay tv. Like you I bleed blue and it was great to see DJR get the title last year as **** has stuck with the Blue Oval through thick and thin, and there's been lots of thin.
None of the cars in the series have much to do with the road cars you can buy. They are all just body panels hung on a common control chassis. The regulators are trying to ensure parity between the "makes" and I have to say they do it pretty well.
The current Commodore has a different profile the road car and the previous VE and VF's were 100mm different in the wheelbase from the road cars. I'm not sure exactly what changes have been made to the Mustang profile. I guess whether it looks any good is a matter of individual opinion.
The Fords and Holdens are racing with pushrod engines with two valves per cylinder but you haven't been able to buy a Ford like that for nearly 20 years. Curiously, the Nissans have OHC engines but you can't buy an 8 cylinder one, or for that matter a V8 Holden.
The new Mustangs don't interest me much. Most punters can't distinguish them from a swoopy looking Kia or something and everyone's got one. Old ones like mine get a lot of attention because they are something different. Also, I can work on it myself. There wouldn't be much point in me even opening the bonnet on a new one.
Anyway, progress continues at our building site. I dropped in today and the brickie was busy with parts of the front of the garage and a stack of trusses had just been delivered. I'm guessing these are for the lower level ceiling/upper level floor.
Danshell
Well-known member
In regards to your motorsport comments I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said.
I grew up with Drag Racing and motorsport as my father was a well known engine builder. His cars broke world records in the 70's in drag racing, many state and national titles in speedways and a couple of nation nascar titles in the 80's and 90's.
So to say I grew up with methanol burning my eyes would be an understatement.
I have attached a couple of pics of the cars.
Those trusses are certainly engineered strong, that'll give you a nice cavity in the floor.
It always nice to pop out to the building site and see significant progress.
I grew up with Drag Racing and motorsport as my father was a well known engine builder. His cars broke world records in the 70's in drag racing, many state and national titles in speedways and a couple of nation nascar titles in the 80's and 90's.
So to say I grew up with methanol burning my eyes would be an understatement.
I have attached a couple of pics of the cars.
Those trusses are certainly engineered strong, that'll give you a nice cavity in the floor.
It always nice to pop out to the building site and see significant progress.
Attachments
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Geoff289 thank you for the update.
Great progress on the build.
Great progress on the build.
hewey
Well-known member
Danshell
Well-known member
No Robin wasn't my father, albeit certainly a second dad as I grew up with him and went on to work for him.
My father was the bloke that built the race engines. Well, built everything mechanical on the cars actually.
I dont want to drift your great house build off topic too far so Ill reply to your PM with the rest of the detail, I just want to put that in here in case my post was misleading.
Well the brickie has been busy over the last few days and yesterday, yes Saturday, the framers came and stood up the lower level framing. We also had a crane in to set some of the steel. It's starting to look a bit like a house now and it was great to have a walk around the "rooms" of the lower level.
Here's a few pics. Might as well start with the most important bit, the garage.
Here you can see the steel to support the upper level balcony floor and roof
This last one shows the front of the house, the wall of the study (the gap in the footing brickwork is just for access at this stage) with the main entry to the right of it.
On another matter, I had my Merc serviced the other day. Naturally this cost an arm and a leg but its only once a year so doesn't bother me much. However, they report that:
1. It has a coolant leak from the oil cooler (the dashboard had been telling me to top up the coolant for a week or so). Apparently it has a coolant to oil heat exchanger rather than a more common air to oil set up. The seal that is leaking is about $70 but it seems half the car has to be dismantled to get to it. They want nearly $1K to sort it! They won't be getting it. A bit of googling so far has me in two minds about tackling it myself but I am sure I can get an independent Merc specialist to do it for a lot less.
2. Front brake pads are close to needing replacement. Again, $900 plus quoted. I have sourced some genuine replacement pads for $120 and will look after it myself.
3. Transmission needs servicing - oil and filter - now that its 5 years old, $650 odd quoted. Google suggests nothing too different to any other auto apart from a special tool needed for one aspect so I might need to get that to do it myself.
I can see there is a lot of labour in 1. above but the other two can't be more than an hour or so each. All dealers charge exorbitantly but for cars like this its taken to another level.
Rant over.
Here's a few pics. Might as well start with the most important bit, the garage.
Here you can see the steel to support the upper level balcony floor and roof
This last one shows the front of the house, the wall of the study (the gap in the footing brickwork is just for access at this stage) with the main entry to the right of it.
On another matter, I had my Merc serviced the other day. Naturally this cost an arm and a leg but its only once a year so doesn't bother me much. However, they report that:
1. It has a coolant leak from the oil cooler (the dashboard had been telling me to top up the coolant for a week or so). Apparently it has a coolant to oil heat exchanger rather than a more common air to oil set up. The seal that is leaking is about $70 but it seems half the car has to be dismantled to get to it. They want nearly $1K to sort it! They won't be getting it. A bit of googling so far has me in two minds about tackling it myself but I am sure I can get an independent Merc specialist to do it for a lot less.
2. Front brake pads are close to needing replacement. Again, $900 plus quoted. I have sourced some genuine replacement pads for $120 and will look after it myself.
3. Transmission needs servicing - oil and filter - now that its 5 years old, $650 odd quoted. Google suggests nothing too different to any other auto apart from a special tool needed for one aspect so I might need to get that to do it myself.
I can see there is a lot of labour in 1. above but the other two can't be more than an hour or so each. All dealers charge exorbitantly but for cars like this its taken to another level.
Rant over.
Danshell
Well-known member
Nice progress on the house, it is quite complex compared to mine.
Dealerships fascinate me. We have a new Isuzu MUX and I do all my own servicing for the same reason.
They do have fixed price servicing which isnt too bad but $1400 to change the oil and check the tappets is clearly taking advantage of people.
I checked mine in 2 hours (there was only really one that could have been adjusted but it was a 'feel' thing rather than being out of spec) so I have no doubt they charge people the money but dont even take the tappet cover off.
In fact I know they do, theres plenty of info online where they just listen for excessive rattling!
As for warranty, I use my fathers service stamp so if I have to ill argue that one when the time comes
Dealerships fascinate me. We have a new Isuzu MUX and I do all my own servicing for the same reason.
They do have fixed price servicing which isnt too bad but $1400 to change the oil and check the tappets is clearly taking advantage of people.
I checked mine in 2 hours (there was only really one that could have been adjusted but it was a 'feel' thing rather than being out of spec) so I have no doubt they charge people the money but dont even take the tappet cover off.
In fact I know they do, theres plenty of info online where they just listen for excessive rattling!
As for warranty, I use my fathers service stamp so if I have to ill argue that one when the time comes
Nice progress on the house, it is quite complex compared to mine.
Dealerships fascinate me. We have a new Isuzu MUX and I do all my own servicing for the same reason.
They do have fixed price servicing which isnt too bad but $1400 to change the oil and check the tappets is clearly taking advantage of people.
I checked mine in 2 hours (there was only really one that could have been adjusted but it was a 'feel' thing rather than being out of spec) so I have no doubt they charge people the money but dont even take the tappet cover off.
In fact I know they do, theres plenty of info online where they just listen for excessive rattling!
As for warranty, I use my fathers service stamp so if I have to ill argue that one when the time comes
I think I'd use a different adjective to "fixed" in front of a price of $1,400 for that. Mine is out of warranty so, while there may or may not be some long term advantage in a dealer stamp in the service book re-sale wise, I see no reason to pay through the nose for these maintenance items.
Genuine Benz pad kit for $125 today and a genuine Benz trans filter, pan gasket, drain plug washer for $137. Just need fluid on top of that. The Owners Manual points you to a website to check was oils are approved for the car which turns out to be helpfully in German, so some more research needed on that score. Haven't progressed the coolant leak issue as yet. I put the car up in the air today to have a look at it. It's just weeping and could probably be left alone for a long time but that's not how I roll.
Playing Grandad for the next few days at Ballarat where my daughter lives. Both the grandchildren she has supplied are having birthdays in the next week.
Well we've been away playing grandparents for a few days which is always great, so didn't get to our build site during the week.
I went to check it out today and we have most of a floor for the upper level so for the first time we can see the full footprint of the house. They were putting the floor down on Friday which was the third of a series of blisteringly hot days here so I suspect they gave it away due to the heat before they were finished, for which I can't blame them. Here's a few pics I took today.
This will be view from the upper level living room and deck (minus the building site if you look down)
And this is from the main bedroom (minus my finger - a photographer I'm not)
Underneath the front of the house
This week I have to go and finalise the specs and place the order for our solar roof vent mentioned in an earlier post so its ready for the roofer scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. On our way to Ballarat the other day we picked up some more bathroom fittings from a place over the other side of town at a great price. There is no doubt that we're saving quite a bit by being able to chase down bargains compared to the builder just going to his normal supplier and then putting his margin on stuff. It's great the our builder is happy to work this way. I also have to finalise the specs of our heating and cooling systems.
Yesterday and today I'm mostly keeping the dust off the couch watching the first round of the Supercars for 2019 - https://www.supercars.com/. A very satisfactory day yesterday for this Ford fan and qualifying for today's race has just finished with another good team blue result. Given that the Commodores had all last season to fine tune, this early success for the Mustang augurs well for the season. Danshell is right though, the Mustangs do look a bit funny.
I went to check it out today and we have most of a floor for the upper level so for the first time we can see the full footprint of the house. They were putting the floor down on Friday which was the third of a series of blisteringly hot days here so I suspect they gave it away due to the heat before they were finished, for which I can't blame them. Here's a few pics I took today.
This will be view from the upper level living room and deck (minus the building site if you look down)
And this is from the main bedroom (minus my finger - a photographer I'm not)
Underneath the front of the house
This week I have to go and finalise the specs and place the order for our solar roof vent mentioned in an earlier post so its ready for the roofer scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. On our way to Ballarat the other day we picked up some more bathroom fittings from a place over the other side of town at a great price. There is no doubt that we're saving quite a bit by being able to chase down bargains compared to the builder just going to his normal supplier and then putting his margin on stuff. It's great the our builder is happy to work this way. I also have to finalise the specs of our heating and cooling systems.
Yesterday and today I'm mostly keeping the dust off the couch watching the first round of the Supercars for 2019 - https://www.supercars.com/. A very satisfactory day yesterday for this Ford fan and qualifying for today's race has just finished with another good team blue result. Given that the Commodores had all last season to fine tune, this early success for the Mustang augurs well for the season. Danshell is right though, the Mustangs do look a bit funny.
Danshell
Well-known member
Nice update Geoff. It is all starting to make a lot more sense.
Beautiful outlook, I love looking at tree's rather than suburbia. We have had a couple of high 30 degree days here as well and I think down south they hit 40 or so.
What is the flooring material they are using? It looks like some sort of waterproof particle board?
I have to wonder if you will ever wish you had dug some more out under the front of the house and make it a usable storage area?
Yeh I spent a bit of time watching the v8's as well over the weekend, albeit inbetween fitting the youngest sons suspension lift to his 4wd and building my dear old mother a fence and gate!
It was good to see Scotty Mac taking all the glory. He is one of the nice guys. The mustangs in supercar guise are growing on me but they will be a lot nicer when they can have the real body shape on them.
Beautiful outlook, I love looking at tree's rather than suburbia. We have had a couple of high 30 degree days here as well and I think down south they hit 40 or so.
What is the flooring material they are using? It looks like some sort of waterproof particle board?
I have to wonder if you will ever wish you had dug some more out under the front of the house and make it a usable storage area?
Yeh I spent a bit of time watching the v8's as well over the weekend, albeit inbetween fitting the youngest sons suspension lift to his 4wd and building my dear old mother a fence and gate!
It was good to see Scotty Mac taking all the glory. He is one of the nice guys. The mustangs in supercar guise are growing on me but they will be a lot nicer when they can have the real body shape on them.
hewey
Well-known member
View from the bedroom looks great!