Above 1200 Sq/FT The Cow Pasture Garage - Australia

[kitdoctor]

Post #0060 - Construction work continues - Vehicle access door controls - Part LV

As I mentioned in post #0059a, we’d prioritised finishing the garage, so that we’d have somewhere to store the compact tractor.

With the plywood lining completed, next up was to have the electricity connected to the curtain roller doors in the garage. Each door operator was already fitted to the end of the roller door and each door is operated by a wireless wall mounted control.

As a security feature, a key lockable ON/OFF electricity isolation switch was specified. This work was within the scope of the roller door subcontractor to install, however, I organised my builder’s electrician to complete it, so that I would be sure of having it completed on time before the epoxy floor contractor started work.

This next photo shows the how the electrician had left the conduit and cable at the rough in stage.



The next photo shows the completed isolation switch and the double power point set up. The roller door’s electrical lead plugs into one power outlet, leaving a spare power outlet.



I specified what would have to be Australia’s most well-known electrical component supplier’s (Clipsal) key lockable ON/OFF electricity isolation switch. It does what it’s supposed to do but the key can only be removed when the switch is in the OFF position. What I didn’t know was alternatives are available that allow for the key to be removed in either the OFF or ON position.



What I also didn’t know was that the way the electrician wired it up would drain the backup battery when the isolation switch was set to the OFF position. As a result of this, a slight modification had to be done later.

While the electrician was on-site much of the fit off of the electrical items was completed including the light switch and power point in the vehicle storage area. At the time, they installed the LED batten lights and ceiling fan in the storage room but not the LED batten light in the vehicle storage area. I thought they’d forgotten the suspension kit for the light and didn’t worry about it, as it wasn’t needed urgently to make the garage usable...





At the shed, the builder’s electrician had run a conduit and pull chord to where I wanted the door controllers installed in preparation for the roller door subcontractor to fit the control units.





The day finally came for the roller door subcontractor to fit the controls and in keeping with their past visits the day went down hill pretty quickly. Now don’t think I didn’t try to avoid this because I’d sent emails to the shed contractor to confirm the scope of works to be completed on the day.

Also, at the time they fitted the roller doors they’d left behind two controllers which I’d done some research on and confirmed with the manufacturer were not compatible with the doors’ operators. I’d informed the shed contractor by email of this and copied the email to the roller door subcontractor.

So, on the day, the roller door subcontractor’s technician was present, as well as their specialist subcontract electrician, so a sub-subcontractor lol. Now back at the roller door HQ the communication is woeful, so I wasn’t surprised to see the technician carrying yet another pair of the controllers that I’d previously advised were incompatible with the operators. As they were being unboxed, I raised the incompatibility issue which the sub-subcontract electrician confirmed was correct. No problem, someone from roller door HQ would drive the 1 hour to site with two different controllers.

So, with that problem being dealt with it meant a shift in focus and the sub-subcontract electrician said he’d fit the ON/OFF electricity isolation switches at the garage whilst waiting for the new controllers to arrive. Only problem was that he’d only brought two switches because that’s what he was told to bring, so he’d be unable to fit an isolation switch to each shed roller door controller.

Fortunately, I’d gone ahead and already had the isolation switches installed at the garage, so the two he brought would be used at the shed, so off he went to inspect the install at the garage. This is when it was determined that a slight modification was needed to avoid draining the backup battery when the isolation switch was set to the OFF position.



Eventually, the different controllers arrived and the sub-subcontract electrician installed these and wired in the ON/OFF electricity isolation switches. The controllers incorporate UP, STOP and DOWN buttons.



As the install was wrapping up I asked about the key ring transmitters for the four doors. It was then I was told by the sub-subcontractor electrician he hadn’t been told about these for the shed’s doors but he had the two for the garage’s doors. According to him, installations with the Grifco E-Drive units (typically used in industrial applications) are not usually installed with them, so I’d have to take it up with the roller door subcontractor.

So, to be continued...

 

[Mr onetwo]

I see that problems of this type are not just confined to the state of Maine,USA

 

[roger440]

Gotta love companies that are completely disorganised. Hopefuly it will all come together, albeit no doubt with your active involvement.

Meanwhile i look at the blue sky in one of the pics, and the no doubt, accompanying warm weather, with jealousy.

 

[Bob Heine]

On a day-to-day level we all witness the rising displays of entitlement, selfishness, arrogance and intolerance. Whether it is poor driving, people pushing into queues, abuse directed at retail staff, teachers and the police, vandalism, petty theft, abuse/hate speech on social media – the list is unfortunately endless. These all reflect a decline in caring, restraint, tolerance, trust and shared responsibly.

Joel, being a consultant at America Online from 1995-9 I witnessed a change. I thought it was great that we could send free e-mails to anyone we knew in the world using a dial up modem. All the e-mails I sent or received were friendly even when the message was about something bad. Seven years later a bunch of social media sites sprang up with Facebook becoming dominant and people could share things with a wider audience and do it anonymously. When the first iPhone came out in 2007 it started a revolution that has completely changed society. In less than 20 years smart phones have replaced human interaction with machine interaction. We can post things we wouldn't dream of saying to someone's face. These devices allow people who have a bad experience share it with other people who feed back their own anger. The algorithms connect us to larger groups who share our biases, reinforce them and connect us to groups who go even further to turn a bias into hate. More time interacting with a phone means less time interacting with another real person.

Although it was a Vietnam War protest song, "One Tin Soldier" still strikes a chord: https://genius.com/The-original-caste-one-tin-soldier-lyrics

Every time I leave the house I encounter drivers who have something going on that is more important than driving. Every doctor visit involves a room full of people and they are all doom scrolling on their phones. I rudely interrupt the room with a comment and frequently get a response from someone who looks up from the fantasy life in their hand. I accost people (politely) in grocery stores, drug stores and even parking lots. We have devolved into sheep who walk across an intersection watching a tiny screen instead of the vehicles about to end their life -- because the driver is also staring at their tiny screen.

In 2023, 3,275 distracted drivers lost their life in the US and at least 621 distracted pedestrians died as well.

I am guilty as well, joining a Corvette Club and then siding with the Greasers rather than the Waxers when it came to attending events. We didn't hate Mustang and Porsche people but we didn't associate with them. And we sure didn't think killing those poor misguided people because of the cars they loved and drove.

My travels have led me to the conclusion that all people are the same deep down and meeting them taught me that. I broke bread with Muslims in Egypt and Morocco, Jews in New York and Jerusalem and Hindus in India. Every one of them explained a bit of their culture so I could understand our differences and common interests. I even broke bread with Australians and was surprised to find meat inside.

 

[Coolabah]

This is when it was determined that a slight modification was needed to avoid draining the backup battery when the isolation switch was set to the OFF position.

I can guess as to how it was originally wired but would love to know the modification ?

 

[kitdoctor]

I see that problems of this type are not just confined to the state of Maine,USA

@Mr onetwo apologies for the tardy response.

It's the period where you finish the prior year exhausted , take a few days break and then suddenly you're behind on every front from emails, yard work, DIY projects, maintenance, hobbies and interests (well they've been on hold for a while now), Garage Journal updates and following other threads etc. etc.

One day you must tell all.

 

[kitdoctor]

Gotta love companies that are completely disorganised. Hopefuly it will all come together, albeit no doubt with your active involvement.

@roger440 they were the champions on every level. Disorganised, sloppy, incompetent, unreliable...

Meanwhile i look at the blue sky in one of the pics, and the no doubt, accompanying warm weather, with jealousy.

We're into summer here and you can literally watch the grass grow 3-4" in a week. My brother-in-law (who's about an hour away in a drier location) is mowing twice per week.

I'm finding the worst parts of the pasture, where there's Paspalum spp., can't be left beyond seven days because it will have seed heads ready to pop. My Cub Cadet Pro Z 760 with a 31 hp Kawasaki motor and set at a 5" cutting height (the maximum) even bogs down on the worst areas.

In the photo below there's a bad patch of it just before the middle (horizontal line) of the photo beyond which is the better (lol) grass. In the foreground it's mixed in with another grass species.



All the best for 2026!

 

[kitdoctor]

I can guess as to how it was originally wired but would love to know the modification ?

@Coolabah that sub-subcontract electrician is not in my good books either.

More detail on that in a future post. Suffice to say what sort of tradesperson provides key ring transmitters (I was away when he dropped them off) and doesn't pair/program them with the door operators to actually work

I had to consult ChatGPT.

Option 1: Install the isolator after the battery charger connection on the operator's internal board.

• The isolator should disconnect the mains supply feeding the operator's control and motor circuits but leave the battery backup (BBU) charging circuit live.
• This typically means isolating only the live and neutral feeding the control board, while keeping the BBU charge feed intact.

Option 2: Use a dual-pole isolator with a switched and unswitched feed.

• One pole controls the main operator AC supply.
• The other pole remains live to the transformer/BBU charging circuit.
• In this configuration, even when the main operator is isolated, the charger remains powered, so the BBU stays connected and charged.

My educated guess is that he went with Option 1.

 

[kitdoctor]

Joel, being a consultant at America Online from 1995-9 I witnessed a change. I thought it was great that we could send free e-mails to anyone we knew in the world using a dial up modem. All the e-mails I sent or received were friendly even when the message was about something bad. Seven years later a bunch of social media sites sprang up with Facebook becoming dominant and people could share things with a wider audience and do it anonymously. When the first iPhone came out in 2007 it started a revolution that has completely changed society. In less than 20 years smart phones have replaced human interaction with machine interaction. We can post things we wouldn't dream of saying to someone's face. These devices allow people who have a bad experience share it with other people who feed back their own anger. The algorithms connect us to larger groups who share our biases, reinforce them and connect us to groups who go even further to turn a bias into hate. More time interacting with a phone means less time interacting with another real person.

Although it was a Vietnam War protest song, "One Tin Soldier" still strikes a chord: https://genius.com/The-original-caste-one-tin-soldier-lyrics

Every time I leave the house I encounter drivers who have something going on that is more important than driving. Every doctor visit involves a room full of people and they are all doom scrolling on their phones. I rudely interrupt the room with a comment and frequently get a response from someone who looks up from the fantasy life in their hand. I accost people (politely) in grocery stores, drug stores and even parking lots. We have devolved into sheep who walk across an intersection watching a tiny screen instead of the vehicles about to end their life -- because the driver is also staring at their tiny screen.

In 2023, 3,275 distracted drivers lost their life in the US and at least 621 distracted pedestrians died as well.

I am guilty as well, joining a Corvette Club and then siding with the Greasers rather than the Waxers when it came to attending events. We didn't hate Mustang and Porsche people but we didn't associate with them. And we sure didn't think killing those poor misguided people because of the cars they loved and drove.

My travels have led me to the conclusion that all people are the same deep down and meeting them taught me that. I broke bread with Muslims in Egypt and Morocco, Jews in New York and Jerusalem and Hindus in India. Every one of them explained a bit of their culture so I could understand our differences and common interests. I even broke bread with Australians and was surprised to find meat inside.

@Bob Heine a lot to unpack there.

In more recent times, since the development of social media platforms, internet banking/shopping on-line, low level and sophisticated scams/stealing etc. etc. the new lyrics "Cheat a stranger" and "Curse a stranger" seem relevant.

It's become all too easy though aided by modern technology. We're connected but disconnected.

I'm not sure whether it's widely known but Australia has banned those under sixteen from using many social media platforms. I'm a believer that it's a good move and given time it will be proven so.

PS I must admit I enjoy a good YouTube short showing a porch pirate getting their just deserts.

 

[kitdoctor]

Continuing on the theme of just how easy it is to be rude, impolite, cruel, harsh, argumentative, critical etc. etc. when hiding behind a computer screen here's a story from over the Xmas period.

I really wanted to treat myself to a Sidchrome socket set as a Xmas present. I'm largely limited to buying from eBay and Facebook Marketplace, so I was keeping watch on these platforms.

I saw a post pop up on a Facebook page I'm on for what I'd say was a '60s set for $450 in really remarkable condition. Granted it was a combination set comprising both AF and Whitworth sockets, the latter not being common now days. Anyway, it was pickup only in another part of the country, so that ruled it out. It quickly disappeared, so I assumed it was sold.









So, I was surprised to see it subsequently appear on eBay, initially for $500. The listing was then cancelled and then reinstated with a new price of $450 and the description amended. The seller added the following "SWS-626 with forge in logo erased." Not really knowing what this meant I thought I'd ask my fellow Sidchrome enthusiasts on a Facebook page I'd recently joined.



Here are the majority of responses.



It's all there, rudeness, criticism (of me and the seller) and foul language (redacted in red). I think there was one helpful response!

Anyway, I passed and decided to keep looking. As the saying goes, there's always another train departing the station.

 

[Coolabah]

@Coolabah that sub-subcontract electrician is not in my good books either.

More detail on that in a future post. Suffice to say what sort of tradesperson provides key ring transmitters (I was away when he dropped them off) and doesn't pair/program them with the door operators to actually work

<snip>

I totally agreed with this sentiment until yesterday. I've installed more than a few garage doors with and without openers and also retrofitted openers in my time, long story short I installed a new roll-a-door and opener yesterday and finished up today. Guess what ? The fobs were already programmed to the opener. Gobsmacked I am , Gobsmacked !! I'm now thinking - if this has become a common thing- maybe your tradie thought they were already programmed ?? ( yes, I know both you and I would have checked )

 

[kitdoctor]

I totally agreed with this sentiment until yesterday.

@Coolabah I can see how that could be an explanation but before he returned and dropped them off he made the point that he'd program them to operate from different buttons (each key transmitter has three buttons) to those buttons that operate the garage doors. The same style key ring transmitter is used for all four doors.

Bear in mind too that these two key ring transmitters were not supplied at the time the doors, operators and controllers were installed but months later.

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0061a - Construction work continues - Plywood lining at shed - Part LVI

Hi everyone, welcome to 2026!

There’s just something about the Xmas/New Year's break. You take your foot off the gas in those last couple of weeks of the year, thinking I’ve made it, and then suddenly, January is gone. I feel like I’m behind already.

With the plywood installation completed at the garage, it was onto the workshop and mezzanine storage room in the shed.

The process and materials used were the same as for the garage, with the exception that weatherboards were planned to be used on the outside face of the walls that face into the shed.

To get ready for installing the plywood lining (and weatherboard cladding), the outside wall faces had the Solitex Extasana Class 4 vapour barrier and ATI Cavibreak thermal break strips applied. This first photo shows the vapour barrier applied to the outside face of the workshop’s walls. The vapour barrier wraps around the stud frame openings for the doors and windows, so their frames are installed later in the process.



Here’s the vapour barrier installed on the second story. Luckily, the window could be installed from inside the workshop. I installed the window on the south wall, so as not to use the east wall, thinking that I’ll have a bench both inside and outside and still be able to fix items (e.g. cleats, peg board, signs etc.) to the wall above each bench.



The single door to the workshop is planned to be 920 mm (36”) wide. A set of double doors 1840 mm (72”) wide are proposed at the other end of the workshop. These will allow large items to be easily moved in and out of the workshop. They open outwards to maximise the space inside the workshop.



Again, the door frames are solid Merbau , not featuring any glued or nailed pieces, with a single rebate, rather than a double rebate. The gaps around all frames were also sealed with expanding foam to improve airtightness. The plywood wall sheets were installed to have the horizontal joint between sheets below eye level.





Aluminium angles were fixed to the concrete slab with silicon to waterproof the base of the walls.



Once again, JamesHardie Edge Base Trim was used. This product is typically used in a build on the exterior, vertical edge of concrete slabs. James Hardie’s system includes internal and external corner pieces.



In this next photo, work is continuing in the mezzanine storage room. The laser level is being used to ensure the bottom of each top wall sheet is fixed at the same height. Again, the plywood wall sheets were installed to have the horizontal joint between sheets below eye level.



In the next post, I’ll discuss the challenges of using plywood and show the finished results.

 

[Geoff289]

Thanks for the update and HNY to you too.

Your project continues to fascinate.

 

[kitdoctor]

Thanks for the update and HNY to you too.

Thanks Geoff, I must admit I had to take a day off to prepare the last post. It's too easy to put everyday into doing something on this project and the block itself.

The list is endless but we're continuously prioritising to keep focussed. With the plywood done I had to then find the time to cut in the clear sealer, initially just at floor level, to keep ahead of the floor layer who's doing the vinyl floors. Then, I can cut in the rest and get to roll the walls and ceilings. I chose to do it myself. Haymes' sealer 24 L (one coat) was $900+!

Meanwhile, did I mention rocks? We are entering the third month of rock clearing. On Sunday 29 December 2025 we worked 9 hours digging rocks out, moving them and filling holes. The goal was to clear the south west corner. I can't recall how many there were, more than the photo below shows, as there are many to the left of field. Anyway, we did it!!!!



The next day I mowed. To do this, I have to shift three effluent disposal system hoses/sprinklers that are in the north west corner. During the act of walking to collect those hoses I trod on another seven rocks, none of which were visible to the naked eye. We are now back at 25 pegs marking rocks in the south east and south west corners, having cleared those areas once already of the rocks that you could at least see

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0061b - Construction work continues - Plywood lining at shed continued - Part LVI

A lot of the build process of the interior (and exterior) of a building is simply about closing gaps, covering holes and dealing with aesthetics including imperfections. For example, where vertical surfaces meet horizontal surfaces, at material transitions, covering or concealing the heads of fasteners etc. Just think about it.

Plaster mud hides the joins between plasterboard sheets and the heads of screws.

Cornices hide the gaps where plasterboard wall sheets meet plasterboard ceiling sheets.

Skirting boards hide the gaps between plasterboard wall sheets and the floor.

Architraves or casings hide the gaps between door and window frame jambs and plasterboard wall sheets.

Finally, let’s not forget silicon. It has many uses, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens.

Anyway, you get the picture and perhaps are beginning to appreciate that using plywood, with no concealed fixing system, to line walls and ceilings throws up a few challenges to achieving a neat, quality finish at a reasonable cost.

Given that I went with a non-concealed fixing system, the choice of fastener, particularly the design of the head, was the first decision required. A conventional Phillips head screw, typically used for timber screws, was out, as I wanted a point of difference and they needed to suit light gauge steel framing. Same too for zinc dichromate or yellow/gold zinc coating, as I thought this would not offer an appropriate colour contrast to the honey colour of the (sealed) Hoop Pine plywood.

Below in the photo is what I went with, a 10 G x 65 mm square-drive CSK SDS C3 screw. These are finished in a silver zinc finish that is neither dull, nor excessively bright. Did the sales representative think I was pedantic? Well, probably!



Challenges with the install were generally related to the plywood sheets themselves, or with installing the fasteners. Although there were challenges, the reality is that when standing in front of the plywood you don’t see the imperfections, unless of course you focus in on them and or they’re pointed out to you.

First up is an example where one sheet sits proud relative to another sheet. In this case, the lower sheet is a partial sheet and the problem wasn’t significant as the horizontal joint has been kept below eye level. This is likely caused by the noggin behind the sheet which had been chased into the bulk insulation still pushing outwards on the sheet.



This next photo shows a range of imperfections. Firstly, the act of driving the fastener can cause some splintering of the plywood. Secondly, driving the fastener too far results in the head sitting below the outside face of the sheet. Thirdly, if the fastener is not precisely perpendicular to the face of the plywood it enters the sheet slightly crooked.



Next up is a small, uniform gap in the vertical joint between two adjacent sheets and some fasteners that aren’t perfectly aligned along an imaginary horizontal line.



Here’s an example of what I’d say is some minor, pre-existing or handling damage to the edge of a sheet.



Here’s a photo of the completed workshop. By this stage the lights, fans etc. had been installed and I’d started cutting in the bottom of the wall sheets with clear sealer.



The next photo is of the mezzanine storage room.



In the ceiling of the mezzanine storage room a ceiling access hole was provided.



Finally, doors were fitted to the workshop (and mezzanine storage room – not shown). I went with solid core, half glass doors for the workshop, so I can see in and out. The glass doesn’t negate the need to still turn the lights on inside the workshop, not that I expected it to.





The next post will cover the installation of the weatherboard cladding.

 

[Mr onetwo]

picky, fiddly work, but it looks good

 

[hewey]

That workshop is looking neat. Once you have everything in there you won't notice those tiny imperfections. I've only ever had unlined sheds/garages with the walls and ceiling exposed in its full ugliness, so that looks great in comparison.

 

[Geoff289]

I think Hewey is right, once the place is fitted out, you'll never notice these things. It calls to mind the "experts" that always show up at Mustang Club events eager to tell you what's incorrect about your car.

Those square drive fixings also resonate. After we'd been in our place for a while I needed to tighten up some of the clips that hold the boards on our decks down and couldn't for the life of me make any progress because I was using an allen key driver. It turned out they have square heads, which was something I'd never known about before.

Just recently it has turned out that there is even more I didn't know when my daughter asked me if she could borrow a triangle head screwdriver to dismantle some bit of furniture she'd bought second hand and wanted to restore. Thinking this was a variation on the old trick of sending the apprentice to get a left handed screwdriver, I responded by noting April first was a few months away and that i didn't come down in the last shower.

Maybe I did and am the only GJ member who didn't know about triangle headed fixings.

 

[kitdoctor]

That workshop is looking neat. Once you have everything in there you won't notice those tiny imperfections. I've only ever had unlined sheds/garages with the walls and ceiling exposed in its full ugliness, so that looks great in comparison.

@hewey I not even worried now, it looks very, very nice, as is, completely bare. Every visitor has said it's beautiful.

Realistically, I don't think a better result could be obtained, unless crazy, extreme measures were employed which (I believe) wouldn't be appropriate or cost effective for this build (my wallet).

 

[kitdoctor]

I think Hewey is right, once the place is fitted out, you'll never notice these things.

@Geoff289 they don't worry me at all.

Part of the post was about highlighting that perfection is not something that is realistically possible in a build. If a score of 100 was perfect, I'd consider this around 95. Short of rejecting sheets, using specials jigs etc. and not involving humans it would be hard to do better!

Maybe I did and am the only GJ member who didn't know about triangle headed fixings.

Whilst the range and variety has grown enormously, there seems to be a general decline in quality though, mainly through the introduction of low-cost, counterfeit and just plain substandard fasteners.

I'm currently in the process of having Lietzke Doors chase their suppliers to see if they'll replace some (stainless steel) fasteners that have corroded in under six months.





It's like the decline in the quality of car parts, particularly reproduction car parts.

I'd even go as far as saying it's the same with (most) modern houses. Will they last much longer than 15-25 years?

 

[kitdoctor]

Just noticed, we're just over half way to a thousand posts!

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0062 - Construction work continues - Weatherboard cladding installation at shed - Part LVII

With our build we’ve been conscious of the “green”, including sustainability and health credentials of the materials used. Despite the argument that it’s not very “green”, steel was the clear choice for the main structures based upon cost and buildability. Yes, it’s 100% recyclable but currently its production accounts for 7-8% of global CO2 emissions with 70% of steel produced in coal-fired blast furnaces.

We’ve carefully done what we can do within limits and constraints, for example using natural blue stone boulders for retaining walls (550 tonnes) including crushed waste filter material (500 tonnes), recycled timber columns, high performance windows, etc. Sometimes we’ve compromised and didn’t get what we wanted, for example, the bulk insulation material, however, the overall performance objective was still satisfied (i.e. 8.5 energy star rating).

So, our choice of cladding material was heavily influenced by an objective to use materials with good “green” credentials. After completing some research, we decided to source the cladding from Weathertex.

Our specific choice was their 200 mm Classic Ruff Sawn weatherboard.

​

This product is produced by Weathertex from real, responsibly sourced Australian hardwoods. It is Global Greentag certified. If you’re interested, here is some further information on the Greentag certification program.

The weatherboards have a Gold Global GreenTag GoldLCA (Life Cycle Analysis) rating. In simple terms, it means the product is an excellent product compared to business-as-usual products. You can read more detail about LCA certification in this brochure.

They also have a Platinum Global GreenTag PlatinumHEALTH rating. In simple terms it means the product is world leading. You can read more detail about HEALTH certification in this brochure.

Although there is a local Mitre 10 hardware outlet, the weatherboards were supplied from another nearby Mitre 10 outlet that can source building materials in bulk. The steepness of the driveway presented a challenge, so they were unloaded at the south end of the shed.



They were then carried into the shed and stacked closer to where they’d be needed. The weatherboards come pre-primed to make painting easier and quicker.



The usual process was followed installing the Solitex Extasana Class 4 vapour barrier and ATI Cavibreak thermal break strips. This first photo shows the lower story of the accommodation module, with the door frames already done. To work on the upper story would require scaffolding to be brought in.



In this next photo, at the rear where the bathroom and laundrette walls intersect, the carpenters have boxed in the waste pipe vent. They’ll then frame around the circuit box.



Here’s the first of the weatherboards being installed.



This next photo shows the template or jig used to align the placement of fasteners with the steel studs.

Normally, this weatherboard system is screw fixed but to save on installation costs it was nail fixed using a pneumatic nail gun. To reduce overshooting the nails, a trial-and-error process was used to determine the ideal operating pressure of the air compressor. Interestingly, two exact model nail guns performed differently at the same pressure, with one working fine but the other one was consistently overshooting the nails, so it wasn’t used.



The joins between weatherboards use an opaque plastic joiner. The joins were simply placed randomly.



At the very top of the walls plywood (painted black) was used to neatly finish and enclose the walls against the roof purlins.



In a future post I’ll show more progress and the finished results.

 

[hewey]

The weathertex stuff is a great product. I've looked into it for re-cladding our shed. Lots of options for traditional cottages through to sleek modern builds, and great sustainability cred. The cladding in your shed really starts to pull that space together and makes it feel finished.

 

[kitdoctor]

The weathertex stuff is a great product.

@hewey I thought I was onto something good!

 

[Bob Heine]

Maybe I did and am the only GJ member who didn't know about triangle headed fixings.

Geoff, there are at least two.

 

[kitdoctor]

We're super busy at the moment preparing for the first uplift of our possessions I think it's going to take three uplifts, not including cars and a hoist to extract us from here. Digging up rocks and filling holes is looking pretty attractive...

It's hard to believe we had this house built in 2002. By now we must be the street's longest staying residents.

An insignificant fact is back in the day one's choice of ceiling fans was nothing like it is today and standard fitment was a plain white fan with three metal blades. Those fancy silver ceiling fans (still going strong and whisper quiet I must add. None of this intermittent buzzing that I've experienced with newer fans, that my electrician nephew says is electrical "ripple control" signals.) in the photos were AUD600 each at the time and we could only afford four in the living areas.





Queensland and the Northern Territory are currently being pounded by converging tropical lows that are dumping intense rain. The Territory is currently isolated, so it's slim pickings at the supermarket (in terms of fruit and vegetables, pre-made meals, salads etc.) for those of us that have just arrived. So, it's frozen pizza tonight



Anyway, back to packing and cleaning.

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0063a - Construction work continues – Problems with vehicle access doors - Part LVIII

You just knew this was coming, right?

Back in post #0060 we’d progressed to the stage of having functioning shed and garage vehicle access doors, yay! I mentioned that the builder’s electrician had completed the fit off of most of the electrical items in the garage, except for the LED batten light in the vehicle storage area.

So, without a light this was the view (during daylight hours) when entering the garage. You can’t see much.



For weeks, probably months, we’d been manually lifting the right-hand-side door. This was the only door we used, as there are five workshop benches stored on the other side of the garage. We were mostly doing this from the inside and when needing to do so you’d enter in total darkness, none the wiser to your immediate surrounds because you can’t see anything. Then, as the door lifts and disappears, as it rolls up, the light increasingly filters in more and more.

For some reason, we needed to lift the left-hand-side door and with the other door closed we saw, for the first time the back or rear of the right-hand-side door. So, what’s the problem here? Isn’t there always a problem! Two very consistent, noticeable scuff or rub marks on every raised rib of the door. It’s a brand-new door I say to myself, how can this be?



So, the offending component was the black nylon Guide Lok shown at the top of the next photo. This guide feeds the door or curtain into the side aluminium guides and is cocked or tilted too far causing it to rub on the rear of the door or curtain.

There is another offender in this, who set it up this way and didn’t really check their work. Enough said.



Also troubling me was just how noisy these doors were. Both make clanging or banging noises which to me are emanating from each door’s internal spring.

Faced with this, all I could do is contact the shed contractor and ask them to take the matter up with their subcontractor.

Now that the four doors were installed by the subcontractor, the other change I thought of was to install top and side brush dust seals. The objective here was to reduce the size of any gaps to reduce dust and vermin entry. I decided to go with Cleverseal.

I thought I’d do the right thing and provide the shed contractor with the opportunity to organise this, so I called them. ‘No, happy for you [me] to organise this directly’ with their subcontractor was their response. In hindsight, I understand why.

Oops, looks like a screw walked across a flashing while trying to install a side dust seal. Like, how hard is it to mark the installation location with a punch first? To add insult to this, the installer left the site without bringing this to our attention.





Here’s the top brush seal above one of the garage vehicle access doors. I should really say ‘seals’ because to span about 3 m (12’) they used three pieces.



The net result of using more than one piece is that there are small gaps between adjoining seal pieces and slight misalignment, which causes small sections of the brushes to often not fully retract when a door is in the open position.





This problem was evident across all four doors.

See below for continuation.

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0063b - Construction work continues – Problems with vehicle access doors continued - Part LVIII

At the main shed, here’s the top brush seal on the left-hand-side door with it in the closed position. At the extreme left-hand-side end the brush seal is caught and not folding forward (on this occasion).



Here’s the other shed door and the top brush seal is caught at various locations and not folding forward. Each time any door is opened the results vary.



Now here’s what was done with each side brush seal on the shed’s doors. Each side brush seal was done in two pieces with a join at or just above eye level which IMO is the worst location to place them.





Given I'd organised this work directly with the door installer, I’d have to take it up with them directly…but wait there’s more. I was talking to the builder/general contractor and he asked if I’d seen the dents in the left-hand-side garage door .






What’s that saying?

 

[Coolabah]

I can feel your pain all the way from here !
Obviously , with such a big job you can't do everything yourself but this sort of thing surely just underlines the beauty of doing what you can yourself, when you can ! Shouldn't have to be that way of course

 

[Geoff289]

To paraphrase Coolabah, if you want something done properly, do it yourself. Often not feasible, of course.

We had a bit of trouble with one of our garage doors, the double one, not long after they were installed. They're sectional panel lift doors and this one started binding between a couple of the panels sometimes, enough to make a sharp sort of cracking sound when the opener overcame the tension in this binding and it released, but sometimes enough to create enough resistance to reach the limit of the opener and make it reverse direction.

It was a bit of a battle to get the company to come and even look at it - while they make a good door, the after sales service was not great. Eventually they sent someone who agreed with my diagnosis that these two panels had been installed with insufficient clearance between them. When the door got hot in the sun - it faces West - the colorbond external surface expanded and created the circumstance where these two panels interfered with each other as it went up.

This guy tried to address it by relocating the hinges a bit but this didn't work and just put more screw holes in the inside of the panels. Eventually, not with any enthusiasm, they agreed to make a replacement panel and install it with the correct clearance. It's been fine ever since.

I continue to enjoy your buiild.

 

[hewey]

Ugh, how frustrating. But your builder being enthusiastic for you to engage with the door installers is telling in a few different ways. Good luck with the move!

 

[kitdoctor]

I can feel your pain all the way from here !
Obviously , with such a big job you can't do everything yourself but this sort of thing surely just underlines the beauty of doing what you can yourself, when you can ! Shouldn't have to be that way of course

Thanks @Coolabah, it's great to receive some sympathy on this one. Unfortunately, these were big doors and beyond me to do.

At least this confirms who not to call for a routine service

 

[kitdoctor]

When the door got hot in the sun - it faces West - the colorbond external surface expanded and created the circumstance where these two panels interfered with each other as it went up.

@Geoff289 speaking of the sun and heat I'm surprised just how much noise the shed generates from the expansion and contraction of the steel.

I knew it would make some but I didn't have any idea how much. It's a bit off putting at first but you get used to it. At times, you can literally tell when the sun comes out from behind a cloud. I should try and see if I can record it.

Thanks again for following the thread and taking the time to post.

 

[kitdoctor]

Ugh, how frustrating. But your builder being enthusiastic for you to engage with the door installers is telling in a few different ways. Good luck with the move!

@hewey, yes the shed contractor was/is really frustrated by them and has looked/tried elsewhere but reluctantly sticks with them.

I think our first load hasn't left Darwin because the roads are cut and this tropical Cyclone Narelle will worsen the situation...******.

My wife is heading back Friday to start working on the next load and uplift. I'll have to return too as I have two rooms of car parts to pack from 15 years of collecting. I keep saying, one day I might need that, so I'd better buy it.

 

[littlebean]

speaking of the sun and heat I'm surprised just how much noise the shed generates from the expansion and contraction of the steel.

I knew it would make some but I didn't have any idea how much. It's a bit off putting at first but you get used to it. At times, you can literally tell when the sun comes out from behind a cloud. I should try and see if I can record it.

that's oddly cool

 

[kitdoctor]

that's oddly cool

@littlebean I'll see if I can make a recording.

Summer is finished, which I think would be the best (noisiest) time to record it but I'll see how I go.

 

[kitdoctor]

Post #0064 - Construction work continues - More progress at accommodation module and shed - Part LIX

With the plastering work largely done, the path was now clear to complete a range of tasks ahead of the next big job being internal (and exterior) painting.

The electricians returned to site and fitted off some of the electrical items located at the shed’s carport and patio. This included light switches, power points, security cameras etc.

Three external and one internal network cameras from Hikvision were installed, but to allow for expansion an eight-channel NVR (network video recorder) will be installed.

On the exterior, one camera is located on the patio above the glass sliding door (see photo), two at the carport comprising one above the kitchen window (see photo) and one above the personnel door (see photo). The internal camera (not shown) will be installed on the C-column at the north-east corner of the shed to provide a panoramic view of the inside of the shed.

The outside cameras provide coverage of the accommodation module’s glass sliding door, patio, garage, shed’s personnel door, carport and property entrance/driveway. They were all mounted 3.0 m (10’) above floor level to ensure they’re visible but out of reach. All the cameras were mount on Corromount recycled plastic blocks.







Whilst on site they also did what they call their cut and strip. This simply involves cutting neat rectangles in the plasterboard wall sheets where power points, data points, aerial points and light switches will be installed. In the ceiling plasterboard, they cut neat circular holes for the LED downlights. For some items (e.g. bench mounted power points) they just leave a cable tail hanging down the wall.

They also strip a section of insulation off the cables/wires at these points and then just tuck the cable/wires in the wall/ceiling cavity, so as not to interfere with painting. If the area won’t be painted (e.g. behind cabinetry) they can get away with leaving the cable tail hanging down the wall.

Here they’ve cut the holes for ceiling downlights in the bedroom and left a tail for a ceiling fan.



In this next photo they’ve cut holes for the kitchenette’s ceiling downlights, a wall light switch, a power point for the fridge and left a couple of cable tails for bench mounted power points.



The tiler also started his work, commencing with waterproofing of the wet areas.

These next couple of photos are a little dark. First up is the floor of the bathroom which has been waterproofed with a liquid membrane.



Next is the shower cubicle.



This final photo is of the laundrette which is located in the stairwell.



Originally, we’d wanted to include reclaimed timber as a feature somewhere inside the accommodation module, so after ruling the bedroom floor out and deciding to carpet that, we decided upon the staircase and handrail.

The way the construction of the timber staircase was approached was to build a substrate staircase with pine stringers and plywood treads and risers. This then provides a base, over which the reclaimed timber can be laid on the treads and risers.



With the substrate staircase installed, the carpenters then added some battens to its underside where it passes through the laundrette. These will provide fixing points for enclosing the underside of the staircase with plasterboard.



Next up, we allocate some time to undertake some well overdue repairs to the driveway.

 

[Mr onetwo]

Great looking work...you must be getting excited as it gets closer to completion.

 

[Geoff289]

Hmm. Hope you don't end up regretting those timber stairs. After finding them very noisy in our last house we deliberately carpeted the stairs when we built our current place, despite there being timber floors at both the top and bottom of them, and they are way quieter.