More Rendering and Eaves Lining Gets Easier

During the week Brett, from Shoalhaven Cement Rendering, finished rendering more of the walls, so that there is now only one wall left to render, the upper north wall of the main pavilion.

Walls freshly rendered

Last wall on the back pavilion finished

Rendering finished on the eastern side of the house

Front door wall rendered

The threat of rain gave the days work a sense of urgency. Luck was on our side and the rain held off until the eaves lining had been installed on the front pavilion. Careful measuring and more accurate cutting, as well as our previous experience, made it much easier to put up the Colorbond corrugated eaves lining sheets.

Electric snips at work

Eaves lining seen from the front of the house

Eaves lining seen from the south

Along the back of the front pavilion the two roofs at different pitches meet at the gutter, but reach the back wall at different heights. So, the eaves lining was done in two sheets, one for each pitch and we will come up with some sort of flashing to close the gap. The alternative of adjusting the timber so that the Colorbond sheets lined up seemed like too much work as it would have had a flow on effect at the corners.  

North view of the front pavilion

Eaves lining at pitch change

The internal fit out continued with curtains being added as wardrobe doors.

A rainy Sunday was spent cleaning the internal windows and doing a second coat of Livos Ardvos wood oil on the timber reveals on the windows and on the door frames.

Pictures will be posted soon.

Decking Begins

Seven months ago I put in the bearers and joists for the three decks around the house and now, finally, with the help of my friend Martin we have started to lay the decking. Starting on the tricky curved deck first. The decking is locally milled Ironbark from DIY Timbers at Bomaderry. It is a reddish hardwood and I hope it will last a long time.

With longevity in mind we covered the joists with "Protect a  Deck" black plastic stripping to protect the tops of the treated pine joists.  We also made a last minute decision to add a fascia on the outside of the joists. A decision I am pleased we made as it finishes the deck nicely and helped the layout of that section to be completed using whole decking boards.

Joist protection and fascia in place

The radius of the curve meant that some thought had to go into how the last few boards were going to be supported and this required the addition of some extra blocking on the outer edge of some of the joists.

Edge adjusted to be able to support curved deck

The next tricky job was to work out how to space the boards so that they finished nicely against the edge of the deck and against the house. We ended up laying out the boards to see how they would fit. We used some plastic 3.2mm wedges left over from the window installation to space out the boards. The spacing looked good and fitted the required layout.

Boards laid out to determine spacing

The sliding doors were stepped down and set into the slab, this meant that we had to cut a board down to fit around the walls. With care we were able to finish a whole board against the sliding door. The slab also had a few dags of concrete that had to be removed with an angle grinder so that the board closes to the house sat flat against the lip of the slab and the joists.

Decking cut in to fit to sliding doors.

Many of the decking boards were bowed and needed to be persuaded into position with a sash clamp or crowbar wedged into the ground or pried apart with a chisel, and sometimes they the boards just needed a bit of brute force to push them straight. It was a time consuming job as many boards needed straightening along their length for each set of screws to be put in. The decking is held down with 50mm stainless steel square head screws. The screws were bought on e-bay from Fasteners Galore and came with a "Smart Bit" a drill bit with an integrated countersink, a big time saver, as with the hardwood the screws definitely needed to be countersunk.

Sash clamp and chisels used to straighten decking boards

We oiled the edges and underside of the deck with Intergrain Natural Decking oil as we laid them, as these sections will be inaccessible later and i am keen to make this deck last as long as possible. The top of  the deck will be oiled when completed. Work continued until and a little after dark, but we wanted to finish the long section of the deck and were pleased we did.

Deck completed about 6pm

 We left the decking boards long ready to cut off along the curve when the rest of the deck is made.

Deck in the light of day

Beautiful deck to step out onto

After a day's work decking time was taken off building to walk to The Castle in the Budawangs, west of Milton. A steep and challenging hike was worth it for the adventure and the amazing views.

Panorama from the top

View to Pigeon House Mountain

 

Corrugated Eaves Lining and Light Earth Building

During a few weeks off building what does an owner builder do but help someone else build. Some friend hosted a workshop to build their strawbale extension. The extension also used some internal cob walls and external light earth walls. Here I want to comment on the light earth walls as I was considering building the Culburra house from light earth before deciding to build with hemp. The light earth was enjoyable to build with, but for my project I am glad we used hemp. Light earth is made of straw coated in a light slurry of clay, it is packed into a form work and later rendered after the form work was removed. The builder on my friends job had made his own straw cannon to mix the clay and straw mix. This was a great invention, but I prefer the more uniform result of mixing hemp in a pan mixer, the light earth mix we were working with was quite variable. I was told this was not a problem, but as a more precise hemp mixer this troubled me. I could see the benefit of the light earth was that the materials were cheaper than the hemp and lime mix, but it was also a much more labour intensive job. The mixing was more labour intensive and the packing and tamping required much more physical effort and was more time consuming than laying hemp. Because when we were building we had a labour force of two, or three or four if we were lucky, it was more cost effective to use a less labour intensive building. The light earth seemed to go up quickly, but the workshop had a workforce if about 25 on site, plenty of hand to attend to those labour intensive jobs. As a first time owner builder I have also felt reassured that the hemp sets by way of a chemical reaction and I did not have to worry about the walls rotting before they dried out or of potential moisture problems. Hence my preference to use hemp for my particular project.

Light earth walls

Meanwhile back on site, Len and Ben the plumbers were busy at work installing the down pipes, hooking up the remainder if the roofs to the water tank ( for some time only one of three roofs was plumbed to the tank) and installing the storm water overflow pit, as we have no access to stormwater disposal. The water tank is connected to the toilets and washing machine and is also for outdoor watering. The water from three separate roofs runs into the tank, so that the pipers did not go overhead two of the downpipes are charged pipes, meaning that they are full of water up to the level of the tank. The need for charged pipes meant that we had no option but to use PVC. However a lick of paint in Windspray to match the eaves and tank will hopefully take away the plastic look.

Tank plumbed in

I chose to line the eaves with corrugated Colorbond, as reason for this was for ease of maintenance as there is no need to paint Colorbond, and for the look, as with the skillion roofs the underside of the eaves are much more visible than usual. I chose the standard corrugated profile over mini orb, as with the large eaves mini orb would look too busy, plus the standard corrugated sheets are less expensive and more rigid making them easier to put up.

I chose to run the corrugations parallel to each of the walls and miter the corners. The corrugated sheets were wider than the 600mm eaves and I bought some electric sheers to cut down the sheets and also cut the 45 degree angles at the corners. I was so worried that I would cut the metal the wrong way, because I had to think of the eaves lining above you rather than lying on the ground, that it cut the first angle the right way but on the wrong end of the sheet. As I was fitting the corro sheet into the slot in the metal fascia there was only one way the metal could go.

After that disaster the installation of the first sheet did not go particularly well either. I started on the low side of the eaves, thinking it would be easier, but due to the sloped roof the corro had to be pushed in towards the wall then up before being curved slightly to fit it into the slot in the fascia. The corro got stuck too low on part of the wall and when pushing it up pulled off a part if the render. Hopefully thus will be covered by the angle strip that will be put on later or I can just patch it a little.

Eaves lining in Colorbond Windspray

The next sheet was easier as we worked out the need, on the lower side of the roof, to push the corro up and hard against the hemp wall before trying to push it into the fascia. Cutting the metal, holding it above your head and screwing it in at the same time made for some sore arms. To cheer up after a day of mixed success I put up two more of the Japanese rain chains that take the water from the awnings. It was amazing to see how beautiful a functional object could be, and the shadows they cast were an unexpected surprise.

Japanese rain chain to take water from awning gutter

The following day work resumed on the eaves lining. Putting the corro up on the sloped sides of the house required a bit of scaffolding and a different technique. Once in the right place with the mitred corners matching up we put one screw in to hold the sheet, then one person held the other end while the second person fitted it into the fascia slot. On the high side of the roof the manoeuvring if the sheet was slightly different again, but with the fascia supporting one side of the sheet it was amazing that such large sheets of corro could be held up by two screws, more roofing screws being put in place once it no longer had to be held up. Putting up the eaves lining is really a three person job that we have managed to do with two. We now just have to keep going and put up the lining on the other two roofs and the awnings.

Looking up at the eaves

Nicely mitered corners

Working our way around the house

The good thing about the eaves lining us that you don't really notice it whereas you did when the timber was visible. The eaves lining is starting to give the house a real finished look.

Colorbond Window Sills

The upper windows were taped up ready for rendering, the window header was patched up and ready to go when it became apparent how silly and difficult it would be to render the small patch of hemp between the window and the upturn of the roof flashing. In fact on all other windows the wall forming the sill slopes away from the window, but the wall forming the sill under the upper windows was made flat as it was too difficult to slope the sills when the walls were being made.

Upper windows ready for rendering

Tiny section of hemp between window and roof flashing

The solution was to get out the angle grinder and cut away the hemp wall so that it sloped down from the window to the top of the roof flashing. I then carefully measured the angle, which was slightly different for each window, and ordered some Colorbond angles from Kiteleys Roofing to be made up in the same colour as the roof to slot in under the bottom of the window then go over the roof flashing. The result was a very neat finish and it saved hours of fiddly rendering. I am also very confident that it will not leak.

Hemp wall cut off with an angle grinder

Installed flashing blends seamlessly with roof

Although the outside of the house had been left untended for about a year without any problems it seems that now some birds had decided to try and make a nest in the wall. Luckily they started on a weaker spot where a spacer hole had been filled and the spacer had been over one of the timber studs, which meant the birds were stopped by the stud and did not get all the way through the wall. It just showed us we needed to hurry up with the rendering.

Bird holes in hemp walls

Brett, our renderer was caught up with other jobs, but put in a weekend of work to try and get the walls finished. Significant progress was made with render going on around three of the five upper windows.

Front pavilion completely rendered

Render around upper windows on back pavilion done

 New techniques were also tried out. The hemp making up the window header above the long kitchen window was loose and crumbly, possibly because there was a very thick lintel behind the hemp, which was therefore separated into two parts rather than being able to key in each if the sides together. Screws with plastic washers had been used to try to help the wall stay together but thus did not assist with the crumbly window header. The solution was to mix up a slurry of sand and cement and flick it on the window header, using a special tool for the purpose. The cement helped hold the wall together enough to stop it crumbling, but only covered such a small area it would not affect the breathability of the walls. Once the cement slurry had set it was much easier to patch the gaps ready for rendering. The texture created will also help provide a key for the render to adhere to.

Cement slurry flicked on window header

Holes patched ready for render

The weekend of rendering meant that we only have three walls and the front door area left and the rendering of the whole house will be done. An exciting prospect.

East wall of back pavilion

House looks finished from the back

Render finished on the western side of the house

In the house

On the last weekend of May we moved some furniture in and were finally able to stay in the house. And what a delight it was. The house was beautifully quiet and this gave the house a secluded feel to it. The protection from outside noise was probably a combination of the hemp walls, double glazing and well insulated roof. When closed up the house was well sealed and there were no draughts. Where the sun had come in and warmed the polished concrete floor it was delightfully warm. In the evening it was pleasant to sit on the warmed concrete.

A borrowed trailer full of furniture for the house

Main living area with north facing windows

The internals are not quite finished we still have to install the internal doors, the second bathroom to finish tiling and it and laundry to render. We are looking at using a different product to finish these two rooms as the walls are mostly MgO board which did not take the hemp render well.

The patchy render on the MgO board walls is just a unique feature we have come to accept and it may become less noticeable when we put some artwork on the walls. The cracked pattern on the surface of the polished concrete became less noticeable after the final polish and seal, but did not disappear all together. Another unique feature we have come to accept.

Patchy "feature" rendered MgO wall

We were always going the have a curtain rather than a door on the entry to the laundry, but we with some lovely shibori Noren curtains purchased in Japan we have done away with another door and used these instead.

Hallway and Noren outside laundry

Noren curtain instead of door between main room and entry

The following weekend our friends Martin and Nerida came to stay. It was very fitting as they were among the first people to help build the hemp walls and came back again to finish the very last of the walls. At this time the kitchen was not yet complete, and Martin helped me install the range hood which was trickier than expected due to the oddly angled exhaust pipe, a result of my having earlier run into problems with some studs being right in the way of where the exhaust had to go. Some friendly advice also resolved the uncertainty we had as to the location of the bathroom mirror. The mirror was attached with metal clips screwed straight into the hemp walls. We used 50mm screws which were the longest we could get that would still fit in the clips. We did not drill any pilot holes or use wall plugs and just put the screws straight in the wall. The screws bit in and held nicely in the walls but we were careful not to over tighten them. It was very fulfilling to share the house with other people and despite some wintry weather outside it stayed a pleasant temperature inside without any heating. When the sun came out it streamed in through the north facing windows, warming the house up noticeably.

Sofa bed for guests to stay

Mirror installed screwed straight in to the hemp wall

 Another week later Len and Ben the plumbers came back and installed the kitchen sink, tap and waste, the dishwasher and the gas for the stove.  The power points for the stove and dishwasher had been swapped over and each put in the others location. This would not have been a problem except that the stove had a gas cook top and an electric stove and so needed an 15 Amp socket and was on a separate circuit. I had hoped the cords for each appliance might be long enough to reach and plug in to the others socket, but each was short by a frustratingly small 15cm. 2m was the shortest extension cord I could find for the dishwasher, but the stove needed a 15Amp extension cord, so I went to the electrical wholesaler, bought a 15Amp socket, plug and 1m of cord and wired up my own extension. This was not difficult as both the plug and socket came with their own little instruction sheet telling you which coloured wire went in which spot. A few clips under the kitchen cupboards will hopefully hide my electrical socket dilemma.

The kitchen came as a flat pack from IKEA and we added the LED strip lights under the cupboards. The only problem with this was that the wiring came in through a hole I made in the back of the cupboard and then out above the end of each of the two strips of LED lights (the two strips are separated by the range hood in between). To cover the wiring that went along the bottom of the two cupboards I added a false bottom to the cupboards with a section routed out to fit the wires into.

Kitchen completed with LED lights under cupboards

It has been two years in the making and it is great to finally be able to stay in the house. One of my favourite things about staying in the house is that it is a pleasant temperature when you go to bed and is still a pleasant temperature in the morning.  

Significant Progress

Bathroom external wall rendered

Rain chain and more finished walls

Having a renderer that has been able to give some full time attention to the house has led to significant progress being made over the last few weeks. The internal walls are finished and there are only three external walls, three upper walls and a small section around the front door to go.

Freshly rendered back wall

Front of house freshly rendered

The hemp lime rendering  has not been easy. The window headers have been particularly difficult as the render is not very sticky and so tends to fall off the window headers, the render also does not spread very well and so cannot be moved around on the wall, it also tends to get rougher if you go back and try to touch it up.  But Brett, the renderer, persevered and has managed to do the window headers by filling any gaps or holes first (particularly any patches where chunks of the hemp wall have broken away or crumbled), then when this is dry he has attached a straight edge to the window and finished the underside of the window header, then when this has gone off a bit he has gone back and done around the face of the window header. The window headers have been done the day before the wall has been rendered. Then when the wall is done the sides of the windows or doors have been done first followed by the face of the wall. 

Patching the worst of the holes in the window header

Window header rendered

 The walls were wetted down before being rendered, then sprayed with a light mist of water on the evening after the wall was done on warmer days or the next day, to slow the drying down.

The hemp render was not suitable for use on the Magnesium Oxide (MgO) board at all. It had to be done in two coats, increasing the cost. The MgO wall could not be wet down first otherwise the render just slid off. Even then the render had great trouble sticking to the wall and if done too thickly would bubble and fall off or crack and just slide. The last MgO walls were done by splattering the first coat on which seemed to work better, but it was a bit late in the project to worth this out.  The second coat of render on the MgO was very difficult to work and on most walls the finish was very patchy both in texture and colour.

Left - Hemp render on MgO Board and right- hemp wall

Hemp render on MgO Board

With only a few walls left to do the render will be finished in a few weeks after Brett takes a break from the hemp walls, with a few more conventional jobs. The completion of the internal walls and the external walls, that have lights on them (thank you Brett for doing those walls at short notice), meant that the electrics in the house could be finished. Paul and Luke from Solar Connections came down and fitted all the internal and external wall lights and got all the power points working. A small problem arose when the back circuit and stove circuit would not work. I panicked that there may be a problem with the wiring in the wall or roof and I would have to start pulling the ceiling down to find it. Thankfully this was not required, but a mix up of the stove and dishwasher power points will hopefully be resolved by long cords on these appliances or a short extension cord hidden under the cupboards.

External light installed

Front of house with external lights installed

 I had forgotten about the LED lights under the overhead kitchen cupboards and so spent much of the day putting up the cupboards so the electricians could install the lights. The LED lights were made up to fit the length of the cupboards, leaving a gap for the range hood over the stove.  

Kitchen cupboards and LED lights underneath

Everything happened at once as on the same day the electrics went in, Brett was rendering the external walls and Greg from Alpine Glass put the semi frame less shower screen in the front bathroom. Plus he helped me out by drilling the holes in the tiles for my toilet roll holder, I had been scared to do these for fear of cracking the tiles. With the right drill bit and experience it was no problem.

Semi frame less shower screen

Toilet roll holder

The completion of the internal rendering meant that the final finish on the floor could be done. Before this could be done I had to remove all the boards and plastic protecting the floor and remove the tape and clean the excess render from around the edges of the walls. I used vinegar and hard work to clean up the render from the edge of the floors and had to vacuum and mop the floor several times with multiple changes of water to get rid of all the fine dust. 

Floor in need of more mopping

Cleaned concrete floor

 The first coat of finish on the polished concrete had what looked like crazy paving type pattern cracked in the top of it. This was only visible when light hit the floor at an angle but was much more obvious under artificial light. There were also a few patches of white spots and some rough sections where things had fallen on the floor when the first coat was drying as this was done before the windows had been put in.  

Crazy paving cracks in sealer

White dots on concrete

Henry and Adrian from Dayman Group returned to fix up the floor. It had been two years since they did the first cut on the polished concrete and almost a year since the first sealer went on. The floor was given a light sand which will hopefully resolve the crazy paving cracking and remove the rough sections. A bit more of a sand was required to get out the white spots, which I was told were caused by the floor being covered before the first lot of sealer had fully dried. They also fixed up some patches which would have been covered by the kitchen cupboards, except that the cupboards we are installing are about 30cm off the ground. 

I left while the final coat of floor sealer was still wet and so am keen to get back down there and see what the final finish is like.