CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW ‘RAL’ HOUSE
Stumps,
sub-floor, floor and decking materials
Materials for the RAL 6 house are being
delivered from RAL’s factory in Ararat to our
site as two loads on an articulated truck. The first load included all the
sub-floor, floor and decking. The second load will be delivered once the floor
is complete and will included the panels (framing), Colorbond steel cladding, windows and doors.
Installation
of the stumps
This photo, taken from the south
west of the house, shows the stumps being installed. There are 80 stumps, each
200 mm in diameter set into 300 mm diameter holes 1.0 or 1.5 m deep. The holes
were then back filled with concrete. The shortest stump is about 600 mm above
ground, the tallest about 2.5 m giving us plenty of room under the house for a
car-port, storage and water tanks.
Installation
of the garage footings
This photo shows the location of
the garage. This will be a RAL garage, the shape and dimensions will match the
curved walls / roof of the house.
14th
October 2006
This photo shows installation of
the bearers. These are made from between 2 and 4 lengths of 190 mm by 45 mm
pine bolted together and bolted to a bracket embedded in the stumps.
14th
October 2006
Underneath the house there will be
a carport and, behind this, an enclosed storage area / wine cellar. This photo shows
how much headroom there will be in the carport.
14th
October 2006
To give an idea of scale, this
photo shows a car parked immediately in front of the carport.
28th
October 2006
The completed floor and decks.
28th
October 2006
Katie underneath the
northern (main) deck. To her right are two of the four 4200 L water tanks that
we’re installing.
28th
October 2006
There is a pair of Kookaburras
living about 20 m from the house. They are very bold and have been inquisitive
throughout the whole construction process.
28th
October 2006
The garage frame has been
completed. The dimensions of the arch are identical to those of the arches that
will form the walls and roof of the house.
1st
November 2006
Liz standing in the living area
2nd
November 2006
The end wall/windows have gone
into the 4 way intercept
6th
November 2006
The girls lounging in their new
front door
7th
November 2006
View from the bedroom looking down
the length of the kitchen/living area
7th
November 2006
Colin and Cameron starting the
second 3 way intercept
23rd
November 2006
The house immediately after the
insulation and roofing iron was added.
23rd
November 2006
23rd December 2006
The house viewed from the
23rd December 2006
The house viewed from the South
West, showing how the house sits on the block.
22nd December 2006
Mark working on the
balustrade outside the lounge. The haze is caused by smoke from bushfires 100 km
away in North East Victoria.
23rd December 2006
18th February 2007
The house from the
driveway early in 2007.
18th February 2007
18th February 2007
The two photographs above show the
deck and railing is near completion.
18th February 2007
These are recent photos of the
house.
4th May 2007
Over the past few weeks
we’ve installed some pathways and extended the driveway. The front and
rear have been rotary hoed and the front area was seeded with grass about 3
weeks ago.
4th May 2007
4th May 2007.
This shows the rear deck after it
was sealed. Note the painted window frames and woodwork in the middle arch. All
the frames will be painted to match this over the next few weeks.
4th May 2007.
The photos above show the inside
of the (near complete) shed and the carport built under the house.