I went down the OB path as I was building in a remote rural location and I could not find any builders that were interested in my project.

I built a solar passive house.
The inside walls are brick to store the heat overnight and the exterior walls are insulated timber frame to minimize heat loss/gain.
The eaves overhang was…

As my house is different to most houses that builders build, I built my solar passive house as an owner builder this way I kept costs under control.

Looking good. Nice views from your roof

There is additional work and costs associated with plasterboarding walls & ceilings over brickwork.
New cornices, skirtings and architraves will be required. Also additional work required around window reveals, under lintels…

Tears can be easily repaired using adhesive foil tape

When do you move out of the shed into your new house? or have you already moved in.
From the photos, your house does not look lived in yet.

Treated particle board flooring can withstand limited exposure to the weather. Refer to manufacturers tech data sheets. It is typically 4-6 weeks not months/years.
If the roof will not be…

Blue is H2 termite treated (light duty) suitable only for use above ground and not exposed to the elements.
H3 is suitable for exposure to the weather and H4 is usually…

The drawing shows posts at 2400mm centres. That means a lot of posts. I would have the posts a lot further apart with larger beams
(I live in a…

I owner built a modest passive solar house for $1,200/m2. Note I built it largely by myself with little assistance from external trades.

Once your build is at lockup, a permanent electrical supply can be installed with a working power outlet in the meter box.

If your build is going to be slow I would get a separate price for the temporary supply. Trades are not interested in giving a competitive lump sum price…

I used Linea Scyon boards 150mm x 16 x 4200mm composite cement boards on my owner build. They look exactly like timber boards but the termites don't eat them.

Minor update. The grass is still too green begin to cut fire breaks so I decided to start paving around the house before it gets too hot to work outside.…

"we just ticked over 5 years since we started Earthworks
I also took nearly 5 years on my OB project from starting earthworks to getting my Certificate of Occupancy.
(I was working…

Your holiday is now over. What progress have you made on your build since you are back home?

Extract below from AS 1684.2 Part 2 Non-Cyclonic Residential timber framed construction.
This documents seems to imply the noggins are the norm.
Noggins also restrict/limit the amount of twisting of studs that…

Look at the OB thread below - Tondelver House - Southern Highlands

I used Hardies 150mm Linea on my country owner build house
Partially complete

Finished

I owner built and prior to confirming the order with the truss fabricator, I requested the north facing roof area be designed for PV solar panels. There was a…

Your progress indoors looks great.
How is the outside landscaping progressing. paving etc?.

A 10 amp plug will fit into a 15 amp power outlet but a 15amp plug will not fit into a 10 amp power outlet.
Go to Bunnings electrical area and…

The photo is of a 10 amp power outlet. A 15 amp power outlet has a larger earth pin.

Whatever the pipe is, do not cover it up. Either raise the pipe to be flush with the decking or install an access hatch in the decking directly over…

whirlybirds generally are a good idea (unless the house is in a high fire risk area) however ventilation louvres, typically installed under eaves, should also be installed to allow outside…

Rightly or wrongly the order that I tiled my bathrooms was as listed below:
I did the floor last to prevent it from being damaged when tiling the walls.
I also…

Terry has now posted some info on the start of his Tajikistan trip.
Link is

My weekender is designed for casual living only. It has only one open plan north facing living area which includes casual living with dining and kitchen. This living area is…

I have found that hourly rates are the way to go for civil work (i.e for a dozer or backhoe ). Getting a fixed price that is not inflated is…