We both work full time, my husband did take some long service leave here and there and I came out whenever I could weekends and afternoons. It took us 18…

We subbied out most, earthworks, slab, got a fixer to roughly stand the frame (we finished it all off and did trusses etc ourselves) plumbing and electrical. Plasterer, tiler, flooring....we…

Hi,
We owner built a PAAL kit home 5 years ago. We didn't hire a builder but managed the trades and did what parts we could ourselves. In the end at…

OK, so I laboured over a newsy, witty post.....hit submit and it vanished hehe......so in point form this time:
Hunter super storm, April 2015 saw our home just millimeters away from…

Beetaloo and BStar have nailed it - you need to be on site most of the time, even if it's just to keep an eye on contractors. There were…

Hi Trixee,
We investigated this when we were building, we even called into a number of mills on our way up to Brisbane one trip and asked about pricing etc. …

Hello again!! I'm still here.....and we're still plodding away with the finishing off stuff..
It seems that holidays are the most productive times for us. Christmas and New Year saw…

Hi RuffTuff,
Your vision and use of materials is out of this world!! I have to feel a little envious of your wife for having such a driven and competent partner…

Thanks Wilesy for your comments.
I have taken the time to document our journey in the ambitious ( and maybe a little conceited …

Congratulations WonkyWalker!!!
Keep that positive energy throughout the whole build process and it will be a walk in the park!!
Good luck and I look forward to following your build.

My pricing is three years old and in NSW - we paid $1 per brick plus we paid for all the sand and cement etc. Single storey on slab…

Patience is a virtue.....remember the mess with our range hood installation? Well we finally got around to getting a plasterer in to fix it up. TBH we pretty much…

Hi Stewie,
Thanks for your reply. Here are a couple of photos of the offending spots - there are only two that we can see as the efflorescence is occurring…

Hi Guys,
I'm after a bit of advice with regards to painting over external bricks that are showing signs of efflorescence.
We are planning on painting the bricks with Wattyl…

Haha….NO! Sanity went out the window years ago Sometimes I think you have to be a little bit insane to undertake Owner Building!!…

Hi AJB,
I'm picturing sitting on your veranda looking out onto the lovely countryside
It all looks good - my only question would…

Ah.... Thanks guys - I knew I was being over-quoted when a local mob quoted $110 each for concrete!! I will keep looking.

Can anyone point me in the right direction - we are trying to track down a supplier of these PYRAMID PIERCAPS....there is a local brick/paver manufacturer who can make them…

Looks like it wasn't sanded properly before they painted it.

Hi gav89z,
That is the order we did things….bricks, plumbing, electrical. Didn't have any problems, we saw it as the safest way to do things in light of there being…

I would recommend it....and the bottle of wine might add to your creative process!! But you've had some plans done previously haven't you? Just try to duplicate those.
We are…

One of the last things we had to do inside was the pantry fit out. I mentioned before that we had received a quote from a local kitchen company…

Me again....sorry lol
Our wet areas that connect to the boards are the same height as we had told the tiler of our intentions and he was able to adjust the…

I forgot to add that partly our decision was made due to the height factor when stepping into the bedrooms that were carpeted. With a 12mm ply and 19mm board,…

Hi Newstart2day,
We were also pondering this choice when putting down our hardwood flooring. We had previously lived in a house with a timber floor laid over bearers and joists. I…

And lastly......my kitsch cushions (have a pair of them)......they tell a story don't you think? Love the camel!!
Please if you have any advice to impart I would appreciate it......apologies if…

Leather wall hanging - I have 2 other smaller, lighter beige ones as well $75 for the three....not everyone's style tho!
Oak dining suite for the formal dining room - $405…

Swoopy Chairs - for lack of a better description. $200 for a pair of them. Not terribly comfortable and the do take up a lot of room...might consider getting…