First up, I apologise if your comments are going to spam. It seems that the spamometer has ranked up a bit. I try to remember to check every day but comments still slip through.
A few have asked about basements and garages and the like. For some reason we don't have basements dug into the ground here. Underground garages are becoming more prevelant in areas of medium to high density housing as street parking becomes non-existant but you wouldn't put one in an average middle class home. Our garages are under our roofline.
Most houses these days are built on a concrete slab. Some people still choose stumps which used to be made of timber but are now typically concrete. Timber stumps were prone to rot and needed replacing every few decades. Of all the houses being built in our estate there is one going on stumps. In this case it has given the owners more of a view but still a single storey house. Their block slopes like most of them do and the while the house at the front is level by the time you get to the back of the house it will be 2 metres off the ground. I assume they may use the space under the house for extra storage but it is certainly not a basement.
The couple live in Melbourne so I have been sending them photos of the progress of their build.
This first photo shows the concrete slab for their garage floor and the beginning of the stump placement.
The builders then laid specially treated timber joists over the stumps and then laid the flooring.
From now on the build will be similar to that on a slab.
There are signs that things are being done on our block but nothing worth photographing. A whole lot of pink tape attached to nails and bits of timber have been place around the site which must indicate something to somebody but we are still in the dark.
It is now Friday evening so nothing will happen over the weekend but hopefully next week they will install the retaining wall and start to map out the plumbing etc so they can lay the framework for the slab.
We did get a big green builders rubbish bin to complement our portaloo.
I frogged the scarf I started on Wednesday. I am not too annoyed as it needed to be narrower. I must learn to physically relax when knitting and crocheting as a) I enjoy it more and b) I make fewer mistakes.
If they have started one the rest go up pretty quick. Can’t wait to see the progress pictures
ReplyDeleteSince we were first here at the beginning of April two are now occupied and one is just about ready for handover. Three started since we moved down in July and they are moving along well. We are no. 7.
DeleteInteresting way to build. All foreign to me. Looking forward to your progress. Not as much as you though lol
ReplyDeleteThere will be lots of photos! I find it fascinating how houses are constructed in different parts of the world.
DeleteCompletely different build to what they are here. I suspect we have basements due to the freezing temps and all the plumbing needs to be protected from the cold. My explanation, right or wrong who knows.
ReplyDeleteThat would make sense as it seems the further north the more likely you are to have basements.
DeleteHere in Florida we don't have many basements either. For one thing, the water table is too high and the chances of flooding are greatly increased. For some reason, my husband and I have, however, owned two Florida houses with basements. Both flooded, although one much worse than the other. It was a mess.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot depends on soil type, too. But a flooded basement sounds like hell on earth!
Deleteflooded basement=indoor swimming pool Ha Ha. but what a mess left when the water drains out.
DeleteI've lived on a slab for many years. Around here there are basements, but the water table is so high they can flood, which is a huge problem if your furnace is in the basement, also laundry appliances. Mine are safely on the second floor.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have furnaces here but I can imagine the challenge of flooding if you did!
DeleteI wonder what the advantage is (assuming there is one) to building on stumps versus a slab? Is it cheaper, or maybe less damp? Or maybe, as you said, there's storage under the house. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteSlabs produce quieter houses. A lot of people put heating into the slab (we aren't - it really doesn't get that cold). I imagine they are probably cheaper but we didn't want stumps so didn't even look into it.
DeleteIntrigued by the build you photographed, as in the UK would normally not lay the floors until walls and roof completed to provide weather protection.
ReplyDeleteWhen you build on a concrete slab it doesn't matter if it gets wet. The flooring used in houses built on stumps will cope with a bit of water. I think our weather might be a bit kinder than yours!
DeleteOur Queensland rented house (Army base) was ground level at the front and up on stumps at the back. The underside was cool and shady for the babies to play but we had to check first for spiders and snakes, so mostly we left it closed off and the kids played out on the grass.
ReplyDelete