Transportable Pod Homes, Small Cabins, Tiny Houses, Simple Living, Money Matters, DIY and Green Living.
The greywater drains gather grim and eventually block up. Our drains have finally reached a point when they were unusable, and I needed to call someone in to pressure clean them.
It’s always exciting when this sort of thing happens, I called friend who advised me to call a drain specialist based in Maroochydore who because he was busy and the rains were coming advised me to call someone who had similar specials equipment and was based in Beerwah, He advised me to call Clint.
There are always so many projects and things which either need doing or ought to be done at Havilah House. It’s a handy mans dream home!
Do something is my advice to you. It doesn’t need to big or ambitious, grand or complicated.
It need only be a step in the right direction and you’re going get there if you repeat that simple action again and again, you will get there.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
I find myself caught up with lethargy or conflict about where start when I look around and see all I need to get done at Havilah House.
At other times I delay by telling myself it needs to be perfect so lets wait till I get a chance to do it right! Year right, such a lie, one of the worst lies, because I’m not only fooling myself, but I’m putting off any advantage I’d other wise gain by taking some action.
So my advice to you and I my friend, is to do something today.
Almost anything will be better than doing nothing at all.
Do something, and do it now!
I receive frequent requests to purchase Havilah House, and I can see why. Havilah House is comfortably situated on 2 acres of land. It’s central to town and there are some highly developed estates and properties close by. On paper Haviliah House looks like an easy block to develop. The current regulations allow the blocks in this region to be subdivided in 600 sq/m blocks, and if I could use all 7700 sq/m this would allow me to have at least six new blocks and one large block. I would not be at all surprised if a development project might also include some 450 sq/m blocks of land.
I have long had and still have this notion that this land and home will be worth 1 million dollars and of course that is true most homes now days if you leave them long enough they may eventually be worth a million dollars due to inflation and other increases. However that is the wonderful thing about a promise, God exceeds your expectation since he his able to do abundantly more that we can think of or imagine. So a million dollars means at the very least the equivalent of a million at the time of the promise and not a million at the time of fulfilment, which otherwise may only be the equivalent of a much smaller amount at the time of the promise. This is the wonderful thing about God, he exceeds expectations because his Glory fills the heavens.
God gave me this land for a reason, irrespective if it was the wrong purchase. since I have often wondered, thought and sometimes believe that God had something better planned for me and instead I insisted and setteled on this bock. I know that God is my Father and greater, more excellent and more powerful than any mistake I could ever have made by choosing this block. I, therefore, have every confidence that God can make good, fix up, and build on any mistakes I may have made.
All things work out for the good of those who love the Lord. So when I say I have asked God for at least a Million, I can be confident he may give me much more than a million.
This year more than any other we’ve have started plating fruit trees. I regret not beginning to plant fruit trees when we first moved to this property in 2003, as the saying goes “Today is the the next best time to plant a Tree.
We hope plant at least one perhaps two trees every fortnight so will add 26 or 52 trees a year to the garden.
Will the garden be able to sustain that many trees? Yes, I reckon so, and a lot more after that.
It’s worth noting that I have planted a number of other types tree over the last 10 year or so but nothing like I could have done, and most certainly should have done 18 years ago.
As it’s the last day of 2020 I thought we would share our progress so far.
Lime Tree
Paw Paw Trees
Lemon Tree
Avocado Tree
Fig Tree
So once I complete this note Lyd and I will be off to the local store to buy a few more. …. so back again after a visit to the Peachester Fruit shop where we got a a few African Flame Lillies and lovely Black Mulberry tree, and from Frouloffs we bought a coffee tree, and from the CO-OP I bought a variety of Mealies, Sweet Corn seeds and a Chillie bus, and finally from ALDI some Basin all of which I have planted today. The Fox aka Troy kindly have us some purple granadilla’s so I cut five up and planted them as well. I also planted some ginger. We still have a few more days of rain so they will get plenty of water. I will throw up a few more photos when I get a moment.
A friend of mine was living on across the road from the beach in Kawana and was living in his brothers container home, his brother an Architect had put a lot of thought into the design and had worked hard to push the design though council.
My understanding was that the council approved the design but there were some objections from the neighbours.
I naturally liked the design and made a point to record it. (The fientest pencil lasts longer that the clearest memory).
This snapshot was dated 10 October 2019 so I’m guess that may have been when I visited the beach home. Julian, Catherine, Travis and I all slept in swags in the garden and then went to school the following day. I think we were all late.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time money and effort building our cabin in the garden during the COVID 19 lockdown and having reached the point of having to hang up the roof. I had to make a design decision.
Do I go with the Tradition Australian Tin Roof (I’m partial to time tested traditional concepts) or I can go with Structural Insulated Roof Panels, which come with some advantages like it can span wide spaces it has insulation built into the design, and which is extraordinarily strong and can easily support someone walking on the roof.
Here is my Cabin Building a Small Cabin 2020
After a good look around I discovered a business owned by Tony Zheng in Lawnton (near Brisbane, Queensland) and was able to buy 4 sheets of 4.8m x 1000mm x 50mm panels for $904 (as at June 2020). So that’s 48 sq/m of good quality roof for $904
No trusses, rafters or battens are necessary, you only need the two ends, and I believe the can span 4.4m between the two ends. (as far as I know).
Structured Insulated Roofing Panes – 50mm thick.
If you look carefully at the edge panels you can see how they will interlock with one another, and in so doing become waterproof, exactly like traditional roofing.
The cabin still has a lot more work to go to prepare it to hold the new roof, since taking this photo we added upright studs at 450mm centres.
I’ll keep updating this post as I go along.
Bert and Lydia built themselves an outdoor BBQ which I feel works very well in their home environment as a place to relax and chill after work and during the weekend.
The BBQ is conveniently close to their house right below the main access stairs to their veranda and front door.
Bert and Lydia’s Outdoor BBQ Area
I’m guessing they did not want the BBQ equipment and smells located on their veranda.
Continuing my thoughts about Havilah House, I have this notion that it would be wonderful to have a few cabins as well as an outside kitchen and shower and a long drop toilet, not literally but in appearance, and connected to the septic tank system.
This is something I have often wished for, a hot water shower out in the open, sheltered of course from view, but with a starry sky above, it would be particularly inviting during the long summers, and if located near the pool it can double up as a change room. While we do have a large house I am reluctant to open that up to guests whom I don’t know very well or would not want roaming about my house unattended. The outdoor shower would solve this problem.
The shower is also a bathroom, connected to hot water with good water pressure, guests staying in the Music Cottage or in the Guest Cabin would be welcome to use the outside bathroom
In summary, it’s a camp bathroom, it has the essentials and is easy to maintain. It has hot water.
The camp kitchen is easily described as a sheltered outside bathroom, with a little relaxing space, my friend Bert build one to enable him to entertain his guests more easily and it was a wonderful creation, and ever since I have hoped to make one myself
“A nakamal (a Bislama word from vernacular terms such as Raga gamali) is a traditional meeting place in Vanuatu. It is used for gatherings, ceremonies and the drinking of kava. A nakamal is found in every significant Vanuatu community, but the design of the nakamal and the traditions surrounding it vary between areas”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakamal
A typical Australian outside toilet, I’m sure the UK had them as well, It would fit in quite nicely in our garden and I have the septic tank close by, about 3 or 4 meters away so I could easily connect that.
I have kind of woken up to the fact that this old house in Beerwah may be home for the rest of our lives and it’s not so bad having land on which I can do some much and don’t feel locked up.
My pool has not been that great since I drained it, and it now is a third full and filled with tadpoles, we thought they were toads, but it turns out the lovely green frogs so I have been rescuing them putting them where I think they will be happy, in the hedges, and down by the creek.
The music room has been a success, it’s not decorated, it needs pictures and art and guitar hooks, but it is used every day by the family, for sleepovers, and chill sessions and watch TV etc. Julian has been working down there on Zoom during the school lockdown. See Havilah House Music Room and Notes for Kars the Architect
I have made some progress, or let’s say that the base is very nearly complete, and I expect to have the sides and roof structure up this weekend, ready for the cladding and roof. If I say so myself it’s pretty well constructed so I reckon I could make another more easily and quicker. I am being careful to do it as inexpensively as possible but still maintain the quality, also been careful to modularise it. So things, like buying 6m bearers and then cutting them in half, saved some cash and using standard sizes.
Check out our complete cabin here Building a Small Cabin 2020
Yesterday I planted another hundred black bean seeds on the other side of the creek, it will form a think wall of foliage in a few years time. Folks are going to wonder where all these trees came from? Black bean trees grow tall and in the shape of an oval if they are in the open but they seem to grow extra tall in the rain forest and amongst other trees, with foliage all the way up the trunk, like the leaning tower of pizza, which is the effect I am hoping for I did some reading on back bean trees and they have anti carcinogenic HIV properties, I intend to look into this a bit more.
The Black Bean is also found in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. … This is a handsome tree with glossy dark green pinnate leaves and low … and it contains alkaloids which have been shown to have anti-HIV and anti –cancer properties. https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2002/castanospermum-australe.html
One of these days I’ll get round to making a Boma and the best example I have of a Boma is Scotty’s Boma, Preparing to build a Boma (Outdoor Fire Pit) I’m sure you will like it.
A boma is a livestock enclosure, community enclosure, stockade, corral, small fort or a district government office and community used in many parts of the African Great Lakes region, as well as Central and Southern Africa. It is particularly associated with community decision making. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boma_(enclosure)
Mann … so many of the good times I have enjoyed throughout my life have been alongside or close to a BBQ, in South Africa, this is referred to as a Braai. While these are very similar the are quite different.
A Braai is done on charcoal, a BBQ can be both on coals or on a gas bbq. – quite different flavours
On the 14th of March 2020, Mark, Louise and I set out to the Beerwah Bunker to purchase timber for the cabin we’ve been planning to build.
The best way to complete a project is to begin.
I am pleased I brought my friend Mark with us because he introduced the idea of using standard sizes and length, which would work out cheaper and make it modular.
Clearly I had not done very much planing, I had a notebook, a pen, and a tape measure, it was our intention to ask the Bunker about the available size, length and costs of timber. We thought we would choose our materials based on what was available.
Listed as I buy the materials.
Saturday, 16 May 2020
“The tongue colour relates to the thickness of the sheets; a yellow tongue refers to the 19 mm thickness, the 22 mm sheet has a red tongue, and the blue tongue identifies the 25 mm sheet”
I was quite pleased with what I’d bought because we could imagine how it would look quite easily,
Initial ideas around furnishing
Some of my thoughts extracted from Day One. I feel that these are useful to show and explain how things have progressed with the cabin.
13th of August, 2019
Last night was pleasant sitting around the fire outside, Julian mentioned that he might light to build a cabin.
Sunday 10th November 2019
I have a few ideas about making it profitable and they all hinge around the idea of small cabins, and micro rentals, Airbnb and Glamping.
Thursday 2nd April 2020
Now if I were to ask myself “what are your main tasks” then there are several. The first being to guide and support my family so that we are not unduly anxious or frustrated. Another may be to write, and another to complete the tiny cabin I am building.
Saturday, April 11th, 2020
I am still not certain where I plan to build the cabin, I suspect it will be located between the two sheds.
Sunday 26th April 2020
Mark Lythall came round at about 1 pm and we made a start on the cabin, I stopped to provide an opportunity for Louise to work on it when she returns from Atalanta where she has got horse riding for the day.
Saturday, 16 May 2020
Mark and I went to the bunker and bought seven more lengths of timber 6m x 70mmx 35mm
Saturday, 27 June 2020
Worked on the cabin steadily, there is a lot more work involved than I at first thought it would be. I bought the most of what I need to complete the cabin, including the Structural Ply Bracing which will make it more rigid so that it can be transported if necessary, bought the steel tie-downs to make it hurricane-proof. Also bought the breathable insulation with is semi-waterproof and will make it warm and cooler where necessary. I also bought the roof (SIP’s) Structural Insulation roofing Panels / Roofing sheets so the roof can go on soon.
I’m fond of my Yanmar YM14 Diesel Tractor YM14/2 except when it comes to finding replacement blades. Firstly they rotate in a different direction to most blades, so the cutting edge is always on the wrong side, secondly the hole in the middle of the blade is an unusual size and the bolt that holds the blade down is a left hand thread, and if I remember correctly and unusual ahead so it’s quite a challenge to find parts for this tractor.
I went to GDM – Glasshouse Designe and Engineering where Ian put together a bespoke solution for me. The blades are hardened steel, and the cross arm which joins the blade is mild steel. It worked reasonably well at first and then slowly bent out of shap. The other issue was that the bolds holding on the blades were facing down and took a beating over time, until the snapped off and the blade went flying off into the garden.
Bespoke homemadYane manufactured blades
