Southern Tablelands Shipping Container Build

[r3nov8or]

And I have just begun to tile the kitchen splash-back. Just the grouting to do tomorrow.
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Nice and neat. I angle-grind the cuts from the back of the tile to achieve the straight lines, so the disc's cut runs a little further on the back of the tile than the front (due to disc circumference and the thinkness of the tile)

How did you go about the cuts?

[turnstiles]

Nice and neat. I angle-grind the cuts from the back of the tile to achieve the straight lines, so the disc's cut runs a little further on the back of the tile than the front (due to disc circumference and the thickness of the tile)

How did you go about the cuts?

Exactly as you described! To get neat inside corners you need the overrun on the back to allow for the blade curve. Luckily I watched a YouTube clip of a tile cutter doing this! ( I woulda been totally screwed on this build if it wasn't for YouTube :U)

[turnstiles]

I am still plodding along getting some of the little tasks done such as random gap filling, building the pull-out pantry and planning the main pantry and bathroom cupboard (so I can order all the materials for a single delivery)

In the meantime - here are some "Then and Now" photos!
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[rwbuild]

There is no denying your vision, commitment, aesthetic creativity and skills that have grown with this. Anyone would be hard pressed not to like this and to anyone who sees it for the first time would never know its humble beginnings.
:2tsup: x100

[turnstiles]

Thanks Ray. I think having a fairly detailed plan (and model) of what I wanted helped a lot right throughout the building stages.

Because I stuck to the original plan, only deviating when it became apparent the first idea couldn't work, it stopped me making too many modifications as I went and thus made the final product easier to create.

Even though I'd never built anything more than an Ikea bookcase, having been a sculptor for years came in handy. Sticking to the original concept drawings made creating sculptures a lot easier. Painters can paint over a tree they don't like. With sculpture it is a lot harder, as I tell people who ask, making sculpture is like making a table. The spontaneity and creativity comes mainly in the planning and design stage. It is very hard to suddenly decide to make your table have 3 legs instead of four at the stage of putting the legs on! The same concept kept me going on the house.

This recent post made me realise what a long and complex process it has been, and I'm very glad to be near the end of it!!

[turnstiles]

A few more 'Then and Now photos:
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[ErrolFlynn]

There’s a pair of photos of your kitchen window. I see you put up the timber frame before cutting a hole in the steel.

Did you use an angle grinder to cut the opening?

Did you screw/bolt the steel to the timber frame in some way?

Did you encounter any issues in waterproofing the opening, particularly with the sheeting being corrugated? I’m just wondering how you did that.

[turnstiles]

The only timbers connected to the container steel were the top plates of the walls. Bottom plates were fixed to the ply timber floors. So the framing wouldn't be impacted by any expansion/contraction or movement of the metal walls. (At least that was my theory!!)

All steel was cut out using a 125mm (5") angle grinder. People suggested a plasma cutter - but I wasn't keen on spending to getting the compressor and gas bottles. And I gave up on the idea of using a 230 mm (9") grinder when I heard they were nicknamed "Widow makers"! (I believe they are banned on a lot of work sites.)

With the cutouts - I initially cut around the windows and door pre framing, but left several 1" tabs of steel uncut to hold the panel in place. The reason for this is that it is difficult to get around the framing to cut the steel. The tabs were easy to cut from outside. I suppose I could have cut the openings from the outside but alignment would have been more difficult.

This pic shows the pre-cutting for the big windows before starting the framing.
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Re: waterproofing - as the opening framing wasn't attached to the steel, waterproofing was done just like on an ordinary timber framed house. With internal and external insulation everywhere, reveals and jambs tended to be quite wide.

[ErrolFlynn]

Thanks for that.

Probably a reasonable idea not to attach too much timber to the steel. There might have been a lot of creaking going on as the sun comes in and out from behind clouds. I had a house like that. Some like the sound. I hated it.

I’ve never heard the term widow maker in reference to an angle grinder. Understandable, though. I have 9”. They give quite a kick and they are heavy, and get heavier the longer you use them. Some machines have a progressive start, which is nice.

[r3nov8or]

I have a mate, very experienced in metal work, who had his mouth, teeth and nose heavily impacted when his 9" grinder "caught" and broke the cutting disc, and it all reared up towards him in a split second of mayhem and then the runny red stuff

[ErrolFlynn]

He's lucky to be alive by the sound of it. All angle grinders must be used carefully, and the big beasts can be scary.

[turnstiles]

I've slowed down a fair bit lately - even taken time off to read a book, look at the view, go for walks. But there are still some things to finish.

This was the last thing I posted - tiling the kitchen backsplash. Here it is finished
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As I've probably mentioned - the tiles (leftover bathroom wall tiles) happen to have the same dimensions as the large kitchen draw fronts - which is a nice bit of serendipity! This is how the counter will look once the toaster and coffee machine are in the 'mini butler's pantry', And the ugly draining board will sit in the sink when not in use.

The next thing on the list was the pull-out pantry. I decided to have a go at making one of these once I discovered I had a narrow space in the kitchen which would suit one really well.

All the tall ones online were super expensive, so I thought I'd have a bash at making one.

This was the SketchUp design i made:
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There are two industrial sized draw runners attached to one wall and the shelving unit at the top and bottom.

It is now in place and being used (really useful for the myriad different sauces, spices and herbs I have!!) even though the false front hasn't been added, nor the handle. I still need to make the surrounds, and I put my old IKEA Billy bookcase where the butlers pantry will go temporarily as it's also really useful for storage.
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The purple fountain grass I planted a year ago has settled in nicely. It is now about half its finished height. The colour of it blends really nicely with the rusted steel planter box.
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I really need a low piece of furniture to hide the back of the sofa as it is very visible. I am after something in old pine with some open fronts to store books
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Something like this but without the cupboard fronts:
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Then I can display my new (old) African antelope headdress from Mali. I've wanted one of these since the '80's when I first saw one. I had it sent from the States and made the base for it.
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The lounge/dining room in the late afternoon sun:
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I also bought a couple of ottomans, one for each bedroom. Handy to sit on when donning shoes and with useful storage in them
Main bedroom:
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2nd bed:
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Great place for brekkers!
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My banksias have gone from a single flower last year to quite a lot this year (and my callistemons have bloomed 3 times since Spring which is quite uncommon. Twice is usual)
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And not so long ago I heard a noise on the back deck late at night and discovered a sugar glider having a nose around. First one I've ever seen! (about the size of a European squirrel)
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Currently I'm starting to build the main kitchen pantry and I've bought sheer nets for the big windows and need to install them.

[ErrolFlynn]

Interesting idea with the pull-out pantry. I’m thinking it shouldn’t pull out entirely to prevent the risk of it falling over. Then again, if you did pull it right out you could move it to where you need it, and that could be handy. The side rails are a good idea. If anything had to fall off and become trapped under one of the wheels it could become problematic.

A nice colour choice on the floor. Your plants are looking good too.

[turnstiles]

The unit has drawer runner attached to it so it pulls out almost completely but the runners stop it from coming right out. They also fix it to the wall so it can't tip over. It's very stable considering the weight of products in it.

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[turnstiles]

Time for net curtains. NOT, I might add, for privacy!

But I've realised that at this time of year, when the sun is lower in the sky, and the days can still be warm - the house can get really stuffy with too much sun coming in. So the nets help filter some of the heat.
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I close them around 2pm and reopen them at sunset. This way the house heats up and remains warm inside all through the night. (E.G. last night at 6pm it was 5.8deg outside but still 26deg inside.) And I imagine the same will occur in early Spring.
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I have also begun the big kitchen pantry. I made things easier by buying the shelving instead of making it. Good old 'Billy' bookcases (with top extensions) from IKEA. Saves me a lot of time.
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I've also ordered (and am waiting for) the timber and gyprock for the surround and doors.
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I also bought a shed!
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[Uncle Bob]

Looking good Turnstiles!

[turnstiles]

Thanks Uncle Bob.

[Moondog55]

That sheds far too small, shed size should exceed the houses footprint area or where are you going to put all the stuff you might need in the future?
Curtains make it seem far more civilised and "Yes" looking good

[r3nov8or]

Good to see you back, Moondog :)

[turnstiles]

Thanks Moondog - welcome back. I don't think there will be many more posts from me - finally reaching the end of the Big Project!

[Moondog55]

I expect both sunrise and sunset shots as soon as you get a good set of days for photography

[r3nov8or]

Thanks Moondog - welcome back. I don't think there will be many more posts from me - finally reaching the end of the Big Project!

Now you need to offer everyone else the fruits of your experience :)

[ErrolFlynn]

This thread does that. Unless, of course, there's the intention of a book version of the experience.

[r3nov8or]

This thread does that

I hope you know that's not what I meant :)

Anyway, it's been great that turnstiles shared this journey with us. My hope is that he helps others, in other threads, as questions arise. But to each their own...

[turnstiles]

Lol - I'm not disappearing! But posts will (and have already) slow down.

In the past I've never had a lot of time to spare to browse the forum but now I will.

Happy to offer tips - but (though it sounds odd as I've built a house!) I don't feel that confident in offering suggestions. I still don't feel that I'm a particularly adept builder!

But certainly if people have started a container build I am happy to give suggestions as to what did and didn't work for me.

And for anyone wanting to start a container build - don't!! :laughing1:

[ErrolFlynn]

I think that one went over the top, r3.



a container build - don't!!

I seem to recall in the old renovateforum there was someone around the Captain's Flat neck of the woods in NSW (or somewhere nearby) who was doing a container build. There was a log of his efforts on the old site. Can't recall the username. Hell, maybe it was you!

[turnstiles]

Council recently graded our dirt road and kindly dumped about 30 tonnes of clean fill on my doorstep!

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It is a mixture of silt and road base - which means nice organic soil to grow grass, and the road base (gravel) means it should drain well.

I've used it to raise the ground level on two sides of the house which was always the plan, to hide the foundation piers and make the house look as if it is sitting on the ground.

First was the back of the house:

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Then on the side of the house I constructed a low retaining wall from timber sleepers, stained it the same colour as the timber slats on the front of the house and the water heater cupboard,

I also dug a 300x300mm trench on the outside of this wall into the mainly clay surface, and back-filled it with soil so I could plant a row of low, flowering Wax plants. (I also made temporary frost covers to get them through til Spring and added wire netting to keep away the bunnies and roos!!)

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And added a couple of steps - one at the kitchen end and the other outside the 2nd bedroom:

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The plumber left the outside drainage pipes high as I told him I was raising the ground level. He told me when I had done this to just cut the pipes down to ground level.

For the time being, both this raised surface and the one at the back will just have grass sown.

I had originally planned on making 2 big sliding doors for the bookcase-pantry I put in. At the last minute i changed my mind when I discovered IKEA make doors for their Billy bookcases! The only things I was not sure about were the 'country-kitchen' look of the doors (no choice for a plain white door!) and the doors for the extensions on the top only came with a glass front. But I am slowly getting used to them.

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I am now in the process of framing in the shelving, and plaster-boarding around it. Currently I have applied the base coat of plaster and have 2 more plaster coats and three of paint to do before it is finished. Allowing a day for each to dry, I expect to have it finished by Friday.

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My neighbours dropped off a housewarming gift - a door mat with the house name made into it! (The name of the house is an amalgam of the first 2 syllables of my late partners surname and the last syllable of mine.)

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One more thing - a few weeks ago I made the decision to give up my 40 years of casual teaching and retire early!!

I was hating the job, Casual teachers cop so much grief from vile little students, I was so tired of the verbal abuse and disrespect (which somehow seems far worse since their Covid stay-at-home period) I worked out I can survive on my Super til the pension.

This means I can (FINALLY!!) return to my art career which has pretty much been on hold during the building adventure.

The whole point of this build, moving to the country and ending up with no mortgage, electricity or water bills, and growing most of my own food, was to put myself in the position of needing very little money to live on and returning to art making, but (for the first time ever) full-time.

I still have my shed/studio to build, so sculpting (my main format) will have to wait a bit longer as I don't really have the space. I'm returning to making 2D work and have eked out a little space in the lounge for the time being.

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[Moondog55]

I have a couple of teacher friends and they share your POV.
Nice work still.
You have an IKEA deep colander, I always wanted 4 of those to make lampshades for the kitchen but they stopped selling them before I could buy a quad, but I have a singleton and keep Op-Shopping in the hope of finding some.
Just remember the shed has to be bigger than the house.

[turnstiles]

You have an IKEA deep colander, I always wanted 4 of those to make lampshades for the kitchen but they stopped selling them before I could buy a quad, but I have a singleton and keep Op-Shopping in the hope of finding some.

I had exactly the same idea with these lovely Kmart fruit bowls (at $8 each!) to make pendant lights for above bedside tables in one of the bedrooms.

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Bought them about 5 years ago. then forgot to organise the wiring for them! So I gave one away to someone who thought they were amazing, and the 2nd I keep to use as a...... fruitbowl :U

[turnstiles]

Brief update - work on the house moves slowly on, but I did manage to finish the pantry.
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Now the surround is complete, I am warming to the 'Shaker' style cupboards. The narrow cupboard doors are really great, and make getting supplies really quick (once I memorise where things are!!) I am really glad I didn't go with the sliding doors idea.

Next thing on the list was the TV. Not a big TV watcher - my last TV died (17") about 2 years ago and I didn't bother replacing it until last week. I am also not a fan of TV's as room furniture, so I bought a telescopic support which allows me to put the TV away into the cupboard when not in use. As it also swivels, it permits a screen larger than the door opening.

I ended up with a 40" as I wasn't game enough to risk a larger one fitting through the door opening. Though I think now from use I could possibly go to a 46" in the future if/when this one dies! I still need to finish inside the cupboard - hide the studs and build shelving under and around the TV arm.
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Currently trying to get the long neglected veggie garden back into shape ready for Spring plantings in a few weeks. Though we are having a week of horrible windy weather (up to 80+kph winds ��so I am not inclined to go outside to do any work!

[r3nov8or]

Good idea for tucking away the TV, especially if it's an occasional thing. But why mount it so high?

[turnstiles]

Good idea for tucking away the TV, especially if it's an occasional thing. But why mount it so high?

Good question re height!

I played around with a cardboard box as stand in for the TV to determine the height. When I worked out my standard viewing position - flat out and feet up, with my head resting on the back of the sofa - my eyeline went to that height! The TV also tilts down so my sight is perpendicular to the screen.

It wouldn't be as comfortable if I was sitting bolt upright though. (But seriously...who watches TV like that :U)

My "L" shaped sofa is very big - each arm of the "L" comfortably sleeps an adult stretched out without touching either end! (I know this because I had a full house on the weekend and 2 adults slept there!!) So it's great for laying there, feet up eating dinner watching The I.T. Crowd! (I have no pay per view so ABC and SBS online are a good source for programmes!!)

[ErrolFlynn]

It seems like the height is perfect, for you. It’s always more comfortable with your eyes angling downward slightly, like in a movie theatre.

Though, on the issue of height (and nothing to do with you) it always amazes me why there’s a trend to locate the telly above the room heater. Heat travels upward. The telly is full of electronics and the frame has vents to allow the heat generated by its components to escape. Not to allow more heat from the room heater to cook it. Weird.

[turnstiles]

Agreed - I've often seen TV's situated above fireplaces. I've often wondered about the heat affecting the circuitry. Occasionally, when my laptop has had the sun directly on it for an hour or so (even now in winter), it has started to malfunction and I've had to move it and let it cool down.

[ErrolFlynn]

I suspect it’s a style thing. When I used to watch The Block you’d see TV’s above the fireplace. It must have been the fashionable thing to do.

I take your point about your laptop. If you put your hand near the vents after it has been on for a while you can probably feel the warm air it generates. TVs are just as full of electronics. That's what a TV is mostly, nowadays; a big specialised computer. I’ll bet if you put your hand above the vents you’d also feel the warm/hot air escaping.

I wouldn’t be surprised that all those televisions mounted in hot spots like that would have a shorter life than had they been placed in a cooler location.

[Uncle Bob]

Great to see you're still updating this thread Turnstiles. It's looking very nice!

[turnstiles]

Great to see you're still updating this thread Turnstiles. It's looking very nice!

Thanks Uncle Bob - glad to see you're still around!

Still updating, but less and less things to post about. More outside work is needed though (currently trying to get the totally neglected veggie garden back producing this Spring/Summer.)

This thread (including the previous site) is turning into another "Neighbours"! :rolleyes:

[r3nov8or]

"....everybody needs good...." :D

[turnstiles]

Well it seems to have been one of the windiest Septembers I can remember since being in this region. More than any other weather phenomenon - I hate wind the most!

As the house is now a home, i am loathe to do any messy building work indoors as the dust and mess will get into everything. So this is currently my workshop:
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So the wind has impacted on what I can and can't so.

One thing i love about my bathroom is being able to gaze out of the window as I shower in the mornings and watch the 'roos, ducks on the dam, and brightly coloured birds in the trees. I can see out of the house in three directions.

Through the shower screen and open door to beyond the kitchen and the big window at the front of the house:
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Directly through the bathroom window:
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And thirdly, the reflection in the big bathroom mirror through the window which reveals another different perspective:
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But during the past year a few visitors have expressed surprise that one would be so 'exposed' while showering!!

It has never concerned me as it is so quiet out here, but thinking about how visitors who stay over might feel, I decided to add a roller blind for privacy.

It may also be useful for minimising the morning Summer sun which shines straight though the window from sunrise until about 11am.
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I've been watering the grass seed twice a day and it has started popping up:
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This side of the house gets morning sun every day - at the back of the house, much of where I have sown grass seed is in perpetual shade until well into Summer when the sun is higher, so it has taken about 10 days longer for the seeds to sprout. (I used a shade tolerant variety.)

Being Spring, when it wasn't a howling gale, I would duck outside and work on the veggie garden when I could.

I put up a climbing frame across one of the beds and have planted snow peas and climbing beans.

Rhubarb is always in, as it mint and chives. Plus a few tubers of yacón - a South American root which is sweet and crunchy (like a Nashi pear) and can be used in fruit salads, salads and cooked. (I put it in stir fry's and on my breakfast cereal.)

I've also sown a row of coriander and one of capsicum seeds.
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The rest of my veggies will go in sometime in mid October when the soil warms up more.

I know the soil needs mulch, but there is no point until the bad winds stop as it will just end up being blown off the soil and up against the fence!

I then decided to tackle the mess under and around the veggie garden water tank - a dumping ground for all things gardeny!
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I plan to enclose 3 sides under the tank and add a shelf. Then I can store fertilisers, plant food, pots etc there. On the outside I'll attach wire mesh and grow some climbing purple Hardenbergia there,
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Hopefully I can get it to cover the water tank.

One positive of all the wind and being housebound is I've been able to spend a lot of time resurrecting my dormant art career - my little working space has spread a little. A large piece of polystyrene packaging has been useful as a back 'wall' - great for protecting the sofa and as a pin board.
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I really do need to crack on and get my studio built!

[Moondog55]

Given enough water the Hardenbergia would grow up around and over that small tank in a couple of years. I still recommend a couple of bathtubs for worm compost [ wait until you can get some free naturally] and for growing wet loving foods like Kangkong

[Moondog55]

Also given how good the house looks I can't wait until you start on the chicken palace [ foxproof/ goanna proof naturally] and how you'll tackle that.

[ErrolFlynn]

You should give some consideration to cross-bracing the legs of your water tank. There's probably more than a ton of water in there when full (1 gm/cc). Timber doesn't last for ever. It might be a pleasantly cool place for the dog to snooze, but a weight such that toppling would be nasty.

[turnstiles]

You should give some consideration to cross-bracing the legs of your water tank.

You're correct - the thousand litre tank holds a tonne of water.

Boxing the under-tank in should do the job! Mind you - it's been standing there almost 10 years and doesn't seem to have changed!

[ErrolFlynn]

Okay, now that's off my mind, the other thing that occurred to me was in relation to:


Rhubarb is always in, as it mint and chives. Plus a few tubers of yacón - a South American root which is sweet and crunchy (like a Nashi pear)

The rhubarb, mint, and yacón might make a nice jam.

[turnstiles]

The rhubarb, mint, and yacón might make a nice jam.

Sounds like an interesting combo. The yacón (weirdly related to the daisy - but looks a lot like a sweet potato) would contrast nicely with the rhubarb. But I'm not madly fond of mint - am judicious in what I put it in as mint flavouring can remind me of chewing gum or toothpaste!! (Peppermint tea to me is like drinking hot mouthwash...!). A bit on boiled spuds, in a green salad and mint sauce on steamed spinach is about it for me. I've made a lot of rhubarb jam - will have to wait until next May/June for the yacón to be ready to give it a try.

[ErrolFlynn]

mint
A tiny bit of mint may be enough. There’s a cafe I sometimes visit. They serve a nice French toast with all the fruit trimmings and maple syrup. The first time, I spotted two leaves of mint. Decoration, surely.

I was going to ignore it, but trimmed off the tiniest slice from one leaf. I’m referring to a piece no larger than 2mm and manipulated it on top of one of the strawberries then gobbled it whole. It changed the whole flavour experience. It was wonderful.

[turnstiles]

Also given how good the house looks I can't wait until you start on the chicken palace [ foxproof/ goanna proof naturally] and how you'll tackle that.

LOL - unfortunately you'll be waiting a long time! I've decided not to go down the chicken path. I know what is involved in looking after them, and I want to be able to shut up shop and nick off for a month or 3 and not have to worry about the chooks getting by on their own! For the sake of a few free eggs I hope to find a chook loving neighbour and swap veggies for eggs.
- - - Updated - - -

[turnstiles]

Spring means focus is shifted to outdoors. I'm back to my regular weed rambles, where I take a bucket and secateurs and wander around my 25 acres looking for weed outbreaks.

The main weeds this years appear to be small outbreaks of Patterson's Curse (Echium plantagineum) an invasive non native plant which spreads like wildfire. Fortunately outbreaks on my property remain small and easily managed.
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They have shallow roots and are easily pulled up and chopped up if already flowering.

Experience with some weeds (especially thistles) is that sometimes uprooting a plant with flowers doesn't always stop them from spreading seeds. I've seen thistles uprooted only to come back a week later to find the plant in its death throes has managed to continue feeding the pollinated flower until seeds were formed and released.

So I cut off thistle heads and store them in the bucket where they are put in the rubbish. The rest of the thistle is uprooted, chopped up a bit and left in place.

This year it looks as if P.Curse and Thistles (Scotch and Saffron) are the main problems. I've covered about half my property and collected no thistle heads - none had yet begun forming flowers. I'm doing the other half this afternoon.

I finished tidying up around the water tank, and planted the Hardenbergia vine on 2 sides. Off cuts of fibrous cement have enclosed 3 sides and further stabilized the structure.
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Next is the veggie garden.
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(This pic was taken 2 days ago - by this morning they have doubled in size! Same with the zucchini.)
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I also have capsicums, mint, climbing beans and yakon growing (no pix)

It is also Callistemon (Bottlebrush) time - love the vibrant red of this variety: These bushes went from one or two flowers 5 days ago to this today!
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Unusual flowers on this tree!!
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Lately there have been huge flocks of these raucous beautiful cockatoos - I estimated around 90 - 100 the other day - and their screeching is deafening.

Spring also brings out other native animals - though I've yet to see a snake this season.
Here's a very cute echidna I happened upon a few days ago waddling along my driveway.
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Something occurred the other day when I happened to lay out two of my right angled rulers.
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One of them is out!! I've been using these for years - so there are possibly no right angles in the build!! I initially cursed 'cheap Chinese rubbish' until a closer inspection:
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German products are usually so precise!

Finally, having now lived here for more than a year I thought I'd give a brief update on my solar power set up.

3.12 kW panels
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New Victron 5kW inverter
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2 x 5kW Li-Ion batteries
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Around May this year my Growatt inverter died and I was left without power.

Typically, it only came with a 2 year warranty. It lasted 2 years and one month. When I contacted my solar company they told me they stopped dealing with Growatt 18 months prior, as they had lots of issues with them and dealing with the company. (When I bought mine they had just started using Growatts as they were very popular at the time. Soon after they realised the issues and stopped selling and dealing with them.)

They said I could contact the company myself and see if they could do anything, but they didn't fancy my chances as it was out of warranty!

So I needed a new inverter, and the company I had used offered me a big discount on the Victron (extremely good reputation)

So I've had that installed and since then (touch wood) all is going swimmingly

At the onset of winter I noticed my batteries were getting extremely low, with the heat-pump water heater being the main culprit.

But after reading the water heater's manual I discovered it had a built in timer, plus the hybrid mode (where it draws heat from the atmosphere to heat the water and boosts it with electricity) switches to 100% electric heating mode when the ambient temperature drops below 5 deg C. (which it often does here in winter).

So once I set the timer to turn the water heater on at 10am, when the sun is up and the temperature has often climbed above 5 deg, I have not had power issues.

In fact, almost all of the time, my battery levels do not drop below 75% full.

When using the hybrid mode, the water heater combined with my fridge plus separate upright freezer uses only around 440W to power all three. (Which at the moment is using all the power directly from the sun and none from the batteries.)

Heating has been almost unnecessary. On sunny days, when the outside temp is just above zero (and the 'feel-like temp can be in in the minus 5 - 10 range) it has reached 29 deg inside due to the passive solar heating. And the insulation means this heat stays in the house so that by 10pm it can still be 22deg.

Of course there were 2 or 3 instances where there were 3 - 4 consecutive cloudy days with virtually no sunshine. So no heat was coming in and it did get down to around 10 deg inside. So I have a kerosene heater which I put on for an hour at a time when I'm sitting still. Once I'm moving about and wearing a sweater, cold is no longer an issue!

So as a result of this, I do not feel the need to have a wood burning fire in the house as i originally planned. I've stayed in places with them, as as nice and atmospheric as they are, I wasn't keen on the finding of firewood, the cleaning involved etc. At some point if the cold does become an issue I think I could probably install a small reverse cycle air-con for some heating.

It gives me a huge amount of pleasure not to have to pay electricity bills ever again!!

[Moondog55]

Two of those batteries are enough? Dirt cheap compared to Elons packs.
I am very envious of your rhubarb too

[ErrolFlynn]

my fridge plus separate upright freezer uses only around 440W to power all three.
That's not much at all.

[turnstiles]

That's not much at all.

It is sometimes less - when the fridge and freezer are at optimum temp the thermostats stops them cooling until the temp drops and then they kick in again. Currently (the water heater has not yet switched on) shows the fridge and freezer, plus my laptop which now uses power all the time as the battery is dead, is currently (HAD to use that pun :U) using 148w. Once the water heater switches on, and the sun is shining, it will go up to the 440w figure. And all of this is coming directly from the solar panels and the batteries are not being used (and are full).

Just took a screenshot (9.44am) of my power app:
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It shows my house is currently running on less power than an old 60w incandescent bulb!! Which means fridge and freezer are at maximum coldness.

When the batteries are full (96-99%) the PV charger usually drops to the level of usage.

[turnstiles]

Two of those batteries are enough? Dirt cheap compared to Elons packs.
I am very envious of your rhubarb too

!0kW of battery storage is plenty - especially for a sole occupant. (Power usage wouldn't be a lot different for a couple)

I wouldn't go near anything with the Musk name attached to it!

Early on I thought I might need extra panels - but that is now not necessary.

Yes the rhubarb is looking good finally. Time to star picking and freezing. Rhubarb crumble in winter is a must!! (Well...anytime really lol )

[r3nov8or]

Great update! Wishing you better luck with the new inverter. That's a lot of coriander. Some love it I guess :)

[turnstiles]

Great update! Wishing you better luck with the new inverter. That's a lot of coriander. Some love it I guess :)

LOL - A friend of mine refers to coriander as 'the devils weed'!! I love it - use it in stir fry and salads.

[r3nov8or]

LOL - A friend of mine refers to coriander as 'the devils weed'!! I love it - use it in stir fry and salads.

Yeah, I don't mind it in small doses, but some have the gene that makes it taste like soap. Others simply don't like it :D

[turnstiles]

A quick update on the veggie garden for anyone interested!!

The most noticeable change is with the butternut pumpkin. In the three weeks since my previous post, they have really taken off.
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No flowers yet so they are still getting bigger.

Zucchini is also a fast grower - there are about 8 small zucchinis already filling out - the first to pick will be tomorrow.
These few are like the first small stones preceding an avalanche!!
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My snow peas have been providing pods for over a week now, and I can easily pick a dozen a day now.
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Behind the snow peas growing up the veggie garden fence are purple climbing beans. (Like green beans but they are purple. But as soon as you cook them they become green!)

I'm taking a chance with these (my first time growing them) as I am not sure whether they will be safe from Kangaroos who will be able to reach them from outside. If I see they've been having a free feed I can quickly add some extra lean- to fencing to deter them.

They have just begun flowering so I think beans are still a couple of weeks away.
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We had a couple of weeks of really hot Spring weather which has had the unfortunate effect of sending the rocket and coriander to early flower. Fortunately there is still plenty of pickable greens from them both. But I will plant a second crop of them both next week.
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And the tomatoes are over a metre tall and have only just begun flowering. So, again, a few more week until fruit.

Radish is another very quick grower - I have been harvesting radish for a couple of weeks. I planted a small crop as I'm familiar with the speed of their growth and I didn't want too many left in the fridge waiting to be used. So I sowed a second crop (the smaller greens at the front of the left hand photo) next to the original..There will probably be a third and fourth sowing this season.
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When I planted my first cos lettuce seeds I waited and waited and nothing happened. So I thought perhaps the soil is too firm for them, so I sowed a liberal amount of seeds in seed trays in a potting mix. But then around six cos from the original planting popped up!

I thinned this lot out after I took the photo. I've left around 6 per tray. Far more cos than I'll ever need - but I like giving away excess to neighbours and friends!
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Apart from all that, the rhubarb looks as full as it did in the last post and it's had 4 liberal pickings already.

I also have 9 capsicum plants growing, but they are still only around 200mm high, so no caps probably until mid January.

Next year when I have the full garden planted I will add onions and red onions, garlic, cucumbers and beetroot. Over winter I'll grow broccoli and cauliflower.

I've a new friend - a juvenile Cunningham Skink which has been hanging around. I occasionally leave it a segment of mandarin (they love them). But not too often that it becomes dependent!! It's about 250mm long ATM,and should reach about 400mm in length at full maturity.
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[Uncle Bob]

Going to be eating well there!

[turnstiles]

Going to be eating well there!
:thumbup1:

Salad season has officially kicked off!!