There is progress, but it's slow. We've had an extended drizzly period through spring that has been very frustrating. The ecowood oil we use needs 48 hours without rain, and there wasn't two days in a row without drizzle for 6 weeks. Trevor, who has always had a lot of head hair, almost lost it. However, the weather has finally changed and progress has gone ahead. Now Trev has two or three weeks fulltime work to haul up progress again. But once finished we hope to use the income to have someone come help him on the roof. It's very nice to know the wood stage is pretty much finished for now, and that the roofing material is onsite (except for the insulation, which is only an order away). I'm always looking at home good things look and how far we've come, but Trev is always seeing what's not happened and what more there is to do. To try and make things tangible for him I made him a mud book celebrating his progress. I've been taking lots of photos so putting 40 or so of them in order was a great way to see how far its come. It's taken close to 2 years to get to this point. I hope that once the roof is on that things will even out for Trev. A space that can be worked in regardless of the weather.
I help him out as much as possible. I'm on the 'dumb end' of every tape measure, I can balance one end of a 3.6 metre board on my head while I clamp it to the side of the house, and 'walk the plank' on one of Trev's ingenious temporary scaffolding jobs and generally do the best I can to make things easier. But I'm well aware that Trev is the brains, brawn and the ingenuity behind it all. I slink back into the garden (which is not only growing up but out at an alarming level... about an acre all up now, a weeding logistical nightmare).
The next big issue is the availability of strawbales this year. It's going to be tough finding any. The lack of winter rain has not really been made up for by the spring deluge and there hasn't been alot of planting going on. So if anyone knows of anyone who will be baling straw this year in Tassie, we'd be very interested to hear.
7 comments:
Hi Linda,
I would love to buy a copy of your book, could you email me if/when you have some in stock?
thanks
kmaree_warrenAThotmailDOTcom
Hi Linda - Have you figured out how you're going to celebrate when the house is finished? ;-)
I'm in awe! I've just spent a week building one gate. That's right one. You're amazing!
Celebrating finishing the house feels so far away I can barely visualise it.
Kella B - the book is for sale at www.lintrezza.com/book.html
It would take me a week to build a gate too - and then I'd make it so it opened the wrong way or was hinged both sides. I'm in awe of him too.
Hi Linda
I heard you on a radio interview a few years back on 90.3 ABC Coast FM. I really enjoyed your story so went to the ABC Bookshop but they didn't have a copy of your book. Some months later they finally rang to say they had got a copy in. It then sat on my bookshelf for ages as we were building a house and then a few weeks back i finally picked it up and am 3/4 of the way through. I have so much admiration for what you did and today I googled and found your had a blog and that you have moved to Tasmania. I guess so much has happened since you wrote the book. We have just moved into our new house which is on a suburban block. We have tried to be more energy efficient by installing a 25,000 litre water tank to service the toilets, washing and irrigation. We have 14 solar panels on the roof, 2 for the solar hot water and 12 to sell electricity back to the grid. It is a start! We do have some grass - i thought your comments about that were very interesting and had never thought about it that way. We are a long way from being self sufficient but you have given me a lot of inspiration. I will continue to read your blog updates and the progress of da house building.
Best regards
Michele
Hey Linda,
I've read your magazine articles (which I have loved), and just stumbled onto your blog. YAY!
We are about to move to our land (and build a house - strawbale) this year. We have been renovating our current home, putting on a grid connect solar system, water tank etc etc.
Your building experience sounds very much like mine, my hubby is so good at all that, I'm just the one who goes and passes tools, or hold the 'dumb end' of the tape measure!!!
How are your bees? I was sad to read that they had died, I am hoping to maybe start beekeeping this year or next year - so far, I am focusing on planting lots of plants for them. Take care!
Hi Linda :)
I just finished reading Living the Good Life, and just wanted to say how much I loved it, and how inspired I feel. I'm just starting my sustainability/ frugality/ simplicity journey, but hope that in time I can reread books like yours and think 'yep, i'm doing that, that and that too now!'
Good luck with the house in Tas. After you mentioned it at the end of your book, it was so exciting to stumble on your blog and see it's actually happening :D
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