Cut Height – Using a laser level and RL
Cut HeightDetermining cut heights and Finished Floor Levels is not hard, but having it explained in a simple way is very useful. Here are the steps......but before we start, there…
House Raising Prep Starts
House Raising PrepUnexpectedly I got a call from Shane that there was a cancellation of another client's job and that we could get started on cutting the site early. Yes…
Protected: DocuSubbies
Project Documents Here you can download all approved and final documents in relation to our Cochrane Street Project. If you require anything else, please contact us and we will get…
Demolition Cleanup
We picked a nice day for cleaning up the old stumps and other rubble. Took Mitch from U-Dig only a few hours and two massive truck loads, all ready to…
The House As We Bought It
The house as we got it...These are some photos of the house before we bought it...
Estimates
Having a budget is useful. Sticking to it is difficult, especially when it is for a home that's forever (never being sold).On this page we have made an attempt to…
Protected: Actuals
ActualsThese are the actual expenses to date. We have built an online form to record expenses (and add new expense categories) on the fly so it's nice and easy to…
Surveying
File Formats Surveyors want CAD drawings (or dwg files), not PDFs. So when you get your architecture designs, make sure that you get the right files. SurveyingOne of the requirements…
Demolition (Day 10)
Demolition done in 100 hours (solo)!12 hour day today, four trips to the dump totalling 2,600kg, which is 5,200kg of lifting, lovin it :-).Next week:fingers crossed Energex will remove the…
Demolition (Day 9)
Massive day today, started at 8AM and Adrian was already on-site to pick up some of the flooring, thanks mate, helps me and we love to see things being recycled.…
Demolition( Day 8)
Today felt like I got very little done, picked up the demo saw to cut a hole in the driveway, thanks Mitch from U-Dig for lending me the saw. Then…
Demolition (Day 7)
Finally got some of the floors demolished, yes! Paid $92 for dumping. Also worked out that lodging the plumbing Form 1 saves $315 when doing it online as opposed to…
Gas
Plan Ahead If, like us, you need your gas line and gas meter physically removed (for example because of relocating the house and/or major earthworks) start the abolishment process at…
Demolition (Day 6)
Weight lifting day... manually lifted more than 4,000kg of timber into and again out of the trailer dumping it at Ferny Grove Refuse Centre while it was bucketing down with…
Demolition (Day 5)
Did a half day today, still got all the walls pulled down and the piles of timber are getting bigger. Also finally closed the house up completely.Tomorrow I'm meeting with…
Demolition (Day 4)
Two aims today, (1) cover the big holes out the back to prevent the rain from flooding the place and (2) start taking down some external walls. Summary... both done,…
Demolition (Day 3)
Today is Sunday, decided to take it easy. Like for many others in Brisbane, it's a perfect day to go to the Ferny Grove Resource Recovery Centre (aka dump). I…
Demolition (Day 2)
Roof structure gone!... and the brand new 40V Makita Recip saw was absolutely amazing, I could not have done it so safely and quickly without it. The only thing was…
Demolition Starts
One day after our Building Approval was granted (on 31/1/2025), we started the demolition. First cab of the ranks was the roofing iron. It to 6 hours climbing up and…
Scaffolding
ScaffoldingScaffolding is regulated by the Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (see our Reference Materials and Links post).Scaffolding work means: ‘erecting, altering or dismantling a temporary structure that is or has…
Services Locator
Services LocatorThe best $800 you will ever spent during your project. We used CJLocates run by Corey James. He has been fantastic and we highly recommend him. Corey located all services…
Building Approval (BA) by Certifier
Building ApprovalAfter getting BCC Development Approvals on Wednesday 15 January 2025 we needed to get Building Approval (BA) which meant that our Building Certifier has to issue the development permit…
Roofing and Guttering
Roofing and GutteringThis is an outsourcing job. Unless you are an expert, don't do this yourself. We have a corrugated iron roof. There are several reasons for outsourcing:its always working…
Framing
FramingFraming is exactly that, building frames, in our case we used treated pine. Your engineering plans must specify the requirements for framing (e.g. H class, strengths, having double bottom and…
Glazing
GlazingAs a general rule you do not have to replace any existing glass that does not meet the standards.Any new glazing though must comply with the current BCA glazing provisions,…
Energy Efficientcy
Energy EfficiencyThe rules are ever changing and that's a good thing. Thinking about and implementing was to save energy is not a burden, it makes sense in a lot of…
Painting
Painting Now this is one is an absolute "must get lots of quotes". We got ten, yes that's right....why? Because there appeared to be a huge difference in pricing. Quotes…
Links
This post has been created as a repository of links to other websites that are directly relevant to our project. No doubt any other owner builder might find some of…
Entertainment Area
Entertainment AreaAt the back of the property where the view is the best, we built an entertainment area. It consists of several small (<10sqm) decks which are off, but close…
Protected: Contacts, Key Dates & Action Lists
These lists are for our project managers and other authorised contractors only. Details may be shared with members on request only. Action List TILER QUOTESGood morning, we are currently renovating…
Avoiding Mistakes
Avoiding MistakesThis page is really a collection of random things we thought might be useful for others to think about when embarking on or being in the middle of the…
Demolition
DemolitionMust projects involve some sort of demolition whether it be inside and/or outside, unless of course it is an entire new build. Our house required some sort of demotion both…
The Annoying Parts of being an OB
The Annoying Parts of being and OBHere we share our most annoying and daunting parts of being an owner builder. The list is...:Experts getting it wrong InsurancesLining up jobs (scheduling)Weather impactsRelying…
Building Industry Collapsing
Building Industry Collapsing Here we have listed examples of Australian building companies collapsing, it's sad to see an industry that was once highly regarded going down the gurgler. Being an…
Termite Protection
Termite ProtectionThere are termites everywhere in Australia. The need to protect your new home goes without saying. The best protection is to have the ability to visually inspect possible access…
Waterproofing
WaterproofingThis is also something that needs to be done by a licenced contractor unless its cheap which it will never be. For a project like this the value will be…
Electricals & Solar
ElectricalsOn Tuesday 11/2/25 Energex arrived at the house to drop the power cable. This was a crucial moment in preparation for the house lift & shift. Thank you Energex for…
Engineering & Soil Tests
Engineering & Soil TestingSome might think that engineering plans are very straightforward from an owner builder's perspective. We don't have much (if any) input other than during the draft review…
Surrender of Easement
Surrender of EasementIn this post we discuss the process of surrendering (or extinguishing) an easement (for those who have a registered easement ).First thing to do is to get a copy of…
House Raising, Sliding and Restumping
Raising and Sliding and RestumpingSome (if not most) people find this phase scary and daunting and it sure can be exactly that. But there are ways to minimise the stress…
Development Approval (DA)
Development ApprovalWith a project this nature, getting Development Approval (DA) through town planning is part of our puzzle as we are changing more than just the inside of the house.…
Architectural (Detailed) Designs
Architectural (Detailed) DesignsEvery project starts with designs. Ours started with scribbles on recycled pieces of paper. We don't call these concept designs, we call them ideas. It visualises how we…
Certification
Certification In 1997 Queensland introduced the option to either choose a private certifier or your local council. Nowadays, all certification is done by private certifiers only. The roles and responsibilities…
How it all began
How it all began... Living in the city has its ups and downs. Being super close to the neighbours and not being able to find a car spot anywhere near…
Plumbing
Plan Ahead Check early whether a Form 1 is required to be lodged by you as the builder with Brisbane City Council (BCC) , before a Form 7 will be…