Our Home in Hoya Progress Report No.1

Joists and Bearers

Building is progressing at great pace and we are finally getting an idea of what our home will really look and feel like.

Sometimes I think the house looks HUUUUUGE and others times, just perfect size for two of us, a few pets and a massive garden. 
From the top of the block she doesn't look so big. The two pics below show how she sits into the hill. This is something I wanted. Not a huge pretentious blot on the landscape. 

The side view of the build, however, shows that there is quite a slope on the block.






John can easily stand under the balcony that opens from the master bedroom.

I suppose that size can be considered relative in many situations. It is all a matter of perspective. Check out the house from the bottom of the block. It seems to span the width of the block which I assume is because of the slope.

I am still struggling to find ideas for the breezeway gaps. This one is between the living area and master suite. It is slopey and on the southern side of the house so won't get much sun. Any idea anybody? 

My latest bright idea is a simple metal structure that will support creepers. 

Something like this? Post a comment or suggestion.

John's been practising his drone skills again so check out his latest video. 

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We have broken ground!

We are off and digging! What more could we ask for. There is a sign, a portaloo and a water tank full of water. 

Here is a bunch of photos and a video so you can watch the build with us and give us lots of ideas about landscaping. 

Majestic piles of dirt perfectly frame the portaloo. 

It was a glorious Autumn day which shows off the portaloo nicely.

View from the top of the driveway. It curves to the right as it descends down the hill.

Dirt, glorious dirt! 

The view is amazing. 









My mind is in overload with landscaping questions. The block is naked so I have free reign. Well not exactly. John has a fear of gum trees crashing through the roof and fruit trees that are too large to harvest. I will collect some ideas for trees and ask you all for your opinions. 

Progress report coming again in a couple of weeks. Please follow my blog so you don't miss an episode. 

Trust me, I am not doing the earthworks. 

Colour selection for a new home

We have been "working" on this house build for many months now but alas, no start date as yet. The weather in south-east Queensland has been particularly unfriendly this week that little would have been done on the build even if construction was underway. 

The decisions have all been made so we can relax a bit and just wait. 

Here are some of the colour choices we have made.

Roof. Our current home has a black roof. It looks fabulous but I have always been a bit suspicious that it doesn't help the house stay cool in the summer so it's a "no" for our new roof. I wanted a colour that will blend into the landscape and there will be a lot of roof visible from the road so why not go green? Green roofs seem so out of date so it's also a "no" to green. When there has been little rain for weeks the block looks more like a sandy green so after much discussion, internet looking and samples arriving in the mail, we have settled on COLORBOND Surfmist ®. This will also be the colour of the rendered external walls. 

http://colorbond.com/colour/surfmist

According to the Colorbond website, Surfmist "embodies qualities of freshness, purity, timelessness and independency. Snow, the mist from the sea and surf, pure white sand, and the billowing sails of yachts all remind us of this colour." Yes OK, today I am going with snow.

http://colorbond.com/colour/monument

Gutters. We wanted a contrasting colour to create lines and liked the idea of black so COLORBOND Monument®

it is. A "strong, confident colour that is unashamedly a city colour." Yes, very sheike. As you can see by the photo, a whole roof would look brilliant and also feel brilliant if living in a southern state or close to the arctic circle.  

John and I love timber. It's look, feel and smell. We will have big wooden pillars on the porch and verandah posts. There is something about timber that is raw and natural yet defined. 

We are also practical. Our current home has a floating wooden floor. Looks great but we continually worry about the scratches. It also gets mopped with steaming, soapy water. Something that should never be done as it opens the pores, just like a steam room. 

The tiles we have chosen for the hall, dining, lounge and kitchen are timber look. Is this cheating? Um, maybe but they are also beautiful. 

www.nationaltiles.com.au

I have taken a photo from National Tiles to demonstrate just how beautiful timber look tiles can be. The photo does not do them justice, but this is Nordic Latte, our chosen colour. 

There is not much more to say about colour. The rest of the house will be the modern, 'on trend' colours of nothing really. Off-white, black benchtops, white cabinetry, black bathroom floor tiles. 

Let's hope next week is a bit more interesting than this week has been in house building world. 

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