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. 

We are visiting Our Home in Hoya every fortnight so why not follow my blog for regular updates. 

Where to land a house on a sloping block

The contour map for our block revealed the true mountainous state of our block. There is a 7 metre fall from front to back on one side and a lump in the middle. What is under the lump we are not sure but are suspicious that there is a fair amount of rock. The earth has also been pushed onto the block to create level ground for the road.  

The lump is very obvious on the aerial photo. 



I had great difficulty picturing the house on the block. My brain couldn't translate a 2D plan on paper to a vision in my head. The plans returned with the house further from the front boundary than I expected and this created even more doubts in my mind. John build a 3D model. Suddenly it all started to make sense and I could see where our home will be. How it will sit in the landscape. Here she is!  Check out the video. It is a bit wobbly and I hope you don't feel queasy watching it. 

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The large snake is our driveway, all 148 m2 of it. That's a lot of concrete. 

We will have a lot more front yard than I originally thought we would so now my mind is running wild with landscaping questions. 

Please follow my blog. The link is on the right. I am happy to share our experiences of how to create a Home in Hoya. 

A Home in Hoya

There are times in one's life when something beckons that cannot be ignored. 
For John and I this came in 2013. We had the urge to acquire a bit of land so we could eventually "retire to the country." Perhaps it was because Mum and Dad had sold their beautiful cottage at Maleny and whilst we didn't visit as often as we wanted to, we knew it was there. Or maybe it was because we had a desire to start from scratch. The thought of starting gardens on a blank canvas was hard to resist. So we didn't.

Anyway, we found this gorgeous block of land at Hoya, just outside of Boonah. It is in an estate that was once a sheep farm so of course, I am thinking sheep poo and praying that the soil will be rich and fertile.

Hoya is not a large town. According to Wikipedia, it has a population of 273, but all is good because Boonah is just around the corner and 2474 people live there. It boasts a huge IGA, butchers, bakers, a couple of great coffee shops and a hospital. We have plans to utilize all but the hospital.

Fast forward to 2017 and it is time to build. Building a house in the country feels like a big thing to do so why not join us on this "journey" and come along for the ride. We promise to share all the unfortunate details of how to build "A Home in Hoya." 

My generous Montville Rose

This is my gorgeous Montville rose growing very happily in the front garden. It was given to me by Mum and is the offspring of her bush in Maleny, Queensland. The bush was huge and I desperately wanted one of my own so Mum, who could never resist growing something for free grew one for me. Quite simple apparently. 

A study of Google, suggests that the Montville rose is actually the Duchess de Brabant, a large, bushy old fashioned rose. 

This glorious specimen is growing at "The Shambles," a private country garden in Montville. 

The photos on their website will make you drool. Take a peek here. 

https://montvillegarden.com






Anyway, the reason I am writing this post is because I have succeeded in growing another from a cutting. 

I realise this looks like a stick with a few leaves sticking out of it growing in a cut off soft drink bottle and yes, it is, but I am very excited. 

I butchered the bush in late March, not the best time to try to grow cuttings in Brisbane. The weather was still hot and humid so chances of success were slim. We were far more likely to end up with a mouldy dead stick. This one brave cutting held on and after a couple of false starts where leaves formed and then dropped off, we now have a strong little beauty with lucious green leaves. 

This is her Mum, 3 months after cutting back. At the time she was touching the eaves and was about 2m across. With a few shots of super fertilizer and plenty of water, she generously flowers continuously for us.

Isn't she beautiful. 

Happy Gardening!

Plant shopping

I have been to the nursery again. This time it was to Templex, in Algester, Brisbane. It is the most amazing nursery you could ever visit and is worth a trip just for the sculptures and ambience even if you don't want to buy a plant. 

Plants are something I cannot resist so this trip was destined to result in some much loved purchases. Here is my bounty.



Abutilon- Chinese Lantern

 These beautiful plants have delicate shaped flowers that look a bit like a petticoat. They come in many colours and can be grown from seed but it is a lottery for which colour the flowers will be, so I have bought a ready made plant. I am hoping to standardise this one so will leave it long and lanky and stake the main trunk. 

Lily Pilly- 'Allyn Magic'

 This is a small Lilly Pilly that I am hoping to grow in this small  red pot as an outdoor table decoration. 

Pratia


This is a delightful ground cover with soft vibrant tiny leaves and flowers. I will divide this so that I can use it for mini potted landscapes. 








Trident Maple

 I have always wanted a maple tree but the climate in Brisbane limits the choices. 

It has now been potted in this gorgeous, simple white ceramic pot that I paid $9 at a roadside pot shop on the way home. 

We have been trying to grow moss for the last few months to put in our pots and at last we have had some success. 
This is not a bonsai. It is a small plant in a lovely little pot. I don't think I will ever be able to produce true bonsai, but I think this little maple is beautiful.

I also bought this stunning pot from the same roadside pot shop. It only cost me $19 and will be perfect for the fig tree that I rescued from the kerbside pickup in the dark one evening. It was lying on the ground in a broken pot and hadn't been cared for in a while. It will be exciting to pot it up and will post photos when it's transformation is complete.  

Happy planting! 

The Love of Plants

I have always had a passion for plants. You wouldn't know it at the moment by looking at my garden. It is dry. The grass is 'crispy'. The pots tired and the shrubs struggling to look healthy. Only some of this is due to my current woes and pains. The weather is terribly dry and summer is upon us. Watering by hand every day can only do so much and rain is sorely needed.  

For the first time in months, I spent enough time in the garden for it to be noticeable. I have tidied up the front rockery; turned over the soil; sprayed wetta soil on it and covered it in sugar cane mulch. I also planted a few new plants. It is only a little rockery but my feeling of satisfaction carried me through the day.

I will share my plant stories with the world, because plants give me beauty and I can't resist them. This is a photo of a gerbera. I bought it for John during my trip to the nursery this week. It is the most striking scarlet red with beautiful lush green leaves. Gerberas are one of John's favourites. 

So check back in often to see how my plants are growing.