The Alternative Lifestyle Site

Transition Project #3: The House (an update)

Summer has been and gone and we are in the last throws of perfect Autumn weather here in North East Victoria, Australia.  Perfect deck and pergola building weather and that’s exactly what we are up to.

Our building program has proceeded steadily over the past 6 months and we are getting very close to our straw bale home extension being completed.  The render work is all finished (thanks Chris from Australian Render Systems in Beechworth), the gorgeous handmade doors and windows are in (thanks Rob and the crew from Designed By Eye in Stanley)  and the double glazing (thanks Hilton from Indigo Glass – another local business) is working perfectly, the lighting and fans have all been installed as have the solar panels and we are now exporting electricity to the grid.

You can get the same system we purchased (if you live in Australia) from Rezeko – ekoenergy solar, check out their website here.  Wall to wall carpeting was laid in the bedrooms last Monday and of course it was just too much to resist and we have been sleeping in our new bedrooms for about ten days now!  Total bliss.

Now I’m making curtains and the perfection of that process is that we were able to source curtain fabric and lining that is actually manufactured within 40km of our home which ties in beautifully with our ethics of using local people and materials if possible.  What a bonus.    Bruck Textiles is the manufacturing facility located in Wangaratta and the fabric is from the Wilson Fabric range and it’s called Karratha (with is named after a town in Western Australia) just in case you were wondering.

More pictures and videos will follow to bring you visually up to date with how things look and what still has to be done.  The feeling of satisfaction is immense and I can feel a celebration on the front deck (14m x 5m) brewing in the background.  Wish you could join us.

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