Still building

It has been a busy few months, with many ups and downs. The final coat of render ended up being a real trial, as we decided to hand render the whole house. Peter managed to apply the earthern render on the outside and got plasterers to help out with the inside. The finish is just beautiful, particularly inside where lime render (sand mixed with lime) was used. The house is well and truly 'hand-made'.

Other than that, all internal walls and ceilings are now in place, and the bathroom and toilet tiled. Peter is busy lime washing the rendered walls, ensuring a beautiful smooth finish. We are also painting other walls with environmentally friendly paints and oils that are low allergy, non-poisonous and free of dangerous solvents.

As we try to buy second-hand, recycled, Australian or locally made where possible and source materials low in chemicals, significant time has been spent on sourcing the internal fittings, including tapware (Australian made), tiles (mostly Australian made), floorboards (second-hand recycled), bathroom ware (seconds, Australian and locally made from recycled materials), kitchen gear (seconds, mostly Australian and locally made from recycled materials), internal hardwood doors (second-hand), carpets (made of natural sea grass) etc. etc. Our aim is to create a healthy living space, with low impact on the environment.

In the next two months, we are HOPING to have all the painting done, the woodheater installed, carpets and floorboards laid, internal doors hung, the kitchen (or some of it) installed, the bathroom and toilet finished and MOVE IN (no photos to be released until then :-). Wish us luck!