artyone Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I'll be building onto my home soon as today I'm going to get 40-50 glass bricks that were offered to me. I've got all the other bits stashed away and ready, normal bricks, 4 x 2's, packing crate sheathing ( and heavy tar cloth to cover that), windows from old houses and roofing iron... all found or given as surplus and stored for use, and a box of nails I bought for a fiver, as in the wooden boxes. But even though I've had the plans running through my head about how to add onto what I've already got it's taken this offer of the glass bricks to do it for me... now I can have a wall of them facing the afternoon sun and get all those special colours as the bricks distort the light patterns. This is kinda shape wise what I'll be doing so the whole side gets taken off and I'll lay some concrete and stell foundations then set in a bunch of normal 150mm concrete blocks then go to town with all the bricks I've collected. This kinda the way I work now that I've gotten the basic structure up. I would have liked to have started this way but it's time intensive even while it's cheap but initially I had just needed something to keep the rain off me. I started way back in 2000 when I was on the dole and wanted to build a shelter using the money I got from the Government so each week I went and bought a few more blocks and over about two months had the basic structure in place. I tried to find some photos of the original building by trolling through my facebook stuff... now I've remebered where it is! Found it in my not very much used anymore photobucket account... as I just use facebook now for that. The original plan was to have a min recording studio up top and sleep downstairs, as I was well into music back then, but the top proved too small and overheated in summer so eventually I took the roof off and made it roomier, and it suffered from leaky home syndrome as the eaves weren't long enough and so in the current (above this photo, it's mostly leak proof. The next thing I did was add a lean too off the side for a metalwork shop but eventually that'll come off and I'll do something in the far corner of the property. At the moment the plan is to take off the balcony, which gives me access to where I sleep, and then build across the front and make the entrance there then use the internal stairs... every coupla years I change it around a bit and I'm well glad that way back in 2000 I put in the blocks as a basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumrum Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Where abouts are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tortron Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 My cousin has a similar set up 2 old house buses which have gradually become connected as the family has grown. Neat sunroom/lookout up top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artyone Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Just as the Council has their rules... I have mine and while it is illegal I have several precedants I could work with. I mean I don't want to get caught and have a fight, that just doesn't appeal but at the same time we really have to get over the huge expense involved in building houses which is tied in to both the banks and the insurance industry... and having shelter at the beck and call of such profit orientated organisations is a completely silly way to do things. Someone even said on the telly last night, or the night before, where parents are buying marijuana to make non THC concoctions to treat rare forms of epilepsy... that when the law is blatantly out of date or not serving us as laws should that it is our duty to flaunt it. I'm actually in suburbia and a mate of mine who thought that if I could do it where I am then he could do it in the country... and he's built some wonderful unpapered dwellings way up somewhere's that's gonna remain a mystery. At the same time I think we have to do such things with a mind to correct practises and be aware of engineering possibilities while at the same time possibly questioning where the boundaries exist. The trouble with legislation is that it's often tied in with what's already been done... to death, and even somewhat tied into the industry the legislation makes possible so alike the education system is becoming somewhat unable to actually provide what we need so to does the building industry need some fairly drastic reforms so that average people can actually afford a house that gives shelter and not be paying to support industrial practise only there for it's own purposes. So bring on the Hot Rod houses!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTERUS Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Rock on brother, I'd be keen for some youtube vids on your building progress etc. I briefly watched one of you wandering about the property but I can't find it now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Right on. I'm guessing I've missed a few moderated comments here and I won't be surprised if mine disappears too. I fucking hate paying the council for them to tell me what I can't do (in addition to other more useful services rendered). It's my house and I'll do what I want to it. I like that you're embracing that ethic! If you know it's safe and you like it, that's all that should matter. If other people don't like it then no one is going to force them to buy it, or even walk in the front door/up that 2nd story staircase with no handrails I really like your 'lumps of concrete and bricks' retaining wall, I'll hold onto that idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poo Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I know of a house in Morningside that has a second story added on top of a villa. In fact it has a kitchen and dinning room extension out the back as well. Made worse by the house being on a sloping section. The owner did all the work himself, he isnt a builder and no the council havn't been informed of any of the work. Its dodgy as. Cool story, eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poo Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Holy crap I just had a look at the place I mentioned above on google maps. The guy has built more out the back of his place. The neighbors mustn't give a hoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artyone Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 Turns out it was 88 glass blocks so it'll be a big wall! When I took the roof off this one to redo it one of the neighbours shouted across asking if it was coming down and I said no, I'm just doing it properly this time and he's like good! We all really like what you've done! And I'd occasion to speak to neighbours further down the road and they too like and are inquisitive about what I get up to... so neighbours really count. I'm not rebellious or anything, or maybe I am, but I'm not rebelling against anything so much as just really enjoy building and figuring things out for myself. Green sand casting with aluminium soon! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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