Extending/Re-building my Home both Front and Back

[zacnelson]

I have been putting off posting a `diary' of my work on my home in Altona, Melbourne. I started this over 18 months ago, in that time I had my first child so life has been hectic, the whole time we continued to live in the house even though we didn't have a kitchen or anything (very difficult with a new born!)

Now that the rear extension is complete, I am finishing off the front extension at a more leisurely pace, because we have comfortable living quarters at the back. I will post some photos of the interior at another time. Hopefully now I have started this thread, I will update it every couple of weeks with my progress.

Please feel free to ask any questions you like about anything I have done. I have hundreds of photos at every stage so I can provide detailed photos about things you may have specific interest in.

I have done every thing on my own, except for the colorbond roofing and the re-wiring. However, I plan to probably do the colorbond myself for the rest of the house.

The photos are in chronological order.

[zacnelson]

There was a large section of the house at the rear which I converted into a parapet-wall. I actually demolished the entire thing (except the rafters) down to floor level and re-framed / re-bricked it all with the new windows, there were such major modifications to the old design that it would have been harder (and less strong) to try and tie the brick work in.

I finished the entire rear extension (including kitchen, bathrooms etc) by about Feb 09, I had my plans approved in about May 2008. I did a new bathroom and a new ensuite prior to getting the permits and plans for the extension done. Unfortunately our pathetic draftsman promised me he'd have all the plans done by early Jan 2008 but he wasted another 4 months of my time. This meant that by the time my wife gave birth (in Aug 08) we were living our entire life in one bedroom and were using the bathroom as the kitchen. Those 4 months delay were the difference between a fairly comfortable life and a living hell. Also, it meant I had to do ALL the outside work (digging, reo, bricklaying, framing, demolition, rendering etc) right throughout the cold winter months with endless mud and short daylight hours - the whole time working alone on weekends and when I got home from work. I don't think I'd do it again that way.

[zacnelson]

Between about Feb/Mar 09 and Oct 09 I didn't do much on the house apart from little jobs like installing some cabinets and wardrobes and doing skirting boards. I was very busy with work and had to work most weekends at my real job. Also, I didn't want to be stuck doing outside work in winter. I started the extension at the front of the house in Oct 09, and was able to make full use of the lovely long evenings throughout the daylight savings period. I look forward to being able to spend my evenings doing the interior work (plastering, painting, floorboards etc) this winter, because I have almost finished all the outside work except for the roof cladding.

I have enjoyed building the front extension a lot more because we are comfortable in our new kitchen and even though we have had to vacate the 2 front rooms of the house (due to rain being able to creep inside in places) we are not too cramped.

I plan to replace the wall on the far left of the main picture with new windows and render it, the entire roof will be colorbond, and so hopefully the finished effect will be to totally disguise the original house design.

The small section with the new sliding side door is yet to be rendered. I also need to paint the render on the interior of the garage.

Last night I completed putting blueboard on the other section of the garage. I was originally going to plaster the walls on that side of the garage, however with blueboard I don't have to wait until the roof is on to have a secure home.

[Naf]

ZAC, that's an incredible transformation.

Well done.

[Bedford]

Great effort, well done!:2tsup::)

[zacnelson]

I found a few photos of the interior, I'm afraid they're not great photos but they will give some idea. I don't have any pictures of the ensuite or the nursery however you can see the kitchen and the new bathroom here.

[sundancewfs]

Spectacular work Zac!
I feel for you, with the newborn on site. At least our two are a bit older but its still an effort when you are living onsite with youngsters!
Well done.
I look forward to the regular updates.

[zacnelson]

Thanks everybody for the kind praise!

[kriso]

Zac, looks incredible. Very well done....and to do it all yourself, you sure are keen...!!! I look forward to the updates.

Also what are the paint colours that you used on the inside. I really like the look...

Regards,
Kriso.

[zacnelson]

I painted the walls inside with Taubmans White Pearl. I tried about 6 different colours until I was happy with one.

I did the ceilings and cornice in flat ceiling white.

[zacnelson]

Tonight I took a few better photos of the bathroom, I completed it about 2 years ago but for some reason never bothered to take decent photos of it!

[zacnelson]

The last week or so I've done heaps of stuff, most of which I haven't photographed, stuff like completing the triple grips and cyclone straps and bracing on the trusses, doing the graded battens on the flat roof section, and framing up box gutters and valley boards. I also completed fixing the blueboard to the inside of the garage.

The photo here is of the final transformation of the old house - I removed the one remaining large 1960s white-painted steel window frame (boy it was heavy!!! and I was working alone!) and inserted 2 new windows in the same style as the rest of the house. Then yesterday I took a day off work and bricked up the area. I managed to keep the original lintel in place and worked around it - this meant I don't have as many bricks to dispose of!

It looks ugly at the moment, but when it's rendered it will be amazing to see the original house fully disguised!

[sundancewfs]

Zac,
Are you using any particular companies render? or are you mixing your own for raw ingredients?

[zacnelson]

Hi Sundance (what is your real name?)

I have been using Unitex acrylic render, it comes in 20kg bags which I mix up using a powered stirring thing (a stronger version of those stirring drill bits you use to mix tile adhesive). A stirring drill bit will not handle the weight of the mix.

I do about half a bag at a time, I put the water in the bucket first and add the powder, and mix until it is to my liking. A good test is to run your finger lightly through the top and see if the peaks stay up like a lemon meringue pie. (Does that make any sense?! If not I could photograph a freshly mixed bucket of render).

I do 2 coats of base coat - the first one gets it reasonably smooth and the second one conceals any minor bumps remaining. I simply float it off with a a large plastic float which is about the 300mm by 500mm in size. Some people will set up screed guides and screed off these to create a flat finish, using much thicker coats of render. I prefer to use thin coats of render, especially since I am quite a fussy bricklayer and hence my walls don't require `correction'. Using thin render coats also helps me to be consistent in applying the same thickness over the entire area, because I let the trowel dictate the thickness of the coat, and I scrape off thicker areas long before I come to the floating stage.

The base coats are easy because you can take your time, you freshen up the render when it starts to go off by splashing water on the render which gives you time to keep floating it. Always work in the shade and preferably in cool weather (which is not always possible!)

I do the 3rd and final coat using Unitex texure coat, which is pre-mixed in 15L pails. This is granulated marble mixed with some polymer and has paint in it (you choose any colour you like eg from the Dulux range and they mix it to that colour for you). This is a much easier product to float, and it's convenient not having to waste time mixing it. HOWEVER it goes off almost as soon as you stick it on the wall, and it is impossible to liven it up by splashing water on it. Most people would refuse to do texture coat on their own, but I have done my entire house working alone, you just have to be super quick! It is imperative that you work in the shade, on a cool day, and if possible really early in the morning or close to sunset when the air is damp and chilled. That way you will get about double the time to work with it before it becomes unworkable. A red plastic float is used with texture coat which is about the size of the sole of a large shoe.

If you're interested, I have lots of photos showing more details during the rendering process, including an interesting way to do the corners. Also I'm happy to explain the process more if there are any gaps I've left in this post.

Because you are rendering over foam, if you look on the Unitex website at their base renders they will have a pre-packaged acrylic render which is specifically formulated to be higher strength for working over foam.

Zac

[sundancewfs]

Thanks Zac
I'm going to use TRW Hi Impact acrylic render. I've done some test panels with it and I'm very happy with its adhesion and strength. I'm going to do a dry mix texture coat and then paint it with a Dulux membrane with the colour in.
Looks like your roaring along with your project.
I've been doing some small block and bricklaying projects around the house lately and have come to the conculsion that swinging a pointy trowel is not my favorite sport!:U
Regards Andrew

[zacnelson]

Hi Andrew, I have experimented with a couple of dry-mix texture coat products before and found that the end result was not as hard-wearing as the Unitex pre-mixed texture coat. Also, with the added speed required in applying/floating the texture coat, it is difficult to find time to stop and mix up each batch of texture coat.

The high impact acrylic base render sounds like exactly the right product for your base coats.

I enjoy swinging a pointy trowel, but even then I had times where I got quite depressed when I saw how many bricks I had to go! It's nice to have all the bricklaying done now, but I look forward to doing more on future projects.

[ScroozAdmin]

If you're interested, I have lots of photos showing more details during the rendering process, including an interesting way to do the corners. Also I'm happy to explain the process more if there are any gaps I've left in this post.


That's a great finish you've got there, i'd be interested in more detail if that's OK as I'll be rendering my 2 storey reno and any pointers would be really handy.:2tsup:

[zacnelson]

Is there anything specific you would like pointers on, apart from what I have described in my earlier posts? That would help direct me as to what to focus on in my reply

[ScroozAdmin]

yep, as you used fairly thin coats I'm interested how you finished them to key in the next one and also your topcoat colour, it looks very deep and even, is that purely the product colour without further painting? I'm also curious about your 'interesting' corner treatment and any particular type (pvc/metal) of beads around your doors /windows

Being in QLD one of the major factors for me would be workability, unless I start at 3 in the morning :U

[zacnelson]

In April I did the roof, which was a very enjoyable process. I took these photos early on a cold morning a couple of days ago so it wasn't very safe to climb up there, but I will take some photos another time of the complex box gutters and flashing where the original house joins up to the flat roof hidden behind the parapet wall.

I also did colorbond fascia at the same time. I actually went ahead and installed the cement sheet eaves lining before I put the sheets on, because it was easier (especially working alone), I didn't have to work over my head in an uncomfortable position as much.

[zacnelson]

I have to complete the ceiling plaster in the garage quickly before I put the garage doors in. In this picture you'll see how I've used furring channels suspended on brackets 180mm below the truss height, in order to hide the pitching beam that sits on the engaged brick piers. I didn't want a bulkhead. I have framed up some strong supports for the door motor.

[jago]

Looking good ...is that Surfmist colour and if you dont mind what sort of size m2 and cost for you to do the roof ? I need to cost mine soon.
:D

[zacnelson]

Well done, it is Surfmist! The materials cost of the roof was $10k, however that also includes all the fascia and a hell of a lot of flashing and box gutters. Also a lot more ridge capping and parapet capping than usual homes. My plumber mate ordered the materials for me otherwise the cost would have been greater. Included in that is the steel roofing battens as well - I would highly recommend them, they are awesome to work with. The great thing with roofing is that there are not heaps of expensive tools required.

I did the whole thing with a 240V Makita impact driver, only $130! I didn't see the point of wasting $600 on an 18V cordless one, and I actually think roofing is the kind of job where dragging a cord around is not a hassle at all.

[jago]

Cheers, how big is your roof m2?

[sundancewfs]

So zac...
What is your interesting corner method for rendering?
Its an iteresting bit to do. As I have been doing one wall at a time I have been smoothing up to the bead for the base coat.

[zacnelson]

G'day sundance, I managed to find a pic of some of my unusual corner rendering. Bear in mind there are various ways to do it. I have stopped using corner beads because I have seen some houses where the beads caused cracking and therefore I decided to eliminate that possibility. Also it is time-consuming nailing them in to the bricks, and half the time the concrete nails don't really hold. It would be easy with blueboard houses though.

I find the easiest way is to render a wall face and just continue around the corner, and rub both ways around the corner to create a full coverage of the corner. This is quick, however there is a tendency for gradual curves to appear in the finished corner if the bricklaying has on overall bow or bend in it from top to bottom. 1 or 2 bricks that are out of alignment do not cause a problem. I plan to videotape this technique because it is very hard to describe in words. I really enjoy doing corners this way because there is a bit of an art to it and it is satisfying work.

The photo demonstrates another more fiddly technique I experimented with, which is only used on the very first coat. You trowel thick lumps of render on the corner all the way up, then grab a straight-edge (in this case I used a 2.7m bricklaying profile) and press the straight edge firmly into the render. You can then hold a spirit level against the straight edge and get a 100% plumb corner by adjusting the straight edge as you press it in. The results are amazing. Although it looks very messy in the photo, I think this method is the best way to get a perfectly straight line on a corner. Corner beads bend easily and will follow the general contour of the brickwork, and also they have a tendency to promote cracking. On the second coat I just use the method described in the second paragraph above (which I will video some time).

I think the straight-edge technique would be particularly useful on very rough brickwork (like those tumbled-style bricks with no sharp edges) with raked mortar, or with second hand bricks. It enables a neat edge when the brickwork itself is not presenting a natural edge to work off.

[zacnelson]

Hi Jago, I don't know how big my roof is. Would it be measured by the area of the sheets or the floorplan? (The floorplan doesn't take into account the extra area caused by the pitch of the roof)

[sundancewfs]

Thanks Zac, I'm using corner-beads on this project for a couple of reasons. There is no physical strength in the foam so they help protect the corners. Mine are glued into place with construction adhesive. It also give me a place to stop rendering after doing a wall. :U After four hours of rendering and mixing I'm buggered! (I must be getting too old for this stuff!) Most of my walls are 2 storey.

[zacnelson]

Yeah it's a tiring job, although awesome weather for it this time of year. I did all my rendering in summer and it goes off too quickly. I agree that it's good to have a place to stop with the corner bead when you're doing a 2-storey wall!

[jago]

How goes your build, any update pics ?

Where did you get your roller blinds from ?:2tsup:

[Cheltenham3192]

Zacnelson, what an unbelievable extension and conversion. Any more photos that you can provide?

[zacnelson]

Thanks for that, you are very kind. I am afraid I have been horribly slack with updating this thread! As you can imagine, a lot has happened since I last posted photos. First of all, the garage is totally complete, with a lovely motorised panel lift door at the front and a roller door at the other end, both in surfmist colorbond to match the roof. I finished plastering and painting the garage, including nice cornice around each of the brick piers which looks very regal (I can't wait to show a photo of that!). I spent the winter working on the remaining 3 bedrooms of the house (we're living in the back half of the house quite comfortably whilst I slowly progress on the rooms at the front). Unfortunately I am very busy at work and can never get time to take annual leave to work on the house. Also I find I spend too much time on the weekend watching the footy, and the freezing cold winter days and the rain sap my motivation, I can't get myself to leave the warm lounge room and venture into the cold dark work area! But I have done a lot, I have hung all the plaster and done most of the jointing. On the weekend I did the cornice in one of the rooms and sanded it ready for painting. Of course the electrical roughing has been done too. Now that daylight saving has begun and the days are a bit more sunny I will find it easier to motivate myself to work in the evenings after I get home from my real job. It is always a struggle to find time, especially since I have a toddler who is getting to the age where she wants to spend every moment with me (which is great) and we have another one on the way, plus the dog needs to be walked at night too.

[zacnelson]

Jago, I just noticed your question about the blinds, sorry I didn't reply until now! I just got them from Bumrings

[jago]

Cheers ZacNelson...Pictures please?:2tsup:

[zacnelson]

I have been SO slack at documenting my progress, I really should take more photos! I have one nice photo here of the front of the house at this stage, although I have basically completed everything now and I should go ahead and take some photos of the interior.

I have done a few threads on other sub-forums detailing some fun projects including concreting and decking. These are worth a read:
http://www.renovateforum.com/f196/my-first-deck-has-curves-96571/
http://www.renovateforum.com/f211/my-experience-doing-exposed-aggregate-concrete-96986/
http://www.renovateforum.com/f211/concrete-letterbox-96987/

[sundancewfs]

Looks great Zac!
It has come up very tidy. I sometimes wish I was as far along as you.

[DNL]

G'day Zac

mate you have done a fantastic job on your home. I've enjoyed reading this immensely along with all your other threads about the decking, concrete and letter box.

I've got to ask, how did you learn to do all those things? From what I can gather, you've done most of the work yourself, so where have you learnt the skills?

Cheers mate and if I wasn't getting our place ready to sell in a couple of months, between you and Sundancewfs I would rip the back of our house off and put and extend our main bedroom and increase our living space.

Luckly for me we are selling and moving into a new home currently under construction.

cheers mate, and great thread.
Dave

[zacnelson]

Thanks for that Dave, much appreciated. I hope these threads are helpful; I have certainly learnt an enormous amount from this forum. I am basically self-taught in every area, I don't really know anybody who is in any trade and nobody has helped me with anything. So a lot of what I learnt is trial and error, I've watched the occasional youtube video about certain things but they are never very good quality. Do you find diy videos always seem to give a very broad overview? They never show the real detail you require, and they always choose an easy example of the task. For instance a brick-laying video will only show a basic wall at waist height, not a corner or a window sill or an uneven foundation. And rendering videos wouldn't show a corner or window or lintel etc. I have had some fantastic support in these forums wit various questions. Also, I bought a few Allan Staines renovation books (which you find at Bunnings). Those books are quite good, but once again they never seem to include the subjects I am looking for!

Most things I find take me AGES at first, and then after a few weeks I feel like I can do it super quick. I'll never forget my first ever afternoon of bricklaying, I probably only did about 4 bricks!! But now I can do hundreds in a day when I'm working entirely on my own and doing my own mortar and carrying bricks etc. Same with rendering and plastering.

I think most carpentry work is very basic and anybody could do it; although when you're working alone you have to factor in the weight of certain things, for instance if I build a wall on the ground I can't make it too long or I won't be strong enough to lift it up and attach it all on my own.

Feel free to ask any specific questions you might have

Zac