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I had a go at building this chicken pen over the Christmas break. The plans were pretty good. Although the plans didn't include any way for the chickens to get up into the nesting boxes, so I built a...

Was working away on the computer last night, and power to the house went off, but all the lights stayed on. Had a look at the switchboard and the RCD had tripped. So I turned off all power...

This is a photo of the garage from our previous house. I painted the floor with Berger Jet Dry. Best thing I ever did. So much easier to sweep clean, and if needed you can even mop it clean (ever...

I got sick of all the Lego on the living room floor, so I knocked together this play table for our 2 year old. I don't have any woodworking tools (or skills) so I kept it pretty basic. She seems...

We had a chemical barrier installed in our previous place, for a similar situation. It cost about $1700 and from memory was supposed to last for 5 years. We had to put a 300mmx50mm strip of...

Please explain?

Another vote for the GMC mixer from me. It represents outstanding value for money for small jobs around the home. I mainly used it for mixing mortar for bricklaying, so capacity was not a big issue...

I put down 25m2 of Sir Walter in our front garden of our previous home. Didn't put any sand down. Didn't roll it. It looked and grew great. My only issue was the amount of maintenance it...

You don't need a permit to install that size tank, but it still needs to comply with local council regulations (eg. all inlets and outlets fitted with mosquito mesh, minimum distance from boundary...

See here my friend:

http://www.ozlogs.com.au/

Pressure wash. Then etch with diluted hydochloric acid (1:10 rings a bell but the container will say). Then pressure wash again.

Yeah the electric fence we have (see above) uses a radio collar so we, the children, the cats and any other dogs don't know it's there. It also means you can bury the wire once the dog learns where...

We recently moved into a new house and had a similar problem - wanted to keep the dog in the back yard, stop it from jumping fences, or digging up the garden.

So, we installed an invisible dog...

Both of the houses I have renovated have had decks that have not been looked after properly (by former owners) and have needed sanding. Now, how would you sand a deck if the grooves are up??

Thanks for the advice guys. I will get it sanded and hopefully post up some pics once it's done.



But Spa-n-Deck is supposed to go on with the timber wet. So how does that work??

What's a "toe-nailed screw"?

Why on earth would you pay him and then take him to court? :? Just don't pay him, and let him take you to court (if he wants to). You can then make a counter-claim for what it will cost you to get...

The good people who did some renovations our house before we bought it put the external balustrading on the wrong way - see attached pics. This is a safety issue because if our 18 month old drives...

We moved into our "new" house about 2 months ago. The house is about 90 years old. I have no idea how old the timber on the front deck is, what type of timber it is (other than it is hardwood) or...

I thought house lifting was usually done with 10-tonne hydraulic jacks under steel beams? That's how ours was done anyway.

Well, after all that, Bunnings sell this 90mm coupling that doesn't have a ridge down the middle like the other ones I have seen. So, it simply slipped over the pipe, I joined everything up leaving...

If you put timber posts directly into the ground or in concrete then you may not be able to see if termites get into the post. Whereas with stirrups you will be able to see the little buggers.

The repair coupling is what I'm after, although surely I don't have to order one in from NZ!? I wonder if Bunnings stocks them...?



Seems a pity to waste the overflow water into the storm...

I have an existing 90 mm stormwater pipe running in the ground beside a rainwater tank that has just been delivered. I want to run the overflow from the tank into the existing pipe. What is the...

You can get a Selleys gap filler specifically for weatherboards. See here: http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-No-More-Gaps-Weatherboard/default.aspx

Used it recently on a fairly large concrete block wall. Went on well and looked good. No complaints from me. It didn't go as far (in terms of coverage) as it said on the can though.

I've just built a brick planter box. It's only a few courses high, and not long, so it's single skin with piers. My plan was to cap the top with some charcoal coloured concrete pavers. Went to get...

Is it just me, or are some of these mortar joints a bit thin?

They are rebated into the top rail.

Anyone got any experience with these concrete wood-look sleepers? www.ozlogs.com.au

I'm looking at doing a retaining wall about 4.8m long by 600mm high. The quote I got a while ago was $32 for...

Sure, here's another one. It is great for resting drinks, plates etc on. A downside is that if the rain blows in then the water will sit on it a bit, which of course is not a good thing. So you...

From memory, you need to have something like 75% of the view blocked out on the sides of the deck facing the neighbours up to 1.8m high. For example - see photo.

We have Sir Walter turf in our front yard. It has been there for nearly 2 years. I have been impressed by how shade tolerant it is. Part of our yard gets little or no sun during the winter months,...

See this thread.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=14341

Can you still get 40kg bags of cement? Last 2 places I have tried said they now only sell them in 20kg bags, presumably for OH&S reasons.

I have a door sitting in the garage that was taken off our house during some previous renovations. I went to move it and the bugger weighs maybe 50-60kg. It looks like a normal white internal door....

Well, after some questioning the certifier has admitted that it was just his recommendation, not a legal requirement, that we use insulation. But I take your point Mr Midge about sticking the...

We are building internal rooms in the lower floor of our Queenslander. The external walls are 190mm concrete block walls. They are no core filled. The idea is to put Gyprock straight into the...

What's the usual fall on paving, for drainage? The plan I've done has a 60mm fall over 4.4m (about 1:73). Is that too much, not enough, or about right?

Do a search for "Lead Paint".

Meg - Assuming he trades as a company, then the Trade Practices Act will imply terms into your contract, including a warranty that the services will be provided with due care and skill (see...

There's quite a lot of information already posted about this if you do a search. Here's what I had to say last time:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?p=126278#post126278

Thanks for all the replies and advice. The current status of the debacle is this. The inspector has agreed to sign off the works provided that:

1. the termite company provides a certificate the...

Hi dirtgirl - are you able to clarify whether this is for new or existing building works, or doesn't it matter?

Also, the plot thickens a bit, because I've checked our building plans and they...

Hi. We have a bit of an issue. We have just had a chemical termite barrier put in, and now the building inspector says that chemical barriers are not sufficient under AS 3660.1. The inspector says...

I did some research, including reading this Choice article http://www.choice.com.au/viewarticleasonepage.aspx?id=103387&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=1 and ended up buying an AL-KO electric hedge trimmer...

No worries, I'm happy to give it a go. Didn't know about the email facility. Was just expressing an opinion which is, after all, what these forums are all about.



Quality over quantity, I...

I realise someone's spent a fair bit of time on this, but was it really necessary and is it such a good idea? I used to check the home reno forum every few days, and it was pretty easy to keep on...

My uncle built a mud-brick and pole house, probably about 25 years ago now. Made all the bricks himself. They still live in it. I was talking to him recently about how long it would last, and he...

You should be able to get .5m3 delived . Try Concrete Taxi (www.concretetaxi.com) - they specialise in small loads and are in Brisbane. Alternatively, you could buy a GMC mixer from Bunnings for...