Hi From Perth

**fly2hi** · 3rd February 2010, 03:37 AM

Thought it was about time I did this properly. Been reading this stuff for ages and looks to be one of the best sites on the net for just about everything.
The big dream is to have a fully fitted workshop one day and mess about with wood but that looks like being a retirement thing.
Biggest project to date was about 15 years ago when i built a 2 level timber frame 'kit' house in the UK. It was a Tudor design with lots of large beams, timber staircase and Minstrel gallery. All of the woodwork was stained and polished. Painters didn't like me much!. Did most of it myself, took about 18 months to move in and was a lot of fun and even more hard work. It was a great feeling when it was finally finished, even though it was never really 'finished' as such. There are always lots of things you know you should do but never get round to.
Moved back to Perth 2 years ago (grew up here) and now renovating a 1980's house.
I suspect the builder has long retired but when i googled his name discovered he rec'd an award for 'building excellence'. It should have been an award for 'building blindfolded'.
It's only when you start reno that you discover that few of the walls are plumb, door frames are out of square, ceilings are all over the place and the electrics are a bit dodgy. Such is the building trade i've been told but i just can't believe everyone works like that.

**artme** · 3rd February 2010, 06:11 AM

G'day F2H and welcome aboard!!

Looks like you have a good set of expeiences to build on.

I built my own home from a modified kit about 35 years ago. The fellow I hired to help with Gyprocking the ceilng told me it was the first house he had ever worked on that had square rooms

!!! Says something!

**mjmjm** · 3rd February 2010, 08:33 AM

Hi, Welcome to the forum.

**munruben** · 3rd February 2010, 09:45 AM

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have plenty of experience.

acmegridley · 3rd February 2010, 09:54 AM

You would be flat out finding a perfectly square room,level ceiling, no matter who built the house in good ol Aussie

**HazzaB** · 3rd February 2010, 10:45 AM

Hey there,

Welcome to the Forum, I hear what you are saying about square and plumb. I think that Builders (Loosely used term) only have the Squares and levels in their kit to make you think that they know how to use them, ever notice that they are either Brand new or covered in Cement.

HazzaB

**Fritz** · 4th February 2010, 03:48 AM

welcome to the forum.

**Christos** · 4th February 2010, 09:37 AM

Welcome to the forum.

You guys are funny.

**fly2hi** · 5th February 2010, 01:12 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome (what else...it's Summer here)
As for levels and squares...don't even need those to lay a ceiling out. A ball of string would be enough just to get them all on the same plane. Guess it's the same old story...all the other trades that follow on can sort it out for themselves. I was looking at one of the loo doors today and it sort of puzzled me. The frame was about 15mm wider at the top than at the bottom. The door was the same..well.. it would have to be wouldn't it. When closed, the bottom of the door touches the doorstop. The top of the door is about 15mm away. At least the error margin is consistent but what a balls up.

When I put up the timber frame house. the instructions where very clear. It was a concrete beam and block base and the tolerances where 5mm on the perimeter and 5mm on the level. It was on a sloping site with footings all over the place to take the beams. That meant piles of backfill as well so it was near impossible to pull a tape across it. Not that a tape is much good over that distance anyway. I ended up plotting it all into turbocad and then working out all the dimensions and angles just to be able to double check everything. That made the whole job so much easier right through to the roof. The only pig was when the guys who put the frame up decided that one of the internal walls was off level so they cut into the blocks. They were proved wrong when everything above that point started to show up as 'not quite right'. I should have made them pull it all down and start again but hey..

**Ken Prider** · 8th February 2010, 06:25 PM

Welcome to the real world fly2hi, anyone can renovate a perfect house, even a builder. It takes real dedication & tons of time to do a reno on an aussie build.

**fly2hi** · 8th February 2010, 11:21 PM

Yeah but (no but)....you wouldn't need to renovate a 'perfect' house...would you

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