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The house we now live in was a long time coming, about
11 years to be exact. Factors
such as time and money had a lot to do with it but finally we managed to get the
money together and somehow made the time. In February 1992, can't
remember the exact date, we
made a start on the walls of the house. The
concrete slab had been down for a long time so that was a big part of the job done
but not, as I was about
to find out, a very
big part.
Once upon a time when I had been visiting an old house in the
district I noticed the thickness of the stone walls of the house, 2ft thick. Very
solid and as the owner told me, very
good insulation properties. Then
and there I decided that when we built our house the walls would be 2ft thick as
well and as an additional barrier against heat and cold a brick wall would
be put on the inside of that plus double brick interior walls.
About a year before I had contracted a local truckie to move
the stone for the house up from the next door neighbours,380
tons in all and every last stone and a bit more besides
went into the house. It
was originally planned to build two stories out of stone but after laying over 380
tons of stone and only getting to the first floor the task of laying that much stone
again and having to carry it all up to the second floor was a bit too daunting
and we decided on cedar boards for the second floor.
All in all it took about 18 months to finish the house and in
November 1993 we moved in. After
the log cabin with two rooms we kept getting
lost and had to think before we went anywhere in the house until we got used to
all the room. From a 600 square foot cabin to a 3240 square foot two story house
takes a bit of getting used to. We have been in the house for nearly eight
years now and Chris has nearly got the garden the way she wants it but there is
always something to do, move
or replace because those bloody possums have eaten another plant. It's a continuing
saga this place, so as the time goes by I will add more to it.
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