The First Sod Turned

On the 19 of September 2018 the HSTP contractor arrived at 6:30 am with his bob cat and 10 Tonne excavator, and as we had already marked out the ground he got started.  The aim was to get the hole for the Home Sewerage Treatment Plant dug by 8:30 am so it could be off loaded and positioned.  Luck was not with us as at 500 mm down he hit rock.

Breaking Rock

The contractor was prepared and had a rock breaker with him and he started.  At 8:30 am the HSTP arrived and there was no choice but of off load it out of the way.   After 8 long and noisy hours he got the hole down to depth.  We got out the instruments and checked the depth and we all decided it was time to knock off due to the fading light.

The HSTP Plant 

The next morning we started at 6:30 am by re-checking the depth, it is easy to make a mistake when you are tired.  Satisfied with the depth the contractor placed bedding gravel and checked that the bedding was level.  He finished just in time as the crane to place the HSTP arrived, so the rigger started slinging it.  By 10:30 am the HSTP was in place and back filling was underway.

The Finished Excavation for the HSTP

The next task was to trench from the HSTP to the Granny Flat and onto the House.  We then ran the conduits and the power cable for the HSTP on one side of the trench,  The HSTP contractor ran the sewer lines on the other side of the trench.  We all stopped for some lunch and water when the council inspector arrived and gave his seal of approval.  We started backfilling almost immediately.

Positioning the HSTP

After the back filling was completed the HSTP contractor levelled the ground where the granny flat rainwater tanks would be installed.  The HSTP contractor loaded his equipment under lights.  It was a long day.

Part of the Trenches

We did not get much rest as the rainwater tanks were due in a week’s time and the tank stand had to be completed by then.  A full day was needed to move all the spoil out of the way and clean up the area around the tank stand.  Both of us then spent the next day placing the sleepers and getting the levels right.  Any error at this stage would be compounded over the next few days.

Framing the Rain Water Tank Stand

The sleepers were then bolted together and one removed so that cracker dust could be placed and compacted with our little tractor.  The final sleeper was bolted in place and the pad brought to approximate level.

Off Loading the Second Tank

Using a 3 m screed and a 1.2 spirit level the tank stand was levelled off.  This was a tedious task that took the best part of an afternoon.  The next morning the location details were checked against the council approved plans and we used instruments to check that the tank stand was level, which it was.

Positioning the Tanks

Our tanks arrived on time.  Unloading was a basic process; some pieces of wood were placed on the tank stand and the tanks were pushed off the truck on to the wood.  The tanks slid easily on the wood so the tanks were placed in the desired locations and the wood removed.  Within an hour of arrival the tanks were in place.

Tanks in Final Position

All that was left was to install the tank fittings and put some rain water into the tanks to ensure that they remain in place.

Jen and Rog

Email:  honeydaleqld@gmail.com

Work Has Started on the Granny Flat

After months of work and the involvement of many consultants we obtained council approval and permits to start work.  The process we went through included soil test consultants, bushfire consultants, energy efficiency consultants, civil engineers and designers.  We also engaged a consultant to help us prepare the Development Application.  The Council queried us about land clearing but we were able to respond without engaging another consultant as we were not planning to clear any land.

Apart from the paperwork we also had to remove all the rubbish from the Granny Flat pad.   This required a lot of trips to the local tip.

We also needed to cut down and chip a large stand of lantana.  The lantana was covering a large fallen tree.  The tree was cut up and taken away, and the trunk yielded several fine slabs for milling to be used in the Granny Flat.

Part of the bushfire management procedure required that all ground litter within a 20 meter radius of the granny flat must also removed.  There was a lot of dead wattle but the larger trees could remain. 

Removing the rubbish, cutting out the weeds and clearing all the dead timber took many days of hard work.  But it has been worth the effort as can be seen in the before and after photos.

After - View to the North

View to the South

View to the West

Jen and Rog

Email:  honeydaleqld@gmail.com

Timber

Many years ago, timber from the Brisbane Valley was highly sort after.  In the 1800’s there was three local sawmills in operation. With the nearby Coominya sawmill being adjacent to the railway station.  The mills are now long gone, and the bush has regenerated.

Today at HoneyDale we have eucalypt woodland with a shrubby wattle understory.  We have some beautiful tall trees, in particular - Spotted Gum, Narrow leaf Ironbark, Narrow leaf Red Gum, Pink Bloodwood and Rusty Gum.

In building our little Bush Retreat, we want to showcase the bush by highlighting the beauty of the local wood.  We will use salvaged logs to make benchtops and trim.  But to get to this stage, requires some hard work.

Selecting a nice straight log

After selecting the fallen logs, they must be slabbed using a chainsaw with a slabbing attachment. Then cut to size using a table saw and dressed using a thickness-planer.

So far, we have slabbed enough wood to make 2.5m of bench. Quite a lot more to go yet!  

But we do have a lot of fallen timber on the property, which would otherwise be left to rot.

Setting up

First slab from this log

Slabbing - its dusty work