TANSTAAFL

Fans of the late and great science fiction author Robert A Heinlein may recognise the acronym in this post's title: There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Well, it appears that this principle also applies to water-saving.

Australia is currently afflicted with a long-standing drought that has lead to severe water restrictions and a rash of water-saving measures, including widespread proselytising about water-saving appliances and bathroomware. So converted, we purchased a 5-star toilet from Caroma with an integrated hand-basin. The idea is pretty new here in Ausi, but such toilets have been used in Japan for many years, and involves making the water used to fill the cistern available for washing the hands, thus serving a dual purpose. It's a great idea, but it's not related to this missing free lunch.

The other day I had a shower in our ensuite. Five minutes in and the drain began to bubble like a hot spring full of teenage boys after a baked bean lunch, which was curious, but not startling. However, once the water from the shower started to back up, and the toilet joined in with its own bubbles, I became concerned. The water took an hour to drain away, and the plumber (who came four days later), informed me that this is a very common problem. These days, with water-saving toilets (ours saves water not only by integrating the basin, but also by using very little water for each flush), there is insufficient water in the pipes to generate a decent flow, and hence blockages occur. It was fixed by dumping a few buckets of water into the toilet bowl and flushing, and I was advised to occassionally use the grey water from the shower to give the toilet a bit of a boost. And no half-flushing if any paper is involved, I was warned. The pride I had had in my throne, whose half-flush had until now handled anything we had thrown it, bubbled away in an instant, my hubris no more than a misguided phantom. We had succeeded only in blocking our drains, the solution to which was to use more water.

As an aside, our taps had also been configured for low flow, to save water. Apparently this wears out the valve. And rainwater tanks are loved by mosquitoes which multiply and fly their sorties laden with Ross River and Dengue Fevers.

Ah yes, even the noble practice of water-saving is not exempt from the law of TANSTAAFL.

Blowing a Budget

I've just been told we're 5% over budget. It doesn't sound like much, but it's $12,000 we hadn't counted on. So I've joined up to fotolia where you can sell your photos. I don't expect to make much, but it's worth a shot, and at the very least some of the photos I'm proud of are out there (photography used to be my hobby until I was forced to sell my camera for financial reasons).

But I digress. When planning your own renovation, you would be wise to add a decent percentage to the quote, let's say 20%, as there will undoubtedly be items that were not included in the schedule, and as you progress you will also think "Wouldn't it be great if we could add xyz." You might ask where the figure 20% comes from, since we are only 5% over. Well, we're probably not even halfway yet, and we've been doing our best to reduce the cost. If we were to put in what we actually wanted, we would be up around the 50% mark. So let's call 20% a realistic compromise.

You've got to love those banks

Ah yes, banks are your friends. They tell you they’d be delighted to finance your renovation, but once you begin building and the progress claims start arriving in your mailbox in their neat little envelopes, the bank decides it has changed its mind. That's what happened to us, at least.

Having little money as it is, being sued for defamation is not high on my wish list, so the offending bank will regrettably remain nameless. Said bank accepted our preapproval application subject to a satisfactory valuation. The valuation came through (that in itself was a rigmarole) within the agreed limits, and so we expected our finance to be stamped and approved. “Sorry, we don’t do these types of loan anymore,” the bank said “Ta ta.” Well, the builders had already been working for two months, and all of our money had been consumed. The contract we had signed obliged us to pay all progress claims within seven days of submission. And our next one was due in a month.

To make matters worse, we had booked an overseas holiday for the following three weeks and had two days to organise alternative finance before we left. Our ever-suffering mortgage broker came to our rescue along with another bank (at a higher interest rate unfortunately), and we had the application in five hours before our flight departed.

Five weeks later we are still waiting to hear whether our refinance has been successful, and our builder has informed us the next progress claim will be submitted within the week.

The last thing I want is to be unable to pay the builder and be left with a half renovated home with multiple catflaps, but that is indeed looking more and more like my future, rather than the scary parallel future it should have remained.

So, if you plan to commence work before the finance is fully approved, I would recommend getting preapproval from more than one lender before you start.

Winter

I know this should be obvious, but renovating in winter is not a good idea. We've bought a new heater, and an electric blanket, but every finger and every toe has a chillblain on it, and that's not a pleasant experience, let me tell you. It is very difficult to heat the house when there are a large number of holes in the floor and walls big enough for cats to crawl in through (and they do). We have central heating, but in the interests of preventing a dust-storm, it is remaining firmly in the off position. On the upside, our latest gas bill is very low.

It hadn't been our intention to carry out the work in winter (in fact we'd been aiming for summer), but with numerous delays, it worked out that way. Still, if you have any control over it, try renovating in spring or autumn. Summer, too, is probably not such a hot idea, if you will pardon the pun, for similar reasons, but I would think it probably preferable over winter.

Dust

Dust is one of the biggest annoyances with renovation. There are many sources for the dust, including existing dust (eg. in the roofspace, under the floor) that is disturbed, new dust that is created from breaking up existing materials (eg. knocking down or cutting into walls), and new dust that is created from new material (eg. sawdust, plaster dust).

Safe Zones
The first strategy is to maintain safe zones that are sealed off from the bulk of the renovation. Any room will do, but if you have a room or rooms that do not require much work, then these will be the best choices. We chose our bedroom, dining room, and a storage room off the kitchen. The aim is to prevent dust from entering those zones. This can be done by keeping the doors closed, sealing any gaps under the door, and taking off footwear when entering those zones.

Protect your valuables
Although you've created a safe zone, it's impossible to keep all of the dust out. Buy lots of dropsheets (you can get cheap plastic ones from your local hardware warehouse, like Bunnings) and cover appliances and areas that need protecting from dust. Store food in large sealable plastic boxes.

Air Filters
There are a large number of air filters on the market, such as IQAir and BlueAir. Ensure you obtain one with a HEPA filter. Many filters also have activated carbon to absorb chemical fumes and VOCs, which I would recommend if you plan on using chemicals such as polyurethane (eg. for sealing floorboards) or paints that are not low-VOC. You can move the air filter from room to room. I would recommend running these in the room you are residing in, and also wherever you happen to be vacuuming (which disturbs lots of dust and won't catch all particles). Air filters can either be hired, or purchased. As an aside, they are also good for filtering out air pollution (which can be higher inside than out), and allergens. For those reasons, and because of the duration of our renovation, I decided to purchase rather than hire. For those in Australia, Air-Iononics seems to have a good supply. Make sure to order yours a few weeks before renovations are due to start, as there can be a lead time.

You can also get good filters for ducted heating/cooling systems, so if you already have this in place, then investigate this option.

Vacuuming
You can hire or buy vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. It is a good idea to mop the floor before you vacuum, as this will minimise the amount of dust that becomes airborne when you vacuum.

Asbestos
One can't talk about renovation without mentioning asbestos. All I can say is, seek professional advice on this before you begin, especially if you're doing the reno yourself. There is no point doing a renovation if you're not going to be around to enjoy the results.

To live onsite or off?

Our 1920's Californian bungalow in Melbourne, Australia, is being practically gutted, and an extension will be added at the rear. We're not doing this ourselves, but hired an architect for the design, and we have a building crew doing the actual work. If this sounds like the kind of renovation you'll be undertaking, then you need to read this blog before you start.

If you are getting the work done for you, there are essentially two types of renovation, those where you live in the house, and those where you live somewhere else. Each has its pros and cons.

Living onsite
1) You save money because you don't need to pay rent on another place (unless you are lucky enough to have family members or friends closeby who don't mind you staying with them).
2) If you are at home during work hours, then the builders and tradesmen can keep you informed, and clarify items of work with you. This means it's more likely you'll get what you want because you can easily be consulted. If you're not around, they will just make their own decisions about which way to proceed. For example, I was on holiday when our ensuite tiles were laid. Big mistake, but now it's too late and the setout can't be changed.
3) The tradesmen are less likely to slack off with you around.
4) You don't have to travel for a site visit.

Living offsite
1) You don't have to put up with the inconvenience of the renovation. ie. the dust, noise, and other inconveniences such as days without running water, access to toilets etc.
2) It is easier for the builders because they don't have to work around you (for example,they don't have to worry about getting your new kitchen functional before they demolish the old one).
3) If you don't visit the site often, you can easily see the progress being made.

With that said, my wife and I are living onsite, so our tips for surviving a renovation will be from that perspective.