Happy simply home Needs a little happy simply help to complete

A post here from my Happy, simply home ally in South Australia, Beau. He is keen to finish off the home in Aldinga so people can start staying there as there is a lot of interest around for people to experience the Happy, simply home and lifestyle. Please have a read and if there is anything or anyway you might be able to help that would be greatly appreciated by myself, Beau and anyone wanted to taste the Happy, simply home and lifestyle… Thanks Beau! Also see a little excerpt on Free Money Day that Beau and others partook in on Sustainable House Day…

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Sustainable House Day

Sunday 14 September was Sustainable House Day (http://sustainablehouseday.com/).  It’s a national event where homeowners open their doors to the public to showcase the sustainable features of their homes.

The Aldinga Arts EcoVillage had 5 homes open, as well as one tiny, happy, simple home 🙂  We estimate that between 150-200 people visited the village.  It was a great opportunity to get exposure for the project and promote the Happy, simply lifestyle model.  A big thanks to Sam for helping out on the day.  His beautiful, hand carved spoons added a lovely touch to the home, which you can check out here:

http://www.lowimpactman.com.au/

Although I was excited to be sharing the project with people, I felt a little sad to have to keep repeating the line, “When the home is officially completed….” almost 3 months after we ‘finished’ the build.  Unfortunately I have been in and out of hospital in the past few months and not had the motivation or health to push things forward.  This combined with d’Arcy being overseas has meant that things have stalled and we are unable to open the home to the public.  I also want the volunteers who worked on the build to be able to spend a night in the home – something I remember many people looking forward to, particularly the Heathfield students.

So I’m calling on everyone out there reading this post to please consider if you can help us get the home to final completion.

The main tasks we need are:

• Repair / replacement of the front door that smashed.  It’s an odd shape and new glass will be very expensive, so we’re considering perspex, a new door or glass replacement.  If you know of someone who has the skills and / or materials to fix the door, please email happysimplyhome(at)gmail.com – all suggestions and assistance welcome.
• We may also need a blind / screen for this door come Summer, again suggestions and materials welcome.
• Electrical work – we need to connect the solar panels to the battery system and then connect the lights.
• A gas bottle for the outdoor stove
• Installation of fly screen on the western window
• Disassembly and disposal of a workbench that has an asbestos top
• Installation of skirting and architrave

Please help to bring this project to a stage where it can be shared.  The construction was a wonderful education project but the happy, simply home can’t really be appreciated until the guest book has a lot more names in it.

I hope to hear from lots of you in the near future.

Beau

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Free Money Day

Monday 15 September is Free Money Day – an international event where people give money away to strangers on the street because sharing is fun and to perhaps engage in conversations about money and what it means to us.

We decided to celebrate a day early and incorporate Free Money Day into Sustainable House Day.  We offered people two, one dollar coins.  It was an interesting experience and a little weird.  I found most people were quite taken aback by the concept and felt very awkward accepting money.  Many wouldn’t accept it at all or offered to donate it back, some even wanted to contribute their own money to the pot.  I was left wondering if free hugs or free muffins would have been met with the less resistance.

Amongst the looks of confusion and scepticism, we did manage to have a few genuinely interesting conversations and brought about quite a few smiles.  About three people accepted the offering with gratitude and nothing more was said – my favourite response of all.  We began the day with $180 and only managed to give away $60.  Who would have thought giving away money would be so difficult?  Thanks to Amy for contributing to the pot and helping out on the day. 

I spent most of the day thinking about how $2 seems such a frivolous amount of money in our society.  Meanwhile, there are billions of people in the world relying on that amount to live each day.  To experience a glimpse of what that might be like, challenge yourself to Live Below the Line. https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/ 

Editor note: I can vouch for both of these programs as I have helped design and participated in them often – great perspective and experience makers – Have a go!

Happy Simply SA in Pictorial/Photo Form

Hi Folks. So this blog site will be kept up on an occasional basis from here on but I thought it would be nice to dedicate the second to last post on a pictorial look at the Happy, simply build in South Australia…

The next post (on the booking process for the Happy, simply home in SA) will be a last one in a little while as I am going on a 1500km walk in Japan for an idea I call Teaspoons of Change… which are personal choices, decisions and actions that have a positive impact on people and the planet one teaspoon at a time… http://teaspoonsofchange.wordpress.com/  https://www.facebook.com/teaspoonsofchange

Enjoy the photos from before to after of the Happy, simply home in South Australia!

Happy, simply SA – Final Week!

Just a quick update as Happy, simply enters it’s final week (officially but with probably more to do after…)!

• Tomorrow (Wednesday) sees a builder out for the day to help us put on two eves/pergolas/awnings/shelter thingies on to the front and back deck plus last plaster inside and maybe guttering and tank stand…
• Thursday – first coat of paint for almost all the remaining surfaces, door handles, toilet shelter completion and hopefully maybe second coat of paint
• Friday – any last painting to be done so then cornering, architraves and final door/window frames and then laying in the floor
• Saturday – whatever is left over plus: custom shelving, skirting, door and window painting, day couch/night bed, temporary front deck and steps – I even hope to spend a night in it on Saturday night!
• Sunday – Happy, simply Open Day – open house from 12 noon followed by solar workshop from 1pm
• Monday and beyond the Happy, simply home open to one and all – plus for the first few weeks some minor things that I am sure will need doing…

Looking forward to the weekend and the last few days of the build before I head off on Monday but hope you can make it at some stage or all the stage from now till Sunday!

How cool does this look! Only thing missing is a little shelter on the back deck that will be toilet / shower and a smaller one that will be the bike shed

Happy, simply

Sums it all up!

Clad Outside and In!

We have nailed and screwed in the last piece of cladding (probably to be unnailed or screwed later) and it feels like some kind of accomplishment!

Sam putting in the last nail of the inside cladding!!!

In the end the inside is half plasterboard and half western red cedar tongue and groove cladding. I wish I could share with you the smell of the home now that it is half clad in the sweet aromas of cedar like a Swedish sauna – see the photos of the sauna corner…

Now with inside clad and window and door frames done we can plaster, paint, put in the floor and we will almost have a home ready to live in!

We are still lacking a couple of decks with verandas, a toilet room, gutter and water tank, outside edge flashing, solar power set up and a few other things but we are nearly there… Volunteers and builders still welcome!

Only a few more days of doing what we can so come join in or come see what stage we get to by Sunday for the Happy, simply  Open Day: https://www.facebook.com/events/1434264183502485/

Also I must mention Beau’s day of nail-gunning and power-sawing. Having given him mission impossible yesterday to make a box out of ply and awkward L-brackets he was the man of powertools today – not only that but he always prepares lunch, runs around and make countless calls, emails and requests to support the Happy, simply home build – this build would have been totally impossible without him and his two ladies, wife and daughter…

The background glue and no more gaps of the Happy, simply home – Beau!

Happy, simply Open Day Sunday 22 June

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Building update. Today saw a ceiling painted, raised bed reinforced and put in, front deck extended, inside of two walls clad – one in plasterboard the other in red cedar tongue and groove and we learnt about how to not make a box for solar batteries!

But this blog is for you to mark in your diaries next Sunday 22 June when the Happy, simply SA will have it’s home warming day / open day / thank you supporters day / happy, simply day!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1434264183502485/

Come and see what it might be like for someone to live happily, simply, healthy, with a little more sustainability, self-sufficiently, debt-free, with lots of friends, connected to people and planet, active citizenship and lots of community participation and MORE!

Optical illusion or just inside cladding?

Dani and Gracie painting the bed platform!

Special project

Sam loving working with plasterboard (or not)

Man with nail gun and wood = happy

Woman with nail gun = productive

Lunch spread and community!

Last of the bed platform prep

Sums it all up!

Once properly finished in the near future the home will be available for people to stay a night or two to have a taste of the happy simple life.

It has been a wonderful community project where people have given so much in the way of time, materials, working, sharing, food, etc…

Sums it all up!

Sunday will be a wonderful celebration to take note of what has happened in the past month and share with others why living in a small but happy place can be a ‘rich’ thing to do – where less is more and just enough is plenty!

Hope to see you there for a look and a chat!

Happy, simply

Day 1 of Demolition!

Enjoy the wonderful videoing and editing skills of Mike for the video of day 1 of deconstruction!

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Yesterday marked the first day of the Happy, simply project in Aldinga, South Australia after the successful community Happy, simply build in Aotearoa New Zealand last year.

The day was known as D-Day or demolition (the caravan) day. Luckily we had a keen troop of 15 year 10 students from Heathfield High School to come and assist with the deconstruction!

The students lead by builder Phil and teacher Kieran had the boys deconstructing intricately at first bolt by bolt and eventually by sledgehammer.

Luckily key volunteer Lindsay had safety signage up on the site and adding her keen and careful eye on proceeding with the sledgehammer, except for accidentally tapping the ball of the ankle of the builder with the sledgehammer.

The aim of the day was to get the tin shirt off the caravan leaving the trailer exposed as the base for the Happy, simply home – as you will see it was mission complete with the next day being a day of preparing the trailer for getting a building onto of the old caravan frame.

But as was the case of the Happy, simply home in NZ the best part of the day were people coming together, sharing skills, knowledge, laughter and community which is the main aim of the Happy, simply project along with a small self-sufficient home.

Enjoy the wonderful videoing and editing skills of Mike for the video of day 1!

Moving closer to D Day (Deconstruction Day)

This is more specific to those involved in the build in SA but for others it is a pretty good guide for one of the parts for anyone who might want to get a group of people together to do a community project to build a small self-sufficient home!

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Great to be back in Adelaide and actually helping with the project whilst physically here!

It was a great meeting yesterday morning with most of the dedicated daily volunteer team in prep for the pre-build and build!.

Things are looking great with a few more materials and human resources to be on the lookout for but we have a wonderful group of volunteers ready to go and the caravan is ready for an extreme makeover! 

At this stage the key dates are:

• Next Tuesday 20 May when we start to deconstruct the caravan for the week (join us if you wish but work will be limited)
• Then starting the building process from Saturday 24 May till built Monday 9 June (in theory)

A few key materials we are looking for from here on are:

• Plywood sheets for outside cladding and maybe weatherboard for the toilet
• Rust removal and rust prep paint for the trailer as well as wire brushes and clean up the trailer
• Frosted glass door or glass door for the front door
• A couple more sheets of gyprock for interior cladding
• Structural wood for framing
• Solar converter and batteries and someone who might like to give a solar DIY lesson
• There will be plenty more but this seems to be the urgent ask so far

Good news is it looks like we have some sponsors for food in the lovely Dough stall at the Central Market! we have access to an empty house for volunteers to stay in Willunga! and I am so impressed how wonderful people are who are chipping in everywhere!!!

Hope you can join in and be sure to see all the detailed info from last blog.

PS it is never too late to join so if you are in Aldinga (close to Adelaide, in South Australia, in Australia!) and another builder would be a bonus!

Did you want some information and inspiration for yourself or others on the Happy, simply idea… please feel free to access all the google docs that contain the ideas behind the emails and docs than then form the output of a self-sufficient home! https://drive.google.com/a/globalpovertyproject.com/folderview?id=0B5loi9tR4rR1S0t6eWI2SlJLdms&usp=drive_web

Aldinga Arts EcoVillage – Home to Happy, simply SA

Aldinga is about 40km south of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.

Many moons ago, about 20 years ago I think, some people got together and decided they wanted to zone a small area so people with environmentally conscious ideologies and actions could have small blocks with modest houses in an place with few roads, more open spaces and a space for more community connection.

Aldinga Arts EcoVillage (AAEV) is the product of this and I can only imagine the amount of paperwork and convincing needed to get it through council laws…!

Taken from http://www.aaev.net

For a much better description and the ethos of AAEV you are best to see their website which mentions the “village is an intentional community based around the principles of permaculture, with a focus on arts and the environment.”

I have spent a lot of time in the Aldinga area over the years but had never heard of AAEV (maybe because I didn’t live in Adelaide for the past 14 years) and only heard about it for the first time last year. I couldn’t believe a space like this existed where it was a drawcard for people who sought after connection to people and planet – especially where I had been brought up in relatively conservative Adelaide.

Taken from http://www.aaev.net

AAEV is hosting the building of the Happy, simply home and there could not be a better spot where collaboration will result in mutual benefit. The Happy, simply outlook to life where ‘less is more’ and ‘just enough is plenty’ fits in very well to the atmosphere and peace of AAEV.

AAEV firstly listened to the Happy, simply idea, they then shared it with their community and I was lucky to find Beau who wanted to take the idea further. AAEV will not only host the build of the project but also some of the volunteers! AAEV has already offered so much in the way of people keen to help out with – building, tools, food, sharing the idea and more.

Take from http://www.aaev.net

The beautiful thing of this partnership is that once built the Happy, simply home will be available for anyone and everyone to use and have a taste of the Happy, simply life.

I am looking forward to interacting with the community and the community interacting with the home – watching it grow from an old caravan into a home with cooperation, interaction, experiences and memories. It won’t just be a home it will be a part of everyone who interacts with it and watches it grow providing an affinity and relationship with it that will last forever…

This sounds a little strange to have a relationship with a home but that is what happens when you have the smallest input or interaction with something – this is one of the things I have learnt from the developing world. They have a relationship with everything around them because more often than not they have had to be a part of it to make it happen as nothing usually falls into their lap from their government or others.

Taken from Laneways Learning

Happy, simply is very much a community project and not just about building a home. I am very excited to be doing this community project in the Aldinga Arts EcoVillage community…

Check out their website and all the ideas and practicalities behind AAEV: http://www.aaev.net/

Be sure to come and interact with the Happy, simply build 24 May – 8 June and take a look and experience around the village as well!

Happy, simply South Australia – Birth & Builder

Is Easter a celebration to be thankful? If it’s not it doesn’t matter because I am full of gratitude and a lot to be thankful for.

Happy, simply South Australia has a builder! Charlie Carpenter is our builder, a wonderful retired builder who is keen to share his skills, experiences and knowledge and I definitely know anyone who is involved in this project will be better for it.

The place we found Charlie was at the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village (AAEV) which isn’t that surprising and keep an eye on the next blog that explains the magic and common sense that is AAEV – and also the home for the Happy, simply SA home!

But first let me take you back to the birth of Happy, simply South Australia…

I had just returned from New Zealand having completed a Happy, simply home in the small community of Paekakariki. I kind of looked at maybe seeing if there were others interested in the concept in my hometown of Adelaide. Eventually someone told me about the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village and sure enough having spoken to a few people there some interest was raised. At that stage we didn’t put anything into plan as I was keen just to hand over the concept for others to use, and I headed off to Africa to do some work with UNICEF for the rest of the year.

However not long after I had lobbed in Uganda a resident of AAEV got in touch with me. Beau had missed out on hearing about Happy, simply while I was in Australia but he enthusiastically emailed me to get some ideas. I passed over the concept and all the info (as I do for anyone) and wished him luck with making his own Happy, simply home at the village. Unfortunately not long after Beau was diagnosed with bowel cancer, he’s under 40 years old, so the Happy, simply idea was put well off the back burner.

In February this year I returned to Adelaide to visit family for a couple days and went and met with Beau as we had kept in email contact. After finally meeting and in that conversation we decided we would hold a community get together and see what interest there was and if we could get a Happy, simply build off the ground.

I was still a little at arm’s-length and happy to hand it over to someone to do for themselves but at that community meeting people were enthusiastic and I started to get a good vision and practical plan of a Happy, simply home in my hometown just 10km from where my mother and some other family live.

Sharing the Happy, simply idea with a group at Laneways Learning in Melbourne

That meeting was about a month ago and since then we now have!

• A caravan to use the base for building
• A builder – Charlie Carpenter!
• A few materials that are increasing each day
• A band of core volunteers who will be there each day of the build
• A bunch of interest from a number of other volunteers
• A school keen to be a part of the deconstruction of the caravan and build
• A few designers and architects wanting to add their skills
• A wonderful location with wonderful people at the Aldinga Arts and Eco Village (AAEV) and let me tell you all about them in my next blog…
• An incredible man who has a lovely wife, young daughter, fortnightly chemo treatments and is the absolute driving force behind the project – Beau!

Basically we are good to go for Happy, simply South Australia! Just have to wait till May 15 to kick it all off with the official build period being 24 May – 8 June.

Be sure to join in or keep in touch on the blog and Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/happysimplysa/ or the Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/382302941912081/

Happy, simply home #2 – South Australia…!

The Happy, simply. – a lifestyle model and education project looks like it might be building another Happy, simply home!

This time in Aldinga, South Australia (just near Adelaide)…

And so this is what we are proposing for a Happy, simply home in South Australia – please get in touch if you want to be a part of making this happen!

Happy, simply. – a lifestyle model and education project. 

Tiny house, community living and where just enough is plenty!

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The Happy, simply home – want to participate in a community building project?

We are proposing constructing a small, mobile house of approx. 10m2 that is ‘off the grid’.

A similar project was done last year in Aotearoa New Zealand with great success and we want to see if we can do something similar (and better) this time in South Australia

• When: Late May / early June 2014 (approx. 2 weeks total build time) Major build is 24 May – 8 June with prep and finish before and after those dates
• Where: Aldinga Arts Eco Village map: https://goo.gl/maps/jlRvp
• How: Using volunteer labour and recycled / donated materials
• Why: To learn, share and participate in a community project that demonstrates how people can live a happy, simple life in a sustainable, self-sufficient home

If you can contribute any skills, time, materials, support, please contact us via email – happysimplyhome@gmail.com and keep up to date on the Facebook group if that is what you like: https://www.facebook.com/groups/happysimplysa/

Ideally what we need…

• Builders – especially students, retired or passionate sustainable builders and one major builder who can share and teach others
• Designer / Architect
• Skilled tradespeople
• Volunteers keen to participate and learn new skills
• Car trailer / boat trailer / tandem trailer or similar
• Left over building materials – windows, doors, timber, cladding, insulation, building paper, etc…

For now we would love to see a show of interest to get off the ground and see if we can make it a reality.

To learn more about this project, please see the project in Paekakariki from Feb 2013  and be sure to see the YouTube Video of the Happy, simply build in NZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl8safGwXhQ

Be sure to pass onto others so we can get a couple of builders and make this fun, educational and inspirational home a reality!

Many Thanks

Beau and d’Arcy.