Piece by piece – it takes a community to build a (tiny) home

Happy, simply is pulling together nicely. Each cut, hammer, screw, fierce-out bashing and piece by piece the home is moving towards the finish line (the outside at least!).

Progress is going along slowly but beautifully. We have a great blend of inexperienced volunteers all having a go and trying to make it work mixed with some people in the know who are wonderful at directing, advising, sharing and doing the finer points as well as actually knowing what they are doing – or showing that impression!

Happy, simply now has 2 out of 3 doors!, a little more cladding, an interior custom bed frame, the making of a back deck and is ready to receive a roof!

The photos are back down on the ground and a wonderful new set of volunteers about the place over the past few days, mixed with the old reliables!

Only a couple of days away from moving the building into the inside and looking forward to the students from Heathfield tomorrow…

Earned another man badge today using an angle grinder – luckily I had my safety shorts on…

Detail and precision takes too long!

Been a tough couple of days after the magic of Monday and Tuesday. I of course know nothing of building so when we put up the frames and clad them in two days it looked like we had built a house – done! But unfortunately a house needs doors, windows, a roof and more trickier fiddly bits which take knowledge and time! Seems keeping water out is important when building a house.

I totally admire the building game and builders or anyone involved in the process of providing shelter. For every question there are three more questions that follow. Then knowing what needs to happen first before the next thing and which material or tool is require is bloody hard (when you don’t know what you are doing).

It has all been a wonderful daily lesson for me and other volunteers who often want to learn some building skills or are just beautiful community active citizens who lend their time to something a little different and interesting.

So while I personally feel like the build is going backwards it is just getting the small important bits checked off the list.

But as always the highlight of my day was eaves dropping in on conversations of strangers brought together around an idea and them sharing why they are there or what they do in their lives – it is like a great dinner party but instead, a dinner party that builds a house and with less grog (by day) – gotta say the food is pretty good though!

Not a lot to report on by way of photos or time lapse but an important day tomorrow as we try to put the final clad on and get stuck into the roof…

View through the beautifully clean windows 😉 

Happy, simply SA Erected!

In just one day it was like we turned a trailer into a house… Thanks to the hard work and precision of people over the weekend who finished all the frames and floor, today was finally the big moment to erect the structure! See timelapse footage from the past two days at the end of the blog…

It started with the big wall on the back…

 And we soon added the front frame and end frames slotting them in to the millimetre (well done Julian and weekend frame building team)…

By the end of the day we even started measuring doors and windows and it now even has two front windows (but nothing else!).

Tomorrow will see the students from Heathfield High School back on site where we hope they will see the roof go on and maybe some outside cladding…!

Great to have more new people on the build today including Patrick (pictured holding window) who was over from Aotearoa New Zealand and was an important part of the Happy, simply home in NZ last year.

Big thanks to Charlie and Cam today who were our building experts, advice givers, skill sharers and just wonderful people who gave their time to come and share and teach others about how to build a home with your own hands – it is just a fantastic feeling to receive that kind of learning!

And the timelapse camera from the past two days…

Day 3 – rain only adds sunshine to the Happy, simply community project!

Day three a wee wet but not in the sense of community, learning, sharing and building!

From midday we moved indoors to the lovely community shed space of Aldinga Arts EcoVillage (AAEV) to complete the two smaller end wooden frames…

A day of calculations, cutting, re-calculations, re-cutting and some wall skeletons!

To be continued tomorrow and everyday until completion! Be sure to come out to see us and join in…

The wonderful thing is seeing the Happy, simply family continued to get closer and happier with conversations, thoughts, laughs, perspectives and connections. This is the part of the project I like best as it is a wonderful ecosystem of learning, doing something together and wanting to be there for all different reasons but with one simple common goal..

See you tomorrow…?

Day 3 – Community Comes Together

After a few days of being rejected by most of the calls and emails I have put out in the world to lighten the burden of landfill and get leftover materials for the build – today was a wonderful day!

Around 12 of us came together to spend the day together and also do a bit of building and in the end we have a floor to build a home on!

It was a brilliant day with a mix of learning, thinking, sharing, interacting, trying, conversing, helping, doing, watching and the perfect atmosphere of strangers coming together to learn and share.

For me at least this is primarily a community project than a building project and day was a huge success in that regard. A bonus was it was also a great success in a building sense!

Julian stepped into the frame as main builder and teacher who shared his knowledge and experience with others allowing them to use drop saws for the first time or for all us produce a sub floor on an old caravan trailer.

The photos tell a story as will the time-lapse cameras once we have extracted what they captured today!

For those following this from South Australia please note the build is postponed until Friday 30 May next week till we get more materials and I’ve had a chance to see if there is a big pile of leftovers out there waiting for us! The new timeline looks like we will finish up on probably Wednesday/Thursday 11/12 June not Monday 9 June as first thought so reset your clocks for that timeline.

It’s a beautiful day to be with a group of people building a Happy, simply home! Seeya Friday 🙂  ???

Token nail from Beau

A little beautifying from Andy with the angle grinder

A great spread which is why we were really there!

Any day is a success when it ends like this

Big thanks to all the volunteers today and the cooks, donations, support, tools, advice and more!

Day 2 – Trailer passes bill of good health

Unfortunately the Heathfield High boys on this day weren’t able to push the caravan off its base and other such slightly dramatic jobs but they again did a top job of getting in and doing what was needed in preparing the trailer for construction to start on the weekend.

Groups of students worked on a variety of jobs. One group pulled apart the shell of the caravan stripping the metal from the vynal and styrofome cladding – which gives me hope that whatever we build will be stronger than that! Another group set about framing windows and the last group were on trailer detail of getting all the dirt and muck off the trailer and then applying antirust paint.

We turned the trailer over onto its back to have a good look over it and also had a visit from an engineer who gave the trailer a general all clear which was a big relief. With the trailer on its back we gave it a good scratching on a few rust spots as well.

By the end of the day we also had a few frames measured and put together for the outside shelter for the toilet that will go on the back deck.

Again see the time-lapse of the day below and starting Saturday 24 May(tomorrow) we will have our band of building volunteers preparing the dance floor and start the building up!

 

Come join us for a look or get involved and see the Facebook page for more detail: https://www.facebook.com/groups/happysimplysa/

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!

Happy, simply. Workshops – Wellington and Melbourne

On the back of inviting you to the Polio-Purple Palace Potluck Party in Paekakariki!

I also wanted to invite you to a couple of workshop I will be running on Happy, simply in Wellington next Monday and then in Melbourne Monday 8 April.

Info for Wellington workshop with Chalkle (a great learning program based in Wellington) on Monday 25 March, 7.30-8.30pm, 18 Allen St, RSVP and more info please see Chalkle and the page here: http://www.meetup.com/sixdegrees/events/109332452/

I’m also giving a workshop on cycle touring with or without a cause on the same night from 6-7pm, if anyone is keen.

And the details for the workshop in Melbourne with Laneways Learning on Monday 8 April, 6:15 – 7:30pm, Ferdydurke: 2/239 Lonsdale St, RSVP and more info see Laneways Learning and the page here: http://www.lanewaylearning.com/2013/03/13/living-happy-simply/

I’m also giving the cycle touring with or without a cause workshop there as well on the same night 8-9.15pm!

Seeya there?

Happy, simply.

d’Arcy.

Not always happy or simply but certainly abundant and fruitful (in learning and experiences)

A day of frustrations and intricacies (and absences – me!)

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The original plan was to have been done in 10 days but circumstance has dictated more days and we are still at an amazing place for 12 days…

We know not everything will go to plan – but plans are made to be changed.

However the pressure cooker of trying to get something finished in time before the builders and volunteers leave has been intense. Really I don’t think I am advantage to the project around the building as my stress comes out and stresses everyone else!

In reflecting a bit today, as I was in Wellington doing my other work, would I do this again like this? Not a chance. Am I glad I have done it? Not completely. But has it been a meaningful, learning and amazing experience – hell yeah!

In terms of the Happy, simply. – a lifestyle model and education project, there could be no more significant contribution to the home component that what we have done – bringing people and community together to produce something that is as sustainable, collaborative and connected as can be.

My biggest concerns are for the well-being of the people who have volunteered working on it daily, tirelessly, or for those who have supported us always with pressure and impossible deadlines.

While Happy, simply is kind of misleading for this component of the project – since it has been largely complex and often stressful it does make for the most abundant and fruitful learning opportunities and experiences… 

Lets see what this amazing amalgamation of builders, volunteers and community can do in the remaining two days while we are all still together!

Happy, simply.

d’Arcy.

It’s a wrap!

Unfortunately not meaning finished but just wrapped in the wonderful waterproof but breathable membrane!

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We are getting there… piece by piece we are moving towards completion. I still have no idea if this means it will be completed by the last possible day which is Thursday – by then my nerves and care will have been shot and finished anyway!

I finally managed to spend a whole day building, finally, and not having to source materials or do too many updates/emails. My first job was the wonderful task of painting all the wood on the trailer in Jeff Purple – yesterday I called is Murray Purple when Murray is obviously red (from the Wiggles). By the end of it I did feel like a 7-month-old not being able to support my own neck from having to paint from under the trailer (house). Still I’m very glad it was me as wouldn’t want to subject anyone to the torture of it all and it was also the first time I was actually painting for myself and my own home!

Still my role is just minor to all those who came out today and each had their own projects, challenges, learnings and success.

Today’s gains:

• We have a loft!
• We have some outside cladding complete
• The home is now wrapped in it’s own special gor-tex like jacket – never knew homes needed it
• I have a water-capturing roof!
• We have a back deck

The really special component of the day is watching the volunteers interact and share lives with each other and then the people who pass by completely intrigued and integrate with the concept, ideas, practicalities and educational hopes of the project.

It was a long day but such a wonderful beautiful fulfilling way to spend it – I hope so for the amazing team of volunteers today as well. Thank you – Javi, Dan, Kora, Linley, Nicola, Tim, Tukaha, Dave, Jude, Fiona, Sarah, Patrick and Paul – and to all those who come out each day throughout.

Happy, simply.

 

d’Arcy.