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 Left-Overs and Left-To-Do

I’m very sorry I haven’t got any new photos to add since the last blog but I do have new information to pass on… Below are a couple of lists: the practical facts and figures of building the Happy, simply home; what still needs to be done; and a small list of needs and wants to finish it off.

In my next blog I will outline what will become of the Happy, simply home – especially now I have abandoned it and left Australia…

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In practical terms the home took:

• 3 days of deconstruction
• 22 days of construction
• Around $1000 spent on a few materials and other costs –  – the rest was salvaged, donated, gathered from leftovers, bits and pieces from people and more
• Over 30 volunteers and around 10 builders
• Many loaves of bread
• Over 5000 views on the blog and probably similar on Facebook
• Wide reaching support, resources, sponsorship, donations and generosity
• Moved people from a group of people to the status of community!

List of tasks still to be done by anyone still keen to get in, interact and attribute their mark on the project. Plus I know there is very likely to be a solar workshop next weekend or at some stage to put in all the solar features:

• fill gap in wall of toilet and shelter on the east deck
• solar system
• create a fold down desk
• toilet to be built
• paint polycoat on stairs and cedar wall, maybe stain or coat the bed – don’t use gloss finish it will make it too slippery
• ¼ round the edges, door gaps, skirting, etc
• Joining piece for the flooring
• Door handles
• Outside edge flashing if needed / wanted – important bits are done
• Carpet tiles and/or black plastic under the home to stop weeds growing and so it can be used as storage space
• Stabilise each corner of the home so not just resting on the original legs of the caravan – use the two axle stands and maybe get a few more besser blocks?
• Tank stand reinforcement, cleaning and functionality set for human consumption
• Fridge – I have a spare esky at my mum’s home that can be used but any hole dug in the ground covered will do the trick for the next few months
• Fitting fly screens
• Anything else you might want to contribute just check with Beau and Sam from the build and remember simplicity is the key!

List of needs (wants)  for the home:

• Office chair
• Compost bins
• Door handle
• Solar shower
• Gas bottle
• Double mattress under the thin top one we already have
• Mosquito bed net
• Wee container – something not see through and 2L is best with a big opening at the top and a lid
• Fans 12v or small AC fan
• …?

With all these jobs to be done and things needed (wanted) I personally prefer to live in a place and from that REALLY determine what is needed and then see what might be wanted and go from that basis – rather than guessing beforehand what I think will be needed and wanted (rarely the same list). Since I won’t be back at the Happy, simply home in Aldinga till probably Christmas it would be good to at least forecast a few of these things so it can adequately support anyone staying before then…

Happy, simply House (warming) Freezing

Not the warmest day in Aldinga ever but the warmth from the community, participants and supporters made it the warmest possible house warming ever…

The temperature was the only indication of the home freezing as it was insulated, warm and loved to make it toasty in and around. I couldn’t imagine anything that could have been warmer and more human than celebrating a community to come together for over a month to recognise the experience – and by the way there was also a home that was a bi-product of that process to show for it…

I know I will sound a little delusional and that usually happens when I am at 10,000 feet on my way from or two my next chapter of life, as I am writing this on a plane back to my ‘normal’ world of global awareness education and social justice.

The house warming day saw the Happy, simply volunteers building feverishly to try and finish as much as possible before the 11am champagne brunch and the 12 open-house celebration. By 11am we were still putting in the floor, adjusting tanks and constructing a temporary front deck but regardless of how complete we were we put tools down at noon to join a bunch of supporters, family and others to stop time and take note of the wonderful contribution of humans to put together a community project that produced a self-sufficient home.

This is what Happy, simply epitomises for me – bringing community, collectivism, cooperation, connection together to create shared time and experiences. Anyone who has ever done something collectively will know the post reflection and recognition of what was achieved when people come together behind a shared goal, identity or project.

For me the best things in life are not things and I have never seen Happy, simply as a project to build a house it is a community project to create an opportunity to learn, share and interact with people, a project to build a community – that happens to produce a house.

I love the Happy, simply home not because it is beautiful or a tangible object that I will live in and share with others but because it was made with others who got to know each other and create quality rich experiences and friendships.

At this point I could go into a big Oscar speech of listing people, thanking them and being acknowledged myself but anyone who was a part of the Happy, simply experience – weather following online, making food for the project, donating materials, donating their skills and expertise or being there to use their hands and head to produce the home all walk away with some form of self-appreciation for their part in the Happy, simply project.

Popping the cork to ‘officially’ (prematurely) open the Happy, simply South Australia home!

We were all just as important and insignificant as each other and we now have something to show for our combined time and efforts that not only means something to us but to anyone who interacts with Happy, simply – a sustainable lifestyle model and education project.

Enough rare-air rambling but I can say I am extremely thankful to all who have been a part of the experience and feel proud in what we have achieved but best of all is I walk away with a group of new friends and a rich experience that will last with me for a lifetime.

Infinite gratitude, love, happiness and thanks to all who have stepped into the Happy, simply space in the past 6-8 weeks – time for me to step away from the building space and back into the comforts of education, empowerment, global citizenship and youth inspiration for seeing an end to extreme poverty and a happy simple world for all.

Super thanks to all and I’ll follow up with a more practical blog on where to from here for the Happy, simply South Australia home…

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If you want to keep in touch with my propaganda in my other life of global education and social justice…

• July/Aug I’m working with JUMP! Foundation – inspire, empower, engage in Thailand
• Plus my other blogs of personal/travel: http://lunny06.wordpress.com/ and continued posts with Happy, simply https://happysimply.wordpress.com
• Aug-Nov I’m walking 1500km in Japan for learning, advocacy and fun and I’m calling it Teaspoons of Change – Personal choices, decisions and actions that have a positive impact on people and the planet creating teaspoons of change…
• http://teaspoonsofchange.wordpress.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/teaspoonsofchange
• https://twitter.com/Tspoonsofchange
• Nov/Dec – ??? Any ideas – but no more houses for a while (or ever)…
• Christmas back in South Australia with family and some Happy, simply living as well!

Please feel free to use any ideas, resources, information and inspiration from Happy, simply and just get in touch if there is anything specific you would like to know…

Happy, simply became a HOME today

Happy, simply became a home today.

Busy watching people work

Still busy watching people

Just standing around

Actually it was for an interview with ABC – first time to stand still for 5 mins in 5 weeks!

Ladder and cupboards in place

Front has a deck

Clouds approaching

Another day another rainbow over Happy, simply

It’s a Happy, simply home

View of cupboard/stairs and ladder

The home is now Happy, simply!

Cladding inside painted, toilet shelter completed, front deck on and most impressively we have custom made steps, ladder and bed rail!!! To see how that was put together have a look at the youtube clip here:

With just a couple of days left before I head off I think the Happy, simply home will be almost 90% done… I plan to stay in it tomorrow night anyway!

See you on Sunday for the open day? https://www.facebook.com/events/1434264183502485

A Happy, Happy, Simply, Presentation

Back on the build again yesterday with ceiling and cladding happening after a day off presenting and sharing the Happy, simply idea and practicality since it is: Happy, simply – a sustainable lifestyle model and education project.

We have a ceiling

wrapped and ready to clad

On Friday evening the Adelaide City Council in conjunction with the new Adelaide City Library hosted the Happy, simply presentation organised by the Adelaide Sustainable Building Network (ASBN).

With 30 RSVPs you never know how many you will get on a cold and damp Adelaide evening but in the end we had over 60 people there.

It was a lovely mix of people, those:

• keen on building,
• those with an environmental interest,
• people wanting to build their own home
• people who know they will never afford a ‘normal’ modern day home
• who have been involved in the building of the home – volunteers, builders, associations, collaborators and more
• friends and family who had to be there because I told them to!
• people who happened to be in the library!

There were also a number of great conversations around simplicity, happiness, sustainability and how to live a more affordable but fulfilling life…

Only one more week to go in the building (well until I head off overseas) so we will see how far we get…!

Farewell but big thanks Heathfield students

A bunch of progress today with many thanks and warm farewell to the Heathfield High students.

It has been great to have the Heathfield students on the build for three weeks. They have been patient, self-motivating, skilled, respectful and keen to be a part of the project just as much as any other volunteers.

Big thanks to Phil the builder and Kieran the teacher for bringing this rich element to the project.

Today’s jobs to tick off the list:

• Roof 
• outside iron cladding 
• roof insulation 
• start on inside lining 
• frame for front deck 
• painting barge-boards 
• caulking and painting front windows 
• finishing 2 out of 3 doors with inside door stops 
• inside bed frame and playing around with internal layout 
• great people doing great things 

It is worth taking note of the project’s movements from now till June 23… Hope to see you out there or following online (probably not daily like till now but frequently):

• tomorrow (Wednesday) – building all day
• Thursday 12 June – till 12.30pm
• Friday 13 June – no building but have the Happy, simply presentation 6-7pm with Adelaide City Council, Adelaide Sustainable Building Network (ASBN) and others at the Adelaide City Library – public event, all welcome and extras. Details:https://www.facebook.com/events/1427638847508663/?fref=ts Then going for a beer at the Metro Hotel on Gouger St after
• Sat / Sun / Mon 14/15/16 June building all day and would dearly love a builder to come join us for those days for a few tips and advice but we can handle most of the to do list
• Tues 17 ABC are visiting and doing some filming at 1pm so come round if you wish and represent the volunteers! We will be building all day as well.
• Wed 18 June half day till 3pm, Thursday 19 June half day after 12pm
• Fri / Sat / Sun 20/21/22 Building all day and hopefully bloody finished! Probably also running a solar workshop on the Sunday…
• The house warming (finished or not) will be a Champaign Brunch on Sunday 22 June from 11am!!!

I depart Australia Monday 23 June but sure to be a few ongoing things to do as well as open for people to stay once completed!!!

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…

A present where the wrapping is the gift

wrapping the roof and putting on the front barge board

a few coats of paint go on the future ceiling

On a roll

Teamwork

Captain Wood-sorter – Lindsay

sealing the wrap from the roof

I think this means I’m a men – me using a nailgun

Not using one very well

Thumbs up from Gracie the grand foreman

Another wonderful day of building, community, learning, sharing and Happy, simply living! I know I will sound like a broken record but it is lovely to be among people doing something together and a thirst to do something, learn and have a tangible product by the end of it all.

Yesterday and today we were under the guidance and mastery of MG a brilliant carpenter who was able to share some of his knowledge and skills with us all.

Today’s win was finishing the wrap which means we are now waterproof and air locked for whatever the conditions will throw at us. A huge thank you to Laros, not only for their generosity of providing their incredible super gor-tex-like wrap (but better) so the superior performance of the building, but also for what they are doing in the building and sustainability industries.

Something like the pro-clima which they have provided for us in the external wrap and then combined with the intello their internal wrap the Happy, simply home will likely never need any heating or cooling – except in the extremes.

Please see below for more information on this effective and pioneering product and the Laros company and education outreach…

The weekend is set for outside cladding, a roof, and hopefully by Monday ready to move on to the inside! Come join us or take a look over the long weekend while you are down for the Sea & Vines festival…

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LAROS provides comprehensive advice and a complete range of proven products from Europe’s market leaders in low-E and “Passivhaus” buildings for residential, commercial & institutional clients.

This includes:
* ProClima air-sealing membranes;
* Schöck structural thermo-breaking;
* RAICO high-performance curtain-walls;
* ROMA automated blinds for external shading;
* Döpfner triple-glazed alu-clad composite windows;
* Drexel & Weiss energy and comfort ventilation systems;
* Many innovative solar solutions for building-integration; and
* Sanden supercritical CO2-based heat-pump hot-water systems.

Passivhaus is indeed about providing healthy low-E buildings for a comfortable healthy living.

It’s core principals rest on (i) true air-tightness (to achieve real energy efficiency and manage dew-point challenges), (ii) seamless insulation (without thermal bridges and proper fenestration, eg. triple-glazing with compression seals only), (iii) external solar heat gain control (blinds to keep the sun out before it hits the glazing, etc.), and (iv) energy recovery ventilation(for when the climate is too adverse to have windows and/or doors open).

Dr Andreas Luzzi; CEO
Address:  Unit 2, 5 Bodalla Place, Fyshwick ACT 2609, AUSTRALIA
Phone   +61 (0)2 6160 7777

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 😉