Most of the external painting, with the exception of the blockwork is painted in VOC-free paint by the cheerful, singing painters. Lightweight cladding is in two tones of soft green, broken by bands of galvanised flashing.






One of the pavers cast with the flooring concrete has been polished to give an idea of the finish to internal floors. External surfaces will have less polish for safety reasons, particularly around the pool. Internal vj linings from the original house are now complete. These will be painted over for a more consistent look but it is hoped that a feature section in the Living Room will be retained with a clear seal as a historical reference to the old home.

Scaffolding down and student tour

Scaffolding has come down on the outside of the building, revealing more of the building with its fresh coat of VOC-free paint, manufactured in southeast Queensland.

The large cantilevered pelmet for the sunshading venetian blind is constructed from the same laminated hardwood beams as the floor joists in the house. In their former life, they supported the weightlifting floor at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982.



Three groups of UQ students visited the site in the afternoon to learn about sustainable construction. This is a good warm up to many future tours of the building and gardens.

The days are nearing the Spring Equinox (22nd September this year), the date when roof and awning overhangs are designed to start cutting out the direct, warmer sun. With only a week to go, this is clearly evident in the photo below (taken at noon) on the northern balcony to the street. A dediduous, leafy trellis will extend shade out over the balcony for summer time living.

Glass and stainless balustrades have now gone in to the rear. A little prematurely but will provide better safety for workers on site.









Carpenter Damian Stapleton, very happy to be working on the job!
Formwork removed from cast concrete garden seat, render to block base and recycled timber post from original home.

More recycled trees

Ceiling lining continues in the front bedrooms, using the vj boards from the old house and other salvaging sources.

Blockwork internally and externally will be rendered and finished in a natural lime paint.

Photos by Marcelo Garcia