The thing is, there was nothing wrong with the table saw. The table saw didn’t fail to function as designed, or break, or have anything wrong with it. The Ryobi table saw met all current safety standards. The problem was that is was not equipped with a flesh detection technology to stop the blade!

Personally I reckon the guy must have been an idiot who should never have been operating a table saw in the first place. Also the people on the jury must have never used power tools before, or something, because I really can’t understand how this could possibly have happened!

If the lawsuit sets a precedent then we can expect to see all table saws in the future equipped with flesh detection technology. This will probably add at least $250 to the cost of a low end table saw, and more to the higher end more expensive table saws.

I think that the flesh detection table saw, currently made by SawStop, is a cool invention. It would especially be suitable for wood working shop classes in school (we had a shop teacher at my old school cut off his fingers, not a good example). I don’t think though that it should be required on all table saws.

The cost is extremely prohibitive for the table saw technology. The additional cost for the flesh detection technology will be about $250.00. Not only that, but if the technology is triggered you will need to replace the brake mechanism and the blade. Unfortunately the mechanism can be triggered by something as simple as moist wood, which would cost you about $150 depending on the blade.

You can read more about the lawsuit and the flesh detection technology over at Pro Tool Reviews. Here is a video of the technology in action:

Generally speaking foil insulation in new houses is considered to be very safe. Installation in older houses however can be a problem …

Usually foil insulation is only used in new house installations. With the Australian Government’s $1200 rebate that they have been offering however there have been a large number of older homes having foil insulation installed in the ceilings. Some of the older houses have live electrical faults and when the foil insulation comes into contact with these faults, or staples are put through the electrical wires, the electrical current is then conducted throughout the foil insulation.

According to this article on ABC there are about 37,000 homes that have had foil insulation installed and according to an Australian Government audit five out of every 400 or so of those houses have “live ceilings”. They say that would mean about 400 – 500 houses in Australia right now are in a very dangerous situation.

On Tuesday the Australian government banned the use of foil insulation in their rebate program.

The only way to find out if a roof or ceiling with foil insulation is electrically live is for an electrician to be hired to test the installation, at the expense of the home owner. If the electrician finds that the foil insulation in live then they should be able to be compensated by the company that did the installation, otherwise for the moment they are out of pocket the expense of the electrical test.

Since I was up on the bench top checking out and closing the vents on the air conditioner I also had a look at the filter. Part of me wonders if that last owners even knew that it had a filter, given how dirty it was.

A dirty, clogged or blocked air filter on an air conditioner can be an energy hog and a safety risk. The air conditioner needs to work harder to draw air into the machine, which causes extra heat and an electricity drain.

To clean our filter, which you can see above, I’m going to hook up the vacuum cleaner and suck off the dry dust. If you are in a humid climate you may need to look at using bleach or vinegar to clean the filter if mould has started to form on the filter. Make sure to let it dry fully if you’re going to do that, as you don’t want to be drawing the fumes, or any liquid into the air conditioner.

Yep, we finally finished most of the renovations, sold the house and moved.

Like our house renovations we don’t like to do things half way, so we didn’t do a small move, we actually moved to the other side of the world, Canada …

I still have literally dozens, if not hundreds of stories from our time renovating our house in Townsville, Australia. I’m hoping to somehow find the time to record them on this site before I forget them, but at the moment my family and my work with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is taking up pretty much all of my time.

We purchased a house in Canada that we thought wouldn’t need much work, but of course that never works out quite as planned…

Since I didn’t have a workbench yet I was considering buying one from the hardware store or picking up a second hand on-line.

Buying a New Workbench

The cheapest new workbench that I could find was about $70 for an all wood basic workbench kit. The workbench came ready to assemble with the plans, hardware and timber that I would need to assemble it. The kit would probably suit my needs pretty well.

Buying a Used Workbench

Looking at used ones was a real mixed bag. There were not nearly as many listed as I would have liked, and most of those that were listed weren’t cheap. A lot of them were tradesman grade benches coming out of workshops, so they were upwards of about $300. The best priced one that I could find that might suit my purpose was for about $50.

After searching for quite some time I finally gave up on finding a decent used workbench for my garage.

Building a New Workbench

After my fairly fruitless search on-line for a workbench I starting to think that maybe I could build one, so I started another search to find the best way to do that.

After a bit of searching I came across an article entitled “Building a Low-Cost Sturdy Work Bench from 2×4’s and OSB”. After reading that I figured that I could probably build it and end up with something pretty usable. I ended up with the workbench in the photo below, and all it took was about 2-hours of building and only $22.00 in materials!

The workbench top and shelf were both off-cuts that I picked up for only $2.00 each from the hardware store. They were 24” x 48”, so I based the rest the size of the workbench on that.

I then spent $10.00 on 5 x lengths of 2×4 and about $8.00 on a box of screws. Because I had the kids with me I reckon I spent nearly as long trying to buy the materials that I needed as I spent actually building it.

You can read the step by step instructions on how to build it here, but honestly, it’s super easy to build, and you end up a very sturdy and cheap workbench in the end.

I’ve been talking lately with a house removalist about some of the questions that people have had on the site about house removals. He’s been active on the site answering peoples questions in the comments, so I thought I would ask him if he would like to contribute a guest post to the site about the topic. Below is the article by Guy Drake. I hope that you find it illuminating, I know that I did …

Remove, Recycle, Renovate.

Renovation is a fantastic way to renew a home and save money at the same time, plus it’s environmentally friendly because you are helping to lengthen the life of the building making it more sustainable. Successive renovations could in theory keep a house in use and sustained forever.

There is a way however to take that concept to an even higher level. Consider saving a whole house from certain and total destruction by removing it from a redevelopment site and restoring it at another location; completely recycling the whole lot, kitchen sink and all.

Often referred to as Removal Homes; used houses that have outlived their use at one location can be brought back to active service and reused elsewhere.

It is carried on throughout Australia every day, and becoming increasingly popular. It saves enormous amounts of waste that would otherwise end up in land fill and it provides a green and affordable solution for those who love older style homes but who also want to choose their own site to put one on.

Removing, recycling and renovating a home can be surprisingly easy and profitable, providing you are armed with the right information and have done sufficient research.

Finding a home

Homes are removed from sites all over the country, mostly from within our larger cities; a smaller number from regional areas. Most are from redevelopment sites, some from road construction projects and others due to various changes going on in their local area. South East Queensland is a hot spot for house removal due to the fact that many homes there lend themselves to easy removal, and there is much redevelopment going on with a large selection of homes available.

The best way to find a selection of available homes is to search the web. You can find private sellers looking to have an old house removed to make way for a new one, and there are house removers and removal home brokers who sell and deal in removal homes.

Some companies have house storage yards where you can see a selection of homes in one place. Some even have email notification services to advise their customers when new listings become available. Being subscribed to these is a good way to research the types of homes that become available over time, and when you are ready to proceed you can get onto hot new listings as soon as they become available.

Sourcing through a professional dealer or house remover who can also arrange removal of the home can have its advantages because they will usually have assessed the viability and removability of the home, and may be able to provide a package including a range of required services including council approval.

Aim to find a home within a distance of up to 400klms from your house site to keep transport costs to a reasonable level. Within 100klms is ideal because for most moves the price will be the same or similar for any distance up to 100klms. An extra charge rate per klm beyond 100klms is common.

Houses on concrete slabs on ground are generally not viable and are very rarely moved in Australia. Fortunately many homes built prior to slabs becoming dominant in the 1970’s and 80’s were built on timber platform floors which are relatively easy to move. Avoid solid brick construction but it might be worth considering brick veneer houses (brick over a framed wall) as the bricks can be demolished and then replaced afterwards or reclad with another product, for example, weather board.

Getting approval

Council approval is required in most areas to put a used home on another site, and may also be required to remove a house off its existing site, meaning that two different council areas could be involved with two different types of applications.

Get professional advice or use a consultant with experience in removal home applications as they are quite different and more complex than a new home building application. Normally the seller of the house will be responsible to obtain removal approval for the existing site, but check to make sure it’s being done or it may delay or even prevent you from taking delivery of your house.

Getting Finance

Finance for removal homes can be difficult to arrange because banks prefer to lend against assets already bolted down to the land that provides the security for their mortgage. It is helpful if you can fund the purchase and removal costs yourself, then if need be, borrow to complete the home once it’s fixed to its new site on permanent foundations.

Fortunately there are specialist mortgage brokers familiar with the special lending requirements for removal homes and there are ways around having to fund purchase and removal costs out of your own pocket. For more information on finance for removal homes go to http://www.transportablehomefinance.com.au/

Moving the home

Make sure you are comfortable with the company or contractor who will be moving your house, and check that they have sufficient experience, insurance, and the appropriate licence to operate. The building licensing authority in each state usually regulates and licenses house removers.

The best way to move a house is direct from its existing site to its new site. This reduces the likelihood of damage during transport, saves storage and double handling costs and the house will be more secure throughout the process. To do this you will need to negotiate sufficient time for the house to remain at its existing site so the approvals to move it to its new site can be obtained before you have to move it.

Some homes are moved in one piece. Some need to be cut into two or more sections then rejoined, and some may need the roof lowered or removed for transport and re-erected later.

House relocation contractors will usually carry out the necessary structural rejoining work required, however be aware that most will not complete the cosmetic parts of rejoining such as repairing a cut made through plasterboard linings or sealing and repainting a section that has been cut, to hide the join. You should discuss such matters with your contractor so you know what finishing work you will be left with to do yourself, or employ others to do for you. You may find that renovation work carried out after a house is moved will easily incorporate these sorts of cosmetic fixes anyway.

Reconnecting services

Once the house arrives at the new site it will need to be re-stumped (posts installed to support the floor) and have power, water, gas, telephone services and so on connected.

Most house moving contractors will move and restump, or arrange others to restump, but generally they do not get involved in connecting services, or rejoining cut plumbing pipes and wiring etc, so this will probably be up to you.

Always employ properly licensed and insured plumbing and electrical contractors for this work. Do not attempt to do it yourself, unless of course you have those qualifications.

Renovating

Renovation is covered elsewhere on this site so I won’t elaborate much about it here other than to comment on how it relates to house removal.

A common perception about houses for removal is that they need major renovation and are mostly in poor condition. That is not always the case and in fact many houses that are moved are in excellent condition, some with recent and extensive renovations already done.

When assessing a home to move, assess it for its renovation potential in just the same way you would an established house. When buying any home whether for removal, renovation or otherwise, its important to have the structure checked by a qualified professional builder or building inspector to make sure its sound and to alert you to any costly areas that may need attention.

Making a profit

Each person’s idea of what a profit means is different. For some, a profit is selling the completed project for more than what it cost them. Others might consider a profit to be obtaining their dream home for less than could be achieved by other means. Others might consider the profit to be the fact that they obtained a home and saved an acre of forest and tonnes of green house gasses in the process.

Regardless of what profit means to you, it is important to make one, and you should be able to with a Removal Home. There will be some houses that are simply not viable due to the costs to move, to renovate or to obtain in the first place. Sometimes homes are even offered free to take away, and you need to be aware that some of them will simply not be worth it. Most house removal projects however will produce a significant return for the effort and money put into them if approached with some due care and attention.

Research is the key to making a profit. Learn about the types and styles of homes available and for what price. Find out which homes are easier and therefore cheaper to move. Consider the difference in costs of buying and moving an already renovated home compared to one that needs a lot of renovation.

Whatever you do, make sure you get enough information to be able to make informed decisions about your project. The rest will be experience.

Happy House Recycling.

Article written by Guy Drake.

Guy is a builder and house remover with the family business Drake Homes which for over 38 years has been removing, recycling and relocating homes in Australia. You can read more from Guy at his blog “House Removal and Recycling”

I can’t remember where I got the boxes from, but they were probably from the local hardware store. I got two that were the same size and in pretty good condition.

I primed the boxes with a 3 in 1 primer / sealer / undercoat that I had left over from when I undercoated the house. The boxes were taped together using normal clear packing tape, which the paint didn’t take to all that well. In retrospect I should have re-taped it using a cloth tape or even a masking tape.

After undercoating the boxes I put on two coats of flat white ceiling paint. You can use any paint that you have sitting around, but I had a lot of this left over, so it worked …

After the paint had dried I drew out the pattern that I wanted for the burners and over door on the first box, and the cupboard and sink that I wanted on the second cardboard box. I used a saucepan lid and a milk bottle cap to make the circles round.

Using the “donkey” colour of paint that we had left over from painting the living room, dining room, kitchen and office upstairs I painted in the patterns that I had drawn out before. I also cut a hole in the “cupboard box” for the sink and put in a plastic bowl.

For the doors to the oven and the cupboard I just cut it out with a knife and then used some old string that I had lying around for the handles. To accent the door to the oven a bit more I painted around it with the same donkey colour of paint.

All up this little kitchen, that Jessica loved to play with, cost nothing as the boxes were free and the paint was all left over. It did take me a few hours to paint, but it was well worth the effort.

Allan Zhong wrote:

I have a fibrate house in Sydney that we want moved away. I’m wondering, do you want it?

I am guessing that they meant a “fibro” house for removal in Sydney.

I have no need or want for the house, but I thought that I would put it out there in case there is someone else out there who might want it. If you do then just put a comment below and I can put you in touch with Allan so that you can discuss the removal of the house.

1. Work / Task Lighting
2. Ambient Lighting

Work / Task Lighting

Typically your work / task lighting can be found in one, two or possibly three locations in the master bedroom. We have task lighting in only one location, but it would probably be nice to have it in the other two as well. The main locations for task / work lighting in a bedroom, in order of prominence, are:

1. Bedside Tables
2. Dresser Mirror
3. Closet

We have reading lamps on our bedside tables. In purchasing these lights we went for a 45watt light that matched our bed set on each bedside. I have also seen the reading lamps mounted to the wall above the headboard for the bed, which can be quite effective.

Some dresser mirrors have lights built into them. This can help with getting dressed and ready for the day. Since we have an ensuite attached to our master bedroom we didn’t really have a need for lights for the mirror on our dresser.

Having lighting in the closets is something that I am starting to see more of. Once it was something reserved to walk in closest, but now you can find built in lighting in standard closets. I’ve seen closet lights can be attached to the wall, in the ceiling or sometimes attached to the shelves in the wardrobe.

Ambient Lighting

The ambient lighting in the master bedroom is your general lighting. We’ve had the ambient lighting provided by wall light scones, a light attached to the fan, inset in the ceiling or more traditional ceiling lights. If done properly the ambient lighting can be used to really “set the mood” in the master bedroom.

My favourite lights that we’ve had for ambient lighting in our bedroom so far was halogen down lights on a dimmer.

There were four lights evenly spaced in the ceiling around a ceiling fan. The placement of the lights helped to stop the flicker that can sometimes being experienced with a ceiling fan. Being on a dimmer allowed the same lights to be used for a wide variety of uses.

What kind of choices have you made in setting up your own lighting in your master bedroom? What have I missed in planning out bedroom lighting?

The recommended temperature to set your air conditioner to is 25C (77F). This is the best setting to balance the economy of running your air conditioner and setting it to  a comfortable temperature.

Some people find 25C to be too warm to set the air conditioner to. If that’s the case for you then running a fan is an economical solution to help augment cooling provided by the air conditioner. My personal preference is to run the fans on high with the air conditioner set to 25C rather than setting the air conditioner any cooler then that.

I have a few friends who really crank down their air conditioner at night because the like to be cold when they sleep. To help us sleep at night in the summer we leave the air conditioner at 25C, set the fan to high and remove the duvet from our duvet cover, so we just sleep with the duvet cover. This helps us to sleep at a comfortable temperature, without increasing the costs to cool the house.

What temperature do you have your air conditioner set to and what do you do to make your air conditioner cool your house more effectively?