The Build Notebook #2 (8 November 2024)
CAD files, cork wallpaper, shower heads and more...
Thanks to everyone who saw enough value in this little experiment to subscribe for more! (Special hello to my fellow Undercover Architect HOME Method members who I suspect make up the bulk of the 35+ new subscriber since last week).
Here are 5 things that I learned this week…
How to view CAD files (without CAD software) - A bit of a mixup regarding file versions sent to engineers led me to investigate solutions we can use for viewing CAD files (without actually needing CAD software). Autodesk Viewer is a free, web-based app is the solution I landed on.
Cork wallpaper is a thing - You could spend a lifetime researching all the possible materials and finishes that can be used in a home, so there feels like there is no shortage of learning here! I’m a big fan of cork flooring, but had never heard of cork wallpaper before!
YourHome has released two new free house plans as part of Design for Place - a set of five energy-efficient home designs that can be used as-is or customised to suit your needs. They have been designed by an architect in collaboration with an energy assessor to create homes with well-designed, comfortable and practical spaces. The new Grevillea and Mallee designs are 3-bdrm homes optimised for north to street (Grevillea) and north to rear (Mallee). [HT to HOME Method member Naomi for sharing this one.]
Not all Methven Kiri shower heads are the same! Turns out that the Methven Kiri Satinjet shower head is not the same as the Methven Kiri MK2 Low Flow shower head. If you’re specifically wanting the low flow version, make sure it’s actually in the name of the item and check the product specifications (rather than assuming they were the same like I did!). [HT to Greg in the My Efficient Electric Home Facebook group].
Prof. Rebecca Bentley from the University of Melbourne studies the impacts of poor quality housing on health and productivity (which is much more significant than I’d considered). You can read about some of her research at The Conversation. [HT to Andy Marlow who referenced Prof. Bentley’s work in his Australian Passivhaus Association’s online Pecha Kucha event presentation.]
Cork wallpaper!!! How good! I wonder if this would stick to steel? Reason - we spent ages looking for a cork lining as a thermal break for the steel elements in our external walls, we ended up using some cork matting from Spotlight that had a sticky back to it. Thinking wallpaper might be very similar 👍👍