How could you not go WOW! - Jasdan's Staircase

Posted by Brenton Hayward on 6/05/2015 in Incredible, Jasdan, Stairs with no comments

The photo shown below is of our fellow Waldorfian Jasdan's staircase. Without going into too much detail... because I'll start to drool everywhere... this photo is simply extraordinary and encompasses everything about the Waldorf that we fell in love with. The fancy balustrade, the stained timber, the carpeted steps and the step lights all combined together to make your heart skip and beat and make you go WOW!!! Jasdan... if or when you read this post... make sure that you put me on the list of people to get an official tour. I have never been more jealous of anything in my whole life!!! [On a side note, did anyone spot the network point next to the kitchen walkway doors? What a great place for a wall mounted router!]

Which Minion Are You?

Posted by Anonymous on 6/03/2015 in Attitude, Minion, Random with 1 comment

At work the other day (as part of a Cultural Celebration event) I stumbled across a webpage that did an awesome job at explaining how to appreciate culture and that we all have differences. The article used minions, yes, minions, as an example of different cultures (and different groups of people).

The article explain that the minions can be thought of as different cultures (or even different groups of people ). It then asked a question... Which minion are you?... and challenged your to find an image of a minion the represent a culture (e.g. Spanish, Muslim) or group of people (e.g. musician) that you know of.

One of the images that I thought of, due to playing the bagpipes, was Scottish culture...

I also reckon that this minion below describes me pretty well... what do you think?

Or this video (as the minion soccer referee... as part of being a soccer fan)...

Hydronic Heating... Why I Was Confused

Posted by Brenton Hayward on 5/31/2015 in Hydronic Heating with 1 comment

Today I finally got the answer to a question that I have never had answered... what is the second type of hydronic heating? At one of the secondary schools that I attended hydronic wall heaters were used and it was always a race to sit on them or sit at the closest desk to them during the winter months. Today I found out that hydronic heating can also be installed below floors and in slabs. As a Science teacher I fully appreciate the benefits that hydronic heating and wonder why it is not installed more often in Victoria.

Jasdan's and Knyght's Waldorfs... Not Jealous (MUCH!)

Posted by Brenton Hayward on 5/31/2015 in Blog with no comments

One of the most enjoyable things that I do to pass the time when waiting for our build to recommence is to stalk (aka: visit very regularly) the blogs of fellow Waldorfians... people that are also building the amazing PD Waldorf. Two blogs that I particularly barrage with traffic are the builds of HomeOne contributors Jasdan and Knyght. These particular blogs are regularly updated and provide a very detailed account of their build journey. There are other Waldorf blogs that are just as detailed however the majority of the build journey's for these houses have completed (but can still be access here). To visit Jasdan's and Knyght's blogs click on the image of each house below...

Jasdan's Blog - http://homesweetwaldorf.blogspot.com.au/

Knyght's Blog - http://gisbornewillows.blogspot.com.au/

Theater TV Cabinet Ordered

Posted by Brenton Hayward on 5/30/2015 with no comments

Today we popped in to Morale Hume Furnishings to check that they were still OK to store our furniture for another 12 months. As per usual, Tilby took a stroll around the store and find another item to add to the collection... a TV cabinet for the theater. Check it out...

Report into Consumer Protection in Building Industry

Posted by Anonymous on 5/29/2015 in Auditor General's Office, VBA with no comments

From the VBA: The Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) has today issued a report into Victoria's consumer protection framework for building construction, which includes recommendations for the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

The VBA welcomes the report and VAGO's acknowledgement of the actions undertaken by the VBA, since its establishment in July 2013, to address previous recommendations, along with the positive steps it has taken to improve its regulatory performance in a number of areas.

For more information and to download the report, visit: http://goo.gl/o53b2A

Low-Income Families Set to Receive Free Solar Panels

Posted by Anonymous on 5/28/2015 in Solar Panels with no comments

From IFLScience: California is the best state in the USA if you want to go solar – but only if you’re rich enough. Due to the steep upfront costs of around $15000, only those from middle to upper-income families can afford to install solar arrays. A novel initiative is, however, looking to change that. This new project hopes to help disadvantaged communities see the sun in a different light. Using money raised by the government to help fight global warming, the Grid Alternatives project aims to get polluting companies to pay for putting solar panels on the roofs of those who cannot afford them.

For more info, visit: http://goo.gl/gNktcx

photo credit: Elena Elisseeva

Congratulations Ireland... Votes "Yes" to Gay Marriage

Posted by Anonymous on 5/24/2015 in Gay Rights with no comments

I would personally like to thank and congratulate the government and people of Ireland for making the decision to legalise gay marriage. Yes, I understand that some other governments have legislated to allow it, but this is the first time (that I'm aware of) that the people have been given the right to vote on it. In addition, the vote was to recognise gay marriage in the constitution and not just a law that can be changed every few months (to improve opinion polls). CONGRATULATIONS IRELAND... WAKE UP AUSTRALIA!

[Source: FanPop]

The Data House... All Thanks to Mathematics

Posted by Anonymous on 5/23/2015 in Design, Mathematics, Random with no comments

Hemnet is a real estate site in Sweden — it’s a bit like Trulio, a site where people go to browse homes and look at features and pricing in their area. Earlier this year, the site decided to analyse what two million visitors browsed over the course of a month’s worth of traffic, totalling 200 million clicks. What sizes were people looking for? What features did they like? Balcony or deck? After parsing the data, they turned it over to the Swedish architects Tham & Videgård — who designed an actual home based on the data. For more information, visit...

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/05/2-million-internet-users-designed-this-house-and-its-not-bad/

PD Announces "Dare to Dream" Promotion

Posted by Anonymous on 5/22/2015 in PD, Promotion with no comments

PD has just released it's new promotion (and I assume updated standard inclusions) for their homes. The promotion, powerfully titled "Dare to Dream", does an excellent job of community PD's core values and it's famous promise to "Respect the Dream". It is full of incredibly imagery from their display homes to show people what is possible.

For more information, click: http://www.porterdavis.com.au/special-offers/dare-to-dream

Building the Waldorf 48 with Porter Davis