Do It 

     Building or renovating is not rocket science. It is
     a series of tasks one before the other and certain
     things must be done in a certain order. These
     DVD's will explain in detail the individual tasks.
     All the tricks to the trades using world's  best practices.

             Take charge and Do It Yourself.  

     With these extremely in-depth DVD's they take
      you through all the steps needed to do any task
      in your project. They will give you the guidance
      that you need and if you don't do the work
      yourself they give you the knowledge to hire the
      right tradesperson.

     Building your home the Real DIY way can save you
     appox. 75 % of  the cost of the home. Better that
     money in your pocket than someone else's.

   The ceiling is not yet complete as we are trying to find a
   specific spray on acoustical ceiling  This will dampen down
   any echoes in the large rooms and give it a really expensive
   look. The floor covering is a Polymer supplied by Concrete      Technologies, this is a more cost effective way than tiles or        carpet. The floor is kind on bare feet and is surprisingly    
   warm. The Flake Floor comes in a multitude of colors and is
   industrial strength. It is easy to clean and spills wipe up
   without a problem and it doesn't stain. This is the best floor
   covering that I have used for this application. application of
   the Flake Floor is very easy for the DIY person.

  With the kitchen finished the home becomes livable.

  With the addition of the La Germania  full gas cookstove
  and range hood the cooking can begin. The use of a gas
  cook stove and oven is loads more efficient than any electric
  stove, and it cooks better. (my opinion on the cooking)

  The ceiling is yet to be sprayed as we are finding it difficult at
  this point to find the right product.

  When the home was designed and built there were no
  significant changes made to accommodate for the solar
  power. Everything is the same as a normal everyday home
  you can use any energy efficient appliances, no special wiring
  is needed. There are no multi voltages in the home, all is
  standard 240 volt.

  When living in the home there are no living changes that we
  had to make except that we no longer use an electric kettle,
  we use the gas stove to boil our water instead, it uses less
  energy.

   There is only one thing that is different with the solar power,
   there are no more power bills.

Yourself

      The entranceway  was built in less than one day at a
       75% savings. 

       Building codes must be followed with
       all relevant approvals in place. There are certain
       trades that must be preformed by licensed people,
       however most of the work can be done to a very high
       standard if you take pride and don't settle for second
       best.

       The project home was built in appox 90 working days 
        using the  'best practices' method.   Finishing touches 
        such as interior doors and floor coverings can be done 
        at your convenience. Once you have finished your 
        renovation or built your own house, it will be something
        you can be proud of. The home was built as a minimum 
        maintenance, energy efficient solar home.

      With the inside almost finished and living in the home even the  
       coldest winter nights aren't a match for the house. The house has            been through tremendous wind and rain storms and sitting inside
       reading a book in front of the fire the storms is not even noticed. 
       The home is warm throughout in the winter and in the heat of    
       summer you can stand in the doorway (three door sliding glass
       door) with the door open and the coolness from inside the house 
        is definitely noticeable.

   For the two years now spent living in the home our heating  has cost     us no more than $100.00. That was the petrol and oil for the    
    chainsaw and our time to cut the wood. It has cost nothing for
    air conditioning at all as there is no need for it. Hot water, cooking         and the BBQ are Propane (LPG) and cost on a yearly basis is               appox  $400.00, (this depends on your needs). It could be Natural        Gas if you  have access to the service.

  The batteries are made by EXIDE and the panels and inverter are  
   supplied by CONERGY.

The inverter is a 5048 Sunny Island

  German made, these are the best in the world as the Germans are
   leaders in solar power.

   The solar array consists of 18 - 170 watt panels. There is room for
   additional panels if the need arises.