Feb 8, 2019: Russell Island Nearly Finished

Our Russell Island project is coming along nicely. In fact we’ve scheduled our final inspection for Wednesday next week. The plumber came yesterday so now we have running water and a functioning toilet. No hot water yet because the electrician still has to power up the hot water system.

Meanwhile we’ve finished the kitchen…

Our kitchen completed

Our kitchen completed

… and today I completed the insulation in the roof space.

Attic insulation

Attic insulation and ducting for the bathroom fan.

Before the plasterers put the gyprock on the ceilings I threw the insulation up into the roof space so that I wouldn’t have to drag it all up through the manhole. Since this morning was cool and cloudy it seemed like a good opportunity to complete the installation. While I was up there I also attached a bit of flex-duct to each of the bathroom exhaust fans and directed the outlet towards the vents in the gable ends.

Most bathroom fans in Australia are a simple, large round fan that blows air up into the roof space through a hole in the ceiling. Back in the days when attics were very drafty and uninsulated, this was an acceptable (although not an energy efficient) arrangement because there was little risk of condensation or mould problems. But these days there is insulation in roof spaces that can do two things… it can absorb moisture (and therefore potentially harbour mould) and it can make the roof space colder ( by reducing the amount of heat that escapes from the rooms below) which increases the likelihood of condensation in the attic. So in cool to cold climates it is essential to vent bathroom fans and kitchen rangehoods directly to the exterior of the building but up here in Queensland it’s okay just to direct the moist air from the bathroom towards the gable vents where it can escape without doing any harm.

Wish us luck for our final inspection next week, meanwhile here’s a bit of good news…

Higher Energy Efficiency Standards Coming to Australia

Long-time readers will be familiar with my rants about how pathetic our energy performance standards are. So I’m VERY happy to pass on this article from Renew Magazine which details a decision by the Council of Australian Governments to (finally) raise the minimum standard for new homes from 6.5 stars to 7 stars. I know… it’s incredibly exciting… but hey, it’s better than nothing.

1 comment to Feb 8, 2019: Russell Island Nearly Finished

  • Glenn Robinson

    Hi Andy, not sure if it matters in your climate but in the highlands I have found moisture condenses in bathroom exhaust ducts and drips out of the fan .I try to slope duct downhill to exit at eaves or use a shuttered wall fan.
    Congrats on nearly finishing, house looks exceptionally good for the dollars spent
    Cheers
    Glenn

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