An Australian story about travel, and ripping yarns.

I am a sixth generation Australian of Irish and Scottish extraction. A visit to my site is a light hearted adventure across time, countries and cities.

Category: Do It Yourself

Japanese Samurai Musashi wrote about Do-It-Yourself Carpentry.

Do It Yourself

DIY Renovating – Reconstructing Life Lessons – Part 3:

Japanese Samurai Musashi wrote about Do-It-Yourself Carpentry.
Japanese Samurai Musashi wrote about Do-It-Yourself Carpentry.

Samurai and Tips on Home Renovation:

Musashi elevates humble carpentry to a life journey of pursuing artisanship. Why is the 1987 founder of a very successful weightlifting supplement company interested in DIY house renovations? Sorry you have the wrong Musashi.

I’m speaking of Miyamoto Musashi (circa. 1584 – 13 June 1645), a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer.

In 1643 he retired to a cave and wrote. Musashi’s writing is studied today similar to the Ancient Worlds’ Chinese General Sun Tzu, or the Stoic Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. IE: Lessons on leading a meaningful life. My premise for this journal series is that humble carpentry teaches and sustains many of the principles that many consider essential to a meaningful life.

Musashi’s work is most commonly known through movie portrayal of martial art fights with the hero effortlessly wielding a sword in both hands. Musashi created and mastered that fighting style. And his peers laughed and mocked him, “Well that’s never going to catch on!”

I also agree that the pursuit of Craftsmanship, in any endeavour, is a noble pursuit.
The pursuit of craftsmanship, in any endeavour, is a noble pursuit.

My Do-It-Yourself Carpentry – Plan and Vision:

Part 1 and Part 2 of this Journal explained my current DIY Project. That is, in undertaking a substantial DIY home renovation I’m taking the opportunity to document my learnings, setbacks, successes and ponder the relevance of humble DIY and life affirming principles in general. So, what is the major plan that I am pursuing? The one Musashi suggests I can pursue with “True Measure“:

Well, ‘She Who Must be Obeyed’, has decided she no longer has need of one of the major walls in our 1890’s home. Just how hard can that be?

A photo illustrating walls to be removed in this DIY carpentry project.

Overcoming Setbacks – Carpentry Problem Solving and Resilience:

“The comparison with carpentry is through the connection with houses. The carpenter uses a master plan of the building, and the Way of strategy is similar in this manner of planning.” Musashi, 1643 ‘The Book of Five Rings’.

One of the many challenges of renovating houses is the unknowns: rotten timber, termite or water damage, asbestos, or simply inadequate previous construction. And regardless of your planning, the extent of such can never be adequately known until demolition commences. In this case the eternal optimist in me hoped the existing beam would continue over the wall to be removed. But as you see the beam sits on the edge of the wall, removing the wall would collapse the beam and hence the roof and wall supported by it – Technically called a setback!

The life principle of resilience required the problem to be analyzed, and a solution implemented. Replace that beam?

A photo illustrating walls to be removed in this DIY carpentry project.

A Humble Carpentry Solution:

The solution was to manufacture a strengthening beam by combining two lengths of 185 x 35 kiln dried pine. This was then stitched to the existing beam with galvanized plates.

A photo illustrating walls to be removed in this DIY carpentry project and new support beams installed.

Material selection:

When this house was built in 1890 it was all Aussie hardwood, a strong durable material. But unfortunately sourcing it destroyed old growth forests. And only the finest timber kept everything else was simply burnt. I don’t find this acceptable in 2024.

The softwood timber used is plantation grown, kiln dried reducing shrinkage and readily replaced with relatively fast growth cycles.

Fast grown softwood is not as strong as the old school hardwood. Timber strength is designated by a ‘F’ Rating. This softwood F7, the existing hardwood in 1890 F14, but 130 years latter sitting in a dry roof space, slowly curing, as high as F50.

I compensated for weaker timber by using a deeper section and stitching two lengths together. The extra height required was no issue. The completed pine beam weighed 15 kilograms, readily handled, an important planning aspect since I work on my ‘Pat Malone’. And equivalent kiln dried hardwood beam would be 30 kilograms and three times the price.

Budgets and Planning:

One strategic benefit of DIY is you can potentially save a lot of money.

The solution above cost me:

  • Timber $65 AUD,
  • Nails and connectors $40 AUS, and
  • And most importantly minimal delay to my programme.

The scenario of having such a setback whilst having contracted to a building contractor:

  1. Work stops,
  2. A structural engineer would be consulted,
  3. A structural engineering solution developed and documented,
  4. Material sourced,
  5. Work recommences,
  6. Budget: Professional fees, Builder’s markup, Builders margin – Say $2000 AUD, and
  7. Time delay? – two to three weeks.

Conclusion:

DIY can be very frustrating! But perseverance brings experience. And experience makes you just that little bit more resilient.

How do you become proficient with tools? Use them. No one moved anywhere near mastery of any human endeavour without both failure, and more practice – the resilience to have another go. I’m pretty certain that Miyamoto Musashi did not quickly master fighting with a samurai sword in each hand.

Thanks for your attention.

Do It Yourself

DIY Renovating – Reconstructing Life Lessons – Part 2:

Introduction:

This is Part 2 of my journal documenting a rather large and complex DIY planning project I have undertaken, I guess in my retirement I have nothing better to do. After all there is only so much fishing one man can squeeze into his life – How I wish. Part 1 available here expands on my motivations.

DIY Planning:

It’s often been said, “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” (7P’s). And so it is with DIY home renovations. Sounds easy?

Well, ‘She who must be obeyed’ and I have literally spent 12 months pontificating, arguing, drawing, deciding, then changing our minds.

The first important fact to consider with existing houses is the extent of the existing space. Financial efficiency stems from working with what you have got – that simple. Accepting your existing resources and physical limitations, and then moving forward with a plan, is also a fundamental life tactic. In a reno the cruel fact of life is that every extra square metre of floor plan you build means more $. So don’t build extra space unless there remains no workable compromise solution within your existing walls.

So, the DIY Planning Journey:

Just start sketching and recording ideas, starting the DIY planning journey starts with but one step.

There is no such thing as a bad idea. What? Well, the journey to a solution often involves documenting what simply is bad, indifferent or impractical. At least you know now what you don’t like.

On this project I literally have sketch books full of silly concepts. And though I’m an Architect, I chose to simply use the basic Publisher package available on all our laptops. Designing your DIY project does not need fancy software! Keep it silly simple! The most important thing being to use a medium that all involved in the design can understand – Scrapbooks, photos, samples, whatever it takes to ensure that communication is effective.

This concept was rejected as not providing sufficient space in the new Kitchen. However, it allowed us to lock in certain strategic decisions:

  1. Building a new Laundry was essential as it provided a second bathroom, always missing from the old 1890’s house,
  2. A new Laundry would provide toilet and showering facilities whilst the existing Bathroom was demolished and refunctioned as a Ensuite, and
  3. The new Laundry allowed the existing Bathroom to become a Ensuite to the Master Bedroom.

Always be mindful that rejected ideas may hold part of final solution.

And the DIY Rejections Continued:

This concept provided a workable large kitchen. But we decided having a Kitchen directly opposite the Master Bedroom was not so brilliant.

It’s worth noting my home is a Country retirement home. There are no resident children, just one still hard working from home businesswoman, and one retired want to be Country Squire, with too much time on his hands! So, in some ways the old 1890’s farmhouse is morphing into an open plan unit or villa.

The Final DIY Planning Solution:

This is the final outcome. Its construction will be the subject of this journal.

As a rule of thumb, the longer you spending arguing over design the better outcome.

Preparation:

I don’t have a workshop. Typically, in the past, I’ve made do with relocatable sawhorses. But in my Preparation Planning I considered the scale of what I had committed to:

  1. Cutting kitchen doors, gables and large wall and ceiling claddings,
  2. Cutting and prepping hanging beams, and joists required to remove a wall that separates the existing Kitchen and Lounge, and
  3. Cutting and assembling Kitchen joinery drawer and cupboard fronts, kitchen carcasses, etc.

Well, some crappy wobbly sawhorses just would not cut it!

Critical preparation a solid 2400 x 1200 work bench. Materials required:

  • Two good quality adjustable trestle horses,
  • 2400 x 1200 x 20 mm thick sheet of craftwood,
  • Six 2400 x 70 mm pine wall studs, and
  • Wood screws.

Total cost under $300 AUD, worth every cent!

I also rigged up two LED floodlights and a multiple power outlet on the ceiling of this deck, which is conveniently directly accessible to the DIY Kitchen Project. I’m expecting some long nights. Note to self – Where’s the bar fridge.

PS: I also did not tell ‘She Who Must be Obeyed’ that I was knicking her deck for the duration. Planning advice # 1 – Often faster to ask for forgiveness then permission.

Conclusion:

So now I’ve completed the Planning, executed my Preparation, well let’s crack on!

Thanks for reading.

Do It Yourself

DIY Renovating – Reconstructing Life Lessons – Part 1:

Introduction:

I’ve always had a passion for building stuff. Outside my professional construction career, I have actively engaged my whole life in ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) projects. As a kid I hung around dad’s garage workshop. By sixteen I was well accustomed to rebuilding car brakes, suspensions and engines.

I brought my first house at 23. Never opened a tin of paint before then, let alone renovated a house.

I paid $75,000 AUD for that house, three times my annual wage as a graduate Architect in 1986. In 2024 the median house price in that same City is $910,000 with a median wage being $85,000. I was very lucky!

After a lick of paint, some new carpet, a ‘wonder kid’ new kitchen (totally impractical but it looked funky), well I sold that house twelve months latter for $125,000. I made two years wages completely tax free! Needless to say, I was hooked on renovating crappy old houses and selling them on. I followed that passion for 40 years.

Life Lessons Learnt from DIY:

Of all the things I discovered that are as applicable to successful DIY as they are to life in general, I would include the following:

  1. Preparation,
  2. Planning,
  3. Have the right tools,
  4. Be resilient, expect things to go wrong, learn how to adapt,
  5. Have and follow a vision, and
  6. Don’t be afraid to ask the help of experienced experts.

Current Project DIY on a Grand Scale:

My current, and hopefully last project, is a 1890’s farmhouse I purchased some 20 years previously. I’m undertaking part refurbishment part extension. Phase 1 includes remodeling a rather tired old kitchen.

It’s all DIY. Though I have an electrician undertaking the seriously dangerous stuff.

Since it’s keeping me rather busy, I don’t have time for my usual Postcard history dabblings – So I thought I would maintain a journal of my experiences. Yes, some of my thoughts on life, and some insight into successful DIY for beginners.

WTF has Winston Churchill got to do with it?

It’s not well known that old Winnie was a qualified brick layer.

The image shows British Prime Minister Winston Churchill laying bricks at his home. Winston was famous for his 'Do it Yourself' (DIY) projects. The subject of this post is DIY.

Winston in his long and turbulent political life had periods of deep depression, and periods out of power in the political wilderness. In such times he built walls, small cottages and ponds at his home. He found solitude in humble labour, it quieted his troubled soul, it gave him great satisfaction.

Indeed, for many DIY does precisely that, I have certainly experienced the same outcomes.

Then there is the practical benefit of doing it yourself – dollars saved. Building today is very expensive. And renovations are particularly so. Builders find them risky, too many potential unknowns, damp, leaking roofs and walls, termites, bad footings and so on. And old 1890’s farmhouses, well they a crooked, old hardwood is well very hard, and difficult to drill and work around.

Thanks for your attention.

Part 2 will introduce my planning and preparation, and can be reviewed here.

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