|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Hadden House |
| A home inspired by medieval times. |
|
|
|
|
Home made mud bricks and roof tiles are just a couple of the interesting features of Rob Hadden and wife Toni's 12th century home, located in country Castlemaine, just an hour and a half out of Melbourne.
Their medieval abode is inspired by Rob and Toni's travels through Devon in England, where they admired the old cob buildings. When they stumbled across a vacant five acre block of land in Victoria's Castlemaine, Rob's plans of 10 years became a reality. He made much of the home from stratch and particularly wanted to replicate the structure of early buildings, using 'Cruck' framing with the timbers pegged together.
It took Rob three years to get the project to the "live-in" stage, and a further five years to complete. Throughout this time, Rob made 4500 mud bricks for the walls and 18,000 tiles for the roof. He considers the hand-made roof a successful experiment and his favourite aspect of the home.
Peeking above the roof is an unusual "twisted" brick chimney. This cost just $60 to build using recycled bricks and took two weeks. Rob's original plan didn't include the twisted chimney, but half way through construction he realised his original idea was too difficult. So, he went back to the books and did some research, finally deciding on the twisted chimney that he'd also seen in England.
Five tonnes of timber have gone into the frame of the house. This includes a mixture of grey box, yellow box, red stringy bark, poplar and pine. Some timber was cut from the property itself and used as exposed beams in the roof. These large slabs follow the grain of the tree, with bends and bumps still visible. All up, they used about $19,000 worth of materials, including local poplar branches destined for the tip.
To keep with the simplicity of medieval times, there is no air conditioner, no computer and no dishwasher. The rooms have been kept to a minimum too, with a combined living/dining area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and study. There are some mod cons though, like the washing machine and CD player. Rob intended to have a dirt floor, but this idea was soon discarded in favour of hand made tiles. There's an open fire to heat the house and Rob and Toni often use it to cook.
The house isn't the only thing Rob has built. He also made most of the furniture inside. Other items were bought from ethnic shops. Rob and Toni intended furnishing the house with English antiques, but were horrified by the prices. Instead, they chose Indian and Pakistani pieces, mostly carved from wood. Rob describes these as "old, interesting and cheap".
Rob's latest project is a new workshop for his property. He estimates he has a good twenty years of building left in him, although this is definitely the last time he'll start a property from scratch.
|
Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
|
|
|
|
|
