flybyknight

im sat here on the couch at the moment, with a quilt over me and a fleece on. the building standards in victoria are either way too low, or corrupt. we live in a tent, a 4 year old house in point cook, it looks fab from outside but is extremely poorly built. the room im in has heavy curtains at either end to block the room off, and a window film taped to the window frame to create an air gap (poor mans double glazing) im still pretty cold. i cant put my feet on the floor, even if they are in my slippers as the cold radiating from the slab is uncomfortable. pretty much, we live in a good looking slum. as you may have gussed, we intend to build. i was at the grand designs expo yesterday and was assured not all victorian houses are like this. if you use a small builder, who will have his reputation damaged if he does a bad job you have a better chance of a good house. dont ever use a huge building co. they will cut every corner except the aesthetics. leaving you with a good looking hugely energy hungry box. im sorry to say as much as you're cold now, in the summer you will be too hot, and you will have to pay large to cool that box you're renting. the answer has been around forever, get the building fabric right. insulation and air tightness. that way you will have a comfortable house all year round. just dont ask an aussie though, they have never known quality, they will just tell you to man up. i was talking to a guy i work with who had been kept awake by the noise of the rain on his place. he said to me 'wow you pommies must never sleep with all the rain over there' its so sad. he looked at me like i was mad when i told him i only know it's raining when i look out of the window! poor buggers have never known a real house. and he was a carpenter too!

soon people may actually specify their building are built properly in the uk, just like in germany. when you are using less than 10% of the energy, for a more comfortable house, paying a bit more wont hurt so much, and that solar system will make a real difference! if we all keep buying what the main builders call a good house, we're just encouraging the bastards. google passive house. 20 year old technology, that works and is working, but next to no-one's heard of it because we all seem to like paying our electric and gas bills. oh, and australia's even worse, but dont get me started on that one lol

the tenants hold all the power in the uk, even the Citizens advice tell people to just squat if they are homeless and poor. its a sorry system but it is the system the uk has. very much geared towards the tenant. the one good thing, is you can claim any losses on your tax return in the uk (or aus if on a perm res visa) i'm afraid this doesn't help your new tenant too much! the situation you describe is rare, but sadly it does happen. don't loose heart though, for the most part its worth it in the long run

gr8 at textin tho innit

the people on benefits should be allowed to stay on benefits, or should be given a job to do for their benefits. the whole pull the rug out from under their feet is totally unfair. successive governments have allowed these people to stay at home and let the world drift by for generations. do you honestly think these people have any clue how to prepare a cv, good interview technique etc? and quite separately, do you know any employers who would employ a 'working because i have to' jeremy kyle generation giropractor? if the government wants them to work, they should give them jobs, after they sort jobs out for the mass unemployed (they have created) who want to work obviously!

maybe they want to run to a country that is the oppressor, rather than another likely to be oppressed. the uk usa and australia would be top of my list if i were fleeing with my family, as they are the aggressors. that way i wont have to risk the journey again. maybe if we stopped killing innocents for a cheaper gallon they'd stop making the journey. it was us, yes you and i with our vote, that put them in harms way in the first place. deal with it.

have a chat with the DAMO in Akrotiri (phone any uk base main number and ask the operator to put you through), they wont be able to help you. but clearing personnel and knowing who to speak to is a rough part of their remit. with any luck they will know who you need to contact. if you get the cold shoulder (unlikely) phone back 12 hours later (its a duty, you may end up with a slack **** who just wants the easy life) i'm sure you're not the first and certainly wont be the last to need these papers.

i don't think greed denotes a good or a bad landlord. if there were no financial reward why would anyone put themselves through the hassle of managing a property? with no financial incentive there would be no private landlords. for better or worse, cash is the only real reason most exist at all. the negative gearing available in the australia tax system means a renter can live in an area far outside their capabilities for purchase. and this clearly gives the renter a big advantage. this seems to be the system as i see it. i guess if a person doesn't like it, they can buy.

if you wish to start a thread for advice from owner builders, i'd also be very interested to hear what others have to say on the experience. i'd like to think i'll be building rather soon

our experience with Ian Harrop was wonderful, we were on their books when the merger happened, it was handled very smoothly. our case was handled by the same staff as before the merger, with the exception of the skills assessment which was handled in a very professional manner from Scotland. As the Skills is all a paperwork exercise, it made no difference to the service. we have been in touch with Jenny since, due to my woeful admin, and even after the job is done, she is still helpful and courteous. all in all.... highly recommended

if you do build be very careful, the standards themselves are skewed towards building poor houses. for example, air tightness is assumed when insulation is checked for performance. if wind is blowing through, any amount of insulation is degraded. with airtightness in mind, 5 natural airchanges in a european house is considered 'leaky'. the same performance, by Australian standards is 'completely airtight'! i wonder what an Australian builder would charge you to build a place completely airtight? its a broken system.

funny, i just skipped 5 pages to see how this thread had developed (am i the only one who does this? be honest!) and ended up on this.... the exact reason why i laugh as i drive through point cook. both here and sanctury lakes are full of houses some aproaching a million quid that are leaky, noisy, just plain shite'y. the finish is immaculate, but the houses themselves are comical as far as performance is concerned. you will pay dearly all the time the outside temp is not the same temp as you want inside. pretty much a turd rolled in glitter. and.... thats why we have to build out here. its not that we want to. we have to!

poison pint, its usually the 10th one but i suppose it could be the first. next time you have one to calm your nerves, make sure the pipes are clean

half way down the ocean road, ok maybe 'just' outside SA.....lol errrr i think its the road leading to the cape otway lighthouse. we saw our first there, he was very docile, we all had a pet. it was pitch dark, a special moment for us all

i spoke to the fella who fitted our foxtel, (read sky) as i was thinking about having a crack at installing, he wasn't over the moon to work for them, less money, higher quality required and less money per job than he was getting contracting in the UK. however he was supporting his wife and 2 kids, and they were able to live ok. i guess it depends what you want, foxtel isnt the only gig in town. there is a lot of work with HF-UHF comms too, and this isn't a million miles from SHF, its all about the transferable skills good luck in your plans

socialise lots, see all you can of australia, weekends are exploring times. its the rules dont you know. do stuff every night if you can... and socialise more because you can its all about embracing this place. bore the family with the pics on facebook if you must, but explore!

I wonder if the countries who are passionate about climate change will bring economic/trade sanctions against Australia for its now evident policies of blatantly funding environmental terrorism? I guess, in a similar way to the Syria issue, we are forcing the rest of the western world to either put up or shut up.

BT, the rail system, water companies and more are the same in the uk. Lag behind as long as you can, that way the complaints will get as far as parliament. then you can go cap in hand to them for handouts. that way the shareholders get more money. its the standard for a government industry that is privatised. shameful, but standard.

if stopping boat loads of migrants is going to save millions, i mean migrants who want to work and make lives for themselves, those migrants.... does that mean Australia will stop paying companies to pollute, like spending our tax dollars paying the diesel bills for the miners? these mining companies are known as some of the richest companies in the country. why do they need handouts? Australia is one of the last countries doing it...... pretty sick with the new government binning the carbon tax, it's a step in the wrong direction IMHO. an excerpt from http://paidtopollute.org.au/ptp-fossil-fuel-subsidies [h=3]1. Paying the fuel bill for big mining companies – around $2 billion a year[/h]The average Australian pays 38 cents of tax per litre of fuel. But big mining companies operating in Australia pay just 6c a litre. Instead of paying their fair share, they get a massive tax refund costing the Australian taxpayer around $2 billion a year1. [h=3]2. Handouts to Australia’s dirtiest power stations - $4 billion over the next four years[/h]Around $1 billion worth of free permits a year is set to be divided among nine of Australia’s dirtiest coal-fired power stations for each of the next four years. It’s meant to be ‘compensation’ for the impact of the carbon price, but instead it’s encouraging these big polluters to keep polluting2. [h=3]3. Special tax treatment for big oil, coal and gas projects – more than $2 billion over the next four years[/h]The coal, oil and gas sectors get special treatment under Australia’s tax system allowing them to depreciate their assets like drilling rigs and pipelines over a much shorter period than they are actually in use. Detailed analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation found that this legal tax dodge for big oil, gas and coal projects is costing the rest of us billions, and it’s growing 3. Thanks to this campaign, the Federal Government reduced this loophole at the budget in May 2013, saving Australian taxpayers $1.1 billion over the next four years. But there is still over $2 billion being lost to big polluters every year. [h=3]4. Subsiding cheaper fuel for airlines - $3.8 billion over four years[/h]Australian taxpayers are funding cheap fuel for big airline companies like Qantas and Virgin. If these companies paid their own way it would literally save us billions4.

it's hard, i had the same here, different trade though i'm an engineer. the thing is, if you become depressed, you become bitter and a little desperate, and that shows in interview. not good. what worked for me in the end, was to pepper everyone with resume's anyone within my trade, and anyone outside too, if i could put my hand to the work they had. also make sure the resume and cover letter are tip-top, pay a local writer to make sure. most resume's are first computer read, then scanned by staff, nothing will get you rejected quicker than basic spelling and grammar. you could be a frickin' rocket scientist going for a bin man job and you will still end up in the bin if the spelling is bad! for me peppering generated a couple of leads, and a solid job, which within 2 weeks of starting, led to a further interview and a better paid job. i'm still getting not suitable/interview emails, like 3 months after submitting. some places are evidently pretty slack. the big thing is to get known. a lot of the bigger companies use agencies to pre-board their staff. go for a shite job with one of those places, make sure you shine in every way, be the person they remember. they will happily put you forward for other positions they think you are good for, as it means they get 2 commission cheques. (they tend to ask you to keep this quiet to the previous employer lol) it's a game, a pretty sick game when the cash is running out admittedly, but a game all the same. I wish you the very best of luck, and hope you can stick around long enough to land something.

we need a 'like a lot' button on this thing!

thing is, if you have your name everywhere, and a fairly large chunk of the media telling the simpletons that any vote that isn't for you is wasted. then to them, its the way to feel like you 'won' by choosing the right guy. if the policies i read in other threads on here are in any way accurate, its a sad day for Australia, and an even sadder day for the world at large. an iq above 80 is about right, i guess in a country where legally you have to vote, if you can program the knuckle draggers, you're at least half way there. its pretty sad.

i think if someone in a store hit my child, i would knock them on their ass. if the police were called i think i would suggest... their mental age was in question to me. i feel the punishment is just, as it is the same as they dished out, but scaled for their stature. they clearly don't have the capacity to reason, as if they did, they wouldn't have struck my child in the first place. and the black eye will heal i think that covers all of the legal reasons, i'm not sure it would cover me for the kicking i'd administer while they are on their ass though??

crocs hunting in packs with frickin' lasers! evolution in action eh! i guess nearly 3 weeks without sleep must have been a bit of an issue too

it seems if you plan on staying out in the middle of nowhere go for telstra as they have best coverage. if not go for any of the others (who tend for the most part to use the optus network of transmitters) as they are way cheaper. we have sim only with vaya, and to begin with the customer service was appalling but we didn't mind so much as it was only $17 a month for unlimited (to our family with our usage). however lately they have got their act together & have been top notch, well worth a look.