February 7th 2009 – Daylesford

Hot, hot, hot!!
Last Saturday we were forecast to get a maximum temperature of 43 degrees, so I thought that arranging a drive to Daylesford to repair a crack in a strawbale wall and meet some prospective clients was a pretty bright idea.
More often than not it’s at least a couple of degrees cooler in Daylesford than in our home town of Bendigo, but when the temperature is in the low to mid 40’s , it’s pretty much academic!
So, it was a real stinker. My ever-informative wife, Cathy, called me just after 1pm to tell me that it was 44 degrees on our back verandah at home – and true to form, it was only 41 degrees in Daylesford.
I was delighted, as usual, to see another beautiful strawbale home being thoroughly loved and enjoyed by its happy creators.
Penny and Wayne owner-built their two-story dream cottage a little over three years ago and they love it to bits. The house is a little less than ideal thermally as it has single glazed windows, is exposed on a hill side to the hot northerly wind, and has three big dormer style windows sticking out the front like great big solar collectors. However, despite this, on a roasting hot day, after a week of days 39 degrees, it was still only in the mid twenties inside, and quite comfortable, and all this without any kind of air conditiong at all.
Another strawbale success story!
Thanks very much Penny and Wayne for inviting me into your home, its truly lovely!!
I’ve a few theories on the crack in the north facing wall, but I’ll have a bit to say about that next time!
Bye!!