Building a garage in Bronte

[GC9911]

Only if the one owner, low mile, Aussie delivered box trailer doesn't get kicked out! 

Trailers out in anticipation of the OTLW arriving, I see my 911 is parked in the Bronte driveway sketches so obviously plenty of space here!

[SimonN]

Living in a coastal spot myself, I can also suggest making sure it is practical to get your windows cleaned, because you'll be doing that a lot.  If you can't clean the window without a scaffold and harness, you'll only see out of it about once a year.

There are a number of coatings that you can specify which can really help overcome this issue so that window cleaning can become no more than hosing down the glass. I was using early versions of what is now available about 12-14 years ago and would certainly use the latest stuff on a project like this. While products can be applied at a later date after installation, I don't recommend it as you then need to get the glass cleaned to a very high level before coating while doing it before installation is a lot easier. I haven't looked at the economics for a long time but would be surprised if it didn't save you a fair amount of money over time, unless you intend to clean the windows yourself! 

[turboT]

There are a number of coatings that you can specify which can really help overcome this issue so that window cleaning can become no more than hosing down the glass. I was using early versions of what is now available about 12-14 years ago and would certainly use the latest stuff on a project like this. While products can be applied at a later date after installation, I don't recommend it as you then need to get the glass cleaned to a very high level before coating while doing it before installation is a lot easier. I haven't looked at the economics for a long time but would be surprised if it didn't save you a fair amount of money over time, unless you intend to clean the windows yourself! 

i need some of that glass - 12 months cleaning glass under a eucalypt and I would quite happily never touch a squeegee again...

[vl gra]

I would like to find out what the product is as well due to building a house close to the water.

[micknine01]

I would like to find out what the product is as well due to building a house close to the water.

me too! 

[Mike-S]

It's on the front windows of our new office here in Frankston, which is on the waterfront and regularly gets battered (hence the name WatersEdge). Really is incredible how they stay clean, twice a year the pros come and hang off the building to clean them properly but to be fair a decent rainstorm is all it needs. I'll see if I can find out what they're coated in, I remember discussing it when the place was under construction but I can't recall it now.

[Pork Chops]

i need some of that glass - 12 months cleaning glass under a eucalypt and I would quite happily never touch a squeegee again...

Get your Viridian Glass rep in pronto.

[hugh]

It's on the front windows of our new office here in Frankston, which is on the waterfront and regularly gets battered (hence the name WatersEdge). Really is incredible how they stay clean, twice a year the pros come and hang off the building to clean them properly but to be fair a decent rainstorm is all it needs. I'll see if I can find out what they're coated in, I remember discussing it when the place was under construction but I can't recall it now.

From memory BVN did that building, just say TurboT needs some deets for villa Williams MK2! 

[Mike-S]

From memory BVN did that building, just say TurboT needs some deets for villa Williams MK2! 

They did yes, I'm part of the group within SEW that delivered the build. I'll ask our commercial manager tomorrow about the windows....

[turboT]

Get your Viridian Glass rep in pronto.

They did yes, I'm part of the group within SEW that delivered the build. I'll ask our commercial manager tomorrow about the windows....

From memory BVN did that building, just say TurboT needs some deets for villa Williams MK2! 

There are a number of coatings that you can specify which can really help overcome this issue so that window cleaning can become no more than hosing down the glass. I was using early versions of what is now available about 12-14 years ago and would certainly use the latest stuff on a project like this. While products can be applied at a later date after installation, I don't recommend it as you then need to get the glass cleaned to a very high level before coating while doing it before installation is a lot easier. I haven't looked at the economics for a long time but would be surprised if it didn't save you a fair amount of money over time, unless you intend to clean the windows yourself! 

http://www.viridianglass.com/products/clear-vision/renew

 

[jakroo]

It looks like a great idea but unfortunately no good for this particular application

 

[Pork Chops]

457. Mexicans. Apparently the US has an excess of them. Just joking folks.

[SimonN]

The Viridian product is applied to the glass as part of production and in the right application, works well, but it has significant limitations and if used with the wrong seals and silicons, you end up with a worse situation with dirt stripes next to every joint. This technology was developed by Pilkington in the UK and my company did a lot of work with them trying to find ways of using it in structural glazing applications but ran into too many obstacles.

For what you guys are talking about and particularly if the glass is already in-situ, I would be looking at a coating such as https://www.nanovations.com.au/nano-glass-coating.htm

Back when we used drums of similar stuff, I used to use it anywhere there was glass. For instance, it's great for shower screens. The real trick with older glass is to get it clean before coating

 

We used the coatings on projects like this

As you can see, the roof angle is pretty shallow (5 degrees) which means you don't get the fast flow offs of a steeper angle but the coating still kept the roof clean to the point of only needing to properly wash it down once or twice a year.

[jakroo]

Their website is pretty rudimentary but more real world videos on how the stuff functions is here... https://www.youtube.com/user/nanovations/videos

[turboT]

It looks like a great idea but unfortunately no good for this particular application

 

bugger

[jakroo]

yup, bugger is right.  I looked at it for where I live but I have sand and dirt as an issue not salt....it has the same problem as sand is not organic either.

(Of course, if I had laid turf down instead of leaving acres of dirt and crappy native grasses, I wouldn't have the dust issue :-( )

You might find that the nano technology is better because it makes the surface really really slippery.  There's a product called rain X that's been around for decades and it works on the same principal of filling in all little microscopic pores of the glass surface and therefore the making the surface slick and nothing sticks to it.

[SimonN]

As jakroo says, the nano technology stuff is actually far better for the applications being discussed. I use rain x on my car windscreen which makes the wipers so much more efficient and they last longer. For larger applications, it doesn't bond as well as the latest products. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend coating all the external glass because I think you will find the results pretty amazing. The big question is whether to apply it before installation or after, which all depends on exactly how the glazing is done.

If you really want to make it easy, coat the glass and fit a water filter to the tap you use to supply water to wash the glass down. If you do that, you won't get water marks when the glass dries, so you should be able to get pretty clean glass by simply spraying it down and leaving it to dry. It doesn't need to be an expensive filter system. We used to specify this for our projects in the UK and in areas with really hard water such as London, it worked really well, although TBH, I haven't looked at how bad the issue is here in Sydney. The added bonus is that you can use it to wash the car and it will dry off without water marks.

[sleazius]

I've got the nano stuff on my pool fence. I've not had to clean it in 2 years. OCD people need not apply, you'll be cleaning it every week still. Every time we get decent rain it cleans it crystal clear again. Bird crap seems to not stick to it at all as well.

[Coastr]

Wow I really sent the thread off on a tangent there.  I'm actually going to try some rainX on the windows after the next clean.   Louvres are th worst.  Great for opening a little and getting cross flow breeze - but the angle means the breeze deposits the salt on the glass like bugs on a windscreen.  After about three weeks they look like they have Vaseline on them.

i haven't had much of an issue with the cars because of frequent washing and sealed up garage, but I keep my tools a little oily and keep the plastic wrapping for things like torque wrenches.  If not a tool left on the bench will start to rust in a few weeks.

im also transitioning to plastic / glass light fitting etc wherever I can.  Just threw out a chrome light fitting that was more rust than chrome.  Oh and my AC unit is starting to look very sad indeed.  Nowadays you can order corrosion coating with the unit I believe, or just empty a can of lanolin into it twice yearly, but it will smell like a sheering shed for a while.

so my advice on the topic:

- choose non metallic finishes on things like door knobs light fittings fridges dishwashers etc - especially outdoors

- make your windows easy to clean

- get your AC unit pre-treated for corrosion

- spend the extra on stainless fittings where necessary - things like deck fixings or light fittings

- find a garage door that fits snug and seals up the space

- wash the car lots to keep off the salt gunge

[turboT]

Wow I really sent the thread off on a tangent there.  I'm actually going to try some rainX on the windows after the next clean.   Louvres are th worst.  Great for opening a little and getting cross flow breeze - but the angle means the breeze deposits the salt on the glass like bugs on a windscreen.  After about three weeks they look like they have Vaseline on them.

i haven't had much of an issue with the cars because of frequent washing and sealed up garage, but I keep my tools a little oily and keep the plastic wrapping for things like torque wrenches.  If not a tool left on the bench will start to rust in a few weeks.

im also transitioning to plastic / glass light fitting etc wherever I can.  Just threw out a chrome light fitting that was more rust than chrome.  Oh and my AC unit is starting to look very sad indeed.  Nowadays you can order corrosion coating with the unit I believe, or just empty a can of lanolin into it twice yearly, but it will smell like a sheering shed for a while.

so my advice on the topic:

- choose non metallic finishes on things like door knobs light fittings fridges dishwashers etc - especially outdoors

- make your windows easy to clean

- get your AC unit pre-treated for corrosion

- spend the extra on stainless fittings where necessary - things like deck fixings or light fittings

- find a garage door that fits snug and seals up the space

- wash the car lots to keep off the salt gunge

good list - noted

[SimonN]

With stainless, just make sure the spec says anything stainless is made from 316 (not 304). 

 

[turboT]

With stainless, just make sure the spec says anything stainless is made from 316 (not 304). 

 

a lot of rusty stainless steel around

[Mike-S]

And then make sure the 316 specified doesn't come from China, otherwise 18 months after installation it'll be showing signs of rusting (not that I've seen such rust on the external door fittings of the rooftop deck at work, oh no, definitely not ?)

Still trying to find out who did the windows at work, commercial manager is certain it wasn't Viridian though. He did say that a couple of panes were broken during installation and that obtaining replacements was difficult, as the coating couldn't be applied retrospectively to glass made locally at Viridian's plant in Dandenong.

[sandy468]

a lot of rusty stainless steel around

Gold dont rust

[turboT]

Gold dont rust

I like what you've done to your place there mate