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In layman’s terms, thermal mass is when a body of mass has an ability to store heat. Why am I writing about this? Well it’s hugely beneficial to build a house with a high amount of thermal mass.

Thermal mass helps a house to be comfortable – it regulates temperature. This is very helpful in climates where the temperature is hot during the day but cold during the night. Thermal mass also helps to minimise the amount of man made energy used to heat and cool a house.

Australia is very slow in the uptake of using thermal mass effectively. While many of our houses built are brick veneer on a concrete slab, most of our windows are located in the wrong places, and often walls and windows aren’t shaded properly during the warmer months. We end up with hot houses in the summer, and cold houses in the winter.

An interior wall made from rammed earth.

Building with quality materials and a good design means costs saved on thermal insulation and other materials during the building process, but also heating and cooling further down the track.

Common sources of thermal mass include water, bricks, earth (mud-brick, earthen render, etc), rocks/stones, rammed earth and concrete.

I have mentioned in the past that we would like to build with a concrete slab for the benefits of thermal mass. We also intend on building with two rammed earth walls, internal to the house with adequate windows to heat these walls during the summer, and blinds to shade the walls in the winter.

Rammed earth has a very high density, and as a result is a perfect material to use for thermal mass. Not only is it very effective in keeping a home warm in the winter and regulating heat in the summer, it looks great!

What is rammed earth made from? It is as it sounds really – a soil mix that is compacted. The mix is balanced between clay, sand and aggregate. The mix can change to suit the look that the builder is going for, sometimes with marbled effects throughout the wall. Some rammed earth builders add cement, but not all. Walls are compacted in layers usually around 15cm high.

To me, it’s just another example of how some “out of the box” thinking can make your home a lot more comfortable, and a lot cheaper to live in for the long haul, not to mention adding some unique, earthy design features that aren’t seen that often.

It’s amazing what it takes to make different people happy. The other day I was saying how some people like to buy things and that makes them happy. I’ve met people that just “need to be rich” to be happy. Then others just need simpler things to make them happy.

I had a really bad start to the week as far as my happiness is concerned. I’m usually a pretty cheerful person, but after a less than ideal weekend as far as my diet and excercise goes, I was down in the dumps. I don’t really get depressed as such and wouldn’t consider it an “issue”, I think I’m just quite hard on myself. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had no energy and just wanted to sleep. Even this morning when I woke up I just wanted to keep on sleeping and chuck a sickie. I hadn’t gone for a ride for quite some time, taking the soft option to get to work, either by car or public transport, and I haven’t had a fruit smoothie since Saturday (I’m no good at eating fruit, so having a smoothie is my way of getting a decent intake of fruit every day).

After being disappointed at myself for slacking off, I forced myself to ride this morning. I got up, had a glass of water, made my smoothie, had some toast, and packed my bag ready to go. Up until walking out the door I felt drained, yet as soon as I started pedalling my energy levels picked up.

I’m convinced that excercise actually generates energy in our bodies. It certainly does for me. I find that if I just go to work by car or bus, sit at my desk all day, go home, eat and lie down on the sofa again, I just feel like life is just one big waste. I have no energy to get motivated and go and do something. Watching another episode of The Sopranos seems like a better option than going and riding my pump track.

It doesn’t take much to snap out of it though. Today I rode to work, I’m full of beans, and keen to ride home. When I get home, I’ll swap bikes, and go for a cross country loop up to my fiancee’s parents’ house for dinner.

I’ve come to the conclusion that three things make me happy in this world.

1. My fiancee, obviously. When we have the time to spend together she just makes me smile and smile and smile. I couldn’t have met a more like-minded person that is so much fun to chill out with.
2. Riding bikes. When I’m on a bike I’m just stoked to be living. The most random things make me happy while riding. You come across all sorts of stuff that you don’t see when you’re in a car confined to the roads. You come to appreciate all sorts of things too… Nice weather, council workers sweeping the glass off the track, quality puncture proof tyres!
3. Outdoors. Obviously ties in with riding, but even just walking outside and looking up at the sky is enough to put a smile on my face. I love the rain. I love the sunshine. As painful as it is riding in the cold during winter, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My favourite place in the world is The Great Otway National Park. Not that I’m well travelled, but it is beautiful there. My second favourite is Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. No electronics, no advertising, nothing really. Just the outdoors, and it is beautiful.

I’m glad that I know this. Not many people know what makes them happy. I just need to keep the ball rolling now to stay motivated.

It’s very easy to make me happy, but I find it hard to stay motivated. Without that motivation, I end up unhappy.

I’m the most complex, simple person I know. I’m cool with that though.