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Wednesday, 9 November 2011

29. The Fit Out

We have keys!
Tuesday morning we went thru our list with John and took possession of the keys, very exciting!
Straight away the flooring guys got started painting on the moisture barrier so by Tuesday afternoon that was finished and we had shiny concrete floors.



By Tuesday night the wood had been delivered,  and the garage smelled beautiful!



Wednesday the guys started laying and so by the time we popped over to peek in the afternoon the halway and familyroom were almost done.



Saturday afternoon and the floors are down. 
We are very happy with the look and now we wait for the resin fill this week before the sanding and sealing starts.  
(For those interested the wood is NSW Blackbutt- feature grade)



This one is for you S and M, featuring our gorgeous housewarming gift of a beautiful cake plate.



Another busy week ahead: Electrical for garden lights, replacing drain lids in driveway (where the bobcat dented them), tiling the outdoor area, bullnose headers for the pool and prelaying retic.




Sunday, 6 November 2011

28. The End Is In Sight!

After a few hiccups we think things should be on track for handover this week. 
Let's hope so anyway, as the flooring is starting on Tuesday and we are really under pressure now to move out of our rental and also to be settled before Christmas. 
So much to do but at least I have started the shopping!
It is all about priorities :)
I was talking to my SIL today about some of the things we have been doing to get ready for the new place and people have asked about my obsession with wooden chairs.  So I thought I would share a few projects that we have been working on. 
We have a beautiful old table for the kitchen that has been in our family for well over a hundred years but unfortunately we don't have matching chairs. 
This is where my obsession has come from.  Over the last two years we have steadily collected from the verge pick ups, Gumtree, Ebay, OP Shops or been given- (thanks Chantelle) a selection of wooden chairs.   All different.
The idea, (which has yet to come to fruition so the jury is still out whether it is a good idea or not) has been to collect the chairs and then paint them all the same colour (they are all different styles and types of wood) so that they look like a set, albiet a mismatched set. 
Each chair has been sanded down before painting, some have been absolutely beautiful wood and it has seemed a shame but the colours are just too different.  After painting they have been rubbed back (for a shabby finish) and varnished. 
Some have even been upholstered...some are still waiting to be upholstered.

This is a sample of one of the chairs after sanding...aaah.  I always forget to take before photos as I am too eager to get started once we make a find.


Some of the selection of chairs piled up in our lounge. 
The colours look a bit weird because of the flash perhaps.

Anyway, this has kept us busy and may prove to be a really individual feature or a big waste of time.
 If they look silly or crazy..I guess they can go back to the verge or Good Sammies.

Some more "projects"


In our last home we had a lot of pictures in wooden frames, many painted by the kids.  Being a big softy I can't bare to part with them all so I have given a few frames a work out with the spray can. 
We shall see how this looks...still a little undecided.

Today we have been madly sanding away a few pieces.


This ugly old bench seat is currently undergoing a transformation to change it from rickety blue with spiders,  to ... well we shall have to wait and see. 

Another verge find that is going to be repurposed and a new home. 


This little table was covered in thick yellow varnish when we bought it for a song at a secondhand store.  
 I conned ,  bribed,  begged,  asked Craig to sand it down for me..here it is half done
 (I always forget to take before pictures). 
He has done a fantastic job and it is looking gorgeous. 
I am hoping that this table can take up residence in our entryway.
Way back in probably January, I came across two chairs during a verge collection in Bullcreek, perfect for the verandah I thought!   Both were painted in several coats of paint with an olive green on the outer layer.  I was hoping to restore them to natural wood but after stripping them back it seems that one had been exposed to the elements more than the other so they were different colours.  Luckily I love white and so they both got that "shabby chic" treatment.

There have been a few other little bits and pieces but as I am so impatient I forget to take photos.

Two cupboards from Uncle Bill's have been given new life.  One looks like a bathroom cabinet and the other a buffet, both were out in a shed sans spider and rat poo. 
 They needed lots of work and took weeks before being finished with lavender wax to get them smelling sweet again.
Another verge find but I am not sure what to do with it... I love wooden boxes but not sure about a metal ammo box. 
I think this is destined for the garage sale.


One last pic of our little Lily who watches patiently and brings her ball for a play while we paint and sand.

Monday, 31 October 2011

27. Almost there!

This week we are looking forward to our final inspection and then hopefully is all goes well...
... handover and keys. 
Luckily we have had pretty regular access to the house and so have been able to draw our builders' attention to any minor things that need attention, with luck this will speed up the process.


The painting is now complete and the cleaners have started working their magic.

  Oh, loving the kitchen, can't wait to fill all those cupboards!




Freshly painted doors (Antique White USA)

Over the weekend Craig and I did some work on the outside. 
We hope to start the retic in over the next fortnight and get some plants in as soon as the limestone goes down.



We deliberated for some time over whether to paint the front doors or leave them as wood and varnish.
We are happy with our decision.




Everything is looking great, or we think so anyway which I guess is to be expected as we chose it :)

One item that is causing mixed feelings amongst our visitors and family is the ceiling fan in the alfresco!  Before I reveal the photo, let me explain....it has to be an outdoor fan, marine grade stainless steel...
and there isn't a lot to choose from. 
We could have a stainless steel metal job, a bamboo style or...


Ok..opinions are as follows:
Against (Dad, Greg, JP, Murray, Jade, Lisa)
For (Craig, Muzz, Shell, Niki, Jake, Linh, Sarah, Johanne, Andrea, Dell, Lidia, Amanda and Sheldon, Rhonda, Taylor, Hannah)........me??? 
Well I am still not so sure :)
What do you think?  Opinions welcome.



That is all for now...the next photos will hopefully be of the flooring going in and the limestone going down.

Thursday, 20 October 2011

26. Lights, Camera, Action!

Ok, it is a lame title, but this week there has been plenty of action- we have painting, taps, bathroom fittings and lights! 

The ensuite, grouted, fitted out, just waiting for a clean.


We had to reselect our taps as the ones we originally chose are now discontinued. 
It is actually quite unusual now to have taps in a bathroom, most people go for a mixer apparently.   What can I say?  I'm just an old fashioned girl :)


This heated towel rail caused a few problems for our very patient electrician because this wall also houses the recess for our "cavity sliders".  Dell, you are a legend.



We even have a shower head!


 

The kids' bathroom is now also ready for cleaning. 
It is very tempting to take my bucket etc. over to the house and get stuck into a big tidy up but I know this is best left to the professionals.  
They will work their magic next week.

   Progress photos of the tiling in the kitchen, all finished and grouted.
The butler's sink, our baby! 
 I was so anxious about how this would look as 
 we had seen hundreds in magazines but none in "real life". 
We took a risk and purchased this online about a year ago, so the wait to see it installed has been a nervous one.
We love it!

We have lights!

We have appliances!

The lights work and so does the alarm thank goodness!

Checking out the painting. 
Preview of some more lights, the "jam jars" are outside and the other is in the lounge.


Craig even took a dip to fish out some debris from the bottom of the pool.  This was brave, murky water on a rather chilly day. 
The pool is looking much better now and is all set for handover next week.









Thursday, 6 October 2011

25. We Are Getting Close Now

Well the new house has been a hive of activity this week as the completion date gets closer.  
Everyday there is progress.

 We are now under a bit of pressure as the owners of our rental need to move back into their home.  Although we don't have a firm date, handover is looking at being around the end of this month. 
We are busy scheduling in the flooring, window treatments, retic and driveway so that we can move as soon and as smoothly as possible.

Ok, so what is new this week?

The external render has all been finished and the inside has had a coat of paint.
The friezework has also been added. 
We are loving the archway and think the change in dimensions was a good call. 
What do you think?




The frieze continues inside to the lounge area as well.


Ok, enough with the frieze...onto the kitchen..yay!


We have a benchtop at last (Cracked pepper...which is a grey, white, black and taupe mix)


The overhead cupboards and rangehood going in.



The bookshelves that sit either side of the kitchen, next to laundry and pantry doors.


Ta dah!   Although there is a cover on the bench, the splashback is yet to be tiled, no electricals or tapware..you get the picture!
I can't wait to fill up those cupboards.

Ok, enough of the kitchen obsession...the kids now have doors on their wardrobes. 
Poor things have had small cupboards for so long, especially JR so they will love the space.


Our light fittings are almost all done and Sam started painting the woodwork today.
Looking forward to the tiling being finished next week...we are on the home stretch now!

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