Day 46

Day 46 and it's starting to feel real.
Our current home is listed for rent again, and the real estate are bringing people through already.
We have a deadline. A very real deadline.

But...we also have walls. And walls is good!

Here is the living area, complete with walls! No plaster, paint, skirtings or architraves...but there are windows and walls and safety from the elements! Hooray 😊

So this is the living area , looking a bit cosier with walls 😉 

Detail of the fireplace where it is currently. In the middle of the living space! There was thought to extend the wall up behind it in stacked stone & make it a feature, separating living areas...

BUT, it's going to move back against the outside wall in line with where it is now, next to the window you see above. 

We are excited though, because we're still creating a sandstone feature wall behind it 😁 A feature sandstone wall will go in the kitchen in line with the island bench also 😄 

The laundry is now enclosed..and a bit bigger for now! Yay for Mummy.

And finally the back verandah wall is now enclosed. This is the view from our bedroom with main window, down past the bathroom & to the laundry window. Everything has been put in to match stage 2 of the extension. 

For example, here is inside the bathroom (main bathroom, ensuite coming stage 2 reno). We've taken the window out and put it in the new external wall, however we won't extend the bathroom itself. This area will become the laundry in stage 2 reno, and the existing laundry will become the main bathroom. The area that is our current bedroom will become WIR & ensuite to the main bedroom, which will be a whole new room added on in stage 2 reno. 

So the window you see here in our current main bedroom, is actually a smaller window for the ensuit, above the bath. When we add on the main bedroom, we will put in a window which goes to the floor, matching the front bedroom windows 😊 keeping it all uniform, and letting in plenty of natural light! 

So...over to the shed....

Office front wall taking shape! 😊 Shem is getting most excited about this part...it is impressive! (I get a bit more excited about the house...naturally!)

View from inside the office looking back up the driveway/to the house.

(I'll admit, it is pretty spectacular!)

View from the street. 

AAA Concrete Services...you have your own 'home' 😊

Day 43

Quick update on the shed's progress today...

Looking on track to finish this week and move the business gear over next week!!
Phew 😥

Day 26

Wall framing has continued around onto the back verandah today. 

View up into the house from the back concrete area.

Standing in the future study nook, looking looking across the open plan living area. 

From the study nook there will be a window here looking onto the front verandah. Hi visitors!

Check out that view! Where I'm standing will be in the dining area, and the old kitchen will become the new, extending into the back verandah area. 

Goodbye some of the cabinetry, range hood and oven...I probably won't miss you! 

Hardware that's been taken down/ removed..stock piled  by the front door. Air con, Wall heater. Range hood, back door. 

Looking across the living space from the front door.

Dad doing some demo work 😊. Kitchen wall becomes a nib wall!

And finally, the boys 'funnies' for today...

 Isaac thought it would be funny to sit in one bucket whilst drumming on another...

And Joshy created a 'bubble bear' 😂

Boys. 

Day 38

Day 38

Daddy's birthday!


It's been quite busy here with Shem working long hours and weekends too. So I've been head down, tail up, keeping our busy household running. 3 little boys sure does produce a lot of washing & cleaning!  (Not to mention running, jumping, wrestling, crawling, standing, playing & generally being active, outdoor boys!)

Over at Bedwell St...
The shed installation has begun.

It's looking quite grand!

The road base has all been compacted into a neat driveway & staff car park to the left as you drive in. 

Here's the boss on the phone...

Remember the huge piles of 'black clay' the boys 'broomed' their trucks over? Well, they are no more. 

When it rains, we don't really fancy the shed getting flooded...so they've created rises to help guide the water down to the gully behind. Pretty smart, I reckon 😉

On the house side...the back wall has been framed up and windows installed. The windows you can see here are positioned for stage 2 of the reno...this will be our ensuite window on the end, and to the left a laundry door, followed by main bathroom window. 

It's a bit complicated! But for now the large window will be our bedroom and the door & window are part of the current laundry area.

View from inside the back verandah. 

The laundry and main bedroom from inside. 

(I tried to do a panoramic shot so you can see all the walls...so looking into the laundry slider door the existing toilet door on your left, out to the newly enclosed back verandah and then the new kitchen stud wall on the right with a cavity slider, which will lead into a Butler's pantry after stage2 reno. Eeek!)

Main bedroom panorama shot.

And the kitchen....

has a wall!!! 

You can see where the cavity slider goes, currently through to the laundry  (future Butler's Pantry). To the left of the cavity slider will sit the fridge, and to the right, bench space with free-standing oven and canopy range hood in the centre. Either side of the canopy range hood will be beautiful Jacaranda timber open shelving. *sigh* 

Hard to believe, never did I think I'd ever design my own kitchen!! It's such an incredible blessing. 

Opposite the benches on the wall & the fridge will be a massive island bench, which will house the sink, dish washer, bins etc. And lots of barstools on this side! 😊 

A glass door at the end of the kitchen and some pendant lights above the island bench...and that completes our open plan kitchen area.

Here Shem & Vaughn are standing to the right of the kitchen area. The first wall space is for a glass door (end of the kitchen area - lots of light & air flow), followed by a stacked sand stone feature wall, and then the large opening is for timber french doors, leading out onto (stage 2/3 reno's)...a large back entertaining deck 😄

I'll try to show the area in a panoramic view...

Okay, so everyone is moving & blurry (ahem, poor photography..)..but you can make it out for the most part. Joshy is standing at the kitchen wall you've seen above, and Shem & Vaughn still next to the timber french doors in the dining area. Behind Shem there's a large window before wall space where the current fire place will be moving to. This will become the lounge area, with our big corner lounge to recline and soak up the warmth...ahhhh. 

Around from this is the 'study nook'. Hopefully a desk top running the full length of this space, enough for three sets of drawers under the bench & 2 chairs...as well as more Jacaranda open shelving up above. *sigh* I'm so excited about this little nook 😁

Here's a panorama of just the back wall, you can see more of the study nook here. It isn't proportional though,  so don't be deceived 😊 we don't have a curvy house 😂

Well, that's it for now folks. Catch up with you soon!

Day 25

Day 25.

The last few days have seen some big changes. Dad has been working like a trooper helping to renovate the carport area into part of the home. Chad and his team have been making some ground work with where we need to be, in order to move in by the end of the month/start of August.
Who knows if we'll get there!

Mum & Dad's cosy camp site with a view 😊

So progress shots for the carport extension over the past few days...

First wall framing going up - this front recess you can see will be a study nook within the living area.

Gives a feel for how we are extending the original house and what the new size will be.

Back verandah after raising the roof height.

Wall framing for the carport really taking shape now, and some external sheeting going up. 

That brings us to today - Thursday 9th July and day 25 of the reno. Hold onto your socks... 

(Well, I had to!)

Standing at the front door looking across the living area...the original external wall sheeting..gone! 

You can see through to the new stud wall in the carport now. 

Looking back across from the other direction.

Up to the left is the study nook, then original front windows and front door. To the right is the kitchen area. 

Night time view of the kitchen area and back verandah, which will be closed in soon and be part of the galley kitchen too 😄

Back sliding glass doors to a deck...insert here 😊

Dad, you've really amazed me today! And I feel like I can finally visualise/get a sense of the space it will become as one open living area. 

Very excited! 😁

And finally...some of the cherubs.

Pegs.    Best. toy. ever. 

Hope everyone's rugged up warm & cosy on this chilly night. Signing off for another day.