house update {final}

  Here are the photos as promised in the last post. This will be our last house update too. Back to some craft on this blog. 

 The kitchen area overlooking the desk area - something I really like and is important to us, as I can keep on eye on computer homework while doing dinner duties, especially if internet is involved.

My favourite part of the kitchen would be the big island bench, which lets the children sit and help prepare meals, roll meatballs, do their homework, or craft activities while they natter to me.

The odd tall cupboard next to the fridge is a stand-alone broom cupboard which can be easily removed to make room for a double fridge when our current one decides to call it a day. 

Down the passage, first door on the left is my pantry, which was originally the old bathroom. Then the toilet and followed by the under stair storage room.

The stairway with under stair storage. This is a great cupboard that actually swings all the way back around under those carpeted stairs. It houses the kids school bags and shoes, boxes of sorted toys and other stuff. This room isn't quite finished so no photos of it!

   The dinning area and the door to the laundry off the kitchen - the only room that hasn't changed in this renovation - though the ceiling still needs replacing.

The desk area. We have reused my old pantry as the kids activity cupboard. More of the old kitchen cupboards have been used in the sewing room. Part of the benchtop has ended up in my pantry as a workbench.

The entry and lounge. Formally bedrooms, passage and a linen cupboard!

There is a quick-access sliding door from the lounge that opens up to the bottom of the stairway.

Still playing horses. :)

And that completes this post and all house updates. There are still numerous things that need finishing off, outside especially, and the walls are still bare as we decide where to hang what.

We have been richly blessed to be able to expand our home to hopefully cater for the needs of our growing family for years to come. We have thoroughly enjoyed doing majority of it ourselves, even though it has taken some time and we have lived in mess and dust. Would we do it again. Not me in a hurry. I think I will enjoy doing housework that makes a house look clean afterwards!

Special thanks to Arnold from Arnold Schiebaan Building designs, who scrunched up our original hand drawings and designed for us a beautiful and functional family home, just right for our family.

Also to WA Spantruss who built and delivered our pods, the second storey. Even though it was a nerve wracking day, it all went very smoothly.

And Ringma's for my lovely kitchen, especially as it was built in stages.

Thank you for sharing our journey with this project. I look forward to sharing more craft projects as time allows.

L.

house update {twelve}

The house is still plodding along slowly. We have now removed most of the old kitchen and the island bench is in and up and running. The current fridge recess and cupboards will be the last to go. We are currently waiting for the other side kitchen that will go along the wall (see photo below) where the stove is currently being a real-freestanding stove. 

 The front elevation has been base-coat plastered. We need to wait till really dry weather before applying the top coat to match the pod and also the porch. At least it isn't so patch work anymore!

  
L.

House update {ten}

...why there isn't a great deal of crafting happening here...

As my last house update was back in October, just after we had moved upstairs, here is one with the work that has happend since. 

Demolition soon started downstairs, with walls of previous bedrooms knocked down, and ceilings and insulation also pulled down. It was hot, dusty (!!) work. We also removed the twisted and sagging ceiling beams to raise the new ceiling. The massive gyprock sheets, sheet by sheet,  were carried into the empty rooms (another workout). It wasn't long and the new lounge was taking shape.

There has been some wonderful wall paper that we have uncovered along the way. Look at this one!

Then it was the old lounge = new dining room's turn. Books were boxed up and we said good bye to the lovely arch way. You will not be missed by the tall person of this house! The laminate flooring got extra texture from falling bricks. Front entry way pillars and ceiling was built and we moved the dining table in, and pushed the couches to the back room. (the new lounge is still our workshop). The walls, pillars and ceilings have now been drywalled. We are currently waiting on the front windows to be replaced which should happen in the next few weeks, then we can finish the last of the drywall, and the flushing and painting fun begins, yet once again.

The kids were kept far away from falling bricks and ceiling. They were just called to come out of hiding when they bricks need moving :)

 The removal of the old carport. Again, it had twisted timber issues, so we pulled it all down and replaced it with truss frames, same pitch as the top roof. 

 Once the windows have been replaced and a bit more bricking has been done, we can have it all rendered.

And that is how we are currently living, and why not much craft is happening.

Thankfully a lot of it was done during the school holidays. Old clothes and not much housework was required downstairs. A dusty dirty day here and there, but each step is progress and the end is kind of insight. Sort of. And if you are wondering, it hasn't bothered me too much. Actually I have loved the physical effort it has required. A good tired-feeling at the end of the day. And we still don't know what is more fun, demolishing or building up.

Time to hang the wash.
L.

House mini-update {nine}

We are in. The mega paint-a-thon paid off, the carpet deadline was met and we have finally been able to move in. The first Tuesday of the school holidays; what better timing!

Just a few sneak-peak shots of upstairs as we are still waiting on two shower screen panels and no wall hangings/shelving/book racks have been put up either. When the kids are back at school I will take some photos.

And so that completes house stage #1. Yes, truly. Here is the beginning of house stage #2:

Now that the children's old bedrooms have been vacated, we are opening up the two bedrooms right through to the current lounge that you can see down the passage. The two bedrooms including the passage will become our new lounge. The current lounge will become a dining area and the front entry way is in-between. 

Just when you thought I now had no reason for a untidy and dusty house. More white dust... 

Really looking forward to finding my craft again now that I don't need to paint in any spare minute I have. Well, not for a while anyway.

L.

House Update {eight}

It has been a while since the last update. We have been pottering along upstairs. We are nearly done. Nearly. 

Scroll through for some photo updates. Not a great deal has been done outside as yet.

After seven sample pots, we decided on a wall colour.

 And one feature wall colour. It's called Roasted Capsicum. Lovely, huh. (Really trully, I love it!) And he wondered why we only did one wall in his room this colour.

First coat of waterproofing in the bathrooms.

I had help painting for a few days, which was a great motivation and we got a good lot done.

 Screed ready for another coat of waterproofing before tiles.

  Bathrooms tiled.

Carpet picked... and booked.

Meters of skirting painted before nailing.

 Door frames and doors still to be painted.

And the valances finally hung! It looks so girly in her room.
Link: Valance Pattern

L.

House update {seven}

We are in the middle of school holidays here, actually well and truly into the second week, and it is raining. It sounds wonderful. Last week we started off to a fine start, the children working with me and doing one spring cleaning job a day. That lasted two days. The car got a birthday and the bathroom drawer was re-sorted, beaded necklaces were untangled and broken hair ties and clips were binned. Then we didn't get a lot accomplished thanks to some bug that floated around and left us with headaches and fevers and other nasties. Birthday party plans were even canceled. Thankfully the birthday wasn't quite forgotten.

On the house: Progress is still happening. Undercoat painting is nearly all done. Robes and linen cupboards have all been painted and are having all their shelves fitted. The kids bathroom has been waterproofed. (ours is currently the tool room - ie you can't work/walk in there. The last few Saturdays have been beautiful weather and has seen us all working outside getting the porch underway.

 

getting their turn at painting with undercoat. 

waterproofing the bathroom.

Hoping you are also enjoying these school holidays.

L.