Deck and Gardening

We've hit a bit of a speed bump with the renovations. Our builder has an urgent job that needs to get done with his guys which means that we lost two days this week and likely three from the next, putting a halt to what was supposed to be the last big push to finish. Shame, but at the same time we've embraced this opportunity to have a break from building mess and banished the sea of drop sheets that we've had to put up with for the past three weeks.

Even so, three solid days of building have produced results from the last update. We now have a new deck/landing from the dining room and laundry to feed onto the out door area, and the BBQ section is half finished with just the sink and the storage gate to go in.

The storage area behind has taken shape as well which has already proven to be a nice screen for the toilet and bathroom. I'd imagine that this will eventually house a table tennis table along with handy tools and perhaps sporting stuff.



The last new hole in the house has been cut out, opening up the entrance way to the old garage. Three concrete steps were poured though the sliding door has not been fitted on as yet. It's a hole for bugs to flutter through though we haven't seen too many in the house thankfully.



They even managed to finish sheeting the new room up which certainly brightens the look. Plastering will be the next job I suppose before lights get installed. Apologies for the angle but I had to lean over partially cured concrete to take the photos.


Not content to have work on the house stall on account of others, we decided to take matters into our own hands (once again with the help of John and Sheena) and get stuck into the garden. The mission on Saturday was to clear a bunch of rubbish from the renovation by taking a couple of loads to the dump, as well as sorting out the eastern bank of our front yard.

Alison and John made short work of an assortment of wood cut offs, doors and concrete blocks and carted off close to a metric tonne (!) worth of rubbish to the Willawong tip. In the mean time Sheena and I strapped on the gardening gloves and removed the sad line of lilly pillies to make room for some Xylosma saplings. We've been told that these should handle the clay better and grow to give us a bit of shade and privacy.



To retain the bank and keep weeds from growing, John and I popped out to the local landscaping suppliers to get a few trailer loads of Hoop Pine bark to spread over our newly sculpted and planted area. I absolutely love this stuff as it's got a funky fresh scent and gives you a neat forest floor look.



It was a hard day of work in the sun but I think the results were worth it. Alison and I also finished up by planting a few more Agapanthus further up the bank. We'll have to get more Hoop Pine and plants to fill up the area but by the time we're finished I think it's going to be a nice looking area that I don't need to mow (Yay!).



To celebrate we thought we'd invite Kath and Andrew over to have a look at the place and break in the BBQ. I needed a hand to figure out what to do with the whole meat on hot plate cooking stuff (and John kindly offered to show me the ropes), but I was very happy with the result. The Beefeater puts out a lot more heat than the old one we had in Annerley and I finally got a chance to use the tongs I got for Christmas. All up a very fun and productive weekend.

Roofs, windows and painting

Yet another busy week of exciting changes. There were a few showers which threatened to slow down work but the builders managed to get the roofs up on the car port and patio by Thursday even with the rain. The size seems a little excessive though I'm sure we'll find a way to fill the space.



We came home pretty late on Friday but were still keen to see the changes even in the dark. Our old garage has been framed up properly, the sliding door from the dining room installed and the toilet sealed off. I think the area feels a lot more like a room now that the walls are squared up (I always hated that cavity there). That sliding door lets so much light into our living room now and really opens it up, love it.



The yucky old garage door has been taken off and replaced by boards and a new window, which lets heaps of light in to what was a dark and dingy room. I'd expect that the wall on the right will be taken down next week to be replaced by a sliding door into the entry way. Oh, and the walls and ceiling sheeted of course.



The new toilet is taking shape nicely too. It's going to be cramped but there should still be enough space for a suite and micro basin. The back wall and window are in and the door that used to lead out from the entry way has been sealed off. The outline to the right will lead to the new "utility room".

Alsie and I had some homework this weekend as well. The hardwood battens to be used on our little storage area behind the barbeque would need to be coated with decking oil and we "volunteered" for the task. Lucky for us we have beautiful parents as Sheena came down to help tidy while John offered to show us how to prep the material properly. Unfortunately this turned out to be a lot more labour intensive than our original plan so after over six hours of sanding, brushing, painting and rolling we're feeling absolutely buggered. At least the wood looks good.



Powering through the pain we managed to also get two other jobs done, fixing up the internal blinds that some tradies had broken as well as finally assembling the barbeque. Cooking plates and the cabinet doors are now on so all that's left is to get a gas bottle and cure the gear before chucking a couple of snags on the grill.



As we were losing our old garage, the car's been on the street for the past three weeks while this work has all been going on. I'd fully expected some youths to key a door or hail to plummet down while the poor Civic was exposed to the elements. Thankfully she's survived the stint unscathed aside from a little dust and now gets to enjoy her new home. She might look a little lonely once the building materials get cleared out but at least we'll have a spare spot for her automobile friends to come and visit.



It seems like we're coming up to the end of our little project here. I'd say there's only about a week and a bit of work to be done by the builders, after that it's all in our hands to finish up. Woohoo!

Driveway and weekend jobs

The last of our concrete was poured on Wednesday so we now have a new spanking driveway to the street. It's an expansive sea of hard lines though I'm sure the car port roof and strategic landscaping will soften things up nicely.



Aside from that there haven't been too many changes. Beams were painted and put up in preparation for the roofs next week and our window holes in the old garage have been filled with weatherboard from the side of the house where our sliding door will be installed. Our hardwood battens were supposed to be here for us to oil and seal but that can wait till next weekend.

Oh, I did have a little man-moment on the weekend. The insulation guys had knocked off a heap of lead nail heads to lift the roof and most of the pieces rolled into out gutters. Apparently lead and gutters don't get along too well, something about a galvanic response that results in rust, which meant that I'd have to brave the roof for the first time to clean them out.

I'd love to say that it was a cinch once I got up there but if anything my anxiety only grew the longer I was away from Terra Firma. I scaled the ladder pretty early to avoid the sun but I hadn't factored in the dew on our iron sheets adding to slip factor. I ended up scooting around on my butt all over the roof to avoid slipping and breaking my neck, a far from efficient means of locomotion but it was all my nerves could take.

We also bought a barbeque today and decided to assemble it to give our builder something to work off when cutting the bench and cavity. Shame we underestimated the amount of work involved and only started putting it together at 5:30. Two hours later we downed tools after struggling for a good hour in the dark with three torchlights and the tiniest screws known to man. The doors aren't on yet but at least the cabinet is up and wheels are on.

Reckon it'll just be another three odd weeks before the renovations are complete. Had a chance to show John and Sheena our progress and everyone's excited about what the final product will look like. I know I can't wait.