Taking shape

 First time walking through the new front entrance!  How exciting.  It is really taking shape now.  As the building evolves, we are making final decisions about all sorts of things.  For example, the exterior colours.  We have a palette picked out, and have painted some sample patches here and there, but won't make the final decision until we can really see the shape of the building.

Upper storey colour (looks much whiter than this when outside.)

Lower storey colour

Fence and retaining wall colour

Once the roof goes on, it will be crunch time!

The front door! (well, you know what I mean!)

The new garage and master bedroom over the top.

The entry and living area.

Living area with big doors in - can't wait to get rid of the pesky wall (the one on the left that keeps obstructing my "feel" for the room)

Outdoor area!

going up!

Second storey is on and the remaining "old" section is in the process of being rebuilt.  It seems to be going ahead quite quickly now, which means some more decisions from me.

The kitchen is the next major installation and I have chosen colours and door profiles and stone, but I am struggling to choose pendant lights for over the island bench.  Here are some elevations with the lights I like "stuck" on - BTW, everything is to scale.  I quite like the stainless look to complement the splash backs, but I also like the look of the white.  Any preferences?

Slow and steady

So, the reno moves on.  All kids bedrooms are finished and are about to be sealed up, away from the dust and mess that will be happening soon.  Next stage is the partial demolition of the existing garage, and the completion of the extension.  As you can see, it is built and the floor joists are in.   If we (finally) get some fine weather, we should soon see a second floor.  Still so grateful I don't have to live in the house while this is happening!!

Bedroom 2.  Eventually there will be a lovely garden out there so Katie doesn't have to look at a bare wall.

Great WIR

The new garage, with soon to be second floor.

Welcome to my kitchen, dining area!  

Concrete for outdoor living area - covered in plastic to keep out the rain!

We're outta here!

Right then.  It has been 6 months since my last post.  I am not really sure where the time went, but I think being back at work and organising a renovation might have something to do with it.  For my own sanity, I am going to retro post some pics of our progress so far.  Currently we are at the fun stage.  We have moved out and are house sitting, so we don't have to live with the dust, noise and tradies - well, just one, and he's okay I suppose.  The old living areas have been gutted and the new walls will be going up soon.

Kitchen's gone, dining room's gone - yey!

Bedroom 3, looking into WIR

Looking into the old ensuite, soon to be WIR.

Bathroom and laundry finished!

These are the first two rooms to be finished - how exciting.  Really pleased with the tiles, particularly the floor tiles.  They look and feel really beautiful.  Both rooms need a bit of warmth and I plan to do this with timber accessories and shelving.  Already looking around for some groovy shelves for the bathroom.

Laundry

Laundry

Bathroom - love the tiles!

Mirror cabinet provides heaps of storage

Love the look of the hidden cistern (can you love the look of something you can't see???)

Lots of happy bath times in here!

The demolition begins

This week the really yucky part began.  Demolition.  While we are still living here, we need to have the "old" section of the building renovated, so we have somewhere to store all our stuff when the extension and gutting of the remainder of the house happens.  (We won't be living here then!)This part has the girls' bedrooms, bathroom and laundry.  So, I am fighting the dust, bumping into tradies at ungodly  hours of the morning, the dust, having only one bathroom and toilet (eeeek, we have three women in this house!), the dust, the noise, and oh, did I mention the DUST!
I am still making final decisions on colours, but have just about nailed it down.  This week will also see us ordering cabinets, stone and bathroom fittings - there's no turning back now!

My Granny had an outdoor laundry too.  Works just fine!

Off comes the old plasterboard to reveal lovely old hardwood framing.

Soon to be glamorous laundry

Is it a laundry, is it a lounge? It's a pain in the butt!

From little things.... we plant our garden

Well, we had a lovely Christmas break and it has continued well into January.

We have been busy creating our gardens facing the main entertainment areas.  As usual, the decision making for me is the hardest part.  For Brenton of course, its the doing!  We were pretty careful to enrich the soil with some dynamic lifter and compost.  After planting we have covered the soil with sugar cane mulch.  This helps prevent water loss as well as providing enrichment for the soil as it is breaking down.  We are hoping (as is everyone) for a respite from the searing heat so the poor little things don't get fried.  We chose lillipillies for the entertainment area - simply as a screen, and some lovely heliconias, with a few giant bird of paradise interspersed among them, for around the pool.  Fingers crossed for some rain and not too hot weather!

Where's Mum?

It'd be lovely to have a swim on such a hot day!

And, they're in!

Grow, my lovelies, grow!

No, it's not a garden sculpture.

Can't wait to see this Poinciana in full bloom.  It should provide us with some lovely summer shade in the mornings.