Big Weekend....Ooh My Achin' Back!

Well, it has been a really busy weekend. We all got up early on Saturday to scrub the house and make it look reasonable before the visit by the interior decorator. Then we went shopping, but of course visited the house for a quick peek . The cleaner was on site scrubbing away - I wish I could invest as much energy in cleaning as this lady did! However, we managed to take a quick look around. It all looked quite good, apart from some holes in the walls and some removed cornices. Obviously the inspectors had been in and marked up some problems.

We were happy to see the missing baluster in place, and the handles on the overheads in the kitchen- although not in the laundry. Ho hum!!

We got home in time to catch up with the decorator and were happy to get her advice in regard to the colours we were contemplating and ideas for tying together all our bits and pieces. Happy to hear she thought the ideas for colours and furniture placement were on the money (we had a great chat getting excited about paints and fabrics; hubby was not getting it!). She made a few recommendations for the youngest daughter's room that we took on board and can see now how it all will work. We verified colours for feature walls and discussed how to tie an eclectic look together. She will now check out our dimensions and verify the fabric patterns for our three new sofas, and make recommendations for cushions and rugs. All in all it was a very productive session.

Later, the kids managed to convince me to take them shopping for school camps coming up in the next couple of weeks. Got home at about 6pm. The oldest child is studying French at uni and is mad for anything French including the food - he wanted to cook something 'special' for tea. So it was off to Coles again to buy the essentials and it was about 10pm by the time he finished. Left the dishes!

We visited the house again this morning to take some snaps while the place is clean. We are also meeting the SS on Tuesday - I hope he has good news for us!!

Fence, portaloo and rubble gone! Just a nice little patch of weeds and a ridiculously placed front tap left. (yes, that is the tap surrounded by weeds in what it almost the middle of the driveway!)

Alfresco...nice.

All the internal pics have been taken through the windows, so the colours are not as nice as they are in reality. I am so happy with the effect so far - just really looking forward to getting in. The laundry; the cupboards are more vibrant than in the pics and the benchtop more shiny.

Our ensuite through the sliding doors, again the colours don't do justice.

Downpipes with painted connections - well done Henley, most other houses don't have this level of detail. Happy.

Kitchen snaps through windows. Wish the real colours could be seen. It was lovely to walk in yesterday and see all the granite gleaming - just beautiful.

Colours below are a little more true, especially the timber of the sliding door in front of this picture. This is how all the timber areas should look.

Today was absolutely mad and I am happy to sit down and blog and for a few minutes. I started the day at about 6 with a few readings for my next assignment. Then into the house work again cleaning some things that desperately needed it, including the dishes from the night before! Then it was off to the shops again to pick up some further supplies for the kids, and also some hardware for the multiple projects I have on the go. Today it was resurfacing the coffee table - can't manage a new one at the moment so $30 to make it look a bit prettier will have to suffice, especially as it will be used in the family room with my beautiful new couches. I started the job when we got home from shopping and am currently waiting for the first coat of clear to dry so I can apply the second. It was this job that caused the backache. It took some effort to sand it back to bare and then stain it! I am ok with the result so far, I used two different colour stains to achieve the desired hue. The next project will be the artwork for the TV room on the weekend. (see you then, Mum).

Things We Need to Find a Home For

I must be bored (huh!) to be blogging again about our bits and pieces - either that or I am feeling the pressure of pulling everything together. The following are pics of things we will have to pull together to make the decor work. I am meeting with the Freedom interior decorator next week to get some advice regarding how to bring together all the bits and pieces that we have acquired, and that mean something to us, into a cohesive whole.

Light fittings, bedding and furniture for the new house are putting the squeeze on us!

Family photos and artwork will need a home. These ones are very special - my mum as a child and two pictures my late uncle, Robert Turner, painted for me. He was a wonderful man and died only recently - he will be greatly missed by us personally and also because of his artistic contribution.

Two incredibly spoiled ragdolls - I suppose they will need a home too. Although the boy (bottom) had better figure out what his scratching post is for or he might end up living in the shed!

Some material I bought today. There is some heavy textured chocolate fabric and the spotty upholstery cloth that I will use to make a storage ottoman for the kids. The fabrics are sitting on one of the cushions from the new suite for the kids' TV room. I will visit my mum soon and get some help to create a piece of abstract art to adorn the wall above their new sofa.

Below is a pic of the painting my mum is currently working on to sit above our fireplace in the formal lounge. It will be quite large and a real feature. Thanks Mum I love it! xx

The Mud Files

We are getting a little bit ridiculous as the build gets closer to d-day, as we visit most days (sometimes twice between us) only to be frustrated because, of course, we are locked out. We were lucky enough to find a tradie on site today and could get in to take more pics.

Oh joy, to see all our walls, skirting boards and cabinetry covered in dust, grout, broken tiles, tile cement and best of all MUD!!! Absolutely everywhere even where you wouldn't think you could get mud. We took some photos anyway and hope it gives the impression of what the home will be like.

Below: An area that is not muddied, knocked, or scraped.....yet. (Upstairs bedroom)

The family room - note the windows adjacent to the sliding doors are now painted! ?Why? - these should be timber to match the sliding door - "as displayed". Bit concerning.

Below is the son's ensuite again with the decor tiles installed, plus shower base, floor tiles and toilet. Plumbing commenced this week as did electricals.

Upstairs throne room.

Downstairs powder room.

Our ensuite - tiles, tiles everywhere!!

Upstairs main bathroom plumbing and tiles.

Entry with tile inlay. Hmm, can't get the effect we were hoping for with mud and dust everywhere and a raw staircase. This large blank wall below will have a 180cm credenza and gold edged mirror. We are also thinking of a wingback chair. All the entry walls will be painted in a silk effects feature colour in a darker shade than this. The room is considerably larger than it needs to be so, overall, the decor can cope with darker walls. I will be painting all the feature walls myself.

(Sunday - Just noticed that there is a baluster missing from the staircase and the ribbon balusters have been moved. I am guessing that this is because they are replacing with another ribbon. That would explain why the stairs have not yet been painted!)

Some of the latest outdoor shots.

Laundry cabinets and sink.

It's All Happening

My Family have been asking when I am going to post more pictures..so here they are, the latest offerings.

The exterior is nearly complete with a bit of clean up work, and minor details to attend. We were meeting up with more concreters this week and now have two quotes. We will obtain a third but were pretty happy with the second company to quote. They have several jobs they have completed in the area. The front door stain is quite a bit darker than we were expecting. Unsure why?? Will discuss with the SS next visit. As a result, we think we will go with a darker concrete to tie all the colours in.

Below is the colour of the timber features on the alfresco, the downpipes and the rear cladding, jasper.

The front doors. Not really 100% happy with the stain. I was expecting something a bit more goldy and vibrant - this one appears quite dark at times. Perhaps it is the timber variation?? With some appropriate light fittings, paving, and plant pots perhaps it will look better to me.

Tiling well underway. Should be finished by next Tuesday with electricians on deck and completed by Thursday. Below is our ensuite.

Main bathroom.

I have now completed the renovation of the chair for the youngest daughter's bedroom. I think it is a better match for the wicker storage unit nearby and of course, she likes the new upholstery!

More tile shots. Yes, we have a lot of tiling. I would much have preferred beautiful shiny timber flooring, but you can't have everything (some would argue this). I also don't like timber "look" flooring or laminate so tiles were the go. These tiles below are not yet grouted, and it is hard to see but they are a kind of coffee colour. We have broken them up a bit by having a diagonally laid inlay in the entry area, and will have a big rug in the family room. We also went to look at carpets this weekend. Originally we were looking for solution dyed nylon, but haven't been able to find a style or colour match that we liked. We did, however, find heaps of the colour and style we like in a wool carpet - so we have asked for two quotes for this.

Below is a picture of the entry tiles through the lounge room window. Not the best pic, but of course, we can't get in!
Not sure how much longer till completion now.....but hopefully not too long. I have booked holidays in September, mostly because I really need a break, but I am hoping they will coincide with handover.

Gathering....

My parents returned from the UK this week after 9 weeks away and spent some time with us this weekend, along with my sister and her family. Last week I bought some second hand items and collected them on Saturday - my Dad helped hubby lift and carry (thanks, Dad). I love to give pre-loved things a new lease of life so when my parents left us today to return home to Gippsland, I raced out to Bunnings and Spotlight to buy some bits and pieces to restore the French balloon back chair I bought for my youngest daughter's bedroom. She helped her mum select some upholstery fabric and when we enquired "how much?" the assistant told us $2 per metre because it is a discontinued line - we bought the roll!!

When we got home, my daughter and I ripped the old fabric off the chair and madly started sanding the timber back. We have finished the first coat of a soft white paint and are currently waiting the two hours until we can apply the second. Tomorrow we will apply the clear coat and hopefully on Tuesday cover it with the new fabric. Nice bit of fun!

I took some snaps of some of the bits and pieces we have gathered- over the years and lately- that I will hopefully put together to make our new house a home.

It has really been a lovely weekend with spending some time with family and putting together the ideas for our home. My Mum and I also went out to have a coffee at a local cafe with the kids before she left. I have not been able to have such a pleasant weekend for months because I have just been so very busy at work - makes me really appreciate the simple things. I also must start to focus on my studies again as I need to finish my Masters degree next year (still have four more subjects!) so I really need to get things sorted with the house before too much longer.

The fabric we bought - there are peachy tones that have not been picked up by the camera. We bought 20 metres for $40!!!. (Franni, if you would like some just call!!)

Ballon back chair (before) with what will be a matching wicker storage and linen, sitting in front of light fittings and bedding.

After first coat of fresh paint.

The hall stand we bought last year when we had plans to build the federation style house. I still really like this and think we can make it work in the new house. I bought the flowers because my Mum and Dad were coming to stay. The mauve ones are kale - interesting plants!