First room complete!

The new kitchen is officially operating as of today. It feels so exciting to have now moved in! What a fantastic job Dad has done. 

This area of the house has always been somewhere to gravitate towards.. filled with natural light and providing a great outlook into the backyard and down the driveway to the front. It also now provides a great view of the standard roses and camellias along the northern fence and the new little white fairy lights along the back. There are summer storms rolling around tonight and it has just started raining outside. So lovely to hear the rain soaking into the lawn and gardens. 

Old kitchen.. End of an era

The kitchen that I have been using for the past 6 months (on the front north western corner) has served me very well (as it has for others before me.. especially Lorraine and Catherine). The sun floods in during winter providing so much welcome warmth. The cupboard doors and red and chrome handles are quite 'retro' and the white painted timber shelving and shadow box are lovely. Dad is going to re-use the shadow box as a detail near the new front door entry.. in fact many of the existing materials such as the beautiful old solid doors and windows will be somehow incorporated into the new house design.. very special, I think. 

New kitchen.. a fresh new era :)

Just cooked my first meal tonight in the new kitchen. I love it. There's a new home for everything and it feels so functional. It also feels very luxurious to have a dishwasher again!

Painting..

Meanwhile, the new dining room (formerly the kitchen in the back flat) is being painted at the moment... a clean, fresh white - to tie in with the kitchen. We are also looking at carpets for this room - thinking some sort of natural berber or sisal. 

Stage 2..

I will be moving into the back bathroom (south eastern corner) soon, which will leave the front bathroom area ready to start transforming as 'Stage 2' gets underway...

 

Christmas plans

We put up some little white fairy lights on the weekend. They're so cute.. dotted all along the back fence. 

The plumber also came today to hook up the gas and water in the new kitchen. Really looking forward to hosting Christmas dinner in my backyard, using the new kitchen :)

A productive weekend

We managed to get lots done this weekend which is always a rewarding feeling. 

DAD'S WORK IN THE KITCHEN IS DONE

Dad has finished everything in the kitchen now.. Splash back tiles are in, the small white mosaic tiles on the bench 'hob' have been grouted and the timber hob painted white. 

All that's left now is for the plumber to come and hook up the gas and water. Will be very exciting to start using it! ;)

'LITTLE GEM' GARDEN

I planted another 'Little Gem' (Magnolia) near the front side corner of the shed, and have surrounded it with Japanese Box to tie in with the Box planted in front of the standard roses nearby.

LAVENDER GARDEN

I also tidied the lavender along the northern side of the house. It has been growing there for many years now and should respond well to a good trim!

BEFORE...

The lavender had become really woody and each plant had grown to a different size. There was also a timber frame around some of the lavender plants, and the space to the left of the garden was grassed and a bit difficult to mow properly. 

AFTER...

The plants have all had a big trim and should hopefully thicken up into low bushes. I will fill a couple of the gaps with new plants next weekend. I also dug out the grass on the left side to make the garden bed stretch to meet the driveway, and have removed the timber garden frame to neaten things up. 

Will mulch the gardens next weekend. 

A NEW LIFE FOR OLD POTS

I had a couple of old terracotta pots which were getting pretty tired, although it didn't feel right to get rid of them altogether. So I have painted them a neutral brown-grey colour to freshen them up and tie in with the fairly neutral colours of everything else. Not sure yet where they will go or what plants they'll house, but am hoping they will look nice somewhere... will see. 

Kitchen bench tops are in

The kitchen bench tops were installed this morning and we're really pleased with them... a lovely fresh white with subtle fleck through it. 

The installers said they couldn't believe how little time it took them to install the bench tops as Dad's preparation with the cabinetry was spot on :) (though not surprising!)

The only things left to do in the kitchen now are the tiled splash back behind the cooktop, and the plumbing. 

Feeling very excited at the prospect of using the new kitchen fairly soon!.. will definitely be a great opportunity to put it to use at Christmas time. 

I also planted a second 'Little Gem' Magnolia near the shed recently. Photos to come :)

Dining area progress & little pieces of history

Preparing for painting/floor covering

The dining area has had down lights installed, timber laminate floorboards removed and the walls prepared for painting. It looks so light and fresh. This limewashed timber hutch has been built in to the wall and it fits perfectly in this space. Our plan is to paint the walls white and lay some sort of natural sisal/Berber carpet. 

This was taken from the dining area looking back up the hallway towards the front of the house. Eventually, the new front door will be built at the end of the hall creating a central entrance on the front of the house. 

Little pieces of history

It has been interesting along the way to uncover little pieces of the past. This old business card (for 'Mr T. (Jack) Lucht - Tree lopping, allotment clearing, rubbish removal, truck for hire, also tractor and slasher'), newspaper clipping and handwritten note were all uncovered from behind walls or under floor coverings... and they are in such good condition! It feels special and quite intriguing to uncover these hidden little 'gems' and wonder about the history of the house. 

Garden bliss

The yard continues to evolve and I am getting so much satisfaction from planting new garden beds and watching things grow. I dug out this garden in the back south-eastern corner. The Murrayas at the back will form a green backdrop against the fence, with a 'Little Gem' Magnolia in the middle and a low Japanese Box hedge in front. We just need a good downpour now to keep it happy!

Meanwhile the Jacarandas seem to just get better and better this year! They are so beautiful. 

Here's to a good week for all :)

Timber details & a beautiful time of year!

Kitchen

These are the northern windows in the kitchen. You can also see the Eastern windows along the left in the photo. It's such a light-filled space. We're just waiting on the benchtops now - once these are installed, the sink and gas cooktop can go in, and the white splash back tiles can also be put in place. 

Timber details in the living/dining

Dad has been busy opening up the dining area which was previously the kitchen in the back flat. That's the new back door you can see, which will open out onto a beautiful deck which will have a north-eastern aspect. The two doors to the right of this are currently the bathroom and toilet (of the former back flat). These separate rooms will eventually be opened up and extended - and this area will become a lounge/living. You can also see a low timber podium which Dad has custom built to conceal some necessary bracing. I love these unique timber details and think they add lovely character to a home. 

Here's a close up of that timber podium - all made from recycled timber removed from other areas... This will all end up being painted white. 

What a beautiful time of year

The Jacaranda in the backyard is fully out in bloom at the moment and is just exquisite... The neighbours up the back had 5 advanced Canadian Maples brought in this week - you can just see their greenery behind the Jacaranda. They will form a glorious backdrop. 

Took this pic of the south-eastern corner of the backyard. That bougainvillea in the neighbour's yard is so striking! I have dug out a garden bed in that corner and hope to start planting it up tomorrow. 

Summer around the corner

Summer is well and truly on its way. It is a balmy Sunday night after a hot day and the cicadas are in full tune! 

The garden is really greening up and the bare root roses that I planted only about 6 weeks ago are now in full bloom. That was quick!

It's lovely to be able to pick fresh roses for family and friends. Mum and Dad have the first bunch of this season. The smell is devine. 

The Jacaranda tree in the backyard is also starting to flower... always a signal that end-of-year uni exams are on their way. 

The new house up the back is looking beautiful too. It reminds me of a Cape Cod style home, so I think my 'Cape Cod' (Adirondack) chairs look just right against the fence. The neighbours have planted a row of English Poplars along the fence line which are just starting to pop their heads up... and the Star Jasmine that Mum and Dad planted with the criss-cross wires is flowering. 

Here's to a good week for all :)

Opening up... Kitchen & Dining

The kitchen floor tiles have now been grouted and the oven and dishwasher are in. All that's left to do in the kitchen now is the bench tops, gas cooktop and splash back. Exciting!

Dad has started removing the wall between the dining area and (what will be) the new lounge/living. 

BEFORE - This photo was taken from (what used to be) the kitchen of the back flat. The old retro sink was removed from the left of this photo (and sold to a guy at work who is going to install it as an outdoor sink). 

AFTER - The old timber casement windows have been removed (and some will be re-used as fixed panels in the new walk-in-robe in the master bedroom), and the cupboards and bench top are now gone. 

What a difference it makes already!

This photo is taken looking the other way - from (what will be) the new lounge/living to the dining area. The floor in this living and dining area will end up being carpeted. 

We will be shopping for the gas cooktop in the next few days. 

Enjoy your long weekend!

Kitchen tiles & weekend projects

We have decided to go with large matt floor tiles (in a light bone colour) for the kitchen. This room didn't already have old floorboards, so we thought it was best not to introduce a different type of timber floor right next to the existing ones. 

Dad has laid most of the tiles, which just need to be grouted now (and some smaller sizes cut for under the dishwasher and fridge).

Cutting tiles...

I have also been restoring a little old table that was given to me by good friends (it originally belonged to a lovely old couple who lived down the road, and who had passed away). I wanted to breathe some new life into it again :)

BEFORE...

AFTER...

In its new home (although will move again after more reno progress)

Enjoy your Sunday!

Fresh white

We have gone with a clean, fresh white finish in the kitchen.. 

The doors and drawer fronts are being added and things are starting to really take shape. 

That outside roof in the photos will be removed and this area on the eastern side of the kitchen will become a deck. 

Next will be the flooring, appliances, bench tops and splash back.

Also a sign of progress to come with part of the old kitchen (from the 'back flat')  starting to be removed. This wall between the dining area and (what will be) the new living area will be mostly removed to create an open plan living area. These lovely old timber windows will be re-used in the new main bedroom robe.

You can see the beautiful old floorboards which were previously covered by carpet - they will end up being polished

Holiday progress

Just at the tail end of a lovely week off work. Although it went quickly, it was so great to have time catching up with family and friends and making more progress on the house and garden. 

The roses have lots of leaves now and the little Japanese Box plants along the front are settling in. I planted a row of camellias today - they will form a hedge behind the roses. 

The camellias are 'Jennifer Susan', a Sasanqua variety with pale pink Autumn flowers. 

... and Dad is continuing to make great progress on the new kitchen. 

That's the kitchen on the back of the house with lights turned on (north eastern corner). Hopefully we will get some much needed rain in the next day or so...

...and Spring has well and truly arrived. There have been some baby birds in a nest in the Murraya out the front. 

Cooking with gas!

The kitchen is taking shape! 

It used to be the living area of the 'back flat'. This was taken on the day I moved in, before I had unpacked...

It made such a difference to the space when the wall sheeting and carpet was removed...

Then the VJ walls went in...

Ceiling insulation went in (under the supervision of little 'Foreman Nina'!) The kitchen is located on the north eastern corner of the house so is filled with light and Winter sun. You find yourself gravitating to this room...

The lights have been installed this week... 

The windows and 'white salt' paint make it feel lovely and fresh. The roses will soon be shooting and provide a  backdrop outside the window...