Summer blooms and framing up of new living area and laundry

Summer blooms

Summer has well and truly arrived, and the garden is enjoying the rain from Summer storms.  The gardenias, roses and hydrangeas are all thriving.

 

 

 

 

Framing up of new living area
Dad has now framed up the walls and roof trusses of the new living area on the south-eastern corner of the house.  The photo below shows the new eastern wall of the living room extension, incorporating a large picture window.



 

 

The photo below was taken inside the new living area, looking towards (what will be) the south eastern corner of the room.  This room will look out onto the private backyard greenery, and I am also hoping to plant Hydrangeas directly outside these windows once the extension is complete.

 

 

 

This photo shows the inside of the new living room, taken looking through the southern window.  The wall and two doors on the opposite side of this room will eventually be removed, which will result in an open plan living area, kitchen and dining room.

 

 

 

Below is the new dining room which Dad converted at the start of this renovation (it was previously the kitchen of the back flat).  The wall and two doors on the left of this photo will be removed to make way for the new living area.

 

 

 

Again, you can see the wall/doors which will be removed below - soon to provide a fresh open plan kitchen and living zone.

 

  

 

Here is the back of the house (looking west), with the extension on the southern side of the house.  The (old) back laundry and carport will eventually be removed to make way for a back deck.

 

  

New laundry

Dad has also started framing up the new laundry, which is located adjacent to the new living room, also along the southern side of the house.  You can see the laundry starting to take shape below. 



 

 



 

 

The new laundry is located conveniently next to the existing clothesline.  A new deck will be built next to the laundry, just where you can see the new set of timber steps below. 

  

The below photo was taken inside the new laundry, looking towards (what will be) the external western door to the new deck.  You can see the existing (former) laundry ramp in this photo, with the end of the verandah in the background.  Eventually, all of this space will be built in - comprising a new ensuite, walk-in-robe and main bedroom.

 

Here is the new laundry again - from a different angle.

  

Living area framing up and new security door

Warmer weather
I am loving the warmer weather and the opportunity to spend so much more time outside.  The Ornamental Pear ('Capital') trees that I planted at the start of Spring are growing well - especially thanks to the rain we had over the past week.  The Jacaranda tree in the backyard has also started flowering - one of my favourite times of the year.

 

 

 

 

New living room



The former bathroom and toilet of the back flat has started transforming into (what will be) a new living area on the south eastern corner of the house. 
 

Here is the start of the framing - looking from the eastern end.  (The steps that you can see towards the left of this image will lead off a new laundry deck - once it is built.

 

 

We put up the eastern wall frame of the new living room today.  Dad pre-built it so it could be carried over from his shed and installed. You can see below how far the new room extends out to the south from the previous footprint of the house.

 

A large picture window will look out of the living room to the east - such a great outlook.

The picture window will look out to this view of the backyard and Jacaranda tree.  I will most likely also plant Hydrangeas outside the living area which should enjoy the protected aspect.

 

 

Here is the new living area looking from the western (front) end.

 



 

 

Dad has also cleverly repurposed some old glass louvre blades (from the former front kitchen window) and transformed them into these long slit windows below.  These windows will sit along the same eastern wall as the picture window - looking out to the backyard greenery.

 



New security door

I had a new security door installed a few weeks ago on the front door.  It is powdercoated black to tie in with the front door and is great for letting a nice breeze flow through the house now that the weather has warmed up.



 

 

 Here is the outside - with my new planter box (ready for a plant to be added).  I will plant something reasonably tall to balance the space between the light and planter box.  I think it will especially stand out once the house exterior is painted.



New bathroom and study nook and dismantling of old bathroom and laundry

The warmer weather has finally arrived and I am loving being able to open up the house and soak it up.  The living area on the north western corner of the house is such a great spot all year round for making the most of the seasons. 

New bathroom

The new main bathroom is now fully operational and is working a treat.  We kept the colours and style very simple - light neutral floor tiles, timber benchtop with white timber cupboard doors, large white rectangular tiles in the shower and a frameless glass shower screen.  The large northern window is also fantastic in letting the light stream in.

Study nook
The new study nook is also operating now and is such a handy zone.  I am still setting it up with filing storage and a few other bits and pieces, but already using it regularly.

The window into the study has added a lovely feature and also allows natural light to flow in.

Dismantling of old bathroom and laundry
Dad has now dismantled much of the former bathroom and toilet in the back section of the house.  This area will make way for a second living area with a south easterly aspect. 

Here is the former bathroom before it was removed.

Here is (what is now left of) the bathroom and toilet - looking from the outside.  A small amount of asbestos sheeting has now been removed from this back section and we will be soon removing the old cast iron bath (it weighs a tonne!)

Extension on southern side of house
You can see here that Dad has started installing the LVL joists which will support the new extension on the southern side of the house.  The extension will house (looking at the below image from right to left): a living area, laundry, deck off the laundry (where the new steps are located in the photo) ensuite, walk-in-robe and main bedroom.
 

 

There will also be a new deck on the back of the house where the old laundry (below) currently sits.

 

Here is the southern side of the house looking from a different angle.

 

Here is the front south western corner of the house looking back towards (what will be) the new extension.

 

Spring!

Meanwhile, Spring has well and truly 'sprung'.  The new 'Capital' Ornamental Pear trees and Gardenias that I planted about five weeks ago are thriving and forming a layer of greenery next to the verandah.

 

The lavender is also thriving and is a haven for bees.

 

 

I have also invested in a black steel security screen door (with a criss-cross design to tie in with the verandah style) to be installed on the front door in the next week or two.  Will be great to have the door open in Summer and enjoy the breeze. 

 

 

Verandah battens, main bathroom progress, study nook, planter box & Spring!

Verandah battens
This is the northern side of the verandah, looking from the eastern end.  Dad has finished the eastern balustrade, building a slight variation on the rest of the design.  He has also now built the battens under the eastern end of the verandah. 

We plan to build a timber sleeper path just near these battens, to provide access to the electricity box on the side of the house.

Bathroom progress

The main bathroom is coming along very well and it won't be too long before it is finished!

Dad has laid the tiles on both the bathroom floor and shower walls.  We chose a reticulated 600x300 white tile for the shower wall and a square light coloured tile for the floor.  The tiles just need to be grouted (white) before they are finished.  We installed the frameless glass shower screens over the weekend.  All that is left now is to install the glass shower door and for the plumber to hook up the toilet and shower.

Here is the vanity and mirror.  You can see a row of small square white mosaic tiles above the bench, just like we incorporated in the new kitchen.

 

Here is the shower - almost finished.  Just need to install the glass door and grout the tiles white.

Study nook
The new study nook is now operating - it's such a handy room.  Dad built the custom built-in desk from a former door (with VJ boards on top) and the shelving was adapted from the former front kitchen shelves.  We will install new carpet in the study after the new back living area has been built - as the carpet will flow through the study nook, dining area and living room.

Here is the study nook partly set up.

Dad installed an old window between the study nook and dining area - to add more light and a greater sense of space.  It also adds a lovely feature on the large expanse of white VJ wall.

Painted planter box
I finally had a chance to paint and assemble the planter box that I bought recently.  I have painted it in Dulux 'Domino' (to tie in with the front door), and it will sit to the side of the door, under the exterior light.  I am looking forward to planting some greenery in it soon.

Here is the planter box primed and ready to be painted and assembled.

Here it is in place next to the front door.

 

The light on the front verandah is beautiful... how lovely are the shadows that the balustrade casts.

Spring preparations
Spring has almost arrived, and it's great to see the garden shooting.

I have planted three ornamental ('Capital') pear trees on the northern side of the verandah, as well as an edging row of Japanese Box to tie in with the garden on the opposite side of the driveway.  I chose these pear trees for their narrow habit, and I will be able to keep their height to no more than a few metres.  I also hope to plant a row of gardenias behind the pear trees, against the verandah battens.

I planted three Magnolia 'Little Gems' against the northern fence, further along from the row of roses.  These are an evergreen variety which will add more greenery year-round.
 

How beautiful are the sunsets at this time of year!