Exterior painting, new ensuite finished and outdoor living plans

Exterior painting, new ensuite finished and outdoor living plans

It has been a few months since my last blog post, but the house renovation continues with exciting progress.

Exterior Painting

We started preparing the front and northern verandah walls for painting during the Christmas break. It's the 'essence of Summer' to me... painting, cricket and tennis on the TV, mangoes, balmy evenings... The below photos were taken before we started painting.

We decided to go with a dark charcoal colour for the verandah walls, while all the trims and remainder of the house exterior will be painted white, as will the interior. 

I think the dark colour will do justice to the intricate design details that Dad has incorporated, and allow them to really stand out.  

But first, a quick 'BEFORE' reminder of how the house looked 'pre-reno'... unrecognisable.

Below you can see the front aspects of the house today... hard to believe the entire verandah is new.  To me, it looks like this 'Queenslander' has stood on the block for 100 years... in fact, we believe the original house turns 100 in 2018!

You can see the first coat has now been painted on the front (western) side, with more coats to come... and the overall effect is starting to take shape. 

Below you can see the north western corner of the house... this will also soon be painted in the dark charcoal, with white trims.

The first coat on the western wall is now complete. Interestingly, the below window was previously located on the wall between a bedroom and (former) laundry of the front flat.  Dad re-located it to the front of the house, and added the side panels on either side, to serve it more justice.

Ensuite finished
The new ensuite is now finished and is such a light, calm space.  The white plantation shutters were recently installed on the southern window, and the glass shower screen was installed yesterday. How exciting to have a bath tub again!

Below is the exterior of the ensuite, on the southern side of the house. This entire room is an extension to the existing home. The new window hood ensures consistency with the house style.

As you can see, the southern window looks out to the privacy of a green hedge.

Outdoor living plans

Planning is underway for a back deck and outdoor living area, which will replace the existing carport (seen in the image below).  The new back outdoor living space will also incorporate a pool and additional landscaping and planting... exciting and busy times ahead!

Below you can see some of the existing backyard.  It is a really spacious and private area, partly shaded by the beautiful old Jacaranda tree on the eastern fence-line.

Meanwhile painting is underway in the bright and airy new main bedroom, which will also be carpeted in the same neutral coloured wool carpet as the back living room. The main bedroom will be installed with roman blinds, consistent with the roman blind in the front living room.

Jacaranda Season

I didn't post an update in November, so here are a couple of photos taken of the beautiful Jacaranda tree that sits on my back fence-line. So striking against a stormy late afternoon sky.

Ensuite coming along, Floor sanding and Deck Plans

Ensuite coming along
The new ensuite is coming along nicely with the tiling almost complete and ready to grout.
The timber vanity was custom built by Dad - I love the warmth that it adds to the room, whilst still fitting in with the simple and timeless style throughout the rest of the house. It also has great storage, with a large drawer on the front. The mirror and wall cabinet were also custom built by Dad, repurposing a large timber photo frame that was adjusted to size, and painted white.

The new shower is located on the northern wall of the ensuite, with tiled floor (light grey polished concrete look), with white rectangular wall tiles and glass frame. The remaining white wall tiles will be laid in the shower in the next couple of days. You can see (in below image) the long narrow window which faces east, and is furnished with a custom white timber shutter. I love the south-easterly aspect, which gives the room really beautiful light.

A freestanding bath tub will sit along the western wall of the ensuite) - see below image.  The large three-pane timber window sat in Dad's shed for many years, from a previous job. It will be furnished with a white plantation shutter - similar to the shutters recently installed in the dining room.

Below is a reminder of how the exterior of the ensuite is looking... sitting on the southern side of the house, shaded by the old Macadamia tree. We will also soon be hooking up the water tank to the roof guttering, which will be great for servicing the garden.

Floor sanding

Meanwhile, we sanded the wide floorboards in the back entry of the house, as they were in need of a refresh and clean. We believe the house was built around 1918, which means these boards will turn 100 next year! They are such a beautiful hardwood - we think possibly iron bark.

 

 

The boards have come up beautifully.  If only they could talk, I wonder what stories they would tell from the past century...

Back Deck plans
Once the new master bedroom and ensuite are complete, a new back deck will be built to replace the existing carport. The deck will sit off the back entry, just near the kitchen and back living room. Part of it will be covered with a white timber pergola, to add dimension. Removing the old carport roof will allow so much more light to flood in to the back of the house. I can tell it's going to be such a great entertaining area, nestled at the back of the house and overlooking greenery on all sides.

Just love keeping these pencil drawings... the early stages of something special to come!

The carport will be replaced with a double garage at the back of the block, which will be clad in weatherboards to tie in with the house exterior.

A real Legacy
I continue to feel so incredibly lucky to be working on this project with Mum and Dad. It is bringing all of us so much satisfaction and pleasure.. not to mention the significant value it is adding to this home. So many blocks in this beautiful leafy neighbourhood are being subdivided to make way for large modern unit complexes, leaving barely any backyard or lawn, and often stripping the character altogether.

It feels good that we are doing justice to this old home, by enhancing its character and creating a home that is so liveable and timeless.

Beautiful details and more progress on the main Bedroom and Ensuite

Beautiful details

The front of the house contains so much new detail... it is hard to believe it hasn't been this way for 100 years. We believe the house may have been built around 1918, in which case it will celebrate its 100th Birthday next year!

Below you can see the cross details which Dad has added to the new south western corner of the main bedroom.

The old macadamia nut tree sits nicely on the southern side towards the front of the house, and frames the new verandah perfectly. It certainly reminds you of its presence with a loud bang on the tin roof whenever a nut falls!

Ensuite progress

The new ensuite and main bedroom are now fully sealed from the outside. Dad has finished sheeting and painting (white) the new ensuite walls and ceiling. It feels like a really light and spacious area, with a large window on the southern side, as well as a tall narrow window that faces the new deck to the east. The southern window (pictured below) has been repurposed from an old window that Dad had stored in his shed for years.

Below you can see the tall narrow window which adjoins the new deck. This window has actually been repurposed from two glass louvre blades from the former kitchen of the front flat. Dad has also custom built the tall white timber shutter that covers this window.

You can also see where the new shower will be installed here, along the northern wall of the ensuite.

The waterproofing has now also been put down on the floor and wall of the ensuite this week.

Main Bedroom
The main bedroom walls have now been fully sheeted.  It is such a large, fresh and airy space, with French doors and a window on the front western side, as well as another set of windows on the south. The room will end up being painted in white, to tie in with the rest of the interior.

The below photo was taken in the new bedroom, looking out towards the front living room. This whole area is filled with light every afternoon.

Here is more of the bedroom, looking to the south.  The cavity you can see here is the new wardrobe (before the doors were installed).

Here is the wardrobe with its doors in place.

Below you can see the new custom timber panelled bedhead that Dad has built.

New Sofa!
.. and a fresh new sofa for the new back living room.

Oh, and the front of the house featured in a 'Renovation' segment on the News tonight!  Thought it looked familiar when I saw it :)

New Shutters, Blinds and more progress on new Main Bedroom and Ensuite

New Plantation Shutters
It has been ages since my last post... alot has been happening.

I recently had some white plantation shutters installed in the dining area over the old double hung windows. I have always loved the look of shutters, and also love that they are so versatile, being able to tilt the blades open or closed, or swing the entire shutter frame open on a warm summer's day.

Here are the windows (below) before the shutters were installed, and after a fresh coat of white paint. I think it adds good balance to the room and some nice texture, especially given the amount of space due to the high ceilings.

New Roman Blind

I also had a new Roman Blind installed on the old front window which faces the western verandah. I really love this window, and didn't want to hide its detail with shutters - so decided to go with a Roman Blind instead. I used a light  taupe and white coloured fine pinstripe fabric. The blind will mostly remain up, except on hot Summer afternoons to protect from the hot western sun.

Here is the exterior of the same window.  When the house is painted at the end of the renovation, the window and its trims will all be painted white.

More progress on new Bedroom and Ensuite

Meanwhile, Dad is continuing to make good progress on the new main bedroom and ensuite.

You can see the exterior of the new ensuite below, which extends out on the southern side of the house, along with a new window shade.

The photo below shows the front south western corner of the house, comprising the corner of the new verandah, plus two sets of repurposed windows looking out towards the south and the west.

Below is the eastern wall of the new ensuite, which faces the new deck on the southern side of the house. Dad has repurposed two large old glass louvre blades (from the former kitchen of the front flat) into one long narrow window.  He has also built a long custom louvre style shutter to cover the window. This will give the ensuite an aspect to both the south and east, allowing more natural light into the room.

You can see the louvre style shutter on the left of the image below. It can be either closed for privacy or swung open on hinges.

Meanwhile the main bedroom is coming along nicely. Dad has almost finished sheeting it in VJ sheets, as well as insulating the walls. Below is the custom built bedhead which will be painted white when finished.

Below is the south western corner of the main bedroom, with two sets of repurposed windows from the former flats. The three windows on the left were previously installed in the kitchen of the former back flat, and the window on the right came from the laundry of the front flat. We called it 'Lorraine's Window', after the older lady Lorraine who lived in the front flat for many years.

Below you can see, what will be, the wardrobe. It will comprise three doors with a range of custom hanging and shelving storage space.

This image was taken from the new ensuite, looking back into the new main bedroom.