A new front door & verandah roofing

The front of the house is really transforming quickly and it's so lovely to sit out on the verandah and enjoy the new outlook.

Dad has started installing the verandah roof sheets and guttering (very handy for the recent rain event!) 

You can see the guttering on the right hand side below...

Yesterday's afternoon sky was amazing. I am predicting lots of time spent out here, taking in the view and the beautiful sunsets...

The rafters are all in place on the northern side of the verandah - ready for the roof sheeting. The lavender on the northern side of the house is also thriving.. such a bee haven!

We installed the new (old) front door yesterday. It was salvaged many years ago from a prominent building that was undergoing a major refurbishment - such a special piece of history and a lovely piece to incorporate into the house (and incredibly solid!)  Here it is ready to be lifted up onto the verandah and around the corner (a feat in itself!)...

Preparing the 'hole in the wall'..

And the door is in...

I am loving this project so much and the strong sense of 'home' that I feel here :)

Verandah rafters & exterior lights

Just a brief Australia Day update...

Verandah rafters

Dad has been busy putting the verandah rafters up, and they are mostly done on the front of the house now, with the northern side rafters to come. 

There has been further progress on the front entry with fascia boards now installed. 

Not long now until the iron roof sheeting will start. 

New lights

The exterior verandah lights were installed recently. Below is the new light on the northern side. The aluminum shade will be taken off soon and that screen door will be replaced with another french door like the others. 

Below is the new light on the front of the house. The aluminum window on the left will soon be replaced with a large timber double-hung window, and a new front door will be installed where the down pipe currently is. There will also be a new set of french doors to replace the window on the right, with an extension out to the southern (right) side. 

Verandah entry, verandah beams & re-painting chairs

The verandah is continuing to progress really well - the front entry has now been built and the verandah beams started going up today. These have added a new dimension that is really noticeable (and exciting!)

Front entry

Here is the front entry (taken about a week ago). It has proved to be a very complex exercise in getting the roof angles right.. and Dad has the angles spot on.

Verandah entry looking from the south western corner of the house...

Verandah entry looking from the north western corner... (and how brilliant is that blue summer sky!)

Verandah beams

The below photo shows the new entry after several verandah beams were installed (today). The beams have added a certain extra dimension and give a good feel for how the verandah outlook will be framed. 

Verandah beams looking from the north western corner of the house...

Verandah beams looking from the south western corner of the house...

Looking out the front entry (which will eventually include a set of timber gates).

Details

There are so many details to notice along the way with this project. I especially like the little handwritten calculations and notes that keep the project rolling :)

A fresh coat of paint for the old Adirondack chairs

The summer holidays have provided a great opportunity for me to get some jobs done that I hadn't otherwise had the time to do. It was great to give the old Adirondack chairs some new coats of paint to freshen them up and protect them from the weather. Can't wait to put a couple of these chairs on the new verandah once the roof is on. 

Summer blooms

How lovely is it to enjoy fresh homegrown flowers from the garden throughout Summer! These hydrangeas were given to me by my friend Robyn and seem to just last forever! :)

Verandah timber detail & rain!

We have had some beautiful rain in the past few weeks and everything is looking so much fresher and greener... we are very lucky.

Verandah

The verandah has really added a whole new dimension to the house as it shapes up. There is so much work involved and Dad is continuing to custom-build all of the decorative post infills... a big job! The timber work is beautiful and very special to be designed and built by Dad.

You can see the post infills in place below.

The below photo shows the new front entry shaping up. There will end up being a set of timber gates here, which the new front steps will lead to.

...and how beautiful was today's sunset? 

Here's the new front entry - looking from the front yard. The new central front door will be installed just near where that down pipe currently is. 

The below photo was taken on the southern end of the front verandah, looking north. 

Here is the front of the house, looking at the south western corner. The posts and infills on this side are next to be done. 

Garden

The garden is really 'smiling' after this rain and the Heaven Scent roses are smelling as heavenly as ever.

Don't frangipanis just remind you of Summer? :)

I have planted Creeping Fig along the base of the water tank which should work nicely to soften the overall look.

And how lucky am I!.. a gorgeous Cumquat tree from lovely friends :) 

This home and reno project really is bringing so much satisfaction and joy. I even had a lovely lady walk past the other day and comment that the project is also bringing much joy to the neighbourhood :)

Verandah timber detail

The verandah continues to progress with half of the posts and part of the balustrade detail now installed. 

Dad has designed these 'signature' balustrade panels which will be erected above all of the double post footings. Between each of these will then be a lower (handrail height) balustrade with criss-cross detail. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, the old timber and aluminum windows/doors will be replaced with solid timber french doors and windows along the side and front of the house. There will also be a roof over the verandah. 

Here it is again looking towards the west. Can't wait to set up those new cape cod chairs on the verandah once it's done! I can see lots of catch ups with family and friends on this verandah when it's ready to be christened :)

What a beautiful sunset today after the heat!

Here's a closer view of the timber detail. 

Just had to include this last photo... view of the jacaranda and bougainvillea from my backyard. Stunning.

Verandah floorboards complete

Dad has now finished the huge job of laying verandah floorboards - and it looks great! The front (western) side of the verandah is around 14 metres long, and it almost feels like longer again when you are standing on it! We are really pleased to have used the wider boards - it seems to do more justice to the space. 

Here is the northern side of the verandah with the boards down. The screen door to the left of the new french doors will be replaced with another matching french door (which will be fixed in place, with the top half opening as a window). The aluminum window in the middle of this photo will also be replaced with another french door...

Here is the northern side of the verandah - looking east towards the backyard. I have bought another pair of adirondack (cape cod) chairs which I'm looking forward to setting up out here...

Here is the front (western) side of the verandah. You can see the landing where the front steps will meet. Dad used narrower floorboards on the landing area as a feature to distinguish between the rest of the verandah. 

The central front door will end up being positioned where the down-pipe currently is. To the left of the front door will be a beautiful old large timber double-hung window. To the right of the front door will be a set of french doors, as well as a set of six old feature windows on the far end of the house. These windows will be re-used from the previous back flat...

Here is the front verandah - looking in the other direction to the south...

This photo shows the front verandah - looking from the south western corner of the house...

Here is the latest view of the house looking from the front of the driveway. I love the extra dimension that the verandah has already added - even before the posts, balustrades and roof are on.The jacaranda tree in the backyard is flowering.. I love this time of year...

Backyard bliss ...