Out and About

Despite the economic crisis and financial doom and gloom stories out there, there's still a lot of folk investing considerable amounts of money renovating their homes. There are at least half a dozen or so renovations happening within a couple streets from our place.

I managed to get a leave pass from the kids - why not come along and take a walk with me...

The next few photos are from my street alone. Here's our place - looks pretty bad at the moment, but it's going to be beautiful when it's finished.

This one here is two doors down - it's been raised and there is quite a substantial addition to the rear. I think this is being built by an Owner/Builder - he has been working alone on this one for some time now.

Two doors up from this one and we have a vacant block.

This one is an interesting story. There used to be an old tin and timber residence here. The owners applied to have the house demolished, but as we are in a Demolition Control Precinct (and the fact that all the neighbours kicked up a stink), their application was denied. The house was then left empty with all the windows and doors wide open until after many years, the elements finally got the better of it. I suspect it won't be long before a new house is built here.

Next we come to this place:

This is a little cutie on a double block. It's basically a typical worker's cottage (four small rooms beneath a pyramid roof with a verandah at the front.) The owners are building in the part of the verandah - probably for an ensuite I suspect.

I then walked around the corner and found a pile of groceries on the nature strip belonging to a very elderly couple who had just returned from the supermarket. (They have lived here for years.) So I did the neighbourly thing, picked up the shopping and took it inside for them. They thanked me by handing over some fresh free-range eggs from the chooks they keep out the back. Guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow morning?

A little further on and we come to this house that has just been raised. This is another project being built by Rob Peagram, who recently completed the Hill End Ecohouse (more info on that here.) The Hill End Ecohouse was built from recycled materials, using 80% of the salvaged materials from the 1930's house that originally occupied its riverfront site. I wonder what they are doing to this one? I'll have to keep you posted.

Lastly we come to this house - again another typical worker's cottage surrounded by verandahs that have  been built-in to form "sleep outs." Sometimes owners decide to open up the verandahs but in this case, they have been maintained. In fact, the new kitchen is actually going into the side verandah. Owen & Vokes have designed the alts + adds here and although it doesn't look like it from this photo, this place is only weeks away from completion.

I will try and get some photos of the interior to show you. I rather like what they've done here. It's very lovely indeed; there are a few similar features between this one and ours. 

Oh, hello there....

It's amazing the things you encounter on a walk around here. West End - gotta love it!