Friday 13 September 2013

Reno - Week 14

This week was dedicated to installing the new roof and I feel so much more at ease knowing the house is finally undercover. Surely it's going to rain sooner or later - we certainly do need it.



The last of the facia boards were fixed onto the new part of the house and the old gutters were removed from the cottage however we soon discovered that the facia boards underneath had seen better days, so we decided it was best to replace them (another variation - ouch!)

Battens were fixed into position, new eaves gutters were installed, roof insulation was rolled out and the new zincalume roof sheeting was screwed down, which heralds Phase 2 of 'de-greening' the cottage. (Phase 1 was the removal of the 'heritage green' battens from underneath the house.) Phase 3 will entail painting over the existing, you guessed it, 'green' weatherboards which now looks like it will happen sooner than we initially expected. Since the scaffolding is already in position, it makes sense to strip the old flaky paint from the external timber weatherboard and VJ cladding and give it a new coat of paint.

Internally there has been a few minor changes too. Below is an image of the old living room (please ignore the mess on the floor - it's the remains of the old kitchen):



The old back door has since been removed along with the sash window, which is being relocated to another part of the house. So this is it now:



What was the location of the window will become an opening into the kitchen/scullery and the removal of the back door will allow the hallway to continue through to the new section and out onto the terrace. While the model below is not 100% accurate, it gives you a pretty good idea of what this space will eventually look like:

I'm still in the process of locking-in the lighting fixtures which includes the pendant that will hang above the dining table. I do love the entire range of George Nelson Bubble pendants, but I'm thinking about hanging something very simple here now. I don't want a large 'look at me' pendant to compete with the lovely details that are planned for this room. Plus I really do need to keep a lid on costs.

And I've made a last minute decision to keep the original bakelite light switches in three of the original rooms as any new electrical work will be messy due to the single-skin walls. I just love how they 'click' but more importantly I would prefer to keep these rather than having a strip of conduit running down the wall to meet a new switch plate which is generally how new cabling is housed in these old girls.

The current bakelite switches are mounted on blocks which are located hard up against the door jamb and are very unobtrusive:




The switches look a little shabby and are covered in layers of paint, but they should clean up nicely. I am also proposing to keep the bakelite pendant fittings (again covered in paint) and just replace the cords with ones that are longer so that they can be draped over a hook.


Similar to this:

Images via

New cord + decorative bulb = big saving. Any tips/recommendations on the best way to go about restoring bakelite?

Next week the plumber and electrician arrive to commence the electrical/plumbing rough-in. Also next week the bricklayers return to make a start on the brick walls, floors and stairs. I'm really excited about the brick selection and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the terrace and outdoor fireplace come to life. This element of the scheme won me over from the very beginning.

15 comments:

  1. It's great to see your plans come to life in your diagrams and photo overlays. So clever! Good call on keeping the bakelite switches to avoid the unattractive conduit. The addition of paint and brickwork next week should be very exciting!

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    1. I'm looking forward to the chimney going up - however I do believe we have storms forecast for next week. xx

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  2. Love love love the pendants. Found something similar for the book nook just for fun with some Edison replica bulbs to complete the look!
    I am really enjoying ready about your renovation and love everything you do.
    xx

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    1. The bare bulb pendants are sweet - they really suit these old cottages. xx

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  3. You must be relieved now that roof is on! Glad you are keeping the original switches, Betsy doesn't have any unfortunately, we have been updating the 80's ones which are nasty. No idea about the bakelite, I'm sure google will sort it for you. Just a word of warning, the electrical was the main aspect of our job that went over budget, we are still recovering from that shock! mel x

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    1. Would that be electric shock! Removal and replacement of all the electrical (including a switchboard upgrade) is included in our price, so maybe, just maybe, we might be able to save some $$$ by keeping some of the original fittings. xx

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  4. We're keeping the bakelite's too, I agree with you - they give the most satisfying click! We're at very similar stages in our renovations - new roofs and now the electrical rough in. Look forward to seeing the new roof in place!

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    1. Well let's hope that we are both in our new old homes by XMAS. xx

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  5. We kept our original bakelite...and got more bakelite when we added some additional power points...some rooms only had one single power point!
    I am not sure about removing paint...I would love to know the answer to this as that is one of those jobs that has been on my to do list since we moved in.
    But you can buy new bakelite at the light shop on Windsor Road in Red Hill...and if you head over there stop in and say hello...we live just down the street!
    http://www.authenticlightingandhardware.com

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    1. From what I've heard, nothing sticks well to bakelite so perhaps a good scrape or a little paint stripper should do the job. xx

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  6. Love the hanging light look as well. Can you still reuse the old bakelight switches, we were told they were a fire hazard? Maybe that was just an excuse to use new switches. We are still using someone else's refurb, would love to change them one day. Glad to hear you have a ROOF! Would also love to de-green over here (our's is Deep Brunswick Green), need something dark?

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    1. Hi Simmone - interesting that you should mention this, because I did hear exactly the same thing only yesterday. I'm still looking into it. I would like to keep it, however - I'll keep you posted. xx

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  7. Nice progress and glad to see you are keeping the bakelight switches. My only suggestion with lighting is to interrogate the sales people to within an inch of their lives about the types of bulbs, what's the lighting really like (orange, yellow, white, off-white) when you get the bulbs and/or fittings home. We installed some ceiling fan lights, and the model in the showroom on display looks the same as what we got, but doesn't come with the same globes as the one we got. The light is therefore annoying, and we have an up-lamp in the living area on instead. Have fun choosing though, we like those exposed bulb pendants as well. Cheers, Col

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  8. What a lovely blog you have here! I've popped in via Katrina's blog and love it so much I'm now following:) Your renos look gorgeous. Can't wait to see more. Kim from Feather & Nest xox

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    1. Hi Kim, thanks for dropping by. You've joined in halfway through the renovation - I hope the next 3 months are equally as fun. xx

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