Reno - Week 35

OK, so we're here at Week 35. After spending a week in a hotel it soon became obvious that it was not an option that could be sustained for very long, so the push was on to get the house as near to completion as possible so that we could move in. So the fit-out began:

The electrician installed all the light/power switches (of course we chose black cover plates ) and the rest of the lighting. Here is a shot of the bespoke bedhead in the master bedroom that includes integrated lighting - basically a concealed batten fixture. Cheap to install but very effective. It provides a subtle light that washes across the floor on both sides of the bed - some might even say a romantic effect. We don't have any ceiling mounted lighting in the room, but we really don't need it.

And of course this little beauty - a George Nelson Bubble Lamp. In fact we have two:  one in the main entry hall and one in the sitting room.

A large portion of the joinery was installed and ready for the imminent move, including the mirrored cabinets in the bathrooms. We chose to have them framed in brass mid-reno which is not like me at all as I am a silver girl through and through. In the reflection below, you can see an old doorway that has been filled in with VJs. The painted timber dowels that are placed across it are our towel rails.

The plumber installed most of the fittings and tapware (some was still on order). Fortunately the kitchen and scullery taps were ready to go - these ones are made by Perrin and Rowe. We ordered them in a pewter finish which look great with the stainless steel bench tops in the scullery:

Oberon Kitchen Tap with Spray Rinse

And the cushions for the daybed arrived just in time - we have no other seating in the interim. We chose an outdoor fabric from Mokum Textiles (this particular pattern has been a favourite of mine for ages and also happens to be one that OVP specify in a lot of their work.) I was going to select it in Seafoam (rather than black) but when I changed the floor tile specs to bluestone hexagonal tiles, I decided to go with this instead:

So by the end of the week the house was at a point where it was habitable - and so the move-in began!

Reno - Week 34

The remainder of the masonry elements were completed this week, including grouting the terrace and stairs that lead down onto the garden:

A short edge stretcher bond pattern was chosen for the floors - here's a close-up:

And this is how the terrace looks today:

The bricks still require a sealer to be applied (hence the lack of furniture, plants, etc) so I'm looking forward to transforming this space into a cozy outdoor room.

As all the tiling in the bathrooms were now completed, it was time to add the fixtures and fittings, including this blackbutt timber seat in the kids' shower:

It comes with an integrated post/timber peg for hanging your towel on - and I can sit down comfortably and supervise the younger ones whilst they shower.

The old lattice screens which sat on either side of the verandah were removed during demolition. Rather than replace the lattice, which didn't really provide much privacy from the neighbouring properties, we decided to install solid casement windows which can be adjusted to block out the harsh sun and also catch the breezes. We also replaced all the old metal window hoods (with the same profile as the originals.) Just recently we stumbled upon a local company (Thurlow Blinds) which make and restore those old colonial chain venetians - ours were cactus and were subsequently removed but we are getting identical ones manufactured which should be fitted in the next two weeks. They will be a welcome addition as we currently have no window coverings other than some old cot sheets hanging on our bedroom windows.

BEFORE

AFTER

Week 34 was also supposed to be the week we were to move into the house, but as it turned out it wasn't quite ready for handover. Unfortunately we had to vacate our rental at this time, so we had no other option than to move into a hotel - not an ideal situation to be in but at least we had a good view of the city.

Reno - Week 33

Everyone finally asleep - time to catch up on the blog

Hello - yes I'm back after a 7 week hiatus thanks to Telstra. I won't bother going into the details, but I can say that the 'Smart Community' that West End is apparently a part of, due to the Fibre Optic Network installed throughout the suburb, is really not that 'smart' at all. Who would've thought it would take this long to connect a simple phone/internet service?

So much has happened over here in the meantime. I really wish I'd had the time to keep a weekly journal as before but the move, lack of time and family commitments just got in the way. Thank goodness that Instagram allowed me to keep at least a photo journal of the past two months.

Anyway, it is actually now Week 39 of the renovation. As you probably already know we moved into the house approximately four weeks ago, despite the fact that it was not 100% complete (totally would not recommend this option to anyone unless you really like living on a construction site with kids but unfortunately certain circumstances led this to occur.) There are still some finishing touches to complete but we are in, kind of settled, and all is good.

I don't really know how to structure this post, but I will attempt to fill in the gaps of the weekly updates based on the photos I took with my iPhone. So here we go:

Week 33 was all about wall tiles and polishing the timber floors that are laid throughout the house.
The wall tiles in our wet areas were specified to be laid from floor to ceiling, which in most cases is not such a hard ask, but when you already have 3 metre high ceilings and then add a skylight shaft into the equation things start to get tricky.

Firstly a ladder is required:

To enable the tiler to get to this, which is a good 4 metres off the floor:

Our ensuite (located in what was the old kitchen) does not have a window, but it does get heaps of natural light from a window in the WIR (the wall between the two rooms is not full height) and of course this amazing skylight in the shower. I love walking into this room in the morning, looking up and seeing the sky beyond. It really is like showering outside. And just check out the light levels:

The mirrored cabinets in the ensuite also help to bounce the light around - it really is quite a lovely space. And as for the floor tiles, well I am glad that I chose them. The colour variation in the stone makes the floors interesting to look and I love the feel of them underfoot. The bluestone floor and skirting tiles have since been sealed with a penetrative sealer which retains their natural appearance.

The timbers floors in the house were sanded in two stages: the new blackbutt floors were done first and then the original hoop pine floors were done on the following day.

You can see in the photo above the threshold between the two floors (demarcated by a strip of cork which serves as an expansion joint). Thankfully it's not noticeable - it's very similar in colour to the timber species we used. I don't know how it would look in, say a Jarrah floor.

So here's the scullery floor just as the final coat of Treatex hardwax oil was applied.

Very glossy, but in fact it is a satin finish which when fully dried looks more like this:

So what do I think of this natural hardwax oil product as opposed to a polyurethane finish? So far I like it. Apparently it was very easy to apply, has absolutely no horrid smell, is low VOC and easy to maintain. I have missed having timber floors after living in a fully carpeted unit for the past two years which is an absolute nightmare when you have kids -  the dining room was also carpeted hence why it was never used.

Reno - Week 32

Last week's post on the size of today's housing really struck a chord with many of you - thanks for all the comments. Perhaps there will be a future trend in smaller but better designed homes. Also, I like to think that our renovation has inspired other owners of older-style homes who can't see past the  dark, pokey rooms and flaking paint. There is so much that can be done to turn them into well functioning and beautiful family homes - you just need to have a vision.

There is definitely some pressure to get our house completed now as we must vacate our rental by Monday, 3 February - that only gives us two weeks. With so much left to do and to organise, I'm starting to get very nervous.

This week the timber battens underneath the house were fitted which has really made an impact on the overall appearance of the house:

The old girl finally has a new black skirt

As time passes, I'm finding it more and more difficult to remember the old colour scheme - that is until I start sifting through the old photos:

Not pretty - this was definitely one of the worst houses in the street. But not anymore!

An integrated gate has been put into one side of the screen which will provide access to the backyard and we are just waiting now for the garage door to be installed, a sliding motorised gate to match, which then gives us secure storage underneath the house. We still need to fit the window hoods and screens and the handrails for the stairs and that should pretty much wrap-up the external elements of the renovation.

Out the back, the bricks stairs and paths are currently being finished off:

Once the bricks are grouted they will be acid washed and then sealed. There should be very little maintenance with them after this.

There's still just a bit more external painting to complete - doors and windows. The back of the house looks like this now:

And heading inside - the floor tiles in the bathrooms have now all been laid. Here they are in the ensuite:

The subway wall tiles in the ensuite and kitchen are next in line and that will be another job ticked off the list.

Tiles in the shower

There's been so many little last minute changes along the way, the latest one being the towel rails in both bathrooms. Custom timber towel rails were originally specified but in light of the fact that we are fitting brass framed mirrored cabinets in each bathroom, we decided to add another brass element using these Futagami towel rails:

Unfortunately the supplier is out of stock at the moment - so they will need to be fitted after we have moved in but we can do without them for a couple of weeks I guess.

There is only one week remaining of the school holidays - and yes, I've survived (but only just.) We are all very much looking forward to moving into our new home.

How much room do you need?

During the course of our renovation a number of people have questioned the size of our house, suggesting that it is too small for our family of six. But how much room do you need? Yes, the kids will be sharing bedrooms, and no, we don't have a formal dining room or a media room for that matter - but that's not how we live. For us, it was more important to retain adequate outdoor space rather that building a 'McMansion' on a small site. And this has become even more apparent having lived in an apartment for the past two years. 

It got me thinking back to a post I wrote over a year ago - and it's still a topic I feel quite strongly about. Why do people think bigger is better?

The average new dwelling in Australia is the biggest in the world, while at the same time the number of people living in these houses has fallen. If we were to measure how much space each person has, it averages at 100 square metres each. Does that seem like too much? Do we really want the additional cleaning, maintenance, and utility costs of running a large home? I know I don't.

So how much space do we really need to live comfortably? I was listening to a program recently where Stuart Harrison (a Melbourne-based architect and the author of Forty Six Square Metres of Land Doesn't Normally Become a House) suggested that 40 square metres per person should be sufficient, provided that there is adequate outdoor space as well.

So if I take this advice into context, we would need a house of about 240 square metres. The total internal living space of our house is well under 200 square metres, which falls somewhat short of the Staurt's suggested amount. Does this mean our house will be inadequate to meet our needs?

Certainly the one thing I have discovered over the past few years is that open-plan living is not the ideal style of home for our family. The main problem with it for me is the noise - and believe me there is an awful lot of it at my place. Sure we enjoy living and sharing our lives together, but it's also important for me to be able to retreat into a space where I can do my own thing (e.g. listen to music, watch TV, cook and a quiet place to read.) Our rooms are modest in size but they are somewhat separated - which means I will never have to listen to another children's TV program while I'm preparing dinner or attempting to have an adult conversation with my partner.

Stuart's book is a very interesting read - it showcases 45 examples of space-challenged housing and demonstrates that bigger is not necessarily better. So what are your pre-requisites for the perfect dwelling?