Reno - Week 17

It has been a busy week over at the West End Cottage with a lot of development taking place. This week's progress has softened the blow to a few setbacks from last week which are now thankfully sorted out. On Monday the bricklayers returned to make a start on the fireplace and surrounding walls. The bricks (which are actually a blend of five different PGH bricks) were individually selected by our architect and designed to create a gorgeous textural backdrop with the overall colours fitting in perfectly with both the old cottage and new contemporary addition.

The fireplace and chimney will be built in stages as there are number of concrete elements in the design (ie lintels etc) which will require time to set. This part of the brickwork will take a bit of time to be fully completed but so far I've gotta say it looks absolutely amazing! The brickwork floors on the terrace and treads on the adjoining stairs will be done at a later date to ensure that they are not damaged during the remainder of construction.

The new timber windows were delivered and installed which has enabled the builder to make a start on the cladding so our house is now starting to look like, well, a house.

Windows Fitted

Cladding almost done

The windows designed for the kids' bedrooms are actually double full-height casement windows. What you see above are the window frames only which include a fixed balustrade to prevent falls. The actual casement windows (yet to be installed) are fitted with vertical timber blades that sit over the glazing. The blades provide screening from the sun but also force the views towards the vegetation down the side of the site. I was a little unsure about this window design at first but now they are in I really like them. I've got to give Allkind Joinery a plug for doing an absolutely wonderful job on the window and door joinery. Impeccable craftsmanship and service - well done.

An unexpected surprise occurred they other day when I arrived to conduct a late afternoon inspection. As I turned the corner and looked towards the end of hallway, I spotted a glimpse of the Brisbane River for the very first time since construction started:

OK, so the view is nothing spectacular but it is a glimpse of water which is a little reminder of how close we live near the River and surrounding parkland.

We are now only two weeks away before the plasterboard goes in at which point the cabinet maker will visit to complete a final check measure for the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. All the fixtures and fittings have already been chosen, however I still need to select a marble slab for the kitchen and laundry benchtops which I plan to do after the school holidays.

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013." via Che and Fidel

MIXED BAG
Jack: Caught out - again- playing his DS in the middle of the night.
Harry: Feeling poorly after suffering from a viral infection that has lasted for almost two weeks. 
Charlie: One hat for many purposes. One minute he is Indiana Jones - next beekeeper!
Oscar: One minute newborn - next almost two. Where has the time gone?

Reno - Week 16

This week both the plumbing and electrical rough-in was completed. And I finally locked-in the lighting selection - something I had been putting off but needed to do, particularly as there is a 10 week lead-time for the pendants that I chose for the entry hall and sitting room.

Morning light in the boys bedroom

In spite of having very detailed construction drawings it's surprising how many minor changes have already been made. Things become so much more apparent when you are actually standing in the rooms as opposed to visualising the finished result based on a set of plans. But despite all our efforts in trying to get things 'just right' I'm sure at the end of the day there will be the odd item that I wish was different.

BEFORE - bathroom

AFTER - LIVING ROOM

I'm really looking forward to next week as the bricklayers are scheduled to return. Based on their previous performance, they should have the outdoor fireplace and all the other brickwork elements knocked up in no time at all. The bricks were supposed to be delivered this week, but when the truck arrived we discovered that there wasn't enough room to unload them - there were a lot more pallets than anticipated. Oh the joys of building on a small lot. In fact delivery of materials has had to be very carefully co-ordinated due to the lack of space. So now the bricks will be delivered in two separate loads and will have to be carted by hand to the back of the house - what a job!

We are now only a matter of weeks away from reaching lock-up stage. Windows and doors are due to arrive on-site very soon, so once they are fitted the guys can complete the external cladding. And speaking of cladding, I am still undecided as to what colour to paint the weatherboards on the extension - black or white. It is likely that this decision will be made by the toss of a coin.

New Bathroom Fittings - another variation to the contract

During design development, I didn't get too involved when it came to selecting the bathroom fittings. Our architect specified the lot, which included an exposed shower set for the bathroom and ensuite. The shower was like a modern take on the old-style exposed showers of yesteryear and it happens to be a model they have used on a lot of their projects.

Last week our plumber arrived on-site to start on the rough-in. The builder had already purchased the bathroom fixtures and when we pulled the shower set out of the box something other than what we had ordered was inside - and I didn't like it one bit. We later discovered that the manufacturer had changed the design without notifying anyone about it. So at the 11th hour I was sent into a tail spin in search for a replacement.

But rather than run around the stores with kids in tow, I jumped onto the computer and did a bit of on-line window shopping. I eventually settled on this Australian made shower set by Astra Walker:

It has a large 200mm rose and an adjustable hand shower for days when you don't want to wash your hair (and is very helpful when cleaning the shower as well.) I also changed the tapware specs for the wall hung basins so they match:

I had done some research on Astra Walker several years ago, and in fact I had chosen the bathroom fittings for our previous design from this very company. I have seen their products before so I feel comfortable about purchasing these items sight unseen (they offer very good warranties too.) They have an extensive range of products to suit all tastes and a huge selection of colours and finishes to choose from. For example here is the same shower in matt black:

And in aged brass:

All images via 

So another problem sorted thanks to internet shopping. Have you renovated your bathroom lately? Any favourite brand of fittings you'd like to share?

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013." via Che and Fidel

All: OK guys - the school holidays have commenced so please, I beg you, be kind to me.