Stormy's Castle

And Then There Was Light.

2012-02-08T16:45:00.001+11:00

After a fabulous holiday on the southern Mornington Peninsula, it was time to come home and get ready for the school year ahead. I finally dismantled all things 'Christmas' last week, so it was great to get my Lounge and Dining rooms back. We spent last weekend catching up on some cleaning and organising as well, and finally put up the chandelier I have had tucked away under the stairs in a box for 2 years!

The Dining room is almost complete...for the moment. There will still be a few finishing touches when I get around to it :-)

What's next on the ever growing list? That infamous blue tufted ottoman I've been talking about for years but haven't had the time (or possibly the courage) to begin. Must try tufting a sample piece first.

Travelling Butterflies.

2012-01-17T14:30:00.001+11:00

It's great to be on holidays and able to finally dig out the vintage paper and scissors! It's been a while....a little too long, in fact.

I found an early 1960's Readers Digest Atlas at a Fete several months ago, and put it aside for a rainy day! It's not the only 'old' atlas I have, but this one has beautiful soft muted colours, perfect for my butterflies. I wanted to create something a little different to the formality of my usual 6 butterfly shadow frames, with the idea that the butterflies needed to 'fly' across the frame.

This is what I ended up with:

This one is already for sale in a shop on the Mornington Peninsula, so I made another for me. This time using vintage sheet music and it will reside above our bed. No pics yet, though. Maybe once it's up so I can photograph it with my new bedside lamps.

The next version may require a little tweaking, but that's part of the fun of it! There are 3 different sizes of butterflies, but I may make the smaller ones even smaller.

I have an idea for my collection of vintage stamps, too, so watch out for that one (provided it works!!!).

Merry (belated) Christmas!

2012-01-09T12:32:00.003+11:00

Once again, blogging took a back seat in my life over the past 3 months. I did have a few moments each day to read my favourites, but not much time to comment, let alone take photos of my place, process them and post. It all got a little difficult, as it does with 2 young children and all the end of year events they attend!

I am now beginning to relax, but I have so much to catch up on it's hard to know where to start! Christmas, I guess? I vowed last Christmas, having hosted twice in 2 years, that I wasn't going to host for another 2 years, so this Christmas I didn't! I managed to decorate when time permitted, but I completely ran out of time to finish, despite starting in late November! This year I'll start in late October and have more chance of finishing (as well as beginning the Christmas cards!).

This Christmas I had a 'blue' room and a 'red' room! The Christmas tree resided in the lounge room in front of the large window, and was decorated in predominately blue and silver, which matched in perfectly with the decor of the room:

My kids were under strict instructions on what colours to use at the front of the tree, and what to put at the back! It's quite 'middle heavy' at their arm level, but (again) I ran out of time to adjust it!

My antique table in the lounge (which usually sits in front of the window) had the blue treatment too (love the blue feathered birds from Domayne):

On the 19th of December, we finally picked up the dining table, which had been on order since early September. I received the chairs the day before my party (see previous post), and they waited very patiently for their companion:

I can't tell you how good it is to have another horizontal surface to put pretties on:

The 'red' room:

Love the pair of mercury glass candle holders, $24 for both (thanks Target).....

...not to forget the little glass cloche with a bird on top, sitting on the grey/brown stand (one of my Christmas presents):

My 'Tree of Life' didn't escape the Christmas treatment, either:

(thanks to IKEA for the tiny red glass baubles)

The stairs 'mostly' completed:

I over decorated the entrance hall table and didn't get a chance to re-arrange it all, so the dog's breakfast won't be shown in full, but you can see this snippet of the mirror above:

Last, but not least, the front doors were decorated in the big red bow again, only after 2 years it had faded considerably, so I had to make another, double this time:

So what else have I done and haven't blogged about? Another butterfly frame way back in September, the other book shelf in the family room has been painted (umm...that was back in September too!), I've bought a few little bits and pieces, there are new pictures up on the wall, and I am seriously considering repainting the whole of our bedroom suite...white, of course!

But all that is for another time...and soon, I hope!

Best wishes for 2012!!

Hollywood Invades Stormy's Castle.

2011-10-31T18:30:00.000+11:00

Once again, it's been a very busy time at Stormy's Castle, and I haven't found much time to do anything else other than organising events at home or at school.

Since last time I posted, it was my Son's 8th Birthday Party, and I set about creating the Union Jack guitar cake I promised him. I agonised for days over how I was going to create the Union Jack aspect of it, whilst keeping the lines neat and the whole thing 'mostly' geometrically correct!

I was lucky to find a picture of a Union Jack guitar on the internet and enlarged it. I then traced it to make the guitar template, then used the template to cut out sections for the icing. I left the white parts until last and piped them on in between the red and blue sections.

The pick-ups, volume knobs and tuning knobs were made out of fondant, and the frets on the neck were piped. It wasn't difficult once I worked out the 'how to's', but it was time consuming!

Next party in the family was my own. It was a 'big' birthday, which is why I decided to have a party! Once I had chosen my theme of "Hollywood", I set about coming up with something a little different...then having to execute my decisions at a relatively low cost!!

Firstly, I had to have a "Stormy's Castle" sign out the front in true Hollywood Hills style! I found a Hollywood font online and printed the letters out on A3 paper, then cut them out and traced around them onto white cardboard (which was actually an old polling booth from the last election!). I then used large bamboo skewers taped to the back to stick it into the ground.

The "Hollywood" sign strung between the lights was from Lombards. I grabbed a couple of packets of various sized cardboard stars from Riot Art and spray painted them gold to decorate the front door and around the house. So much cheaper than buying already gold stars. The larger gold star with "VIPS" written on it was cut out of gold wrapping paper (I also had one for the "CLOAK ROOM", "STAGE DOOR" (a.k.a The powder room!) and the "BAR".

I hired a 10m roll of red carpet to put up the hallway, and bought a $20 pair of red curtains from IKEA to have at the end, tied up with gold ribbon. I used a light weight curtain rod, which was nailed in place to the top of the architrave above the door, which, now removed, you would never know was there.

I found a roll of film strip at Lombards and decorated the stairs with it, as well as the fairy lights I use at Christmas.

I decided to 'construct' a cupcake tower with a small cutting cake on top, as I had done for my Daughters 10th Tea Party. I spent most nights in the 2 weeks before making cupcake toppers out of fondant.

I had stars, film strip, cameras and clapper boards.

A Hollywood party wouldn't be complete without a few Oscars and a clapper board, which made great props for the photos!

So, how does one dress to their own Hollywood 40th Birthday Premiere? Marilyn, of course! I'm in disguise, so I think I can leave this here... :-)

PS: If you have good eyesight, you may have spied some dining chairs! They came in and were picked up the day before the party....but that's for another blog post, as the matching table hasn't arrived yet!

PPS: Diamonds are a girl's best friend! ;-)

It's Been a While...Again!

2011-08-25T14:50:00.003+10:00

As the title suggests, life has been a little crazy lately, and I feel I'm so behind in everything. It's actually been a somewhat relaxing day today, though, catching up on some things and enjoying some internet time (ie; me time!).

My Mum celebrated her 70th Birthday in July, and I decided to make a cake for her. Well, Hubby actually made the cake I did all the decorating ;). It's a little out of proportion, and the pier is not built to Australian standards by any stretch of the imagination....but you get the idea!

We then spent 5 days away in Canberra in early August. I was going up for a conference, and the whole family decided to join me and make it into a little family 'roadtrip' getaway. We crammed in as many places as possible, and gave me a little chance to take some photos.

Once we got back I was tied up helping to organise the annual school disco (what a night they had!), and once that was over and my back and feet felt better (perhaps near 40 year old's shouldn't 'shuffle'), I then had to think about my Daughter's 10th Birthday celebration. No rest for the wicked!

I thought it might be her last 'girlie' party, so I quietly went to town on the pink and green! It was just a family get together...but that in itself ends up being for 24 people! It was a 'Tea Party' theme, and I had a white tablecloth with a mint green tulle decoration down the centre. I had 4 of my apothecary jars filled with pink, white and green lollies, fairy bread, a selection of hot canapes and a cupcake tower!

As well as having the cupcakes, I also wanted to do a small cutting cake on the top of the tower, where I could fit a candle and more decorations. The actual tower itself, is made from 3 silver cake boards from the local cake supply shop, separated by 2 crystal dessert bowls blue-tacked onto the bases! The bottom base was then placed on a glass cake stand to raise it off the table. A cheap and effective alternative, and it then will break down to store in the cupboard!

The top 'tier' I didn't stick down, so I could lift it off to be 'cut', otherwise the whole thing would probably have toppled over! It worked a treat!

I usually use clear cellophane bags for lolly bags to take home, but decided to do something a little different this year and personalise white bags instead....

...I then carried that idea onto personalised small bars of chocolate. Thanks Aldi! Not even the old Cadbury Furry Friends come wrapped in silver foil and paper anymore!

I would have loved to have 'staged' the photos a little better, but I was just a tad busy...as you could imagine. I even forgot to take a photo of the adorable pink and white striped straws for their pink and green milk shakes!

...never mind.

So in amongst all that I did manage to complete 1 of 2 butterfly orders for a customer in Perth.

I still have 1 order to fill, which is about 70% completed, and I promise, Kylie, you will get it shortly!

If anyone would like to think about a butterfly frame, or gift tags for Christmas, please email me directly ASAP, as it might take me until November to complete at this stage! I still have various school activities to organise, my Son's Birthday in less than a month, my 'big' birthday in October....and I still haven't started that blue ottoman or thought about painting the other bookshelf in the family room!

Life is crazy at times!!

Ave Maria.

2011-07-16T20:19:00.003+10:00

I completed one of three recent orders yesterday. It's a little bit different to what I usually do, with the inclusion of the title of the sheet of music I used for the Butterflies. I aged the edges slightly, and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I'm going to have to create some more in this style, I think! I do recall flipping through one of the vintage sheet music books I have and finding a song with either my name, or my Daughters name in the title...perfect personalised artwork!

Exciting Sunday at the Melbourne Boutique Markets.

2011-07-12T17:50:00.002+10:00

I had such a wonderful day last Sunday, at the launch of the Melbourne Boutique Market, as I had the privilege of meeting the gorgeous A-M from The House That A-M Built. I have been following her blog for over 3 years, so to finally meet her was such a thrill! I can't wait to catch up with her again next time she visits Melbourne, there's sure to be many a laugh!

I also met up with another fellow blogger Mrs B from Decorating a Modern Home. I have known Mrs B for almost 4 years and have met her several times before, so it was wonderful to catch up with her again. We all chatted about houses, Melbourne, blogging and The Block. We all had our photo taken with our phones to commemorate the occasion, something I will treasure forever!

I also met up with another house builder and decorator 'Trying To Decorate' whom I have known for several years through blogging and forums. It was wonderful to meet her too, but unfortunately, it was just as we were leaving. I hope to catch up again soon when we have a Decorating Forum catch up in Melbourne later in July. It's so wonderful to actually meet people and talk to them in person instead of just online.

The launch of the Boutique Market in Melbourne was fabulous. I have always read about this market in Brisbane through several blogs from Queensland, and to find out that they were starting one in Melbourne was exciting! I knew I had to be there and see in person the beautiful work from the Mondo Cherry Girls, whose blog I have been following for a while too. Their work is exquisite!

Apart from catching up with several friends, I was in awe of the beautiful work the market stall holders produce. I could have spent a fortune there, and many things I have added to my Birthday and Christmas list.

I did come home with a fridge magnet from Almond Tree Designs which sits proudly on my fridge, and a gorgeous owl made from recycled blankets from Quirkie Su.

My Daughter named him 'Blueberry' and since coming home with us on Sunday they have not parted company once! He's even been Wii dancing and to the Pub for dinner!

I have had such a busy time lately, but I have managed to fit in some more crafty things. I have made another butterfly frame for a girl's bedroom in pinks and mauves:

Another set of 'keys' to sell in a shop on the Mornington Peninsula:

...and something a little different in my vintage tags collection:

I'm currently working on 3 butterfly frame orders, another slightly different design in a bird theme and a vintage style Eiffel Tower, all of which will be revealed soon!

I still haven't managed to find the time to paint the other bookcase in the family room white, start on my blue ottoman or create the 5 piece canvases for my Daughter's bedroom. There never seems to be enough hours in the day! With lots of school events during the day, my evenings at the moment are tied up with dividing my time between Masterchef and The Block!

Go Katrina and Amie !!

The Beauty of Glass.

2011-06-27T16:35:00.001+10:00

I decided to do a 'head count' of my apothecary jars (since buying another for a bargain at Target during a sale!), and was surprised to see I have 7. Is that too many? Definitely NOT! I actually have my eye on another smaller one that's in Provincial Home Living for $20...I'm tempted, but I might have to wait until some of my butterfly frames have sold :-)

So, here they all are!

I've been 'collecting' them for about 3 years. From left to right, this is where I purchased them from: Target, Provincial Home Living, Freedom, Target, Freedom, Bed Bath N Table, Target.

This is what I have in them currently, but I do swap them around from time to time, especially at Christmas! Lemons, corks (not all mine...I promise!), paper mache and ceramic decor balls, a DIY nest, lemongrass soap, small birds eggs, and rolled up vintage sheet music.

So which is my favourite? I honestly can't decide, but I love the look of the vintage sheet music in this one:

How many do you have, and what have you got in them?

Hoot Hoot.

2011-05-19T11:15:00.000+10:00

A quick post on a few little things I've been working on.

I was asked to create an owl picture for the shop where I sell my butterflies, so this is what I have come up with:

If it sells and I decide to create another, I might add 'feet' as it looks a bit empty on the bottom, and I may add jewels for the eyes too. I'll see how this one goes, anyway!

I also made a few more vintage music gift tags, but added black and white stitched gross grain ribbon instead of the string. We'll see how these go too! Easy peasy and relatively inexpensive to do.

I'm well and truly stocked up on vintage sheet music now, thanks to another quick trip to the Op Shop! I also scored myself a rattan trunk for $17 which, after little TLC, should look great! It's just a tad 'orange', but for the price, I couldn't resist it!

Not a good match for my French Grey trunk, but for the price it had to be mine!

So....Remove the leather straps (will rivet them back on after), spray paint it with Zinsser BIN Primer, and then perhaps the same satin acrylic as the desk and shelf. Ideally, I'd love it to be the same as my other one, but I couldn't physically scrape off all the existing stain and varnish, so paint it will have to be.

What will I use it for? Perhaps to hide some of my crafty stuff which seems to be stacked next to the table, or even a dirty clothes hamper at the top of the stairs for the kids. Not sure yet, and I'll wait and see how it 'turns out' after I've painted it.

Seeing Double....almost.

2011-05-16T20:50:00.005+10:00

Every so often, in the last year, I have driven past a little dead end street with a new house construction. Being a dead end, I hadn't actually driven past the house, but admired from a short distance. I had assumed it was a Porter Davis house, but when the 'For Auction' sign went up not long after construction was finished, curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the house on the internet.

The staircase was a dead giveaway, and I knew I was looking at the updated version of my house! This floorplan (although not available online) is only slightly different, even though all the rooms are in the same place. The biggest change is in the Master Bedroom, Ensuite and WIR, and there are a few subtle changes in the kitchen/meals.

Quite amazing to see similar colours too...and the same urn I used to have sitting on my entrance hall table!

All images courtesy domain.com.au

I only wished I had thought to look online sooner, gone through the house and hid in the background at the auction! It has sold, but no idea if it went over it's suggested price range of $1.74M - $1.88M.

Royal Wedding Fever.

2011-04-27T17:33:00.003+10:00

As it's only a couple of days to the Royal Wedding, I thought I should celebrate with a little bit of Britain. For those loyal blog followers, it's no secret that I am a huge fan of British things, and my Son has a passion for The Union Jack.

There are several pieces around my home, including the original vintage London Bus Destination Blind in the family room:

...and the cheap art ($7 sheet of wrapping paper in a $70 IKEA frame) on the wall opposite of the London Underground:

Then there is my gorgeous Union Jack paper weight on my desk on the study nook:

You may remember the set of 4 flag canvases I created for him for his bedroom:

For his Birthday last year, my Sister in Law from Lululollylegs created the most amazing Union Jack quilted cushion for him, which sits proudly on his bed. He loves it....and so do I!

...and then there's the Union Jack case which sits on his bedside table!

So, will you be watching the Wedding? I certainly will. I have fond memories of watching HRH Prince Charles marry the beautiful Lady Diana Spencer back in 1981 when I was 9 years old, the age of my Daughter now! Secretly, I can't wait!!! I love all the pomp and ceremony associated with the Royal Family, and it will take me back to all those wonderful places in London that I just adore.

And Then There Was Light.

2011-04-18T13:00:00.002+10:00

We've finally had a chance to install 2 of the planned 4 exterior lights on the front facade. I've had the lights since October, having looked and looked trying to find the right ones! Each weekend, it was either raining, or we were busy! So with the sun shining, school holidays and no Ballet or Parties to go to, the lights were installed!

The weather proof wiring covers (spider homes!) were removed and the position of the lights was marked:

It was a little tricky trying to hold the large lights up while wiring them in place, and then trying to attach them to the wall.

So after about 4 hours, both were up and they work!

...please excuse the 2 odd agave's, they both need repotting and 'straightning'!

Time For A Change Part 2.

2011-03-31T12:27:00.003+11:00

Following on from my last post, I've been trying a few different things for the empty birdcage, including putting old books in it, but you really couldn't tell there was anything in there. Instead I left it empty and put the old books (some lovely ones I picked up for 50c each at Op Shops) on the table with a bird sitting on top. I also bought a small bird metal picture and lent it up against the birdcage.

I also finally redesigned the birds nest in the apothecary jar. I found some decorative 'bramble vine' on sale at a nursery and twisted that into a nest shape instead of the raffia. I think it looks a bit more realistic now!

I will probably still move things around a bit further...can't seem to make up my mind!

Time for a Change.

2011-02-28T13:25:00.006+11:00

We've now been in the house for about 18 months. It's actually gone very quickly, but we settled in easily, and thankfully, so did our elderly cat! We are far from finished or organised, but life kinda got in the way!

I felt I needed to change a few things around, so I started with the entrance hall. This is how it has been since we first moved in:

And this is how it looks now, but still needs a little more 'tweaking':

I moved my birds nest from the powder room to go with the bird cage and birds:

I still need to add a bit more green perhaps, and think about putting something 'birdie' in the cage. I also need to play around with the weeping willow, and I literally threw it all the vase and plonked it down! I'd love a couple of vintage suitcases or chests to put under the table, but that won't be happening unless I find them on the side of the road! ;-)

I must thank Miss Mustard Seed for all of her inspiration! She groups things together so perfectly, and every time it works! I still have a lot of learning to do, but that's part of the fun of it!

Suggestions for the birdcage welcome! Balls of green moss? Another nest? A bird? Vintage books?

New Zealand Earthquake.

2011-02-22T16:55:00.002+11:00

My thoughts and prayers are with our Kiwi Neighbours after a 6.3 quake hit just south of Christchurch on New Zealand's south island today.

May the 65 people who have perished (at the time of publishing) rest in peace.

Ensuite.

2011-02-15T19:24:00.003+11:00

As promised last post I thought it was time to show a bit more of my house, so here is the ensuite! There is still a little bit to do, such as finding the perfect and not too expensive lights for above the mirrors and change the hideous taps I never wanted in the first place. Both of which could take years! I also keep changing the contents of the apothecary jars too, and move them around the house. The larger one was filled with red baubles and used as a centre piece for the Christmas table last year.

...and closer look at the butterflies on the wall, made from an old atlas!

Green Butterflies.

2011-02-08T12:52:00.003+11:00

Christmas and holidays seem like a distant memory now! It's back into the swing of things at home and at school.

The last few weeks I have been busy 'weather watching'. I had a few late nights while tracking the position of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, and keeping my fingers crossed for family and friends in Townsville and Cairns. Thankfully, they are all OK, but my thoughts are with those closer to where Yasi made landfall as a Cat 5 at Mission Beach, Tully and Dunk Island.

Melbourne certainly did not escape the effects of Cyclones Anthony and Yasi. Part of the remnants of the cyclones were brought into Victoria by a trough. Melbourne (as you would expect) is not used to having tropical deluges, and therefore its storm water systems are not designed for it! I received 155mm in 24hrs, which really, roughly equates to 3 months worth of rainfall in one night!

Luckily, everything was fine at the house, and we had filled the porch area with 20mm screenings prior to Christmas, so the problem with our 'moat' now doesn't exist. BUT, there was flash flooding in many streets around Melbourne, and whole suburbs were left underwater, and many homes inundated with water. Due to the quick nature of the flash flooding, and happening during peak hour in the evening, many cars were left stranded as they were caught in roads which quickly turned to rivers.

The next day, I ventured out to a few local parks and creeks, and was astounded at the damage. Bridges along bicycle paths were smashed due to debris caught up in the flowing water, trees were down (some on houses), plants were flattened, top soil completely washed away and silt and debris left along fences, on footpaths and roads. Incredible.

Mother Nature can be cruel, though. It was 2 years yesterday since the tragic events of the Black Saturday bushfires, and here we are nearly drowning with many other places in Victoria and Queensland, while it's Perth's turn to fight bushfires. Talk about extremes....La Nina has a lot to answer for!

On to other things...I completed a customer order for a butterfly frame in green a few weeks ago.

I also made another style of musical butterflies with 'vintaged' edges, but I forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to the shop. I will be making one for the Master Bedroom, so I'll take some photos when that's finished!

..and I treated myself to a new camera! I haven't had much of a chance to go and have a 'play' with it, but hope to soon!

In amongst all that I 'finally' took down all the Christmas decorations (I was away for 4 weeks after Christmas, so that's my excuse!!), and am still going over "how to's" in my head regarding making a padded ottoman!

More house reveal photos soon...it's been a while!

Latest Creations.

2011-01-14T21:49:00.004+11:00

In amongst all the terrible flooding news, I have been busy with butterfly frames and vintage tags.

This one was a special order I received before Christmas, and in amongst all that I had to do I managed to finish it about a week ago:

The customer was very happy when she picked it up this week!

I also made another black and white butterfly frame to sell:

A smaller version of the vintage keys:

Some more vintage tags, but this time out of a book of vintage sheet music from an Antique shop:

...and lucky last, some more tags with a hot air balloon theme and organza ribbon:

More butterflies in the making, and perhaps a few other 'different' things...time permitting. Then I think I might attempt to start the blue tufted ottoman I've been wanting to make for several months....

...Of Droughts And Flooding Rains.

2011-01-12T22:17:00.003+11:00

For the past 3 days, I have sat glued to the laptop with the television going for over 14 hours a day. I've kept track of all the horrid events unfolding in SE QLD via the Weatherzone Forums and the Queensland Police Facebook Fan Page. I've had friends evacuate from Caboulture, friends scramble to the airport cutting their holiday short to come back to Melbourne, and I read the distressing news that A-M has lost everything in the floods.

As I write this, the tragic death toll stands at 12 confirmed, with 43 still missing. Brisbane River is expected to reach a peak level of 5.2m at 4am tomorrow morning (13th January). There are expected to be up to 40,000 homes affected by the floods over 50 suburbs in Brisbane, and surpassing the devastation caused by the 1974 floods. The whole situation, to think that so many Australians in the 3rd largest city have lost everything, is incomprehensible.

While the events are still unfolding in QLD, please also spare a thought for those in SW Western Australia who have lost homes due to a deliberately lit bushfire and those in NE NSW also suffering flood damage from the same system which affected QLD.

There has also been record rainfall in parts of VIC, with Jeparit receiving an all time daily record of 161.2mm. There has been flooding in Natimuk, where 12 homes along the tiny towns river, were evacuated. Flash flooding has occurred in Kyneton, part of the Great Ocean Road has been cut due to landslides...and there is much more rain expected in VIC, Western NSW, Eastern SA and TAS over the next 2 days.

Just to add to everything else, Cyclone Vince has made an appearance in the Indian Ocean, and could possibly hit the Pilbara Coast as a Cat 3 Cyclone, and early weather model predictions are hinting at a Coral Sea Cyclone eventually making landfall as a rain depression on the border of QLD and NSW late January.

After 13 years of devastating drought over much of the Country, we now have this.

Please give what ever you can.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T21:21:00.003+11:00

Although it's a few days late, I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! Time disappeared again and I didn't finish all the decorating that I had planned for the house in amongst everything else I had to do in the last 3 weeks! I didn't even get to send out (or write any) Christmas cards, despite buying them LAST YEAR in the Boxing Day sales! Next year I will endeavour to start Christmas in October! I actually didn't anticipate such a busy end to the school year...and that was what completely threw me. Apart from organising school uniforms for the new Prep's (I run the shop by myself), three teachers left at the end of the year, so there was butterfly frame making, parties to organise and a cake to make. There was also a Christmas raffle to help organise and a school Christmas picnic to help set up for.

...then I had to clean and organise the house ready for 18 people on Christmas day!

Thankfully now I am relaxing and catching up on blogging!

I decided to 'wrap' my front doors again this year, as it seemed to go down really well last year. I used the same pieces of ribbon and the same bow as last year, and it does look a little faded, so here is the photo of last year! It didn't look as fresh this year...

My colour theme was red and white, and I wanted to stick to a more vintage and natural feel to my wrapping (I like to do something different every year...). I had 3 different wrapping papers (white, brown craft paper and red with white Christmas words on it), and tied up with either red organza ribbon, jute string or red and white twine. Combined with my vintage inspired gift tags I think it came up OK!

The Christmas tree:

The stair banister creation (which I didn't get time to finish...):

My table decorations:

...and finally, my take on Christmas Bon bons! I refused to spend $50 on something that ends up in the bin, so I took inspiration from Sharnel's Blog and made some gorgeous chocolate candy cane hearts, found here. They were so easy and fun to make...and yummy to eat!! I put them in cellophane bags, tied up with my vintage tags, doubled as name tags, and added a rolled up 'bad' Christmas joke!

A fabulous day, but I'm glad it's over and I can now completely relax!

Happy New Year!!!!

Study Nook Complete.

2010-11-28T21:25:00.003+11:00

Although I have already celebrated with a giveaway to coincide with one year since handover and my 200th post, this is officially my 200th post! That's an awful lot of babbling on for the past 3 years!

I can finally say another 'section' of a room is finally completed. I'm sure you remember the tired old looking pine desk in the 'planned' study nook in the family room:

Pretty unattractive, huh? After a trip to IKEA for some floating shelves, a Barometer lamp (although that's already sitting proudly in the photo above), a few accessories, a new Ingolf chair to match the bar chairs in the kitchen, a can of Zinsser BIN Primer, some paint and new handles, and we have something a little more pleasing to look at and work on!

Looks a bit different, doesn't it!

I spent roughly $17 on the primer and $21 on new handles. I used the left over paint from the bookshelf make-over previously and it's completely transformed it. Sure beats spending over $500 for a new desk!

I couldn't resist this gorgeous Union Jack paper weight:

Another bargain! Target were selling these apothecary jars for $20. When I bought mine, it happened to be on sale for $14! Inside I have vintage sheet music I rolled into scrolls and tied with cotton twine. I bought the large book of vintage sheet music for $5 at an Antiques shop! Plenty left for many other uses.

Apart from transforming furniture, I've also been working on some more of my frames (butterflies and keys!), and also my vintage look tags. These ones are made from a sheet of French ephemera wrapping paper:

So quick and easy to do, but I won't make too many more until I know they will sell!

I can't believe it's December this week! I'm looking forward to setting up the tree, dressing the banisters and tying up the front doors!!!

Long time, no post.

2010-11-16T16:50:00.000+11:00

As the title suggests, it has been a while...quite a while in fact!

I have been incredibly busy with life in general, not helped by being unable to download photos from my (dying) camera and onto my (in need of attention) PC.

I have been reading and occasionally commenting on all my favourite blogs, though. I have been saddened by the news that A-M from The House That A-M Built is going through a terribly difficult time at the moment. I have never met A-M, but have had the pleasure in buying some things from her through her old Armchair Trader site, and reading her blog updates almost on a daily basis for several years. Drop A-M a line and let her know we are all thinking of her if you haven't done so already.

So, what's been happening in my life? There has been Birthdays, a Ballet Concert, deck cleaning and staining, organising and running the school disco, butterfly frame making, furniture painting and 4 arson attacks on our little school in 4 weeks. The first 2 were minimal (bins and fences), the third was in a disused building (but emergency services arrived very quickly and saved it), and the 4th last Saturday was in the same building which has now been totally destroyed (and demolished as of today).

This low act comes on top of the devastating fire which took out about 40% of our school in 2008. Good news is that I believe there are 2 teenagers in custody regarding the recent incidents. May they rot in Hell...

Finally after completing the decking back in April, we were able to clean it and oil it on the only weekend we had free where it didn't pour with rain!

Not too shabby for a completely DIY project! It just needs some furniture and jazzing up a bit to complete it.

A while ago I posted about this book shelf that was also in need of attention!

The bookshelf itself I've had for about 20 years, and the only thing wrong with it was the colour! Pointless buying another, so I cleaned it, sanded it, used Zinsser BIN primer on it (previously stained and varnished so it needed a stain blocker) and transformed it with white satin acrylic (won't go yellow...). Looks a bit better, doesn't it?

With the inclusion of the CD's and my London Underground picture, it looks 100% better.

This area tended to be the dumping ground for school bags, so I bought a rattan trunk to fit nicely in the space. No more messy school bags lying around!

Sitting in the garage already undercoated is my 25 year old pine desk I was using in the study nook:

With any luck I'll have it finished this week to show you!

Last, but not least, I have been busy making things. I've had several butterfly orders to complete, including this one which is now for sale in a shop:

...and I've been dabbling in some vintage inspired tags:

...and some vintage looking keys:

All good fun!!

Anyone have a spare $27 Million?

2010-09-23T13:30:00.000+10:00

We can all dream a little, can't we?

I was looking through Real Estate sites (as I often do!) and came across this little gem in Sagaponack in 'The Hamptons'. So much potential, so much space....and so much cleaning!

Newly built on 7 1/2 acres with a pool house, carriage house and restored 250 year old barn! Also a pool, tennis court and spa. The 'main' house has 8 bedrooms, a theatre, gym with sauna, 11 toilets, a wine 'room' and a lift, all spanning 3 levels!

Just look at it's beautiful huge entrance. Imagine the possibilities here!

Huge living room with marble fire place, built in shelves and beautiful ceilings:

Separate library:

Kitchen, which I would change quite a bit in:

Second staircase and mud room:

Main staircase landing:

Marble master bathroom with fireplace:

The Wine Room:

Full plans, pictures and other info all HERE.

What would I change? The lights and hardware in the kitchen, and possibly the splashback tiles, and have the island bench top match the others. I would probably also like to see some internal french doors, or just transoms to define different rooms where there are no doors. Also noted there are no transoms above the exterior windows and french doors. I would probably also change the mirror lights in the bathrooms and add chandeliers everywhere! Nice to dream a little!

How would you furnish it, and what would you change?

All images here.

And The Winner Is.......

2010-09-18T11:53:00.003+10:00

Congratulations April from A City Girl Stuck In Rural Oz. You are the winner of my first giveaway, and will be the owner of a six butterfly frame of your choice.

Congratulations!!! I will email you shortly!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-09-10T16:19:00.004+10:00

Hard to believe it's a year today since we got the keys to our house!

Outside, not much has changed at all...except the weeds! Inside there have been lots of changes, but still soo much to do. These school holidays I plan to clean out the kids wardrobes (again...) and also all their toys upstairs and get that a little more organised. A garage sale is sure to follow at some stage!

Now I have lived here for 12 months, what would I change?

Not a lot, really!

*I'd move a couple of power points so they weren't behind big pieces of furniture

* we perhaps could have extended the garage a bit to give us more storage space but less room down the side for garden

* move the 2 way light switch for the stairs to the stair wall not on the dining wall

* added another downlight in the family room

* not got the standard 'builders' dishwasher (it's basically crap!)

* installed a small openable window in the laundry for the dryer (which now lives in the garage with better ventilation)

* possibly an extra 3 pot drawers instead of a double cupboard on the island bench

* more power points behind the TV in the family room

* applied for special dispensation to get the house moved forward the 1 metre it had to be pushed back for the double storey portico (a bit more room in the backyard could have come in handy)

* different taps (yep, I still don't like them)

I still love all my colour choices, adore my bricks, love the facade (goes well with all the older 1960's houses in the street!), love the layout (but could do with a bit more furniture!) and love the space!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway competition, for your chance to win one of my butterfly frames. Just leave a comment on my giveaway post HERE to be in the running. Entries close 8pm EST Friday 17th September 2010.

GIVEAWAY!

2010-09-08T14:47:00.004+10:00

To celebrate 'almost' 1 year since getting the keys to our home, and 'almost' 200 posts (they won't quite line up at the same time!) I am going to be giving away one '6 butterfly' frame of your choice. Have a look through THIS POST HERE at all the ones I have created to give you an idea of what I can create for you. Leave a comment on this 'Giveaway' post telling me a little about yourself, and what butterfly frame you would love to see in your home to be eligible to enter.

You must be an Australian resident to enter and only leave 1 comment. Spam comments will not be included! The competition will close on Friday 17th September at 8pm (Eastern Standard Time), and be drawn sometime that evening.

Good Luck!!!

12 Month Maintenance Inspection.

2010-09-07T16:44:00.003+10:00

Monday last week saw our 12 month Maintenance Inspection. I can't believe nearly 12 months is up! Where has the time gone??

I had been keeping a list of items I wanted attended too. There was nothing terribly serious, mostly just the odd crack and nail pop here and there that comes with a settling house. I am happy to report that 'most' things on the list will be attended to. Here are some of them:

* Touch up crack above garage and internal access door:

* Sand rust off external door jambs to garage external door, prime and repaint (no photo)

* Downpipe above rear garage door needs sealing as it leaks, and has done all over the w brickwork and caused moss to grow on the mortar. Bricks will be cleaned and a sealer put on to prevent them going green again IF it happens again.

* Fix quad at rear eave under alfresco:

*Stain seal the eaves beside the meals area and repaint. This is where the eaves were wet from the inside when the the roof scaff had been on but the tiles were not replaced, and it rained...right onto the eaves. The first image I took back in July last year before they had been painted and clearly shows the wet patch:

...and this one today with a nice big water stain showing through the paint work:

* Repair nail pop and cornice (not shown) in lounge:

* Touch up kitchen/hall doors along lounge wall (few cracks - no pics).

* Repair nail pops in ceiling above kitchen sink. There is a whole line of them - no pics as they didn't show up terribly well!

* Refit and touch up centre moulding in stairwell (that's the thin flexible wooden moulding around the wall in the first pic):

...it's cracked and come away from the wall in several places (added contrast makes it look loads worse than what it actually is):

* Touch up stair landing:

* Refit skirting in Bedroom 3:

* Refit skirting in Bathroom (funnily enough it's on the other side of the wall to the bedroom 3 skirting):

* Repair flexi pointing (coloured mortar) to roof in several places, and inspect upper storey as well (it looks like a 30 year old roof, not 12 months old...HUGE disappointment):

* Replace window beading in bathroom (this split very early on and I have been scared to touch it!):

* Supply cold water tap to bathroom (we have to install). The 'pin' on the tap (which I hate anyway...long story) is the wrong one for that tap. It's too short, and I cannot turn it to make it sit into the tap as it's too short. The gap has always been evident and doesn't look like any of the other taps:

* Seal around tap washers in shower (I wasn't aware there was a problem!)

* Repair cornice above bedroom 4 door in TV area (added contrast to make it more obvious....my walls are not that colour!!):

* Replace lever door handle on front door (it's corroded and looks terrible. Hopefully the replacement won't do the same):

* Electrician to inspect cut HDMI cable. This is the one item left over from handover which (12 months later) still has not been attended to. It's the $200 cable from the family room to the alfresco which was cut by the fit off electricians prior to handover, when it was installed by our own Network cable guy. It had nothing to do with Henley and they should never have touched it. It's useless and needs replacing.

The one thing they may not attend to (which funnily enough was the first thing on my list back last September after we moved in) is the paint work on the front door. I signed a 'dark paintwork disclaimer' as the doors are black, so they would not warranty the doors against warping. Strictly speaking they haven't warped at all, and either the paintwork is crap or the doors are faulty. As I have panel doors, not flush doors, the panel moves under the paint, and the paint has cracked, so you can see the lovely blue door underneath. It looks terrible and I'd love them to be replaced, but I may not get my wish because they are black. I noticed this the day after we got the keys, and I 'should' have called them straight away, especially due to the 'dark disclaimer' on the doors. But, because handover time is such a busy time, I didn't. I also don't have dated photographic evidence, as I had to content with school holidays, birthdays, a weekend away and all the dramas with moving in all within a month. It was forgotten quickly...

Fingers crossed 'something' is done about it...

I also had drainage on the list, and squeaky doors, but because we haven't landscaped yet, it obviously a soil issue (thick clay in places). The squeaky doors can be fixed with graphite powder and we will have to do ourselves. I also had the splashback in the kitchen on the list. Quite often I get 'runs' down it from the silicone underneath the upper cupboards down the splashback. The inspector tried to put it down to condensation, but it doesn't happen so much under the rangehood where most of the condensation is, and it's an oily run, not water. He has never seen it before and couldn't explain it....neither can I! But it does have something to do with the silicone, as every so often it looks shiny and runs! I am not in the habit of cooking endless amounts of oily fried food too, that 'may' cause this....and I tend to keep the splashback clean and free from cooking residue.

Strange, and has me completely stumped!

So that was pretty much it. The bathroom window will be fixed this Thursday, and I recieved a call from Henley to organise a time for the week after next to fix some other issues. Fiingers crossed they are all done properly!

Miracles do happen....

2010-08-31T19:57:00.002+10:00

It's only taken almost a year, but both cars are finally in the garage. Bit of a milestone, really!

Oh, and don't mind the terrible 'lack of' landscaping, we are still waiting for a quote from a brickie to do the front fence before we contemplate the driveway and paths...

Poodles in Paris.

2010-08-28T15:06:00.003+10:00

It's that time of year again, where I find myself surrounded by icing sugar! In my family, we have 4 Birthdays in the space of 2 months.

For the last 2 years, we were in the throws of packing up and moving both times during our Birthday months, and the kids both missed out on parties 2 years running. This year I decided to make up for it, and organise 2 parties for my Daughter! Mad...I think! So last weekend, it was my Daughters 9th Birthday, and she requested a poodle and Eiffel Tower cake! It was the school girl's 'Pizza and Movie Night' party on Friday, and the family get-together on the Sunday. 2 parties = 2 cakes!

All throughout last week I was cleaning the house and making poodles out of the fondant icing. I made 4 poodles, used 2 for her first cake and made 2 extras for the second cake as spares, just in case the first 2 were damaged...or eaten!

The first cake with 2 poodles and an Eiffel Tower statue (I wasn't even going to attempt to make an edible one after the time it took me to make the poodles!)

Cake number 2 with a little bit of recycling!

To add to the 'theme' I iced some Marie biscuits, used a little creativity with marshmallows, licorice and M&M's and made some poodle faces.

It took me a few days to get over the exhaustion and sticky floor!

It's Hubby's Birthday today, but there is no cake until next weekend when we host another Fathers Day/Birthday family get-together. I'm a bit 'caked out' at the moment, but I have to start planning my Son's now. He wants a guitar cake (naturally), but I'm going to jazz it up a bit with a Union Jack as well...somehow. I think I'm just asking for trouble!!

Busy, Busy, Busy.

2010-08-16T19:29:00.004+10:00

It's been a very busy time lately, and I've found it difficult to find some time to update the blog and process the photos that go along with it!

To begin with, I was asked to make 4 butterfly frames for a blog reader, and I was absolutely stoked! It didn't take me too long to cut out the butterflies (I did most of them while watching the last few eps of Master Chef!), but then I still had to assemble them, package them up with lots of foam and bubble wrap and send them off. All in between dealing with all of the voluntary work I do at my children's school and a quick trip to The Gold Coast!

So this is what I made: Red:

Pink:

Purple:

Green:

As well as an aqua one for my Mum for her Birthday!:

That's a lot of butterflies recently!!

I am also about to begin another for another blog reader!

So what's been happening around the house? I've finally made a decision I was stumped over in this post. I waited until the plantation shutters were installed and decided to go with 2 pictures.

Yay! No more completely naked walls in the lounge room! I just need to find the right frames for my bird/nests/eggs wrapping paper for beside the window, and all the family black and whites on the opposite wall....it never ends!

Last weekend we ticked several things on the 'to do' list. As well as the 2 maps in the loungroom, my Daughters chandelier was put up in her bedroom:

...and we began to complete the study nook in the family room. This area was always a bit of a shambles with my very old pine desk and chair and 'stuff' just dumped on top of it. I always had big plans for this area, and they are starting to become reality!

This was after I cleaned up the piles of papers:

...and after a shopping trip to IKEA!

Obviously, the desk will be painted white and have dark drawer pulls installed, but I haven't had a chance yet...and it's not really suitable 'standing in the garage painting for hours' kind of weather in Melbourne at the moment!!

I do love my new Barometer lamp...thanks IKEA!!!

Nesting.

2010-07-19T14:20:00.002+10:00

No, it's not what you think!

The apothecary jar in the powder room has been empty for almost 10 months, as I still hadn't decided what I was going to put in it. Originally, I would have loved to fill it with the gorgeously wrapped 'MOR' soaps, but I couldn't justify the $20 each price tag at the moment. Instead, I had a brilliant idea of making a small nest out of bits and pieces I had around, or left over from other things.

So, with a few white pebbles, a bundle of raffia, some left over moss and the small green eggs I bought last Easter, I made a nest.

I've also been very busy with my orders for butterfly frames, but I did manage to finish the large one for my Daughters' bedroom. Very girlie, and she loves it!

Plantations Are In!!

2010-07-15T13:14:00.004+10:00

I had a very exciting day yesterday when the plantation shutters (all 17 of them!) were finally installed. 10 Months of paper Redi-Shades was just a bit much...but they did serve me well, and looked a lot better than multi coloured sheets!

Dining room:

Ensuite:

Meals Bi-fold:

Meals with mess! It's a home, not display home, and I was busy making butterflies!

Lounge Room:

Master Bedroom:

I still haven't had a chance to put the furniture back in all the rooms (the buffet lives under the window), and I haven't taken photos of all of them. There are 17 windows in total.

I could almost have slept in this morning! The bedroom was so dark, it was wonderful! I even had to turn on the light to see after I had my shower, which I never had to do with the Redi-Shades!

Now I just need to get a few more things up on the wall, finish painting the shelves I've started, start on the buttoned ottoman, find the perfect dining table and chairs (that is within the budget!), get the study desk and built-ins built, fix the study nook in the family room, etc..etc...etc...one day it might be finished!

The Time Has Come...

2010-07-13T13:16:00.004+10:00

...to turn on comment moderation!

I seem to be attracting more spam than geniune comments, so I have decided to turn on the comment moderation feature and see what happens!

Please continue to post comments as I love hearing from you, but they will just have to be 'approved' first!

...oh, and my plantation shutters are being installed tomorrow!!!Yay!!!

Landscaping begins.

2010-07-06T09:25:00.000+10:00

Finally, we have had a few weekends free without places to go or people to see, and have been able to start on the landscaping. The soil (if you can call it that!) needs ALOT of work. It's very sandy, but with pockets of lumps of clay, not to mention demolition rubble AND builders rubble.

To start off, we've lined the bottom of the wooden fence with cement sheeting, as we've had to build the soil up a bit to make the garden beds. The fence is in very good condition (was new about 8-10 years ago), and didn't want the soil up against it to quicken the rotting process. We've removed weeds, bricks, lumps of clay, pebbles, broken roof tiles, old clay storm water pipes, smashed bathroom tiles and old tree roots and added dynamic lifter, mulch and 6 olive trees!

Just that small amount of work has made a huge difference, but there is still soooo much to do. At least it's a start!! No photos at this stage as I didn't get a chance to take any, and I'm on holidays at the moment!!

My Daughter's ballet canvases are up on her wall, as are my Son's. So their rooms are starting to take shape, but being school holidays at the moment, they are, of course, not tidy!

I've also completed another butterfly frame. This time it's in a brown frame I managed to find (but haven't seen since), and the butterflies are cut out of an old 1970's atlas I found at the Op Shop for $2! These butterflies include London, Paris, Provence, Italy, The Italian Lakes and Swiss Alps!

It will either live in the master bedroom or the ensuite...I haven't decided yet!

Busy times once school goes back next week! I have been asked to make 4 butterfly frames for a blog/forum reader, plus I'm still working on the large butterflies for my daughters room, plus her other 5 canvases...and I need to choose my 'white' paint for the small bookcase I primed a few weeks ago.....

...AND I have to clean all the windows and move furniture so the plantation shutters can be installed Wednesday week!!! Yay!!!! I'll have lots of photos then!!

Rule Britannia!

2010-06-09T19:10:00.000+10:00

I have successfully completed the flag canvases for my Son's room...almost 'geometrically correct'! The only difference is the edges of the flags, particularly noticeable in St Andrew's Cross and St Patrick's Cross. The edges of the crosses should be in the middle of the edges of the frame, but because I had to base all the flags on the template of the Union Jack (so they all looked the same), I had to use a little creative licence! At least the middle part of the Union Jack is 'correct', which was my main concern!

It was also tricky matching up the correct colours from a computer screen, and St Andrew's Cross could have perhaps been a little lighter, but I won't be too picky, and I'm sure my Son wont either!

I could not have done this little project without my new best friend....purple low tack masking tape!!!

Despite spending a lot of time on this, I did manage to go on a little shopping expedition and buy something I have been admiring for a while (just needed to wait until I sold my blue bird canvas before I could justify buying it!).

My new armillary!

Not sure where it's permanent home will be, but at the moment it's on the side table in the family room under my bus blind!

Projects On The Go.

2010-06-01T22:32:00.003+10:00

Too many things to do, so little time at the moment, but I will eventually get everything done!

I'm part way through painting an old stained and varnished book shelf, but need someone to help me manoeuvre it to get to all the sections to spray it properly! So that is a job for the weekend, but last weekend was just too busy to do any of it! This is what it did look like before I sanded it, and put a coat of primer on:

It will be white, and I am also deciding on the final colour 'white', as they vary so much. It will be in the family room, so it needs to tie in with the colour of my tables. Although they are 'white', I still want to try and get as close as possible to the right tone. Just a plain white based acrylic is far too vivid, and need some colour to it. Once it's finished, it will look so much better!

This will be on the wall above it:

...which will match nicely with my London Bus Blind on the opposite wall.

I have started on some artwork for my Son's bedroom (finally), now I have finished the tutu's for my Daughter. I had a brain wave last week and decided that as he likes the Union Jack so much (partly my doing...) and his room is predominately red, blue and white I'd paint him one! Knowing that the Union Jack was made up of a combination of 3 flags...I'd paint them all!

Shortly, he will have 4 canvases for his walls...although making the Union Jack 'geometrically correct' has been a challenge! The flag is twice the width it is high, and needs to be in order for all the intersecting parts to be in the correct spot. Unfortunately, the canvases I bought are not, so I've had to be a bit creative and crop the sides so it 'works'. 2 days, lots of google image research and numerous drafts later I have come up with something I'm happy with. I'm now pretty handy with a blank piece of paper, ruler and pencil!

For those interested, this site was my saviour! In conducting my 'google research' it was amazing to see just how many are drawn incorrectly! I could have used creative licence, but I wanted it to be 'right'.

Stay tuned for the final results!

A Trio of Tutus.

2010-05-27T13:01:00.003+10:00

I originally created 3 canvases for my Daughter (first ones I ever made...), but I was never entirely happy with them and had planned to re-do them. For a start, the actual canvases were really cheap...and looked it! The corners were terrible and the finish on them was pretty rough. What I had painted on them was pretty 'rough' too, and a bit wishy washy in colour! So for a few hours over a couple of days I set about creating another 'brighter' set!

Much better!

My painting skills 'between the lines' leaves a lot to be desired, so the body of the tutus were replaced with paper! Much easier for me to cut and paste than draw!!

I've also finished another canvas I created for a friend, after she saw the red bird one I did and wanted one in blues and oranges. Hunting down the right sort of paper for the bird was a little challenging, but once I found it the rest of the colours were easy.

I hope she likes it!!

I have plenty more things in the pipeline and some very busy days ahead to get them all finished! No deadlines as such, but it's nice to get little projects finished so I can move on to the next major one...my buttoned ottoman!

Mirror, Mirror, on The Wall...

2010-05-18T14:16:00.003+10:00

Finally we have a full length mirror in the WIR, courtesy of IKEA.

Whilst leisurely wandering around IKEA last week (Husband and Children free), I noticed the 'Utsira' mirror up on display in their wardrobe section. I instantly fell in love with it, and the $29.99 price tag!

I had to make a return visit to buy it as I already had a large 70x100 Ribba frame (for my London Underground picture), 2 Branas baskets for the Expidit shelves in the kids play room, and a jug. I didn't want to risk breaking the mirror and attempt to carry all that to the car by myself (which is a nightmare if you've been to IKEA in Richmond), so back we went last weekend to pick it up...as well as a few other bits and pieces.

It's not on display, but hidden in a small alcove in the WIR, so nothing too 'fancy' was needed, just practical. An added bonus of having a lovely butterfly and plant design on the glass. My expensive pretty mirror is in the entrance!

Now I have to find a wall light to replace the fitting above. I can't wait to have my plantation shutters installed either...I'm getting so sick of the Redi-shades, and most of the time they stay down as they take so long to fold up in the morning.

Another thing to cross of the to-do list, only hundreds more to go! I'll be going back to IKEA shortly to get the Nickel Barometer desk lamp and a white Lack floating shelf for the study nook in the family room. Another job for me is painting my old pine desk white and changing the handles. Shouldn't be too hard after the success of the bedside table a few weeks ago!

Stay tuned for more updates shortly!

Congratulations A-M!

2010-05-10T10:07:00.002+10:00

So, here I am sitting at my desk eating my Mother's Day chocolates and pouring over the pages of the June Home Beautiful magazine.

A-M, from 'The House That A-M Built' is featured (and on the front cover!). Her home is stunningly gorgeous, and I hope she is proud of all she has achieved. Well done A-M!

If you are not familiar with her blog, please take the time to read through the posts and admire her divine decorating skills, and have a flick through the pages of the latest Home Beautiful magazine.

I'm in awe...

Keep Calm and Carry On.

2010-05-04T17:34:00.005+10:00

Moving away slightly from my love of all things French, I'll also reveal that I have a passion for British things as well. Although you may have guessed with my London Bus Blind and a few Laura Ashley furnishings around the house! Adding to the London transport theme on the walls in the Family Room, will eventually be a map of the London Underground...yep, a framed sheet of $7 wrapping paper! I still need to make the trip to IKEA to pick up the frame (among other things), but have been tied up this week.

To add to my Son's new set of refurbished drawers in his bedroom, and continuing the blue, white and red theme, there will finally be something on the wall! The Union jack is such a beautiful flag (God forbid should they ever remove it from our flag...), and I couldn't resist this version of the 1939 propaganda poster (which was never used) 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. This poster will have cost me less than $15, delivered, from the UK!

Very appropriate for a little monkey dressed in a boy's suit!!

Hidden among the Eiffel Towers', you may also find the odd red double-decker bus, a red telephone booth, or a London taxi!

Bargain Makeover.

2010-04-27T21:00:00.002+10:00

Remember this little purchase for $5 at the Flinders Market?

For a grand total of $39 (including the original $5 price tag), I've made it look like new!

Lots of sanding and filling, about 5 coats of gloss enamel (1 and 1/2 spray cans), some new hardware and half a roll of flocked wrapping paper and it now resides in my Son's bedroom.

The next little 'furniture rejuvenation' project I'll undertake will be the 2 stained and varnished book cases in the family room. The baltic colour just doesn't cut it anymore, and will be sanding them back, spraying on some Zinsser BIN Primer and following with several coats of acrylic satin (I don't want my shelves turning yellow over time if I use enamel...). I love the look of white shelves, and can't wait to start! It will give me more time to think about the buttoned ottoman which is next on the list.

Things.

2010-04-24T20:27:00.001+10:00

Nothing beats fresh flowers for instant colour, bringing with it a lovely homely feel! These were a present from a girlfriend to the house who was visiting for the first time. They were all buds last week, but have opened up beautifully and lasted really well!

Not too much has been happening apart from signing a quote for 17 white plantation shutters. A proper check measure will be happening at some stage shortly, then a 6-8 week wait for installation. Looks like I'll be living with paper redi-shades for just a while longer!

I opened another box today and Hubby put up our wedding photos in the dining room ( which still doesn't really look like a dining room as we don't have a table or chairs yet!). Sorry, faces blanked out for privacy reasons...

I wanted the frames to be in the middle of the wall, and they don't quite suit with this sized table, but chances are, once we get our dining suite the table won't stay but be moved somewhere else. But at least the wall doesn't look so blank anymore!

I've been shopping recently, too. I had to order 2 double door matts in a Fleur de lys design, so I picked those up last week. One for the deck and the other for the front door...although I need to wait until the front fence and driveway are done before it will be on show. I also found the most gorgeous silver armillary sphere/globe, but might have to wait until I have sold another butterfly specimen case before I go and treat myself to it. I happened to spot another for a third the price, but it was an iron colour, and the silver would look soo much nicer...(damn that expensive taste!)

My bargains for the week included 3 T-towels for $12 at Bed Bath N' Table:

...and another sheet of wrapping paper I plan on cutting up and framing for the lounge room wall beside the large window:

I'm unsure yet as to have one or two frames beside each window, and whether or not to divide the paper so I have 4 small pictures per frame. Yet another thing to think about that will have to wait until I have the plantations in! The blue in the paper will add nicely to the other blue touches in the room, including my blue ottoman still in the planning stages!

Last, but not least, I have been slowly 'renovating' this bedside table I picked up a couple of years ago for $5 at the Flinders market:

The old paint on it was shocking, and looked as though it had been mixed with sand it was so rough. Lots of sanding, plugging the holes from the old knobs and several coats of paint (white enamel from a spray can!), it's looking sooo much better! I should have it finished on Monday and in it's new home.

Not another Eiffel Tower....

2010-04-09T15:52:00.003+10:00

I had been looking for another paperweight to add to my other 2, and couldn't resist one I found in Bed Bath 'N Table today. Naturally, it's an Eiffel Tower!

My other 2 bird paperweights:

Love them! Although tricky to photograph being a dome of glass which reflects the flash no matter what angle.

So......how much is too much? When does a collection become an obsession?

Not to forget my wrapping paper picture in the hall:

There's a bit of a joke in the family, that new guests have to find the room that doesn't have an Eiffel Tower in it...not hard to do, as most are grouped together in the family room (although not like the table for the photo!). Also surprising to note that approximately 30% has been given to me! Perhaps my family suspected my obsession before I even had one! Hehe...

My Daughter is well on her way to catching up with me too...sad huh? ;-)

The Deck is Complete!

2010-04-07T21:58:00.007+10:00

After 6 weekends of some serious hard labour, lots of sweat and thankfully no blood or tears, the deck is complete! We ran into a few little issues we had to try and solve, and putting in the last 3cm board next to the house was a challenge, but we got there in the end! We now need to wait another couple of weeks for the wood to weather before we clean and stain it...although I'm not sure how much 'weathering' it will get under the roof line!

The further along into the project we got, the worse (bowed) the boards became and the harder it was to get them straight and onto the deck ties...but we got there in the end. I'm now on the search for a nice double door mat and a couch and coffee table.

So, what's next on the 'to do list'?

I have had a quote for 17 white plantation shutters for most of the windows, but I am yet to organise a proper check measure (Easter got in the way!), and I am about to paint a 3 drawer bedside table I picked up for $5 from the Flinders Market 2 years ago for my Son's bedroom. I am looking for the perfect drawer pulls to use as handles, but am not having much luck finding them. I don't want gold nor shiny silver, but a matt blackish colour, and cannot locate anything suitable. If you can suggest anywhere please let me know!

I am also going to paint a couple of old stained baltic pine book cases in white. Holly from Life In The Fun Lane has inspired me completely! I also have a 2 drawer bedside table given to me which I will do 'something' with eventually, but I don't think they will look as amazing as Holly's pieces.

I am also going to 'attempt' to make a buttoned ottoman to use as a coffee table in the lounge room. I have been doing some online research and don't think it should be too hard (well, no harder than completely DIYing a deck...). I have seen some people create them out of coffee tables by adding foam and quilters wadding to the table, but I might start from scratch with a pine frame, MDF top and bought furniture legs. I have located an upholsterers in Melbourne where I can acquire some supplies, but I just have to find the perfect powder blue velvet (my lounge room accent colour) to use as the top.

I'll keep you posted!

My Butterfly Frames.

2010-04-04T10:27:00.003+10:00

I've decided to specifically dedicate a post to my butterfly frames. It will be updated as new ones are created!

Taupe and gold butterflies in a black frame with white self patterened background:

Black and white music butterflies in a black frame with metalic white background:

Pink and green butterflies in a white frame and green background:

Green and blue butterflies in a white frame with a white background:

Green butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Aqua and blue butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Purple butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Pink butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Red butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Old atlas butterflies in a brown frame on a white background (brown frame no longer available):

Twenty pastel butterflies in a white frame on a white background:

Red butterflies in a smaller black frame with music background:

SOLD!

2010-03-22T12:30:00.002+11:00

One of my butterfly frames has sold, so I have been busy making some more. I've made 2 more gold ones (as that was the one that sold) and a couple of other trial ones to see if they sell (ie; are popular).

The deck progress has been a little slow, as a few weekends ago we were interrupted with golf ball sized hail. Although not uncommon in other parts of VIC and Australia, it has not occurred in Melbourne city and such a widespread area (many suburbs) before....at least not in the last 50 years! Many, many houses, cars and people were damaged and injured. Being a weather watcher, I knew it was coming so was prepared, but many people at Flemmington Races and the Moomba Festival were caught unaware and out in the open.

We escaped the larger tennis ball sized hail, but the golf balls that fell here did do their fair share of damage. We lost 1 tile in the roof (that we could see...) and has since been replaced, and all of the lead flashing around the roof tiles and the hardy plank on the back section of the double storey has been dented. We also have dents in the letter box (although el-cheapo temporary one) and my Husband's car has some sizable dints in the bonnet, roof and top of the door panels. It took me over a week to discover that the TV aerial is also damaged, but it still works! Thankfully my weather station attached to the aerial mast survived!

The thunderstorm warning courtesy BoM. I had been tracking the supercell on radar several hours before it hit, and had heard of reports of golf ball sized hail in the Sunbury area, so I knew it was coming:

This was the one stone that fell the closest to the back door that I could reach safely undercover! It was not the largest I saw:

Damage to a roof tile:

So after that little interruption on 6th March, the deck progress has been steady, but still fairly slow. We have run into a few unforeseen problems! Nothing that cannot be fixed with some careful planning, but it all takes time when you are doing it yourself!

We added a few more noggins to the joists for a bit of extra stability:

Continued with the mitered edges on the other side of the brick pillar:

All the edges sit nice and flush against the brick pillars:

The boards are glued to the joists using liquid nails, and then held in place with biscuits that are screwed into the joists. No nails or screws on top:

This was a tricky part! We had to cut a section out of 2 boards (either side) so they would fit neatly into this section around the pillar. The jigsaw didn't work as the blade kept bending on an angle, so it was the circular saw with a guide attached to it instead! I then had to sand the edge so it was rounded like the other edges of the boards, and sections were routered out so the biscuits had their rebate to fit into:

Fits like a glove!

This is how much we have done in 4 weeks:

We have another 2 boards to attempt to fit around the pillars, then it should be all smooth sailing from there...provided the boards are not too bowed which some appear to be..

Outside Happenings.

2010-03-01T14:36:00.004+11:00

What a busy weekend! While I was off on a little jaunt to Sydney to catch George Michael in concert (what a show, what an artist and I get to see him again on Wednesday!), Hubby was busy beginning construction on the deck.

The deck is just on top of the concrete slab in the alfresco. We had, at one stage, thought about extending it out at the sides to catch some sun, but then thought it would take up too much room, and we don't have much to spare out the back unfortunately!

It's looking as though it may be a wet weekend coming up, so I'm not sure if it will be finished. I guess it depends on how much he wants to do after work during the week! There's a few hours of sunshine left in the day at that stage...

On another note, I have created another 2 butterfly pictures, which are now in a shop in Flinders ready for someone to buy!

Two or Three?

2010-02-23T20:53:00.005+11:00

I'm in a bit of a dilemma at the moment, and I can't decide whether to have two pictures or three on one wall in the lounge room. I have two ready to go, but being such a big blank wall and a fairly good sized room, I'm leaning towards three.

What do you think?

Here is the room in question. Disregard the cat scratching post (saves my carpet and couches), and try to imagine a white bi-fold plantation shutter on the window with a lovely feature tree behind! Some sort of lighter coloured rug on the floor and either a coffee table or buttoned upholstered ottoman...

Here are the pictures in question. They are reproduction vintage maps of France and Italy, of course, and are actually sheets of wrapping paper:

I didn't have 3 pairs of hands, so I leaned the frames against the wall on the bar chairs and cushions to give them height. Here's two...

...and here's three:

Although the Eiffel Tower will go back to being in the hall and be replaced by another map if I can find one!

I even thought about hanging them on either side of the window, but I feel they are too big for the space, and then I'd have to think of something else to put on the large blank walls!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

The last 2 days have been fairly busy! Yesterday we received a delivery of joists and 'no nail' wide decking boards to begin the deck in the alfresco. Should look fabulous when it's done and I will no longer worry about the concrete dust brought into the house on people's shoes! Today we received 5 pallets of bricks to build the brick pillar fence. I will need to organise a couple of quotes and decide exactly what I want and the correct dimensions. Once that's done the driveway can go in! Yay!!!

Musical Butterflies.

2010-02-14T22:52:00.003+11:00

Just a quick post tonight!

I thought I'd share my latest artwork, which is more butterflies, but this time out of a sheet of music (which is actually wrapping paper!). I still have lots left, but now have to find something else to do with it! I'm sure it won't be too difficult!

Lots of inspiration, and thankfully a little more spare time!

I made this one for my Mother-in-law, who plays several instruments, so I thought it was rather fitting. I have no idea which room it's likely to end up in, which is why I kept the background colour plain. But it could be done in any colour to suit a room.

I'm thinking of creating one (only larger) for our study/music room, but being close to the powder room where my other butterflies are up on the wall, it might be too many butterflies?? I'll keep thinking....

...in the meantime, I have been asked to make another red bird canvas for a friend, so that's my project for this week!

Fly, Fly Away!

2010-02-02T19:10:00.003+11:00

Now that the children are back at school, It's been wonderful finding some free (and quiet) time to myself. It's only been 2 days, but I have managed to create some more wall art for the house. This time for the powder room.

I still had the butterfly pattern I used for a triptych for my niece a few years ago, but I wanted to create something that looked like a specimen case. I have seen quite a few various different approaches to making this using a butterfly punch, but since I already had a pattern, I went about cutting out the butterflies by hand.

These are the original canvases I created for my Niece 2 years ago:

...and this is the one which took me about 4 hours and cost less than $30 (frame included):

I still need to add some small padded double sided tape to under the wings to keep them raised, so hopefully I'll get a chance to do that tomorrow.

It should match really well in the powder room, but might have to wait until the weekend to be put up!

Happy Australia Day!

2010-01-26T11:29:00.003+11:00

It's been a while since I last published a post, mainly due to being on holidays and not having much time to think about decorating etc. Having the kids home most days means the house is rarely clean enough for 'nice' photos!

It's been a great holiday, and hard to believe the kids are back at school next week. Although between you and me I'm quietly looking forward to some 'me' time so I can have a clean house and window shop 'till my heart's content again!

So what's new? Not much! The only thing that has really changed is the addition of my Eiffel Tower print on the wall in the hallway:

It was a bargain to create, with the frame costing me about $70 at IKEA, and the print...well, it's actually a piece of wrapping paper which cost me less than $8. I have several more to frame, but I'm still unsure just where to hang them. Maybe that's a post topic in itself!

I have spent about 3 weeks away at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula, approximately 75km away from Melbourne. It's a gorgeous coastal town surrounded by rolling hills and rocky seas, and we just love relaxing there! With views across Western Port Bay to Phillip Island, and across into Bass Strait...how could we not!

Joyeux Noël! (belated!)

2009-12-29T10:38:00.003+11:00

I have been waaay to busy to wish all my blog readers a very Merry Christmas, so I hope you'll forgive me for the lateness!

It's hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone. I offered to host the family Christmas lunch this year, and then hosted the other side of the family later in the day for present unwrapping. For once, we didn't have drive anywhere!

Being host, I had to have the place spick and span (first time since moving in!), but there were a few tell-tale boxes still in one corner of the family room!

The kitchen looked lovely and shiny:

I had chosen my colour theme for Christmas a while ago, and picked silver and light blue. I always make the gift tags in my chosen theme every year, and I also made some Chinese paper lanterns and hung them from the Pussy Willow in the family room.

I also used the same gift tags as place name cards for the table:

My very simple table centre piece was my largest apothecary jar filled with silver glossy and matt baubles with a blue and silver snow flake Christmas decoration around the lid. I put t on a white damask table cloth with a piece of blue tulle with silver spots on it from Spotlight! I added a couple of blue candles in glass candle sticks and a couple more tea lights to the table:

The house survived (and so did we!), and everyone had a wonderful time! The kids love their new scooters, and I have been immersing myself in all things French, and Reading Vicki Archers' new book 'French Essence'...it's to die for, and will live proudly on one of my new tables!

Santa Arrived Early!

2009-12-23T10:03:00.003+11:00

Just in time for Christmas, I now have my 2 new beautiful tables for the family room! I am so happy, and they look wonderful...even next to the 13 year old couches with covers on them (to hide the very 90's blue and white check!)

I'm still moving things around on them (and underneath them), and will probably continue to do so for a while! At least now I have some more horizontal space to work with!

The family room is still far from being complete. I would eventually like to get a big floor rug to make it feel a little cosier, and also I have plans to paint white the old baltic pine shelves so they tie in with everything else. It will all come together eventually! But now my sights are set on getting ready for the family Christmas 'do' I'm hosting!

Entrance hall completed...mostly!

2009-12-09T22:46:00.000+11:00

The mirror is finally up and the entrance is almost complete. All I 'need' to look for are 2 wall lights and a matching chandelier. Not an easy task, and I'm sure it may take a few years!

I know it looks a little crowded at the moment, but half of the things on the table are Christmas related, so won't be there forever.

I've also added a few more Christmasy things around the place. I still haven't quite finished the banister decorations, but I did add some lights. I will need to buy another garland to finish off the last little section, but that might have to wait until the sales!

I added some small baubles to the Pussy Willow on the table:

I've strung my last years purchase between the 2 windows in the dining room. Shame there is still no dining table or chairs in there yet, and all the photos which need homes are sitting on the floor! The joys of moving in!

I would like to get 2 identical wreaths for the double front doors, and have seen several I love, but don't want to spend up to $200 on something which comes out of the cupboard for about 6 weeks a year. I may be lucky to find them on Boxing Day at the sales, but refuse to pay full price now.

I decided to wrap the front doors with ribbon instead. I have seen it on another house and thought I'd give it a go! The bow isn't quite prominent enough, so I'll probably have another go at it tomorrow.

...and in case you were wondering, the doors do still open! ;-)

It's that time of the year...

2009-12-01T21:30:00.000+11:00

Once again, Christmas is almost here! I can't believe just how quickly this year has flown by...but what a year it's been!

I have started to put out a few decorations around the place, the tree is up, but I still have to decorate it. I might leave that for tomorrow.

I'm hosting the families Christmas lunch this year, and the theme is going to be silver, blue and white. I have big plans for the table centre piece, and I hope it looks OK! So far, I have literally plonked some things on the hall table, and filled some of my apothecary jars with baubles. You may also remember my 'NOEL' letters I covered with paper last year. It was nice to get them out again, although I'm not sure where they will be staying over the festive season!

I've also put together my orchid I have been meaning to do for a while. I was looking everywhere for the right sort of pot to put it in, and finally found one. It only took me about half an hour to put it together, and cost half the price of what you would pay for a similar looking one in the shops. Plus mine is totally unique! It will probably permanently live on the hall table with the candle sticks, but I might move it around for Christmas. I'm running out of horizontal surfaces at the moment, and I can't wait to get my coffee and side table for the family room.

My Son called it an 'awkward'!

Fingers crossed for my beautiful mirror to be hung this weekend, and that will help reflect some light from the study into the hallway. Then I'll just have to find some wall lights and a matching chandelier!

So...what's been happening?

2009-11-23T10:33:00.004+11:00

Life just seems to get busier and busier, especially nearing Christmas, and not too much has been happening around the house. My excuse is we can't do it all at once, and it's good to live in a place and get a feel of it first before doing too much of it!!

So, what has been happening then? I finally decided on a clothes line to fit the large wall space we had (3 metres), and that has now been installed. Yay! No more fighting with clothes horses in the alfresco!

We chose a 'double decker' number from City Living Clotheslines. It's wider than anything you get from Bunnings and comfortably fits queen sized sheets on it without bunching. The added advantage of it is the smaller lower line, adding an extra 3 lines (9 metres of hanging space) to the line. I have 36 metres of total hanging space, and can comfortably wash the family's sheets and towels on the same day!

We have made more room in the garage by building the cubby house again.

We needed to borrow a ladder in order to put the roof on, and thankfully we did that before it rained!

I have my beautiful mirror for the entrance hall, but it's going to be tricky to put up:

It weighs 25kg, and unfortunately, the studs are placed completely in the wrong place to put it up in between the 2 wall lights above my gorgeous hall table:

It will require a steel bracket nailed into three studs, then hang the mirror off that. Similar to mounting a clothes dryer. I don't want to take any chances with it falling down and breaking it and everything on my hall table!

I finally have my vintage London Bus destination blind too! Many thanks to my Sister for making it for me, and to her Partner for allowing the blinds to be cut. I just love it, and it looks fantastic on the wall in the family room, where I knew it was going to live all along:

I have on order 2 white tables for the family room too. A rectangular coffee table, and smaller square side table. Fingers crossed they come in before Christmas!! I won't reveal any pictures of them until I have them, though...I'll keep you in suspense!

I'm starting to think about putting up the Christmas tree too!

Snippets.

2009-10-29T12:50:00.003+11:00

Just a few little snippets for the pic piggies! I still have a long way to go in terms of decorating, as I still have to unpack and purchase some more furniture! I have my eyes on a gorgeous coffee table and side table for the family room, and will let you all know when I have organised it. I'm still thinking about an ottoman to use as a coffee table in the lounge room, and I also need a dining table and chairs for the Dining room. There are still no pictures up on the walls and I am still without a clothesline!

I posted this Laura Ashley lampshade a while ago after I bought it, so you may remember it. I decided to choose the Laura Ashley 'Selby' lamp base for it, and I absolutely love it!

Thankfully this antique table and chairs managed to survive relatively unscathed after the 'Great Storage Flood' back in March. They used to sit in the bay window in our old house, and knew they would sit under this window in the lounge room. I know I have waaaay too much on the table, but many things were unpacked and dumped as they didn't have anywhere else to go!! The cat loves catching the sun here:

Closer detail of the table, with 2 of my 3 Eiffel Towers', and an apothecary jar I received for my Birthday last week. It probably won't stay here, but might sit with another 2 larger ones...somewhere! I also love my chunky keys I bought in Richmond, Tasmania last year:

Cushions in the lounge room, I still have 2 more to buy:

Part of my bargain hall table, which I adore. I'd love to show more, but it has a pile of broken down storage boxes underneath! I plan on getting a mirror in the next couple of days to go above it, so I'll post more then:

The one item that has made it's way up on the wall! The 1 metre diametre clock I bought a year ago and has been sitting in storage. It's now up in the meals area and I love it! Keeps good time too ;). I may transfer the pussy willow branches into something else, but for the moment I'm happy for them to stay in the modern pink metalic vase!

Lots more to organise, but I'll get there eventually.

Anyone care to powder their nose?

2009-10-21T19:47:00.005+11:00

I am almost fully operational in the PC department again, which is great news! It's wonderful to be able to catch up on everyone's blogs as 4 weeks is a long time without them! I am also happy to be able to download the photos from my camera onto my own PC and upload them again with a fast ADSL connection! I actually didn't take too many over the past 4 weeks, as I was just too busy moving, unpacking and getting a little organised.

There is really only 1 room at this stage that is 98% complete, and that is the powder room. I'd still like to put a picture up on one of the walls, but that can wait! I always wanted to create a nice feel in the powder room, which flowed from the rest of the house. I know it's only a toilet and basin, but being the guests main toilet, I wanted it to look good!

I'm still deciding what to put in the glass apothecary jar, but I am thinking some small white soaps. I haven't found the perfect ones yet...at the right price. I love the 'MOR' soaps wrapped in gorgeous papers and ribbons with a wax seal on them, but this particular jar is too small for them. I have a larger one in the ensuite where they might go! I just have to start collecting them:

A closer look at the orchid which I assembled myself. There are many available to buy in the shops, but I wanted something that was an original, and what better place to put one than a French cast iron urn!

One of my purchases specially with the powder room in mind:

...and one I couldn't resist yesterday:

I'm not sure how long the powder room will stay like this for, as I may move a few things around. That's the great part about decorating, finding the perfect spot for things!

'The Phone Company' Frustrations.

2009-10-13T12:56:00.002+11:00

Hi All,

I have not completely fallen off the face of the Earth, I have only just had the phone line 'properly' connected, and am still waiting on the internet. It has been the most frustrating 4 weeks without the internet and email and I'm quite livid with 'The Phone Company' for stuffing the whole connection up in the first place.

Trying to organise several meetings for various things, a business trip to Sydney, a family weekend away with other families and keep in touch with family and friends via facebook has been impossible.

I won't go into too many details about the saga, but I had the trenching, the connection and an internet provider all sorted before we moved so there would be no delays, no internet or email 'downtime' and everything would run smoothly. It has not and I'm now going to have to play 4 weeks catch up on email and blogs once I am fully on the air. I'm currently in the local Maccas, making use of their free snail's pace internet...but beggars can't be choosers and I have to make do!

We are 'mostly' settled in, but we can't get the cars in the garage due to the boxes and some furniture, I haven't been able to download any photos from my camera as my PC monitor refuses to start after being laid dormant for a year, and unable to upload pics with no internet. I can't get quotes for the front fence, driveway or plantation shutters due to having no internet or email, and the frustrations continue!! What on earth did we do before the internet!!

With any luck, I 'should' be back on air next week, and I can't wait to catch up on everyone's news. 4 weeks is a long time without blogs, not to mention extremely frustrating!

I'll be back soon with some photos!

Flooring complete, so the moving in begins!

2009-09-21T21:21:00.001+10:00

It has been a very busy 'week and a bit' since I last updated the blog...I have just been too exhausted to even think about it!

So after getting the keys on the Thursday 10th, we had a family get together of pizza and Bolinger on the Friday night (with deck chairs on the concrete floors!).

We had every intention of sealing the garage floor over the weekend, but the weather decided to play havoc! It was incredibly windy, so what was soon swept up and out, ended back in the garage! We did, though, literally chisel off any odd bits of mortar, plaster and dirt from the garage floor, and made it look nice and smooth for the 'eventual' sealing.

Instead, we took down everyone of the hideous plastic china men's hats lamp shades the builder provided, and replaced most of the compact fluoros with 75 watt incandescents I've been stock piling for months! I spotted my Son wandering around the house with a china men's hat on his head! We also began to install the paper 'Redi Shades' on all the windows. Not the best for sun blockout, but instant privacy and only $7 each (for the small ones) at Bunnings!

So all was not lost over the first weekend! On Monday 14th Sept, I had organised a Telstra approved Contractor to dig the trench from the house to the street, and channel underground from the street to the nearest Telstra Pit. He arrived earlier than expected, had the job done in no time and left the nature stip of my neighbours looking as though absolutely nothing had taken place!

I made sure I took quite a few photos of the conduits' position and depth for future landscaping reference!

Since Monday ended up being such a lovely day with no wind, Hubby decided to leave early from work and put the first coat of sealer on the garage floor!

There were several options we were looking at, including Berger Jet Dry Paint and Dulux Garage Floor, but both applications required the floor of the garage to be acid etched first for the paint to 'take'. We decided to use 'Staseal Premium' from The Concreters' Warehouse' on recommendation from a friend. It required 2 coats, and the first having a solvent added into it so it would soak into the concrete. It was brushed on around the edges, and then 'broomed' on with a broom instead of a roller for the remainder of the floor.

Tuesday saw the beginnings of the floorboards go down, and I was very impressed with the results so far!

They are one strip engineered "Boral Silkwood in Spotted Gum". I have read several things about this type of flooring - both good and bad! We have gone with the 'Australiana' finish which is apparently more hard wearing than the 'natural' finish, so fingers crossed!

Tuesday late afternoon also saw the second coat of garage floor sealer go on:

It looks fabulous, and will be so much easier to sweep and also prevent the concrete dust being brought into the house. Well worth the effort! We just can't drive on it for about 5 days, especially with hot tyres as it can lift the paint.

On Wednesday, the floor boards were completed. They look fabulous, and really make the house look like a home! It took me ages to clean them, though, after all the foot traffic from the tradies!

Lovely variation in the wood:

Thursday morning the carpet installers arrived, and by the time they had finished for the day the whole of the upstairs was done.

The carpet is a woven 80% wool and 20% nylon from 'Brintons', called Bell Twist in the Mushroom colour. The installers commented that they guessed I wasn't planning on changing the carpet in a hurry! They have seen it layed for 45 years and still looking fabulous! They left rather a large mess with tufts of it everywhere, and it took me close to 3 hours vacuuming just the top storey! I had to empty the Dyson after every room as it was just absolutely FULL!

The finished installing the ground floor on the Friday, including the stairs, which they had a little trouble with as they were not quite built exactly as the display stairs I had photos of! It all worked out in the end, and no one will ever know there is a little gap in one part of a step where the stairs were slightly different to the display!

There is a small spot of glue or something similar right in the middle of the study floor, which I noticed as I finished vacuuming it. I did ring them, and am waiting for a call so they can organise a time to come and clean it off for me...or I won't be paying them! ;-)

Saturday we only had a couple of hours to move across a few boxes before we had 2 parties to go to. Sunday was fairly quiet as we assembled the 3 Expedit shelves and the 3 Ingolf bar chairs from Ikea! The Expedit shelves were an almost perfect fit across the wall in the kids TV area, I just need to get some more baskets, as they wouldn't have fitted in the car at the time!

The kids are really looking forward to eating their breakfast here in the mornings before school!

Today, being Monday 21st September, I am absolutely exhausted. It feels as though I haven't stopped for about 3 weeks, and it's only just the beginning. We hired a truck for 2 days (Husband on a weeks annual leave) and today we began to clear out all our furniture and boxes from the storage unit. The truck has been fabulous, and the kids loved riding on the hydraulic lift...which has been a Godsend!!

We took 2 trips to the storage unit, clearing out a third each time. I have an aching neck and back, and I'm just about to pop into bed....ready to do it all again tomorrow. Not sure when I'll get a chance to update the blog again this week. All depends on how much energy I have left!!

News Flash...WE HAVE THE KEYS!!!

2009-09-10T19:13:00.003+10:00

Not much else to say, really!

It's been a very busy day, and I'm exhausted, but we have the keys and the house is finally ours!!!

Many thanks to our Waterstone Financial person, who pulled a few strings and got the bank moving to release the funds. And many thanks to our lovely CSA at Henley who we met today after 7 months of talking on the phone almost every week. I hope they both like their boxes of chocolates...I ran out of time to get some flowers too, as it was all a bit of a rush once the money came through!

I'll attempt to update a little more tomorrow, and should have some photos of the redi shades!

I hope you'll still continue to follow my journey as it's really only just the beginning. There is so much to do to turn it into our little home!

What a Week.

2009-09-05T20:30:00.002+10:00

Friday 28th August to Friday 4th September will not go down in history as one of the best weeks we've had. We've encountered the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and all in the space of hours.

Friday 28th August just happened to be my Husband's 40th Birthday. The day before we had our house inspection and were extremely happy with only 66 minor items to fix, all of which could be completed in a week, and the house would be ready to handover on the 4th. We knew the bank most likely wouldn't be ready, but little did we know they would completely stuff us around. More on that later...

So, for the big birthday, we chose to eat at a lovely local Italian restaurant. Upon returning to the car, we noticed that the inside cover to the boot was up (which it never is). We looked around the car and noticed the ipod and the GPS, which were very well hidden, had gone. The drivers' side lock was completely wrecked, and once at the Police Station we also realised the 2 white china dinner sets we had bought the night before but left in the car had also gone. Not a nice way to end your 40th Birthday, but to also be out of pocket over $1200. Fair enough the ipod and the GPS have served us well over the past 5 years, but the dinner sets were for the new house and were still nicely wrapped in their boxes. I hadn't even looked at them.

There's probably not a chance in hell the Police will ever find the culprits, but I have informed Myer that 2 new unopened dinner sets 'may' be brought back, and I'm on the lookout on ebay. Chances are they'll be sold at a market, a pub or off the back of a truck. I was furious, to say the least.

After having our inspection on Thursday, the final invoice and cover letter explaining what to do with the left over funds was faxed off to 'the bank' on Friday morning. On Monday, my Husband rang them to see if they had the fax. To which the person replied they did, and began to read it back over the phone. Fabulous! Confirmation that they have it and they can begin to process it....so we thought.

With a school cross country race on Friday 28th, a Ballet Concert on the Saturday and a family party/dinner for Hubby on the Sunday, I ended up having my Daughter home sick from school on the Monday through to Thursday. The poor thing was absolutely exhausted. It enabled me to do a fair bit of tidying and packing, which was a good thing! On Thursday I was finally able to get out of the house and hit the shops again! ;-)

Friday 4th there was a Fathers Day Breakfast and a circus performance at school in the morning, followed by our re-inspection of our house to check to see all the items had been attended to, and to our satisfaction. All but 3 items were fixed properly. The 4 on the list included:

* Touch up the render on the right pillar of the portico (the metal edging was still visible)
* The skirting on the curved wall in the 3rd bedroom was still a little wonky
* The spreader on the downpipe from the top storey to the garage roof HAD been fixed, but not to the inspectors liking, so it will be done again!

The 4th item on the list is one we should have picked up earlier, but it didn't occur to us until last week. All our network, speaker and HDMI cabling had been done by an external person pre plaster and at our own cost. When the electrical fit off took place, the sparkies fitted a cover plate to the HDMI cable in the alfresco, which is fine, but in doing so they cut the end of the $200 cable complete with the fitted plug on it, rendering it useless. It has been suggested that the sparkies might be able to solder on another plug, but Hubby seems to think it is not possible due to the nature of the cable. If they can't do that, then they will have to fork out of their own pocket another cable and *fingers crossed* use the existing damaged one to draw it through the wall cavity and through the other end in the family room. If they can't, well then I guess they'll have to rip out the plaster and replace the cable that way. We really are not happy that this has happened, as they perhaps should not have touched the HDMI cable in the first place as it wasn't part of their 'job'. But what's done is done, and hopefully it will be an easy fix, and thankfully we won't have to pay for it.

All in all, the re-inspection went really well, and we hoped we were all set for settlement on the 11th. Having had confirmation from 'the bank' that they had received the fax on Monday, all that was missing was the Certificate of Occupancy.

Around Midday that afternoon, I had a call from Henley to say the certificate had just been received and it was being forwarded on to me, and onto 'the bank'. Fantastic!! The keys are sure to be ours the following Friday!!.....maybe....

....I'd just come home at 4pm after picking up the kids in the pouring rain when I received a frantic call from Hubby to say 'the bank' has not received our final invoice. WHAT??? It was discussed over the phone on Monday, they had received it alright! Absolutely reeling at this stage, I had to drive out to Henley's Head Office with our copy of the fax (proving it had been received) and give it to our financial person who has dealt with all our loan documents throughout the process. She knows the strings to pull to get things done, as she has had to hurry them up with previous stage payments when 'the bank' failed to release the money in 14 days.

Again, I am absolutely furious at been given the run around. Basically, they have wasted 5 of the 10 days they claim it takes to conduct a property valuation and release the funds. They had better get a move on, because WE WILL settle this Friday, having picked up the cheque from 'the bank' on Thursday afternoon.

I would much rather be sipping Bolly on Friday knowing the 23 month ordeal is over, than ringing around all the things I have organised to happen the following week because the bank has completely stuffed up AGAIN....

Not Happy Jan.

New Home Inspection.

2009-08-31T12:29:00.005+10:00

Our new Home Inspection, or PCI, was last Thursday, and we are very happy with the outcome.

There were 66 items on the list, but most are tiny little paint imperfections that are easily rectified. Other items on the list included:

* 3 privacy locks needed adjusting (as in they didn't work!)
* a grout defect in the laundry (dirt in the grout)
* dining room heating vent on crooked
* window frame scratches
* screw end through the pantry shelving in a noticeable position
* patchy paint in living room (entire walls will be repainted)
* paint over spray on most kitchen handles
* few scratches on the stair balusters
* couple of proud floor screws in the TV area
* paint drops on the tiles around bath and on window sill
* scratched handle on toilet door
* missing render (exposed metal edging) on the RHS portico pillar
* repaint beading on exterior laundry door (the glass had already been replaced due to scratches)
* Mortar blow outs
* scratched downpipe brackets
* rubber seal issue on a window
* wonky roof tiles on back of garage above external door
* extra weather seal on garage door so it actually works!
* hole in slab edge of garage behind rear door.

Without a fine tooth comb, most of these things would really not have been picked up as the place really does look fabulous! We checked around all the vanities and basins and it's all neat and tidy (including the caulking). All the taps work, plumbing doesn't leak (although we must check again once the hot water is in as the heat can expand the seals and then leaks can show up), all the toilets flush and re fill correctly, all the wiring is correct (the three light globes we bought along came in handy!), all the power points work and the tiles in both showers are smooth and drain away...yes I took off my shoes and socks and dragged my feet along all the tiles!

In my last post, I mention the Tradies cars in the driveway, well I was very pleased to see the linea band under the gable on the portico had finally been rendered! Yes, my SS didn't realise it was supposed to be, but when the handover supervisor did his inspection he picked it up and organised the renderers straight away:

Most defects were little minor paint imperfection:

Powder room all finished, complete with mirror, basin, taps, toilet and accessories:

OK, had to be done, but this is the only one as the other 2 are exactly the same! At least the lid is down! ;-) :

Close up of the basin and taps (which I hate...):

Under the laundry trough. Nice neat concealed plumbing and a hole for the washing machine hoses to fit through to join the taps:

The dirt or 'something' grouted into the floor in the laundry:

The kitchen sink. I'm going to have to get used to washing the dishes around the 'wrong' way!!

Our lovely big ensuite double vanity, with plenty of space for my apothecary jars:

Ensuite shower and towel ladder:

Close up of the same basins and taps in the ensuite, and the shiny Caesarstone:

We are very happy with our 'better than display home quality' house! We are just looking forward to making it our home. I actually didn't take as many photos as I had expected, because I was too busy looking at every finer detail! The whole inspection took 3 hours anyway! Our Supervisor for the inspection was lovely and very patient, and even helped us put in the light globes! On the whole it was a very positive experience and we look forward to our re inspection this Friday 4th September to check all the items have been addressed.

There was every possibility that we could have had the keys this coming Friday, as the house will be ready, but the bank needs 10 working days to carry out their valuation so they can release the final payment. We have asked the bank to have our cheque ready to pick up on Thursday 10th, making our handover on Friday 11th!

That's 11 days away!!!

This is what I have booked so far:

* 14th Telstra trenching
* 15th - 18th timber and carpet install
* 21st - 22nd truck for clearing the storage unit

...and I'd like to book the appliances and heating install on the 24th or 25th, then we can move in properly!!

Final invoice received.

2009-08-26T10:14:00.003+10:00

Yesterday we received our final invoice and a letter detailing our New Home Inspection appointment and what will happen next! With any luck it will all run fairly smoothly and we will have the keys soon. A lot will depend on what we find 'wrong' or in need of fixing, and how soon they can get it all done before we re inspect for our handover appointment. So the next few weeks are an uncertainty and will prove to be busy yet again.

Roll on term 4 so I can collect my thoughts and unpack and decorate at ease without too much hanging over my head!

On my drive by this morning, there was yet another tradie's vehicle in the drive way. Again...no idea who it is or what they are doing, but the render is still missing from the linea band just below the gable on the portico! So maybe that will be done today!

I'm excited to be going back in the house tomorrow, but have not had much time to prepare at all. I've made a list of all the things on the exterior we can see we are not happy with, but no idea of the interior. Must not forget to pack the light globes!

Temp fence gone for good!

2009-08-24T21:01:00.002+10:00

3 drive-bys today, first one without camera, so I had to go back. The next 2 times I had the camera but there were cars parked in the 'drive-way' so I didn't take any pics. Hopefully tomorrow!! Not sure who the cars belonged to, but they were still working on perhaps the touch-ups before our inspection on Thursday.

She does look lovely sitting there all on her own...although a little lonely! Great to not have to dodge the fence anymore, now I'll just be dodging the huge gum tree on the nature strip trying to take photos :-)

So close, but still so far...

We have a date!!

2009-08-20T17:16:00.002+10:00

Our New Home Inspection is booked for Thursday 27th August!!!

Considering it will be the first time in 4 weeks I have been inside the house, I'll be armed with my camera, not to mention my list of external 'things to fix' and my eagle eyed vision to pick up every detail and anything that will need fixing!

I am also taking along a small electrical appliance (possibly a hairdryer) to check every powerpoint, a spirit level, a tape measure, a torch and a couple of 100 watt incandescent light globes. The house has compact fluoros in it at the moment, but since they are not staying, I want to look at the paintwork with the lighting we will be living with, not the fluoros which give me a headache!

Apart from going over absolutely everything with a fine tooth comb and making sure it all opens and shuts, if you can think of anything we should be looking out for, please let me know, particually if you have been through a PCI before!

Bring on Thursday!

Construction Complete!

2009-08-18T23:16:00.000+10:00

Today marks the day that construction has been completed, and our file gets moved to the 'Handover Department'. This means our New Home Presentation Inspection (or PCI) is imminent, and could possibly happen within the next 2 weeks, followed by handover in another 2 weeks. As of the weekend just passed, our biggest 'outstanding item not completed' was the rendering of the portico. Thankfully, it was done yesterday!

I have a few photos to catch up on as I've been pretty busy.

Fly screens were installed and windows cleaned and scratches touched up last week:

The portico re-alignment happened last week too. Was a fairly easy fix, and now having been done, the renderers could finish their top coat. There is still a little 'fill' required where the eaves sheeting meets the bricks next to the fascia, but it's on my 'list' for PCI:

Another 'fix' on my list is the corner of one window. I'm not quite happy with the hole in the corner and the way the black weather strip for the window is sitting. Compare it with another window, and you'll see what I mean:

...compared with...

Even though the windows have been 'touched up' with spray paint to get rid of the scratches, I still managed to find about 3 others that were overlooked.(No pics, though!).

A pleasant surprise I did find was the white connecting PVC pipes from the downpipes to the storm water drains have been painted to ground level. I'm not sure if this is standard with Henley, as I have heard of people with other volume builders having to do it themselves after handover. So, thankyou Mr painter! Saves me buying a can of Paperbark spray paint from Bunnings!:

On my drive-by yesterday morning I saw 5 renderers setting up their ladders, ready to start the portico. I didn't have my camera at the time and had decided I was going to go and organise the collection of my chandelier, which has been hanging in the shop since it was purchased last October! I pick that up in about 3 weeks! 2 hours later when I returned with my camera, they had finished applying it, and were just cleaning up and giving it the last smooth over!:

This was one of my 'colour worries', having picked it in June over a year ago, and from a small sample. I just knew I wanted it to be darker than 'Paperbark', but the colour 'Earth Kiss', was never available as a take home sample chip from the shop. I had visions it was going to be really orange and look horrible, but it does compliment the bricks nicely:

Love my doors:

Here is the section of the portico that was adjusted. As far as I know, there was no grey base coat applied to the newly exposed bricks before the top colour coat (refer to previous portico fix photo in this post), so I just hope it sticks, and doesn't fall off:

If you look closely, you can see the bare metal edging just above the linea band...that's on my list 'to fix' too:

Another section that looks a little 'rough', and just happens to be above the front doors. It was still wet at the time, and it may have dried smoother, but I haven't had a chance to have a good close look at the render yet:

The site as of yesterday afternoon. Render done, rubbish cage and port-a-loo removed, and the site was cleaned! Soooo close, but needs a driveway, front fence and garden before it will look spectacular!

So, with 'actual' site start happening on the 4th February 2009, construction officially ending today and taking away the 3 week delay waiting for the brickies (when nothing else could happen at all), it brings the total to 26 weeks construction time. That's actually pretty standard for a double storey 44 square home, and is 4 months earlier than the 'contract' time.

Still no offical date for our inspection or handover...but finally, it is imminent!!

One step closer...

2009-08-12T22:30:00.004+10:00

No photos today as it was raining and I was wearing heels! I drove past twice today, no one there each time, but on the second visit, I had noticed the left hand side of the portico gable had been fixed. If you can remember, the 2 sides did not match, and all that was needed was for the fascia and guttering to be trimmed to match the other side. The only thing is, there is now a section of exposed brickwork that doesn't have the undercoat of render on it. With any luck, that can be applied ASAP, and then the final colour top coat soon after. Fingers crossed for the house to be completed by the 18th, but that may depend a lot on the weather. For once, it's raining again in Melbourne!

Proper pot drawers are in!

2009-08-09T13:21:00.003+10:00

Had a lovely walk around the site yesterday and noticed the correct pot drawers are in! I also spotted the mirrors in the ensuite through a window, and the reflection of the shower screen. I still haven't been able to see the toilets, but I know they are there. Also on Friday, the termite reticulated system was installed, and the cleaners were there!

The weather seals are on the external doors:

Compare these 2 photos of the kitchen, and you'll see the pot drawers have been replaced to 1 skinny and 2 deeper ones instead of 3 all the same size, splashback protective film has gone as well as the protection for the Caesarstone benches:

Close up of pot drawers:

I have been able to read 'the list' on the cupboard, and no real surprises, except we missed a section of tiles on the laundry wall where the bench meets up against it. Thankfully, our SS is on the ball and it has now been fixed accordingly. Caulking still to be done:

The dining through the lounge. You might be able to see that the light fitting is not centered with the windows. We specifically asked that it be centered in the room from the edge of the stairs, and thus being centered over where the dining table will be. This is where my chandelier is going:

A pic of the stairs again, this time through cleaner windows:

We now have a gas meter too:

Termite reticulated system is in as well:

I've noticed a couple more things to be fixed too, but the mortar blowouts are written on the list, so I'll wait until our PCI to see if they have been fixed:

The screws on the downpipes were not on the list (that I could read!). easy fix, though:

The only outstanding things that need to be done are all the flyscreens, the gable patch-up in the portico and the rendering. There are all the items on 'the list' but they are all easy fixes and cosmetic touch ups. There will probably be more after we have had our inspection too! So, with the 18th of August only 8 working days away, it looks as though it might be a hive of activity again this week. I'm not sure if the weather will be suitable for rendering, and the portico patch-up has to be done before that. Fingers crossed!

...and the progress continues!

2009-08-07T17:04:00.006+10:00

It's been a busy week at the house this week! Finally I was able to have a look around (through dirty windows) at all the progress in between showers of rain. At this stage, it looks as though it's pretty much complete! I am unsure if the mirrors or the shower screens are in as I am unable to see them, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the fittings have been done.

These were taken on Wednesday.

Front doors with 2 red spots on them indicating to be painted again (notice proper door handle!):

All the downpipes have been connected to the stormwater, and we have some extra drains to help with the 'moat'. These will be cut when we do our landscaping:

One of two outdoor taps:

Outdoor power points, and TV and HDMI cable in the alfresco:

Quad fix on the gap in the alfresco above the stacker door. There is also one on the other side. Both will need painting. It looks as though the paint roller ran over my bricks, so hopefully it will be cleaned off before handover:

The rangehood vent...red spotted for painting:

6 halogen downlights in the alfresco. The middle will have a fan and 2 ceiling speakers either side:

Newly installed kitchen rangehood, tap and lights:

I tried so hard to read the list of 'things to fix' stuck on the overhead cupboard next to the rangehood...no luck, though!!

Those fluoros have got to go!

Door furniture all on, and locks as well:

Laundry trough and mixer in:

The only way I know we have toilets! I can't see them, but there are 3 empty boxes in the rubbish cage:

I drove past twice on Thursday, but I didn't see any action, and today on my morning drive-by, the termite system was being installed, and it looked as though the cleaners were there!!!

Now it's the weekend, I'll get a chance to have a look around and see what else has been done, and take some more pics. Just waiting on the portico fix and the render to be done. Won't be long now....

More Progress!

2009-08-04T22:48:00.004+10:00

It's been a busy few days and I haven't had much time to update the blog...sorry!

Last Friday saw the rendering of the linea bands on the front facade in our chosen colour 'Paperbark'. Still waiting for the colour coat to go on the remainder of the portico, though. I believe it's supposed to happen this week, but the guttering/eaves and fascia needs to be fixed on the left side before the remainder of the rendering can be done.

Not sure if they will have another coat, as this one under the eaves looks a little 'light on' where it finishes. I'll make a note to point that one out at our Inspection (if it hasn't been fixed!):

Sorry for the distorted image, but the only way to get all of the portico in is to use a wide angle! I can't stand back far enough with the rubbish cage and temp fence in the way! :

I did notice something after I had taken the photos of the rendering, and was viewing them on the PC. The A/J (Articulation or expansion join) that runs along side one of the windows in bedroom 2 has not been filled with the coloured putty/silicone 'goop' above the window. I had a look at all my other photos of the A/J's and noticed that the one above one of the Master Bedroom windows has been filled. I'm sure it's just an oversight, so I sent a couple of photos to my CSA to let my SS know.

Here's a clearer (although fuzzier) crop of the same photo:

I also discovered a tile on the alfresco roof which isn't sitting flush with the rest of them:

A couple of other things to add to the list of things to check at our PCI, but both an easy fix.

A closer view of the garage workings (this time not taken with a mobile!):

...and one for the brick lovers!!

This week started off really well, with both the sparky and chippy installing things. I did drive by several times during the day, and after the afternoon school run they were still there so I couldn't have a peek through the windows. My Husband did on his way home and discovered holes in the ceilings and walls for the lights and power points, and all the external junction boxes were attached. I also have a rangehood in the kitchen fully installed!

Today, again, I drove past twice and saw the plumbers there in the morning and the chippy this afternoon. I was going to go down again at around 4:30 to finally see my rangehood, but it was pouring, and my 'site shoes' were in the back of the 'other' car. By the time the 'other' car returned home it was dark. At least I didn't get wet and muddy, but I still haven't seen my rangehood :-(

Tomorrow, for sure...

3 weeks of construction left.

2009-08-01T15:43:00.000+10:00

We had a very positive meeting on Wednesday morning, and an important date our SS gave us was the 18th August. This date is when construction is estimated to be completed, and our file gets handed over to the 'Handover Department'. From there, the house will be inspected by Henley's team and a date set for our Practical Completion Inspection (or New Home Inspection) up to 2 weeks later at the max. Then once any issues are identified they will have 2 weeks to fix them before our official handover date. So, with that in mind, our date for handover is possibly 15th September at the latest! Secretly hoping it's earlier, as the kids start their school holidays on the 18th September. Ideally, I'd love to have the cable fit off, flooring , heating and appliances installed BEFORE the holidays...and most of the moving stuff. But in reality, anything can happen!

As we discovered, it was not one of our mirrors in the rubbish cage, as they haven't been installed yet, so perhaps our site was the next port of call and they dumped it with the rest of our rubbish!

We discussed several things with our SS on Wednesday and all will be fixed. The list includes:

* Fixing the portico issue (apparently very easy!)
* Fixing a few gaps in the bricks on the lounge window sill.
* Front doors to be sanded back and painted another coat of gloss (especially now they have render splatter on them).
* Gap in infill sheet above stacker door to have quad and painted.
* Kitchen pot drawer replacements still at the factory, but should be ready shortly.
* Metre box will be painted.
* A small bend in the guttering along the alfresco will be fixed (we think it's just a clip that has not 'clipped' properly!)
* A dent in the frame on one of the dining windows will be fixed to prevent the possibility of water getting in.
* The possum will be dealt with!
* I have also requested that now the finishing touches are happening, that no smoking takes place inside the house.

I actually didn't take as many pics as I thought I might because nothing had really changed since I 'attempted' to meet the tiler last week! Our splashback in the kitchen has been installed, but is still covered in the protective plastic film (that can quite happily stay until handover day as far as I'm concerned!!)

The laundry wall tiles installed and grouted. They are not the ones we had in our contract, but because the wrong ones were initially delivered, we chose to have the left over ones from the bathrooms put in instead. They look fine:

The floor all grouted too, although still powdery:

The powder room tiles grouted:

The ensuite tiling completed (just need to replace the skirtings taken off to fit the tiles):

View from the master bedroom through to the upstairs TV area, and the double ensuite doors:

Part of our walk in robe. This configuration was standard with one side double hanging and 2 sides single hanging. We certainly wont be requiring all of the single hanging space, so we will have some shelves and drawers made to fit. We could rip it all our and reconfigure it all, but SS let us know that all the melamine sheeting is stuck to the walls, and ripping it all out would do some damage! We'll work with what we have for the moment, I think!!

The kitchen splashback. Very pleased with the subtleness of the colour! When we had our colour appointment (over a year ago), there were very few light coloured choices. Henley have since changed to a different splashback supplier and lots of different choices, but we are still happy with out final decision. Once the appliances and general kitchen 'stuff' is on the benches, it will look good and blend in with everything else. The colour is Dulux 'Alecon Lace' on starphire glass (low iron content and no green tinge):

Another casualty upstairs...no idea!:

Upstairs linen cupboard:

Our lovely wide hallway to the front door:

...and back again:

Almost done!

Because this was most likely our last official meeting with our Site Supervisor, we thought it appropriate to give him a gift as a token of our appreciation. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have had 1 SS throughout our build. Others have several. We also know we have been blessed with tradies our SS prefers to use, knowing they have been tried and trusted. We didn't wait for 3 weeks for our brickies for nothing! Our SS believes our home is of better quality than display home standard, and for this, we will be eternally grateful for his ability, his professionalism and his time. He has answered every question, querie or concern we have had, and has always been willing to give us a detailed explanation of how and why. For those who have built, or are building, they know just how very stressful it can be. Living, breathing and sleeping every detail over and over again, making sure things are right. There will always be little things along the way that go wrong or are not 'quite right', and the way our little 'not quite rights' have been handled has been excellent, making the stress levels somewhat bearable! I'm certainly not in a hurry to build again (I'd like to actually live in our dream home first after all the blood, sweat and tears!), but if the actual 'construction phase' could be this easy with another build, and another fabulous SS, then I would have no qualms in doing it again!

Cheers to you, SS, and we hope you enjoy your Bourbon!

Garage door and mirrors.

2009-07-28T12:28:00.003+10:00

I was in 2 minds about taking my camera yesterday, and wish I had! On my drive-by after school pick up the garage door had been installed and the 'installer' was testing it. Up...down...up...down...! His car was in the way, so it would have been difficult to get a decent photo anyway! Instead I messaged my Husband to call in and take some pics on his way home from work. They are with the mobile, so the quality isn't 100%.

We had a peek through the laundry window over the weekend to see the finished tiling. The wall tiles with the larger bathroom ones look great, and it now keeps it a consistent look throughout rather than using the tiny rectangle ones they wrongly delivered. They 'correct' tiles were not as large as the bathroom ones, but certainly not as small as the wrong ones. The photo through the window wasn't terribly great for seeing the finished wall tiles, so that will have to wait until tomorrow after we have been for our site meeting. The finished floor looks great, and we are happy with the colour of the grout. It was hard to remember it having had our colour appointment a year ago!

As well as a little more progress, there has been some casualties. A deceased possum now resides in the alfresco, but at least it's not IN the heating ducts or wall cavity. No idea why it ended up where it is, but one thing's for sure...I'm not touching it!!

The other casualty is in the rubbish cage. It's a broken mirror which, judging by the size of it, was one from our ensuite. It has been attached to the wall as you can see the circles of glue on the back, and no idea why it is in the cage now. It also looks as though it was broken as it was thrown into the cage (it's still in it's basic shape), so it may have been chipped in transit and not realised until after it was installed, or there could be a problem with the wall behind it. What ever the case may be, I'll try and find out tomorrow! Someone will have 7 years bad luck, unless glaziers are immune to it! ;-)

We have tomorrow, what we expect to be, our last official site meeting prior to our practical completion inspection before handover. There really isn't too much that needs bringing up, and it's more of a chance to have a good look around and photograph! Our main concern at the moment is the discrepancy between the two sides of the gables on the portico. The SS was away last week, and not sure if he has had a chance this week to have a look at it and identify where the problem lies. We think it might be with the framing and installation of the gutters/facsias, not the brickwork. In which case it should mean minimal disruption and a relatively easy fix (we hope). We will not accept it the way it is, particularly with the gap next to the eaves. It's possibly large enough for a rat to squeeze into. No thanks, not in my new house!

Stay tuned for lots of photos tomorrow! At least this time I won't have the carpet people measuring there to discuss things with too, so I can concentrate on the photos!! We still anticipate anywhere from 4 weeks to 8 weeks until handover, but we'll have a better idea tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's sooner rather than later.

I've been in, I've been in!!!

2009-07-24T17:17:00.005+10:00

Yesterday, the phone messages were running hot between myself, my husband and the tiler! He couldn't get hold of us, and we couldn't get hold of him. I decided to go down to the house to try and catch him on site. There was someone who was grouting the ensuite upstairs. So, in and up I went!

As it turned out, the tiler was not there, but the 'grouterer' let me know there was a problem with the laundry tiles. He couldn't be sure but thought they may have delivered the wrong sized ones. As it turned out, they had, but thankfully the tiler had not installed them. Being in the house I had a chance to have a little look around and take some pics (with the tradies permission, of course!)

After my five minute walk around I then rang the tiler and left a message on his phone to say yes, they were the wrong ones! He then rang back and finally I was able to talk to him!! We decided that he would install the leftover bathroom wall tiles instead! Easy!

The Master bedroom niche:

The ensuite with the 'grouterer':

TV area. Notice the heating vent in the ceiling:

Minor bedroom with wardrobe fit out:

Toilet upstairs with nicely centered floor tiles:

Kids bathroom, not grouted at this stage:

Gorgeous stairs!

...and the wine cellar underneath:

Close up of Caesarstone bench (Ice Snow) in kitchen:

Kitchen pantry...4 times bigger than the old one:

The wrong laundry wall tiles (far too small):

The powder room:

Laundry floor still to be grouted:

Laundry cupboard. No extra cost for 1/3 broom, 2/3 shelves:

Garage door:

Study through to one of the black front doors:

It was quite surreal to walk through it again, as it's been almost 4 weeks since I've been in. It looks fabulous and fresh, and we are really happy with the way the colours work together. We wanted a streamlined neutral classic look, and that is what we have. Love the stairs, love the doors and love the white woodwork!

Can't wait to get in and decorate to my hearts content now!

The final fit off has begun.

2009-07-20T16:20:00.004+10:00

Now that the internal painting has all been done, the other little fixtures can be attached! The downpipes were added on Thursday:

We had a good walk around the property on Sunday and I was able to take lots of pics through the dirty windows. Great to see the moat and lap pool now dissipating too!

Looking through the windows, the tradies have been busy! The alarm light and siren has been connected, along with the sensors inside:

The tiles have been delivered (and floor ones laid now...):

The heating and cooling vents have been installed (notice in the photo above the air intake grill and control panel towards the back left!):

And I finally got a glimpse of the Caesar Stone benches! They are Ice Snow, which is mostly white with a grey/taupe fleck through it:

We could have upgraded to have 40mm stone benches with a waterfall edge, but because our island bench is a right angle, I thought it may have looked funny, so we just went the standard 20mm stone top. It's also not as 'modern' which really isn't the whole feel of the house.

All the wardrobe and linen shelving has been installed, but we could only see the laundry and study really well, and the WIR upstairs if you looked closely! All the others are upstairs and not near windows! We umm'd and ahh'd about the study and study cupboard doors, and as you'll see, they open into one another. Our reasoning behind this was that the study cupboard will be shut 99% of the time, and so will the fixed study door that opens into the cupboard. We could have swung the cupboard door the other way, but it would mean walking 'around' the door to get to things while in the study. We'll just have to remember to put those little clear sticky dots on both doors where the handles will touch to avoid any chipping:

Looking through the windows, we noticed something in the fridge space that we have no idea what it is!! It's not the cold water point, as that is lower and on the left, and isn't the GPO for the fridge as the electrician hasn't been back for his fit off part (no other PP's anywhere!). If you have any ideas, I'd love to know!!

I studied the portico issue long and hard and took many photos of it, but I won't bore you all with them. There is definitely an issue somewhere and it may be the frame where the fascia and guttering is attached to it on the left side. Hopefully, it will be an easy fix and won't delay the proceedings too much.

I also noticed a few other things that will need attention when the SS gets back from his 1 weeks holiday. I found a small crack in the mortar join in one of the sills, and a small gap where it meets the window rubber strip. I'm not sure if it is an 'issue' but my guess is it will eventually let water in. I'll point it out to my SS and see what he says about it:

There are also a few gaps around the infill above the stacker door leading into the alfresco. This certainly won't let in water as it's under the roof line, but it looks messy and spiders would love it! The rubber seal on the stacker door is also sticking out and will need fixing:

I mentioned the scratches on my meter box to my SS a while ago, and he said it will probably be painted. The painter has finished and painted the powder room external vent, but not the meter box. I'll be requesting this again, as it is now rusty where it had chipped, and it has been affected by the acid wash from the brick cleaner:

My Husband called into the house on his way home from work, and met the tiler and saw the work he had done today. I have some pics from his mobile which I'll upload at a later stage. Lucky I didn't wait around all day for his phone call, as he had been given my Husband's number, not mine. When I finally got the call that he had rung and I should call him back, it was too late , and I would have had the kids with me. A missed opportunity to go through the house and take lots of new pics... :-(

Not Happy Jan...

Breaking News Flash: Many thanks to a lovely blog reader who emailed me and let me know the mystery 'thing' in the fridge space is the siren for the alarm! Note to self: "Don't be anywhere near the fridge when it goes off..."

Painting looks to be almost complete.

2009-07-16T14:56:00.002+10:00

I had a good look around the house yesterday, through dirty windows and dodging the ever expanding moat, and the interior painting looks to be finished! The balusters have lost their newspaper protection and the plastic is gone from the kitchen cupboards.

On Monday when I drove past the house The painter was just finishing up painting the inside edges of the front doors black. When I drove past on Tuesday, I was absolutely horrified to see that they were matt, not lovely sparkly, shiny gloss. I was pretty mortified! I assumed it may have been undercoat (why on already primed doors...?), but decided to wait a few days to see what happened before I rang my CSA.

On my look around yesterday, the crisis had been somewhat averted, as there was a coat of gloss on them! They do look stripey, and I hope they do another coat of gloss, or I will be asking for one. They 'should' be a lot shinier than what they currently are...

The 'missing' linea bands down the bottom of the portico piers were installed yesterday too, so with any luck, that will mean the rest of the portico can be finished in the 'proper' render colour.

Nice water feature we have too!

The laundry door also looked matt from the photos the other day (I didn't take them), but has since had it's coat of gloss. Not too concerned if this only has one coat as it's not a major feature of the house...unlike the front doors ;-)

All internal doors (apart from the pantry doors) are 2 panel and painted white gloss. Here is the garage internal access door:

And a delivery of downpipes sitting in the garage ready to be installed:

The stairs all painted and the handrail stained and varnished, and the walls, ceiling and skirtings all done:

Kitchen done and looks as though the stone benches are in too...although they are protected! Pot drawers still to be replaced:

Family room with the curved wall, and the perfect spot for my vintage London bus destination blind (yet to be 'assembled'!)

Now that it is rendered and I've had a good look at it, I've picked up an issue with the portico where the corbelled brick course meets the eaves. Previously, it was unoticed as the corbelled brick course blended in to the rest of the bricks, but since it's rendered, one side is quite different to the other. The right side looks great:

...but on the left side, there is a gap where the eaves meets the bricks, and the corbelled brick course (now rendered) is slightly shorter than the other side. The photos are pretty self explanatory:

Unsure how they will fix this, but I'll be requesting they attempt to do something as it looks uneven now I've spotted it. I'm sure no one else would ever see it (a little like my odd brick issue), but being on the front facade it needs to be perfect. Am I asking too much again??

Not sure of the progress today as I didn't get a chance to drop in! I Will after the school drop off tomorrow morning and see if we have downpipes!! I certainly hope they are installed soon...the moat around the front, along with the lap pool and spa are growing!

A little more progress.

2009-07-11T20:04:00.002+10:00

No photos today, sorry! But I should have lots through dirty windows tomorrow!

There hasn't been anything 'major' happening at the house this past week, but several tradies have been in and finishing off odd jobs. I caught the roofing Guy's on the garage roof earlier in the week, as they fixed some tiles, finished pointing the garage and installed the 'correct' guttering, so the outlet for the downpipe actually matches where the downpipe in the ground is! I did notice, though, that they have broken off the corner of one tile which is now open to the elements (and yes, it's still rainy in Melbourne...) and the garage ceiling has now been gyprocked...only to get wet again. Thankfully, it hasn't been painted (hasn't been stopped yet either), so if it gets wet and mouldy, they'll just have to replace it!

The alfresco has been completed with the missing course of bricks, the cornice and painting of the infill board, ceiling and support beams. The infill and support beams are all painted in 'Paperbark', so it ties in well with the windows and the guttering/fascia.

We were there today for a couple of minutes to collect the fence extension panels we need to modify, and install for our occupancy certificate, and was great to see tradies working on a Saturday! We didn't want to disturb them, so resisted the temptation to go in and have a look, but just collected the fence extension panels and left. We will be installing them tomorrow, so I'll get a chance to take pics through dirty windows then.

The painting has been delayed somewhat, and the tiler was supposed to start on the 15th. As the plastering and the painting still hasn't been completed the tiler will not be able to start next week, and so this probably pushes our handover back by a week. Still no 'official' date, but fingers crossed it's at the end of August, giving us time to get the cabling fit off and flooring done before we move in. Ideally, we'd like to be able to move most of the stuff from storage while the kids are still at school. End of Term 3 starts on 18th September...so fingers crossed. The gap is slowly closing, but with any luck, we'll be OK...

Render and painting begins.

2009-07-05T12:37:00.003+10:00

I've been away for a few days and was astonished to see the render on the front portico on my return! Even more so due to it happening during one of Melbourne's wettest weeks for some months! It changes the facade quite considerably, but should look fabulous once the final colour is on (I hope!).

The painters were due to begin last Friday, and there was evidence that they have begun! Through dirty windows I could see the stair balusters have all been nicely wrapped in newspaper to protect them, and there were a few paint tins about the place. All good progress!

The plaster patch up was done after I had been in for our site meeting, as the stairs have since been filled in, and there was evidence of a few bits of cornice and mess on the floor in the kitchen. The correct pot drawers, hopefully, have been re ordered, but I'd expect them to take a few weeks to complete. We also noticed that the hallway doors have been hung correctly, according to our plans.

I received a call from my SS on Friday wondering if I had 'collected' any spare bricks lying around prior to a site clean. Hehe...yes, I had about 40! After my disappointment at all those bricks (including opened pallets) being whisked away, I scrounged around every nook and cranny and grabbed what I could! I even replaced all the 'door propers' from whole bricks to half bricks! I intended on using them for the footings for the brick fence. Anyway... the reason for the request, is they are a course short in the alfresco, so the cornice cannot be installed. All he wanted was about 8 bricks, so I happily dropped them off around the back for them!

Good to also see the infill above the stacker doors installed. That was one of my "Why didn't I do that?" moments and have it bricked...but with everything else to think of it was overlooked. No biggy, just a little annoying.

With all the rain we've had in the last week, and the absence of downpipes, all the water runoff from the gutters is dripping onto the ground. It almost looks as though our castle is surrounded by a moat!

Our newly created swimming pool which we didn't have to pay for...

...our lap pool down the side of the house...

...and it even comes with a spa!!

We do actually have a roof leaking problem in the alfresco and the garage. The garage one is pretty self explanatory, as there is a tile missing from when the flashing was installed, and the rain drips down straight onto the inside of the eave in that corner. The underside of the North west corner of the alfresco eaves also has water in it, but not sure why. With the painters there, I hope this gets fixed and dried out before any painting, as I'd hate to see water marks through the paint, or worse...mould.

We have no idea if the rest of the roof is water tight, as we can't get in to see it. Fingers crossed it is, otherwise there will be some replacing of batts and plaster in order.

Looking forward to seeing what unfolds this week!

Fixing Stage Complete.

2009-06-27T18:19:00.003+10:00

It's been a while since an update, as nothing really visible has happened on the exterior and I am locked out! I did have an onsite meeting with my lovely SS on Friday morning, so was able to have a good look around and take lots of photos! Also at this meeting was a person from the flooring place to properly measure for the floorboards and the carpet.

The fixing stage has been completed, which means all the cabinets are in, including the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms, all the skirtings and architraves have been installed, and the doors are on. It looks fabulous, and I am so happy with the choices we made with the interior doors and the higher skirtings.

The ensuite vanity unit, with double basins and lots of storage and bench space for my beautiful apothecary jars:

We deleted the bath, and extended the WIR and had a bigger shower instead:

The master bedroom with the double ensuite doors on the left. I measured the little alcove, and our bed plus bedside tables should fit in here:

TV area upstairs with the linen cupboard on the left, bedroom 2, bedroom 3 past the stairs, bath and toilet out of view, and bed 4 on the right. Loving the 2 panel doors! I wanted a consistant look throughout the house, so I put them on all the robes too.

We have a bath in the kids' bathroom! It's not a huge space, but hopefully there won't be too many fights over it when they are teenagers! At least there is another shower if worse comes to worse!

The full width mirror extending over the bath will give an illusion of space:

The double doors into the family/meals/kitchen from the hallway. This is one of the first things I noticed was wrong. They have been swung the way that Henley 'normally' do them, but we requested they swing the other way into the hallway. On a standard plan there is no under stair storage door, but because we added this in, a bulk head had to be moved closer to the family room. Normally, without the understair door, the doors would sit open against the walls, but because we moved them, we specifically requested they be swung the other way to avoid having to walk around the open door when going to the kitchen. This is clearly demonstrated in the following photos. Thankfully, this will be rectified according to our plans. You would think that the chippies would actually read them, and not assume...wouldn't you?

The kitchen! Another thing I noticed was the 2 banks of 3 pot drawers in the kitchen were all the same size. According to our plans and the drawings we signed off on, both the top ones should be skinnier, and the bottom 2 deeper. This is what I wanted, as it means you can store all the small cooking untensils in the top drawer with not as much wasted space, and have the 2 deeper ones for the crockery, mugs, pots and pans. After showing my SS the dimensions on the plans, he agreed with me, and they will be changed:

The kitchen island bench with double sink and dishwasher provision:

The kitchen is a glossy 2 pac finish in 'Alabaster'. It is white, but slightly warmer that the 'Polar White', and not as creamy as 'Antique White'! The Caesar Stone bench top will be 'Ice Snow', which is predominantly white with small flecks of greyish/light brownish through it. They should be installed this coming week:

The kitchen from the meals area looking towards the wrong hall doors on the right. The double flush doors is the pantry (I can't wait for all that space! It's about 4 times as big as the one in our old house!), the oven tower for the double oven and microwave, and the fridge space (yes, it will fit!). The open shelf above the fridge will be for recipe books and my "EAT" letters:

The meals area with the north window we added in. Under the window our buffet will fit nicely, and my gorgeous 1m wide wrought iron French style clock will sit on the wall on the left:

The family room taken from the meals area. Big enough, I think:

Dining room and stair case:

Lounge room for my gorgeous Toorak 3 seater couches (among other things!):

The laundry and lots of extra storage! Having had a tiny laundry with no storage in the old house, I made sure we added in a bench top and upper and lower cupboards:

The bench top is laminex Diamond Gloss Pure Mineralstone, and will tie in nicely with the Caesar Stone everywhere else:

The linen cupboard will have 1/3 broom and ironing board section, and 2/3rds shelving:

Looking down the hall to the front doors. The garage entrance door is on the right:

The powder room vanity and space for the mirror. Caesar Stone benchtop to go in here too:

Although I spent over an hour inside the house, I didn't take as many pics as I could have! I was pretty busy discussing things with my SS and carpet measurer! Half the time I was juggling a bag, a note book, the plans and my camera, so I apologise for the quality of the pics, but at least it gives you an idea!

Along with all the work that has gone on inside, all the infills have been done above the doors where it was required. Apart from the 2 issues inside and a downpipe on the garage which is in the wrong spot, I couldn't fault anything! We are extremely happy with everything, and can't wait to have handover in approximately 8 weeks (give or take 2 weeks)!

RIP Michael Jackson 1958-2009.

Front doors are in!

2009-06-22T22:42:00.004+10:00

Finally, some more work on the facade to take photos of since I have no access inside until Friday...only 4 more sleeps ;) !

...only you'll just have to image they are glossy black!

The renderer is still MIA. I know he doesn't like to do it when there is any chance of rain on the forecast, but today was a gorgeous sunny day in Melbourne. Perhaps he is finishing someone else's. Anyway, he has 'roughly' 10 weeks to complete it (give or take 2 weeks)...

I can't wait to get back inside! I'm sure I'll be just like a kid let loose in a lolly shop!

Latest Artwork.

2009-06-21T12:54:00.004+10:00

It's been a few months since I have made any artwork, just been a little busy! Last week I made the decision to make a peg board for my Niece's Birthday to match the one I previously made for her brother! I already had the idea in the back of my mind, as well as most of the materials, so it didn't take too long at all. This one has, by far, been the easiest one to do, and I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out!

Very girly, don't you think?

I am slowly putting a list together of questions and queries for my site meeting on Friday. I will also go armed with the plans to see if the cabinets are right, swatches to check the colours of the cabinets and benches if they are in, and a tape measure to measure the fridge space, washing machine space and alcove where we plan to put our bed! I will be making careful note of all the skirtings and architraves to see if the walls are straight, and there are no obvious 'bows'. I'm not sure if the doors will be left off for painting, otherwise I will also be checking the doors to see if they are even, especially the 4 sets of double doors when closed!

I can't wait to get in and have a good look around again! Be prepared for a huge post with lots of photos!!

New Fridge and Couches.

2009-06-18T14:33:00.003+10:00

Yesterday, my couches were delivered to Mum and Dad's where they will safely be stored, wrapped in plastic until we move in. I won't get to see them for over a week!

Freedom have been fantastic at prolonging the delivery as long as possible. I ordered them back in January when they were on sale! I still have arm rest covers to come as I ordered them later...once I knew they even existed!

Also on sale was the fridge we have had our eye on for several years! It should fit in the space perfectly (all going to plan), so this morning I put a deposit down on it, and can cancel the order (and use the deposit for another fridge or Dyson etc) if it doesn't fit when I measure the space next Friday.

Although it's not terribly large, we will still have our 12 year old 'upside down' fridge in the garage where we can store things we don't necessarily need on a daily basis, and our party food (large pavlovas and Christmas turkeys!) and drinks! I think with careful planning and storage, both the freezer and fridge will be perfect! Also with the added bonus of filtered cold water and ice on tap. The shop will warehouse it until delivery, which could be up to 4 months away. With any luck, it will only be about 10 weeks! I'm very happy to have saved over $770 on it!

I have just received our weekly update from our CSA. Everything's going really well and the fixing carpenter should be finished this week. Which means all my doors, architraves, skirtings and cabinets are in! I also discovered that the house is now 72% complete! We are now into week 20 of the build, and according to Henley, 63 working days (no weekends/holidays etc), and we haven't had any rain delays which has been fantastic! The painter has been pushed back until the 3rd July. This could take 2 weeks max, then the tilers are due in, which could also take 2 weeks. After that the fit off should begin, which could take about 2 weeks as well. Then the last 2 weeks will be inspections and checks before a possible handover. So, in an ideal world, we could be looking at being in in 10 weeks! Of course, I still anticipate about 12-14 weeks! It has been a smooth build so far, but I guess now the fixtures and features are the most important part, and if they are not 'right' then there will invariably be delays.

At least we should be in by Christmas!! ;-)

A day that got me nowhere at all...

2009-06-16T19:56:00.002+10:00

Today was one of the most frustrating days!

I have always had the plan that I was going to change the tapware to something more 'traditional'. I purposely chose the tapware that Henley provided because I wanted the 2 taps and 1 spout instead of a mixer tap. I didn't want to have to pay for an upgrade to something I wasn't going to keep, either. Unfortunately, so I discovered last Friday, the taps I chose at the colour appointment use a 3/4 turn ceramic disk mechanism, as opposed to a standard washer type arrangement.

Today I went to Cosham and picked out other taps that use the washer not the ceramic disc and then set about attempting to organise a PCV to have them all changed. If only it could have been that simple...

As it turns out, according to my SS, it is now too late to make any changes. So, no PCV and no different taps. Looks as though I'm stuck with taps I hate and can't easily be changed after handover because the mechanism is completely wrong. This is probably the reason why people build twice...they learn so many mistakes they made in the first place so as not to repeat them EVER again!!

I am so annoyed and frustrated that I cannot have the taps I desire because a) Henley didn't provide them in the first place, and b) I did not know enough about taps in the first place before I made my decision to try and save money and not upgrade initially.

To change the taps after handover, will most likely mean ripping off tiles and plaster and compromising the waterproofing. Not happy about it at all, but there is nothing I can do about it...

On another sad note, our lovely CSA who has been wonderful, professional and always willing to answer anything, will no longer be our CSA. I'm pretty guttered, as changes to Admin staff means getting to know someone new and getting to know the way they do things. Added stress that I really don't appreciate at the moment. Not happy, but not a lot I can do.

Apparently I have a kitchen too! Although I can't get in to see it until next Friday That's 10 whole days away! Oh the pain!! I can't stand the waiting!!

I'll leave this post on a more positive note. My beautiful 2 x 3 seater Toorak couches from Freedom are to be delivered tomorrow!! Yippee!! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to share with you some photos. Until then, I'll keep sipping at my glass of red and eating chocolate...

Gorgeous Stairs!

2009-06-14T09:46:00.003+10:00

I took some photos through very dirty windows yesterday of my beautiful stairs! Also piled up in the lounge room are the internal 2 panel doors and from what I could see through the window, it looks as though my gorgeous front doors are there in amongst the pile too!

Beautiful curved stairs with the curly balusters (dust collectors!), including the 5th one on the top landing:

Looking through the other dining window to the bottom of the stairs and the pile of architraves and skirtings:

Looking into the lounge with at the stack of doors. If you look closely, you can see 2 doors, slightly greenish, and not sitting flush with the rest of them. These look like my lovely Corinthian Classic PCL 2B front doors. There are also what looks like 2 doors that are higher than any of the others. I believe these are for the pantry:

I also noticed the A/J's (articulation or expansion joins) in the bricks had been filled. The colour matches the bricks fairly well, which is probably why I hadn't noticed it before! Not sure when they were done:

Interested to see what happens this week! With any luck the fixing carpenter will be on site installing the doors etc, and then maybe the kitchen might be delivered!!

I Have Stairs!!!!!

2009-06-12T09:27:00.002+10:00

...but first, here are the pictures of the garage roof tiles from Wednesday!

While I was there yesterday morning taking these photos, there was (obviously) a car parked in the new 'undercover' garage. From inside I could hear some nail bashing going on, but had no idea who, what or why.

It wasn't until my Husband returned home from work (and a peek through dirty windows) that we had stairs!! We both went back with 'site shoes' and a torch and peeked through the dining windows. Gorgeous, gorgeous stairs! This is what they will eventually look like, although different paint colours:

The 'walls' of the stairs will match the wall colour, while the rest of the woodwork on the stairs will be white to match the rest of the woodwork throughout the house. The banister will be stained and glossed as it is in the photo. The reason why we decided to do this was that it will 'hide' more finger prints and grime, and if it chips accidentally, then the stain will be a bit more forgiving than if it was white. It will also tie in with the colour of our floorboards down the hallway and into the family/kitchen/meals.

When we did our colour appointment or Tender (I can't remember), I asked to have 6 decorative balusters, to include 2 on the top of the stairs in the TV area. I was advised that they can only provide 4. That was OK, I could live with that...well I have 5 that I could see!!

There is one on the first rise of stairs, 2 on the curved landing, another on the second rise of stairs, and the last on the top landing. Lovely!!

I'm so looking forward to my next site meeting in a few weeks when I can look at them properly and walk up them!!! There was also a delivery of doors, architraves and skirtings! I can't wait to see it all come together!!!

Garage roof tiles.

2009-06-10T20:46:00.003+10:00

On my morning drive-by I bumped into my SS on site and stopped for a very quick chat (it was freezing and raining!). I asked a few questions about what was next on the agenda and whether there were any 'problems' with the plaster. There are a few, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary, and all will be addressed. My guess is it's possibly the frame that might be slightly out of whack in a few places, and the plaster tends to show every little thing that's not quite right! The fixing carpenter/s is away at the moment (not sure when he/they are getting back...), but the tiles are due to go on this week. Rendering cannot happen while it's raining, and for once, it's raining in Melbourne! I'm actually not too concerned about the render. Just as long as it's done prior to handover, it doesn't matter when. It's actually probably better if it is delayed, just so it doesn't get knocked or wrecked by other trades, as render cannot be patched successfully.

I also asked my SS whether he was willing to give an approximate time until handover. I suggested somewhere between 12 to 16 weeks, and he replied sooner, rather than later! It is still too early to tell, as there is still quite a bit to organise with several different trades. He will have more of an idea once the painters are in. Not sure when that will be!

Considering the showery weather today, I didn't pack my camera and I thought twice about driving by after the school pick-up...but I did anyway! I was gobsmacked to see the garage roof tiles had been done! But, no photos until tomorrow morning...sorry! Very impressed at the tradies my SS prefers to use! The brickies worked in the rain back in April, and the roofing guys did it today! Thanks fellas!!

We're Plastered Part 2.

2009-06-03T20:59:00.002+10:00

No one on site today, so I was able to go back and have a look around up stairs after my very quick run around this morning.

TV area:

The curved wall for the stairs:

Back of the curved wall in bedroom 3:

Bedroom 2:

MB. Ensuite on the left, WIR around the corner to the right:

Ensuite and toilet to the left (separate room):

Ensuite:

Master Bedroom. Ensute to left, WIR to the right:

Master Bedroom through to the main bathroom at the end. Ensuite to the right:

I can't believe they did all of this in one day! Amazing! I'm not sure what will be on the agenda next, nor when the plasterers are back to finish and install the cornice. Who knows, tommorrow I may have garage roof tiles!

We are very impressed with the consistant work so far. We'll be in before we know it!! Maybe I should begin to think about packing...

We're Plastered!!!

2009-06-03T14:32:00.003+10:00

Hehe...couldn't resist! I've waited a long time to be able to say that!!

It was another very productive day yesterday. When I drove past in the morning, there was a van in the driveway, but I couldn't see much action happening inside the house. It wasn't until I went past at around 3pm, that it was all systems go!

I was very surprised to see the guttering and the fascias had been installed on the garage, and also the scaff was in place ready for the tilers.

I didn't dare go near the house, as someone was throwing out the offcuts of plaster out the MB window and onto the ground below! From what I could see, they had done the top storey, and were still working on the bottom. I took a few pics, then left and decided to go back later. I did, at around 5pm, and they were still there!!! No such luck for a 'stalk walk'. Never mind!

Today, on my morning visit, there were no vans in the driveway, so I quickly had a look through the windows in the dining and family rooms. There were plastered walls!! I went round the back and was surprised to see the stacker door ajar (so much for lock-up AGAIN!). I had a very quick look around the ground floor for fear of being sprung! I didn't venture upstairs, but will try and get a chance later this afternoon. I did manage to snap away at all that I could in my 2 minutes!

Family room from stacker door towards the curved stair wall:

Meals (under the window which we added) and the kitchen:

family room with ceiling not quite completed yet:

Dining room with ladder (stairs eventually...) and the door to the wine cellar:

Lounge room:

Entrance and the double front doors:

From the entrance looking back towards the family room:

Clean bricks!! Although they are still a little damp (no sun!):

Beautiful!!

The alfresco ceiling has been installed too:

Lower bricks cleaned and more batts.

2009-06-01T20:43:00.003+10:00

Still no sign of the plasterers, but more batts were installed on Saturday, and the lower section of the bricks were given a clean today. The house was left unlocked again on Sunday, so that enabled us to have a good look around at the batts. They still hadn't quite finished, but it all looked pretty good!

Upgraded R2 batts for the walls. We could have upgraded to a maximum of R2.3, but that would have cost us over $1000! R2 will be fine, considering our old house had nothing...not even foil wrap!

We went for the maximum of R4.1 in the ceilings:

The meter box all wrapped up in the study ready for plaster:

We included R2 soundscreen batts to many internal walls to help deaden the noise between rooms. I really wanted to make sure we had it in between the bedrooms and the stair well, as well as the bedrooms and the bathrooms. Nothing worse than having a sleep in and being woken by someone having a shower in the next room!

Ceiling batts in the only single storey part of the house. The meals area and a small part of the family room. There is no access to the roof space here:

On my drive-by this morning, the plumber's van was there, and so was a ladder leading to the roof. Not sure what was going on, but could possibly have been to do with the evap cooling.

Later this afternoon, I returned and was interested to know why the garage roof trusses were dripping in water. It took me a few seconds to realise the lower part of the bricks had just been cleaned! There was water everywhere..IE MUD...so I didn't venture far at all. They look fabulous..just a little wet!!

No news, either, on the crooked truss or the possum problem!

Garage Roof and Wall Batts Part 2.

2009-05-29T21:46:00.004+10:00

I arrived back at the house just after 3pm to find the gates open and no one on site. I grabbed the camera and took a few pics of the newly installed garage roof trusses. The chippies had to knock out a line of bricks in order to install the trusses, and the 11 'whole' bricks I could find (many were smashed) are now safely in the back of the car! Shhhh!

Not quite sure what to make of the crooked one, but will shoot off an email to my CSA Sunday night with this pic attached:

Impressed to see the trusses were made from MGP12 (Machine Grade Pine 12). The remainder of the house is a mix of F5 and MGP10. I haven't been close enough to the house roof trusses to see if they were MGP12...they could well be!

The guttering for the garage was also delivered today:

I walked around the side, peering into the dirty windows and discovered the walls covered in batts! I was greeted with this huge pile sitting in the alfresco:

I shouldn't have bothered to take photos through the dirty windows as the stacker door had been left ajar. So much for lock-up! Couldn't resist and had to go in for a look! The batts in the family room:

Batts in the lounge room:

And soundscreen batts around the stairs:

It has made all the difference, and it feels so cosy and not 'echoey' as it had previously. All the internal sound screen batts appear to be in the correct place around the ground floor. I was running out of time to go and look upstairs, but should get a chance sometime over the weekend. The job is not completed, though.

When my Husband checked on the way home from work, the garage internal door AND the front door where left unlocked!

Not looking as boxy anymore:

Garage Roof and Wall Batts.

2009-05-29T10:23:00.002+10:00

Yesterday, the plasterers still had not commenced, but I was excited to see the garage roof trusses had arrived!

Doesn't she look beautiful! :-)

This morning when I drove past (without my camera...) at 10am, the trusses were up AND there was a truck in the driveway full of insulation batts!! I can't wait to have a snoop through the windows a little later this afternoon!

Photos to follow...

Locked Out!!

2009-05-27T17:01:00.002+10:00

As of yesterday, we are officially locked out. The windows are all shut and locked, and the temp doors have temp locks on them...which are locked. I'll be peering through the downstairs windows taking pics for a while!

Last I heard, the plastering was due to begin today, but we are still missing the wall batts and sound screen batts to go in before the plaster. At least something happened though! The site was cleaned again with a bobcat moving leftover brickies sand about the place (unfortunately adding to my already very sandy soils...), and on peering through the windows, the whole interior has been swept clean. I would love to have a walk around, but unable too.

Several times in previous posts, I have mentioned "The House Down The Road". It was demolished the same time as ours, and 2 units built in it's place. One unit is now sold and the other I had the chance to walk through a few weekends ago.

I discovered that it has a Laminex Alabaster 2 pac kitchen...the same colour as mine. It was wonderful to see it 'in the flesh' on a large scale, having chosen it from the tiny chips! It certainly doesn't look pink at all, but is just a nice warm very slightly off white colour, and not as 'cool' as the polar white. I think it will blend in with all my colour choices.

This unit is a classic example of why we went down the path of demolishing and rebuilding.

"Featuring 3 good sized bedrooms master with ensuite and huge walk in robe, large family and kitchen meals area and separate lounge. The courtyard is north facing and low maintenance. The property was built using the best quality materials such as: Daniel Robertson bricks and terracotta tiles, granite bench tops and 9 foot ceilings. Featuring reverse cycle air-conditioning, alarm system and ducted vacuuming. Located on a corner block on it's own separate title."

Not to mention a custom build by a renowned local builder, and, of course, the glossy 2 pac kitchen. It could be yours for a measly $800,000!! Another one of two double storey townhouse on a corner block (with separate title) sold a few weeks ago for $1.2M.

Mad, I tell you!!

Lock up invoice received and scaffold dismantled.

2009-05-25T21:58:00.004+10:00

I drove past after the school run this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see half of the scaffold had already been dismantled! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but I made a return journey a little later and bumped into my SS on site. We had a good chat about things, and discussed the issue of the 'possible possum' in the roof. He will get the heating guys to come out and check the ducts for any 'intruders'! It's actually not an uncommon thing to happen, but I'd prefer not to have a live possum plastered in my new home! While I was there, I was able to take a few pics of the cleaned top section of bricks, and the facade for the first time without scaff.

The lock up invoice had been delivered by the time I left for school pick up, and yes, it's HUGE!! More interest to pay now, unfortunately.

I returned to the house to see all of the scaff gone, but still sitting in piles across the front. She's looking lovely now! Despite the lock up invoice, the front doors were still wide open! The locks should go on within the next days I'd imagine, ready for the plaster.

Can't wait for the plaster to begin, but due to being 'locked out' many of my photos will be through windows...

Top storey bricks cleaned.

2009-05-23T22:36:00.004+10:00

Just a short post tonight with a few pics taken this morning of our freshly cleaned bricks! It's difficult to see properly with all the scaffolding, and impossible to get around either side of the house, but you get the 'idea'! They were still a little damp, but once dried out, they'll look even better!!!

New bricks ordered.

2009-05-22T20:32:00.003+10:00

As the title suggests, yesterday I spent the morning chasing up my missing bricks. The Gentleman at Daniel Robertson's, who looks after the Henley houses/orders, spent a while with me discussing how many bricks I would roughly need for the 'proposed' fence for our property. He then placed an order for me for 1,360 bricks. It's going to cost me a little over $1,350. Not sure how much the labour to build the fence will cost, but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes along!

It was paramount that I act quickly on getting the bricks, as there is now a significant colour difference between batches. As suspected, my bricks are the 'old', more colourful batch (thankfully), and there is not nearly the vibrant colour variations in the 'new' batch. The new batch would look disgustingly obvious next to the house!!

Now that that has been taken care of, I can rest a little easier, especially since scouring the site yesterday for any brick remotely salvageable, and ending up with at least 30. They will be perfect for the footings.

Also yesterday on site, I noticed the powder room toilet plumbing had been removed and was sitting in the rubbish cage:

Upon further investigation, the outlet has been amended, and there is no longer a 'shelf' in it!

Here is how she looked in the fog yesterday morning:

Complete with freshly painted eaves:

I also noticed the cornice which has been sitting across the garage entrance door for over a week has been damaged:

It happens, I guess, and hopefully it will be easily patched (or better still, not used at all) on my walls!

This morning on my 'drive-by', there wasn't anyone there, but on my return journey this afternoon, the top storey of bricks had been cleaned! It was too dark to take any pics (and I didn't have my camera), so I will take some tomorrow morning after they have dried somewhat. They look fabulous though...but I always knew they would!

Still not officially at lock-up, but hopefully that will happen next week. The invoice will be a killer! We worked out that it will be MORE than what our first mortgage for the original house was!

Brick saga continues.....

2009-05-20T22:30:00.000+10:00

After too-ing and fro-ing with phone messages today, I was finally able to talk to my CSA about my utter disappointment at my missing bricks. I was lead to believe that ALL the bricks could be mine, but in actual fact, only the opened pallets were supposed to stay. In the end, they ended up taking the lot, which they shouldn't have. So my CSA has apologised profusely. Still leaves me very disappointed having asked on several occasions to keep the bricks.

I decided I would then scour the site for any odd left overs this afternoon, but by the time I got there, the rubbish cage had been emptied and the site had been completely cleared, leaving NOT ONE brick in the front of the property. I was, again, bitterly disappointed...should have done it over the weekend. But then again, I thought I was doing the right thing by going through the right channels and gaining permission to do so. In future I'll just do it, like I did with the 6 roof and capping tiles I have here in the garage...

Anyway, I have attempted to get in contact with the Rep from Daniel Robertson who looks after all the Henley bricks, but have not been able to. I have decided to go to their showroom in Nunawading tomorrow and organise to have those 6 pallets of bricks reserved for me (and any more they might have) so I can have the matching brick fence I so desire. Unfortunately, I will have to pay for them, and they won't be able to deliver them until after handover...that is, IF they have them and they haven't been taken elsewhere, or worse still, binned. Now that would be an absolute tragedy, and an utter waste of such gorgeous bricks - my bricks.

Still no lock-up, but the eaves have been painted.

6 pallets of unused bricks GONE...

2009-05-19T22:06:00.003+10:00

I'm a bit annoyed at the moment. On several occasions I had asked my SS that I keep the left over bricks from the house so I could use them for our front fence. It was only last Friday afternoon, I rang my CSA and asked if I could have permission to move the pallets to the back of the property over the weekend. She said she would get back to me. Well, she hasn't yet, and now the bricks have gone back to the manufacturer. I will be ringing her tomorrow to try and get them back. If that fails I will have to go directly through Daniel Robertson and pay for them myself and get them to somehow hold them for me, at least until the scaff comes down and I can have access to the back of the properly and move them there myself. Not happy, Jan, not happy at all.

Apart from that bitter disappointment, things have been moving along nicely. The eaves have been finished on the top storey, including the linea bands which will be rendered and painted Paperbark to match the fascias, gutters, windows and downpipes:

We also have our 'Jasper' weatherboards!

I'm really happy with the way they have turned out. I was a little concerned that the Jasper would be too dark, but I always knew to have Paperbark boards was going to look wrong. At least this way they blend in with the bricks well, and certainly don't stand out. Best of all, they will never need painting!

Grrrrrr at the bricks...

Eaves and Wiring.

2009-05-18T22:27:00.002+10:00

I was able to have a little walk around (Shhhh....) on Saturday and check out all the wiring and position of the cooling vents. I've had such a busy weekend, and updating the blog was the last thing on my mind! Here are some pics of our little trip through...where I also noticed a few more noggins specifically for the towel rails and toilet roll holders. Fantastic! I didn't even have to ask for them! ;-)

The mess of wiring, cables and water pipes in the wall between the study and the laundry:

Power, HDMI and TV point all in the alfresco. Great for Grand Final/Bathurst/storm chasing BBQ's:

The solar panel for the hot water and the evap cooling unit now on the roof:

The cooling unit in the roof:

This is how she looked Saturday morning:

And this is what has been happening today!:

I just hope the 'eaves guy' remembers to put the window back together again! Could be a little draughty ;-). By the looks of it, he could be finished tomorrow. Not sure what the next course of action is. Possibly the weatherboards out the back, painting the eaves, or acid washing the bricks, which I am eagerly waiting for! Then my beautiful Daniel Robertson's come to life!!

Completely off topic, I stocked up on incandescent light globes today, and will need to buy more at some stage this week (now that I found a shop that has them!). I refuse to have fluros in my beautiful chandelier! It just won't look right...

Bricking Finished!

2009-05-15T16:34:00.004+10:00

The brickies have finished, packed up their stuff and gone home! The rest of the portico went up yesterday (they were still finishing it off at nearly 5pm), and the lintel was sitting in it's place for the brickwork above the garage. This morning when I went past, the last bricks were being put in place above the garage and the trailer was being packed up ready for the next job. We have approximately 6 pallets of bricks left, and I'm just waiting on confirmation from my CSA that we are able to move them to the back of the property this weekend so they won't be cleaned up with the next site clean due shortly! I really want the left over bricks for our front fence.

This afternoon when I drove past, the 'Cable Guy' was finishing up putting in an HDMI cable from the main TV area to the TV point in the Alfresco so we are able to watch DVD's out there as well. We also have some more plaster (although it's now sitting out in the rain...) and more tiles for the garage roof and wooden 'tile supports' to sit on the roof trusses for the tiles. Just no sign of the trusses, but they won't be able to be installed until the scaff comes down, and there are still a few jobs to tick off the list before they can do that. I also believe we have our evaporative cooling unit on the roof too, but I missed it, and I'll take some pics of it tomorrow!

These pics are from yesterday of the portico and garage door lintel:

And these are all I had time to take today before it started raining!

The portico all finished, and a glimpse of the 4 courses of bricks above the garage door:

The leftover pallets of bricks:

And the plaster out in the rain:

It's all happening!

An update from my CSA yesterday also confirmed that wall batts are due for around the 21st, and the plaster on the 27th! Lock-up (and the rather large invoice of a massive 35%) will be next week!!!

EDIT: On closer inspection of the supposed plaster out in the rain...it's actually the cement sheeting for the eaves! Oooops!! ;-)

A Very Productive Day.

2009-05-13T22:16:00.002+10:00

What a few busy days it has been, in particularly, today. We can now cross off the list: Electrical rough-in, heating unit and ducts, alarm pre-wire and house bricked except for garage and portico.

Yesterday, the brickies finished around the sides of the house, and began on the front:

There was also a fresh delivery of sand and 3 (possibly 4) more pallets of bricks:

I received a call from my CSA on Tuesday to discuss the furry intruders! I suggested that I wanted to put some bait around the place as I didn't want them to chew through the wiring and possibly cause a fire if chewed wire was plastered up and no one knew about it. I was also concerned about the intruder getting plastered in the wall cavity, and having to live with the smell of a decomposing 'something' in a brand new house.

It was decided that I would leave the ratsack outside the porta loo for my SS to distribute around the place. So, site visit 1 today was around 10:30am to drop off the package!

I then received a phone call at about 2pm from my CSA explaining that my SS had put the baits around! I had queried on several occasions, if I could get the sparkies to put in an extra double power point in the laundry at bench height, and pay them on the day. It was suggested that it I'd have to go through head office and get the plans changed (meaning it could possibly cost me $500 for a PCV.) My CSA and SS gave me the OK to go on site and catch the sparkies before they finished the job and ask them to do it for me and pay them cash. Fantastic!

Site visit number 2 was to organise that! $65 later, and a $5 tip for being so accommodating at such short notice, and the deal was done!

Site visit number 3 was to sneak in and check on the wiring! I got down there just after 5pm as one of the tradies was packing up his car. I was 'hovering' out the front taking some pics and he wanted to know if I was the owner. I then asked him if he had installed the heating. He said, "No, I was installing the ducted vacuum". I looked very blankly at him and said, "But I'm not having ducted vacuum." I did actually pause for a nano second and thought maybe I shouldn't say anything in case I get it for free!!! His reply was, "I got you there for a minute, didn't I? I was installing the alarm!!" Drats.... ;-)

He said I was quite welcome to go in, and he wouldn't tell anyone!!! I did wander through, and was amazed at the mass of wiring and ducts everywhere! It was getting darkish, and difficult to take photos, so I will try and get there earlier tomorrow. One thing I did also notice, was the cold water point which was residing in the pot drawer has been moved to it's correct position in the fridge space!

The downpipe here Will have to be moved, as it will interfere with the light! According to the plans, the pipe should run down the wall quite close to the right edge of the brickwork, not in the middle:

Here is my first "Why the hell didn't I pick that up!" moment:

It's wired exactly according to the electrical plan, but why I didn't pick it up that it was not in the middle of the wall is beyond me! It's only a light, but I think I'll have to put a big pot/urn/plant thingy in the corner to balance the misaligned light...D'OH!

Lots of ducts and wiring:

All the front facade photos I took today were pretty average, being towards the sun. I'll just have to go back tomorrow morning and take some more while the brickies are there!