9th July Update

I'm really sorry everyone. I cannot believe it's been 6 weeks since I posted an update...I'm not sure how that actually happened, but oh well...it did.
So, there has been some progress made over the past 6 weeks...as one would hope and expect!
The oldest progress to mention, I guess, would be the installation of the splashback in the kitchen...I really like it, especially around the window, but I assume everyone has their own opinion...a couple pictures below.

                     

We've also painted the closet in the theatre room...we've managed to completely get rid of the Jarrah-looking floor-to-ceiling closet doors that made the room really dark. It's hard to believe just how long little jobs like that can take...several weekends of priming, painting the framework, and glossing the doors...so glad that's over! Now we're just waiting for the pool ball cabinet knobs that Andy has ordered for his "pool room"!

                      

It's amazing what you can find in the back of the garage once all of the "stuff" in storage starts coming out! Andy took a time-out to re-arrange everything in the garage in order to make some room...unfortunately it wasn't for his project car or a boat or anything cool like that...instead, it was to make more room so we could store some things for a friend. That's ok though... :)

                     

Since I last posted, Andy also recruited some help in the form of one of our good friends, Ben, to help lay tiles in the laundry room. Of course, that first required waterproofing, which is a very smelly job...worse than gloss, I would reckon!

Waterproofing

Tiling

Andy also managed to get the soak wells dug outside the balcony, so that we'd stop making sand pits every time it rained! It has improved the condition of the backyard...if you even want to call it a yard at this stage...it's still just a pile of sand & dirt!

                            

                     

I would have to say, though, that the most progress over the past 6 weeks has been in the kitchenette. We got the flooring installed before the last blog, but that was as far as we'd gotten. We realized that the walls would need a lot of work before we'd be able to even fix a splashback to them, much less to leave them open. So, we spent an entire afternoon at IKEA on a Friday afternoon planning our kitchenette out...and the Saturday morning picking up all of the bits.

Also, I've had a go at plastering. After removing the skirting tile along the floor and the tiles along the backsplash, we realized that the walls needed a lot of work, so I did a bit of experimenting with patching plaster...not an easy job! And geez...sanding back to make it smooth is like sneezing into a pile of flour...it turns the entire room into a cloud of white! But after several weekends of plastering and sanding, we finally got the walls to a relatively acceptable level.

Then Andy was able to start building our IKEA kitchen...

                

 

               

And last but not least...we have, since the last update, moved out of our master bedroom into the main guestroom downstairs to allow for the renovation of our ensuite bathroom and then the painting and carpet installation in our bedroom. The bathroom guys started work last week with the full demolition, and they are due to complete the work early next week...so you'll have to check back for some photos! As part of the renovation, we made a last minute change to incorporate under-floor heating coils into the design...I cannot wait! The tile floor in that bathroom is always so incredibly cold! 

                     

Renovation guys with their mats set up for all of the destruction!

What used to be our bedroom, but has now been turned into a staging area for the bathroom reno!

What will soon be our "Walk-In-Robe" once the carpet & shelving is installed!

                      

An intermediate stage of bathroom renovation...we installed the underfloor heating coils after the demolition and plumbing work was completed...but prior to the screeding...more photos to come next time of the bathroom renovation progress! :)

25 May Update

Another month, another update...
The obvious progress has slowed down a bit, so less frequent postings, but we have made a bit of progress. We've finished up on painting skirting boards and window sills. We had a DIY party, where we invited some friends over to help paint the outside of the house, so it's fully painted now. We've moved some furniture in preparation for the next phase of carpet laying, and we've ordered all the bits for our ensuite bathroom renovation! Sounds busy :)
A couple snapshots of our progress this month...it might be hard to believe, but we're hoping that we might be able to have a house-warming party in the next couple of months...now THAT would be an accomplishment! :)

The same view of the house from the driveway....just to show a comparison. The house is fully painted now as you can see.

We decided to go for a bit of an accent colour (although not the blue that was there previously!)

Most of the Summit crap gone, but still a bit left...view of the back of the house.

Closer view of the back of the house.

We played a bit of musical chairs with the couches...this isn't permanent...we haven't actually figured out what we're going to do here.

The study kind of looks like a study instead of a bedroom, but still a bit of a storage area.

Bedroom 2 furniture moved out in preparation for painting and carpet :)

What will be our closet... :)

The balcony, completely painted and fitted with furniture & BBQs!

The other view of the balcony...

The theatre room...or Andy's pool room :)

Bedroom 3 downstairs ready for guests.

Bedroom 4 ready for guests.

The other view of bed 4.

And the musical chairs couches in the downstairs living area...they look a bit lonely at the moment, but we'll get there...

Post Wedding April Update

Whoa! April was a busy month for sure! We left for Noosa on the 29th March, and our parents joined us on the 2nd April...and we got married on the 3rd! Very exciting, but a completely unrelated story. So, on the 6th, we headed back home with the parents in tow to put them to work on the house...we take all the help we can get! Especially now that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, with two weeks of help from the parents and one more week of hard work on our own, we have made quite a bit of progress since the last update. Check out a few highlight photos below...

Well, we've gone from this room being our kitchen/study only a couple of months ago to it being a fully liveable guest bedroom.

It might look a bit cramped. This is actually the study, but was fitted as a bedroom for the parents to stay in since downstairs wasn't complete. This is also our new bedroom suite we got...we really like it, especially with the light gray walls.

We actually have a liveable space with seating in our open kitchen/dining/living area. The only thing left is to bring in the dining table!

Two days of hard work and the bamboo flooring in the downstairs living area is completely laid, and one more day of skirting installation...now I just have to finish the painting of the skirting boards, and we'll be done!

Kitchenette still has some major work to do, but not quite as high a priority.

This is the theatre/pool room. Walls painted, window sills installed courtesy of Dad :), and skirting boards installed...ready for carpet installation next weekend!

Fully painted and finished toilet...such a difference from what it was before!

Completed flooring and skirting boards in the hallway downstairs as well.

Andy working hard to finish off the skirting boards near the laundry as well...so many small little walls!

Bedroom 4 downstairs, fully painted, skirting boards installed, and ready for carpet installation...it's looking so much better!

The downstairs living area looking back towards the staircase.

View of the back of the house...hasn't really changed much.

View of the pool area. The garden has all been cleaned up thanks to Andy's mum, and my storage seats on the right side of the photo (where it used to be a garden bed) have been started thanks to my dad. 

Our standard view of the house from the driveway. The rest of the side of the house has been primered thanks to mine and Andy's mums.

The front garden cleaned up and cut back...once again thanks to the mums!

So, as you can see...we're making lots of progress, especially now that we've had the parents here helping for a short time. Check back soon...we've got a long weekend of work ahead of us...hopefully we'll see some more progress!

23 March Update

Less than 1 week until Easter holidays and to our agreed deadline with Summit...and we're still not quite there yet...to say there's a little stress is an understatement! I am sick and tired of living in a dust pit of a work zone! I think I need a vacation from my life! :)

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though...at least for the Summit scope...until the house is completely finished...now that's another story!

In the past week, the only progress they've made on the hole in our wall is to make a bigger mess to cut it even higher and put in a lintel...to say I was a bit disappointed is an understatement!

The lintel I've waited a week for...and the vacuum cleaner that crapped out and overheated because of all the dust it had to vacuum up!

Can you see the progress here? Notice that the shelves are empty because I've actually started moving into the kitchen...almost 4 months after it was installed!

The pile of boxes is the wrapping for my new cookware...it was like Christmas today!

Bedroom furniture for one set of parents...check!

The bathroom doors have moved from nasty scraped paint to 2 coats of gloss...not a good paint job, but good enough!

The gyprockers have finished around the staircase...I'm quite happy with that.

Downstairs bathroom complete & cleaned (by the Summit cleaners anyways), but still has to be painted.

Toilet complete and cleaned...just needs some major paint work!

And my kitchen with drawers and pantry filled...what a wonderful feeling!