...this is where we live.....our home!

Brionys room makeover...

2010-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ive been meaning to do this for awhile.....
Brionys room was badly in need of a little make-over....her tastes have changed...which happens as you grown older....and she needed a better desk space for study.... (not that she actually uses it much....most of her homework is done at the coffee table in the family room)

Anyway...... we have been chatting over the last weeks about the style she likes..... and I already had a few ideas in place.... and then with the newly finished quilt.....it seems like now was the perfect time to spring into action.....

So I was thinking to myself.....mmmmm...(tapping my finger to my chin).... this room could do with some paint.... hey...what about another feature wall.... yeah.... that would be noice... that would surely warm up the room..... so a few hours and a few un-lady like mutterings later.....tada.... nice warm brown wall.......we still loved the aqua so that stayed....(for now at least...hehe)

This shot was taken in the midst of the re-vamp...almost everything had been piled on her bed..... including the white stool which gets a makeover a little later in this post.... but it at least shows the wall taking on its new look...

Her desk and bedside table both got a coat of white gloss...... thank you to Mitch for applying the first coat....

we hung some Nanny inspired net curtains.... and I whipped up a fabric banner to hang over her bed.....

I recovered this tiny little stool in some lovely bright fabric.....

(in this shot it has a basket of homework books stacked on top of it....)

Hung a blackboard with a nice little message for when she gets home each day....

...and then stood back and thought.....Ahhhhhhh..... that feels good!

Theres been some changes....

2009-01-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

since we moved in eight months ago.
So....I was thinking.... it might be interesting to continue the journey of our home via this blog....
So how about some updated photos...

...then we moved in....

2008-04-26T15:57:00.001-07:00

...as you can tell by this jumbled mix of photos...

lots to do....but a life time to do it!

Wow....neglectful Mardi....

2008-04-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

In all the excitement and fuss at the end...I never did record the final stages....ooops...
So here is a mini....after the event catch-up.....for my own record if nothing else...
..the panel door...and the paths are poured.... it makes a huge difference to the finished look of the house.........the carpets were laid.... I love the rich chocolate brown against the white walls... here is our room.... looking into the ensuite....and a shot of Mitch's room....possibly the tidiest it will ever be..... the kitchen.......and my scrap room....Pretty much all finished ready for us to move in.....

...should add..

2008-03-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

Shower screens are now installed...and look fabulous
Mirrors are installed....also fabulous
Painters almost finished
Front door sidelights and front door installed....and painted.
Air conditioner on roof and dropper painted.
Boards around the outside ready for concrete paths.

Still no
roller doors
no tank
plumber second fix
electrical second fix

...but its getting closer and closer....very exciting.

...and after the long weekend...

2008-03-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

....its time to update some photos.... it was a nice feeling on Sunday to sweep it all clean.....the tiles are so white and shiny....and everything sparkled......but by the time I took these photos last night.....the tradesmen had been back....and it had that walked on look again (which is quite ok...I'm so glad the tradesmen had been)

So..... the Painter have almost finished....they are just completing the bathrooms...and some door frames....then I guess a little more painting outside...

The Tiler has finished..... and now we are just waiting on the shower screens and accessories....

The Plumber needs to return and connect everything up...

The Electrician needs to do the same...

The paths and driveway will hopefully be poured soon...

The roller doors have been ordered ....

Tank has been ordered.....but still hasn't arrived....luckily it hasn't rained...so we haven't missed anything.

The builders put in the Air conditioner dropper....and Ian and Brent have the Air Con on the roof...ducting in the ceiling....and at some stage need to install all the outlets....

...anyway....photos are..... the kitchen looking from the end of the family room.....I cant wait for the plastic drop sheets to come down....and for the range hood to be istalled....
Thiis one is looking toward the front door.....The kids bathroom....which looks very brown in this photo...when in fact its quite white looking IRL...the splashback tiles are white colour not a tan.

A view from the main bedroom into the ensuite..... and walk in robe to the sideThe Family room from the Kitchen....Its getting closer.....and my packing isnt....I need to MAKE myself pack....I just cant yet...I think its because it still doesn't seem real.

Slack bum didnt update...sorry...

2008-03-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

...so here is a quick update...
and its a bit old hat now...as all these tiles are grouted and looking fabulous now..... so much different...

but here is the laundry.......the main bathroom vanity...
the main bathroom...
...the ensuite....
...and the conrete in the shed...
...stay tuned for more photos soon....

its looking amazing now.....all the main floor tiles are layed....and grouted.
The front door is on...
The Air conditioner is on the roof...
the carpet is measured...
our vanity is in...
painters have been back painting the bathrooms....

...and yesterday...

2008-02-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Quoins were added...
The verandah was added...
The plumbers worked on the stormwater
The Tiler completed the main bathroom walls and began grouting the Kitchen splashback.
The Painter worked on the main living area....and painted in some feature walls....
The Electrician even showed up for a few minutes...
The Cabinet maker phoned to check on the profile and colour of the robe doors...
The tank is to be delivered on the 3rd March.... not bad seeing as Pat ordered it weeks and weeks before christmas.
Ian and I began our carpet choices..... we are thinking a rich chocolate in the lounge... and a dark coffee colour for the bedrooms.... our first quote should be back today.....
... I just love how rich this wall in the lounge room came up......
....and this one in the living room was too pale......so we have another triple strength coat coming up on here..... love that colour though....

Wow...things are moving along fast...

2008-02-25T14:54:00.001-08:00

...and I haven't been keeping up with blogging it very well either.....
So here is where we are up too.....
The Bricklayer has finished.... it looks just as we imagined..... only the cream quoins to be added and its done.
The Painter is making amazing progress.....all the ceilings are almost complete..... and the majority of the house has had an undercoat. I chose some colours today for feature walls in the family....lounge and main bedroom.... that will be exciting to see.
The Tiler has been there two days....and OMG.... the bathrooms and laundry are taking shape.... and the kitchen splash back is done..... it looks just as we imagined and the glass mosaic tiles I was nervous about ....look wonderful too.
The Builder...is adding the verandah on the front today.... and finishing off eaves.... doors and door fittings...
The Plumber is there this morning working on the storm water pipes and drainage....
The cabinets makers have fitted all the cupboards and there is just a few robe doors and finishing jobs to do...
so...here are a few piccies...... the main bathroom... ...the laundry....
....my kitchen....that Im so rapt with.... cant wait to see the rangehood canopy up on the wall....and the tiles grouted.
.....the ensuite bathroom...
.....another view of the kitchen....
... Im looking forward to taking some more photos tonight..... the verandah will be finished....and the tiler will no doubt amaze us once again...

ooops....forgot to post..

2008-02-10T03:49:00.001-08:00

...and a few things have happened...
The Bricklayer is almost done....another week and Im sure he will be finished.... its looking wonderful.....and we are so pleased we chose the red brick.... cant wait to see the quoins added. The Gyprockers have finished this evening..... I cant believe they worked all weekend ... and as Ian left there tonight at 7pm...they were sweeping up the floor ... so all the cornice is up....and all the flushing complete... ...tomorrow the painter arrives.... so it will all gets its first coat.....it was actually fun working out the colour choice the other day..... and I hope it looks ok on the walls.

Ian and Brent managed (with my help) to get all the air conditioner duct into the roof.

Ian has shoveled dirt.... shoveled dirt.....shoveled dirt.... and finally got the shed floor filled...level...packed down...boarded up and ready for concrete.

...and at the end of this week...

2008-01-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

... our home looks like this.

...pretty cool hey!

....and this week...

2008-01-22T03:13:00.000-08:00

...the progress continues... the house it now totally gyprocked....the bricklayer is working his way around the house....and is over half way....in fact I need to get my camera out again..... my photos are already out of date. That can be tomorrow afternoons job.
We spent some time at the house tonight.... Dad and Mum....and all the kids.... we swept and swept to try and get some of the dust off the floor.... I cant wait for lock up.... hopefully that will stop some of the dust filling every nook and crevice.

...so the cabinets are all final and ordered.
The vanity basins....bath and toilets ordered.
The tiles chosen...just waiting for the quote to see if we can afford my choices.....eeeek
The ceiling fans and outdoor lights are ordered.
The laundry tub to be finalised..... Im waiting to see if I have space for a draining board with it.
We need to meet with Pat this week to choose doors and locks.
and our latest major decision.... paint colours! ...any suggestions for a nice white?

...they are back...

2008-01-14T02:13:00.000-08:00

...yippee.....the progress began again today!
The Bricklayer is back on site and we have an entire new wall.....its so exciting watching his progress.....
...and the piles of Gyprock were also delivered ...and some ceilings went up......the garage...the family room and hallway all have gyprocked ceilings now. Check out this view through our front door...... the ceilings are up...woohoo!...and this view of the family kitchen dining area...it looks lovely and big..... perfect!
..so tonight Ian and Dad have been running speaker wires in the lounge room....and they have started the duct work for the Evaporative Air conditioner...... I LOVE progress.

.. and right up to Christmas...

2007-12-26T01:04:00.000-08:00

...the progress continued. We couldn't believe it.... the weather was stinking hot.... and our Builders managed to get out roof on..... so not only do we have the bricks going up.....we now have a complete roof as well. Its taking shape and looking fabulous.....we have also had our kitchen and vanities measured...and have had the fun part of choosing all our colours.....I cant wait to see them finally installed..... we have chosen an off white for all the cabinets......a black granite bench top in the kitchen.....and some lovely pale stone looking tops for the bathroom vanities..... lots of drawers in the kitchen.....and nice big stainless steel handles.... this was definitely the fun part.

Im guessing the progress will slow now throughout January as most tradesmen take a well deserved rest.....but our Bricklayer is planning on continuing....so it will be nice to watch the walls grow throughout this month....

so far....Ive loved every minute of the process...and cant wait to see what takes shape next.

windows....bricks and wiring...

2007-12-13T02:23:00.000-08:00

...I haven't updated for a few days and so much has happened.... first the mad rush to buy tap fittings as the plumber was installing the shower taps ect....I hadnt even given thought to whether I wanted taps or mixers..... so as they say....." a quick decision is a good decision"....and we have mixers!
The plumbers finished up yesterday I think..... all the pipes are in....the shower fittings....the outdoor taps..... you name it....its plumbed. Once that was finished they used a bobcat to level the site and fill the trenches......it looks so flat and clean there now.

....the next bit of excitement yesterday was the windows were in....and we are really pleased with them.....they slide well....and look neat.....very happy!
...then this morning the bricks were delivered.....and I met the electrician at 8am to work out all the power point placements.... that isn't as easy as you imagine either....there is lots to consider.
so it was exciting tonight to walk through and see all the wiring snaking its way through the walls....and the kids role played their rooms.....imagining where they would have their beds...and how close to the power points and fan controls they would be.

Then it was time for a quick site clean before it got dark.....this is our neighbors house in the background.....she would be very excited as the brickies and painters are at her house today.
...so I think that is about all the progress this week to date.... and it is really taking shape now... ohh...and the brickies begin next week....our roof is ordered...and our tank is ordered....I guess it will soon be time to choose our kitchen....tiles....bathroom fittings....who knows?

Friday and Saturday...

2007-12-08T03:31:00.001-08:00

Friday was the day it really sunk in.....we are building a house!

The block was a hive of industry..... we had builders working on the roof.... plumbers running pipes...a trench digger digging trenches.... the septic was in the ground.... outside taps on risers installed..... Ians Dad...my Dad...Mitch and Ian (and Brent) all working on the shed.... and decisions needed to be made.
Where was the tank to go?.... what size?...what colour?...where was the rain water pump to go?...where did I want the outdoor taps?....how many did I want?... eeeeekkk....so many things I hadn't given any thought to....
SO heres the progress in pictures.... the view this morning of the front of the house.... all the trenches are yet to be filled.....as the plumber has more work to do next week.
... just a view of the back yard.... the new shed...and our family room.....this view taken from the shed...looking out toward the front...the side of the family room....my scrap room...and the carport....the septic tank in the ground...it looks like 'Thomas the tank engine'....lol...oops double up...
...the new shed...very nearly complete.... (thanks Dads..xx)
...and today just before lunch...the last of the iron was being put on the roof of the shed...
...Briony out the front.... the front door visible right behind her..... taken this morning ..

so.. what else do I know....
the bricks should be delivered Monday or Tuesday
The roof has another two days work until its complete...
the plumber has another days work.... Monday
the shed will be completed tomorrow...and Ian will need to order concrete for the floor.
our tank is ordered... and we up-sized it..... and changed its location on the block.
We need to mark out the placement of lights and power points for the Electrician...
...all in all its been an amazing week....and I cant wait to see what next week brings...

6/12/07 - Thursday

2007-12-08T03:18:00.000-08:00

...things are moving so fast this last week.....I cant keep up!
..its a good fast.....every visit to the block there is more progress ...and I keep clicking away with my camera...and then I get behind with blogging the progress....and I have to have a big catch up like tonight.....

Well.... by Thursday the roof trusses were starting to look far more like a roof.....still more work to go yet...but its looking larger all the time.
The shed is also progressing incredibly fast....the Dads..Mitch and Ian have the frame up....and are beginning to out the iron on the sides.....its taking shape fast.

roof trusses...

2007-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

...woohoo!! ...today the roof trusses went up.....
...and both my Dad and Ian's Dad....along with Mitch...and Ian (after work) have got an amazing amount of the shed up and looking good.
Its a real hive of industry around there today..... and I just thought Id add in this photo from our backyard....looking down the line of newly built homes... 5 in total.... all in various stages... none finished yet.... I bet this view will change as fences go up... (oh...and don't you love our septic tank...that'll hold a fair bit of cr@p I think...lol)Well...after talking with Neville (our Builder)today.... our roof iron is about to be ordered....the plumber comes the end of this week.... the bricklayers in the next few weeks...and we are to plan power points ect...as that is the next decision needed from us....

4/12/07

2007-12-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

...another quick update....(oh...and its so cool...actually walking through the house now.....I love it.) ...well the frame is complete...the wrap is on the outside... and its looking very like a house.
Ian, Dad and Mitch have begun the shed.....

...its all happening.....

...and today...more rooms...

2007-11-29T01:46:00.000-08:00

...its really taking shape today....almost all the walls are up... and we can start to imagine what it will be like to live there... oh...and we have had wonderful storms and rain this afternoon.... beautiful!!

...and then tonight....

2007-11-28T04:34:00.001-08:00

..we have the beginnings of walls!!
We have a main bedroom.... en suite...walk in robe...Brionys room....bathroom and toilet...to be exact! Briony is standing in her room here.... she is slightly peeved that her wardrobe is small...and already made the announcement she is having Brents room when he moves out....lol
(and we aren't even IN yet!)

This is a side view...

...and a view form the front....
I cant wait to see how much more they get done tomorrow....

... something feels good...

2007-11-28T04:30:00.000-08:00

...about being here....seeing the slab....watching Ian dig holes for the shed...it actually is beginning to feel real!

... shed preparation....

2007-11-28T04:27:00.001-08:00

Ian and Mitch start digging the holes for the shed.... the 'Dads' will both be here next week to help Ian build it.... so Ian is trying to get as much preparation done as possible.... and this ground is so hard.... I don't envy him digging those holes.

...and the timber arrives...

2007-11-28T04:23:00.001-08:00

.... this now feels like progress....the timber all in a pile alongside the slab.... I think it arrived on the 23/11/07...the same day as the shed.... and then to see the plastic off and the slab swept clean was another little bit of excitement....

23.11.07

2007-11-28T04:20:00.000-08:00

...the shed arrives... finally.... it doesn't look much all piled up in a heap.....but Ian is really excited that its finally here.

.....I wish I had something to report..

2007-11-22T13:04:00.001-08:00

...there has been no more progress so to speak......

BUT

Ian's long awaited shed is being delivered today.... AND we received the bill for our back fence.....so thats two house related excitements this week....lol

...new pics

2007-11-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well.... there isnt much to report...but I took a few more photos at the block this week...so I thought Id share.
... oh...actually there are a few differences....the back fence is up.... and looking very spiffy....which means the porta loo is now sitting on our block instead of the neighbors.....and our power is now connected (or at least we think it is...Pat phoned to check some details as it was being connected)....and we think that our septic tank is sitting there ready to go in.... so thats progress!!

It was funny....the first time we showed Ian's Mum and Dad the slab and its pouring rain.....the only rain we have in months and we had to cut short our tour as we were getting drenched.....but thats ok.

This photo is for you Dad and Mum..... check out all the other houses down the street!!! there are about five with frames up since you were visiting....and that blue wrapped one is what ours would be looking like if I hadn't changed the plan....and you don't think Ian doesn't keep reminding me of that...lol

Just for the record...
Shed is arriving either Wed or Fri next week...
Air Conditioner is ordered...deposit paid
Blinds for all the windows are paid and sitting in our family room...

Have a great weekend...

Mmmm...

2007-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

...it would seem my little change of the plan...has put us further behind than I first thought.

Ian spoke with Pat yesterday..... and unfortunately our house will now be delayed for a little while longer.... bricklayers are in short supply....and if I hadn't changed the plan...it would have been being bricked about now as our bricks are ready.....but because we changed the plan we missed the bricklayer time slot.... and so now go further down the list....

I can understand this totally....and I'm glad I changed the plan....BUT I'm still disappointed that I didn't change them earlier so that we could have now been seeing bricks go up...

...but it WILL happen.... so back to being patient...

we have a slab!!

2007-10-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was even lucky enough to catch the concrete being poured.....

...and we nearly have a floor...

2007-10-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Cool!!

...and then today

2007-10-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

...there was mesh ...woohoo! ...mmm...cant really see it here...so maybe another photo is in order..mmm...still cant see it...but believe me...its there..!!
(I was also amazed to see the frame going up on the house alongside to ours..... they must be wildly excited!)

...well lookie here....

2007-10-02T03:00:00.001-07:00

...pretty happy tonight.... things are moving along..... we have boards and trenches.... cool!!
back with more soon...

mmm...where are we up to...

2007-09-26T04:10:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I mentioned I changed the plans.... but it has held up the progress... a bit disappointing...but worth it in the long run..

so...Ian met with Pat today and..
the footings should be dug next week... we applied for our electrical connection... we have quotes on the way for our bricks.... our building change.....and we are still to choose our windows.

so...not much happening just yet.....but soon...

...things are happening...

2007-09-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Well....after what seems months...things have started to come together... and quite quickly...

The council approval came through.... for both the house and the shed....not sure if it was late Aug or early Sept...but it was nice to get that piece of paper in our hot little mitts...

...then in the first week of September the boundary pegs went in...and the builder pegged their sign on our block.... big huh!...but it signalled things were moving...and we were excited.

...then last week...around the 11th the earthmovery type guys came in...and levelled the block...and the pad was prepared... so it now looks like a proper spot for a house....

...and then phone call we were thrilled to receive also arrived...Pat called and said they were ahead of schedule and would begin our home sooner than expected.... and could we choose our bricks and windows....could we?...shit yeah!

So....we began looking at bricks in earnest....Ian and I already had a pretty good idea of what we were after....but it had been awhile since we decided...and wanted to just confirm we still liked the same look... Mum and Dad are visiting atthe moment....and so the four of us set off..... driving around all the new estates in the area.... making sure we were choosing well.

It was only while driving around this time...that I noticed that I wasn't happy with the front of our house anymore.....I had overlooked something on the plan....

The more I looked...the more unhappy I was..... I wanted to bring the garage out further....inline with bedroom one.....making an alcove over the front door...which put the veranda in between two gables.... by doing this...it also added 1.8m to the size of my scrapbooking room inside.....another thing that had been worrying me.... so it seemed a win win solution...

.....except...initially Ian was frustrated by me...why leave it to this late stage...the footings were to be dug next week...and this change would mean back to the draughtsman....back to the council....and we had just waited 8 weeks to get it through council.....

...but I wasn't happy to just ignore it.....so I phoned Pat.... and nervously told her what I was thinking....and she was wonderful.... it was back at the draughtsman the next morning...and council the following...and I'm hoping it got the re-approval stamp so that the footings can still be dug on Thursday (20th Sept 07) ... I haven't had the latest ...but Ive still got everything crossed that the changes have been accepted...and the building wont be delayed.

..so back to the bricks.....Ian and I both like red bricks....just plain old red and cream....like the older heritage homes...they never seem to date.... so we are hoping to have red bricks.....with cream mortar....cream trim... (possibly cream quions..waiting on a quote).... red roof...and cream windows... nothing like this...but in these colours...lol

... stay tuned for another update this week.....

M x

update...

2007-07-01T03:36:00.000-07:00

things are moving along...slowly of course but getting there.

The land purchase is with the conveyancers at the moment...all our documents have been signed.

The build contract has been signed...the extras put in...and the price re-agreed....so its all off for council approval next week...Yay!!

We have a set of plans..... our very own house plans....

The house adjoining our rear boundary is looking like a real house now...and we will apparently be approached soon about our rear fence going up...such a tiny thing...but exciting.

I came across this piccie tonight.... Mmmmm...love it.

(images from house beautiful magazine)

.. in review...

2007-06-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

...obviously I want to record the steps...and include some photos throughout this journey... but I also for my own interest want to include these initial steps...so this is just a quick update of whats happened to this point...which is actually not very much...lol

Feb 07 ....

We met with Hamoods builders for the first time to discuss the possibility and costs of building.

We met with LJ Hookers and checked out the building lots available in the Brooke st Subdivision... we chose our preferred lot....but where unhappy with the boundry alignment... LJ Hookers to take it to council for clarification.

March 07...

we met with the Bank to discuss a loan and our options..and had loan pre-approved

we met with the builders again and began looking at plans..

we met with Iris from LJ Hookers and checked progress on building lot.

April 07...

LJ Hookers finally have the word from council that the boundry will be aligned in lot 111...and a new title issued.... we signed the initial land contract.

Hamoods give us our quote to build and we begin to gather additional quotes on airconditioning...heating... fences...sheds ect....

May 07...

Our loan comparison begins and we now know the total required...

7th -We pay the deposit on our block of land...

8th - Pat phones to say the effluent pipes in the sub-division are too high....which means there is a major issue with the effluent drainage.

Ian and I put a hold on the purchase of the block of land...we want it sorted out before we cool off.

Darryl is working on our plans.... we make a few adjustments to the size of the front windows.

15th - our bank loan is approved..... but we are still waiting to hear any news on the effluent issue in the sub-division.

23rd - there is some word that the effluent problem will be resolved by putting a three metre easement at the rear of our block...with a pump...we are nervous as we dont want a 3 metre easement which wont allow us to build our shed ...the block would become too small... its an anxious time..

June 07...

1st - it seems the effluent issue will be resolved by re-trenching the entire pipe to a lower level... this seems the most logical solution...and also means although we will still have an easement along our back boundry we have the councils approval to build over it....a big sigh of relief..

5th - the trenching of the effluent pipe began...

7th - our soil test is done..

14th - council have finally provided in writing the changes to the effluent and easement...and we can now proceed with the purchase of the land.. all documents now off to the conveyancer....and bank loan documents all signed....and to the conveyancer as well....

16th - Darryl is finished the plans...I guess this means they are off to council next week...and the next waiting period begins.....

m x

...lets start at the beginning....

2007-06-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

...this is about our home...OUR home...
..you see...
we have been renting.... for the last five years.... in some ways it has been fantastic....we rent the most gorgeous home...we have the best landlords ever.... and the loation and is perfect.
We have been out of town...with lots of space for the kids to run...ride bikes and play...we have had a pool and spa for the summer...and huge back lawn...

...but it is not OUR HOME....and we long for that again...

We have owned two homes in the past... one in Queensland... our first little home... where Brent was born.
Then when we moved back to Bordertown SA we bought our second home... where we lived for 10 years...slowly renovating until it was finally finished..ahhh! and then we sold it.... so now we are starting over.... from scratch.

...so I want this blog to record the journey for me...and for the kids....and for anyone else who stumbles across it and may be interested...

Because...we have finally decided to build a new home... and I cant wait..
M