On Monday I should have posted an update on week 18 of the renovation but I was still recovering from the disappointment of not moving in on the weekend.  That's right, we didn't quite make it.  The interior would have been fine.  We were happy to live without doors on the wardrobes, a few missing lights and a benchtop in the ensuite and outdoor kitchen/laundry.  Anything to just be home!  But on Friday the floor polishers decided that our bedroom floors really did need polishing so moving in at 7am on Saturday was no longer an option and I was left staring longingly through the french doors!   

 

Master H's Bedroom Floor

It was such a shame after everyone worked so hard all week to finish off the house.  The floors came up really well and I'm pleased with how the markings of the 'standard' grade blackbutt flooring match in with our old pine boards.



New blackbutt flooring in the study, kitchen, living, dining area.



Big progress was made on the ground floor with the wall sheeting and garage door going in plus our driveway. 

The electrician relocated our meter box and installed our outdoor lights also.  The verandah lights look gorgeous!

'Hampton Wall Bracket' from Milton Lighting

The front and back stairs were added and just need the balustrades.  At least waiting another week to move in will mean the exterior will be more complete.

So close now...



The initial duration given for our renovation was 14 weeks but we are still going!  While I know that 14 weeks really is a short period for the amount of work required it is disappointing that we can't move back in yet.  I had really hoped to be home for Miss O's 1st birthday this Friday.  We have experienced a couple of delays in the arrival of some materials and fixtures and last week we had a disaster with the kitchen island benchtop that had me wishing it was all over!  But the benchtop will be replaced and we have adjusted our orders to ensure the items we urgently require will arrive on time.  Now we have been given a practical completion date of 24th October.  1 more week!  So here's an overdue update on the last two week's progress...



Brick piers demolished

 

Temporary steel beams put in place

New internal doors hung

Airconditioning penetrations cut

Caesarstone benchtops installed in the kitchen.

Ensuite vanity cabinet installed

Loving it!

  

Back door and windows blocked in on ground floor

New steel posts concreted in

And all of this while the painters soldiered on to complete the massive task of painting the interior.

Can you believe we move in next weekend?  I'm not convinced!

Are you ready for the good, the bad and the ugly this week?  Firstly, the addition of the final mouldings and breezeways has the interior looking beautiful!  The painters have started the huge task of prep work in the existing part of the house so I will definitely deliver more of their favourite baked treats this week!

Now brace yourself for the bad.  I was initially excited to see work commence in the ensuite with the waterproofing being added but on closer inspection it appeared that our shower area was incorrect.  Rather than sticking to the FC sheet area they continued waterproofing over the VJ sheeting.  The waterstop angle where the shower screen is meant to meet the floor at 900x1500mm was fixed at 1000x1800mm!  When I arrived on site the next morning I was relieved to see the waterproofers back on site rectifying the problem.  Phew!  Thankfully, our terrific builder was already onto it. 

In fact, our builder is so impressive that our neighbour has commenced a renovation with him also!  It has worked out well, allowing access to the small lot next door through our property and coordinating trades across both sites.  This week they were concreting in the posts next door and did our back stairs landing at the same time. 



Now for the ugly.  Demolition has begun downstairs!  The garage door was removed and the existing front brick wall of the garage fell down quite easily.

Our new front wall will be set back under the house to allow for a front porch so the concrete cutter came to cut back the existing slab.

Removal of the verandah decking exposed some pretty sad looking joists that will need to be replaced.  Ouch!

Our home is now sitting pretty on back propping waiting for the removal of the brick piers, some new steel beams, posts and floor joists.