Home is where ...

Home is where the heart is.
So I made this heart from scraps I had in my stash.
It's a sweet little thing, made with love.
The plan is to hang it inside a column in the kitchen. It will have timber cladding over the top so it won't be visible.

But we'll know it's there

At the heart of our home.

xxx

One step at a time ...

The house took a big step forward this week.

Literally and figuratively.

The stairs are in...

Connecting the dining room and living room.

We love them!

The space really flows.

They'll be great at parties with people sitting (sprawling) on them .... depending on the time of the evening!

Then upstairs ...

It's hard to see the beauty and grain of the timber ... the carpet is a temporary protection, because the painter is coming next week.

The space feels awesome.

The fire place is going in in front of the stairs ... and some of the rocks excavated from the garden will form the fireplace base.

That's recycling for you!

Stairway to ...

Quick update:
The stairs are going in.
James came home with that news tonight.
Soon I'll be climbing the stairway to heaven .... figuratively you understand!
(It will be much easier than the ladder.)
Pics to follow when I can get to the house to take some.

WOW

Progress update

The internal doors are going in.
This is the glass door that leads from the front of the house to the fancy new extension.

The original bath has been re-enameled and is back in the downstairs bathroom.

The electrician has been on site and has made the cut outs for the light fittings.

And with the timber cladding on the exterior wall, insulation has been placed on the wall in the main bedroom upstairs, in readiness for the plasterboard.

Totally love it xxx

James described it perfectly today ...
A timber curtain
And that's exactly what it looks like.
The cladding is just about finished on the exterior wall of the house.

The timber is spotted gum. It's been stained with cutek preservative oil ... and the result is a soft sort of purple grey bloom.
We absolutely love it.

The way the timber hugs the curved wall is delightful.
We stood in the back garden this afternoon and just kept looking at it.

Oh Ben, you've done it again!

In all seriousness, Ben's work is of such a high standard. His craftsmanship coupled with James' design means we will have a beautifully designed and built home.

Worth the wait.

Quick progress report

No pictures to post yet ... but I've seen the cladding on the outside of the extension at the rear of the house and the word is 'breathtaking'.
I'm just a little bit excited.
Ben has been fixing the timber cladding to the wave wall - the exterior wall that takes in our bedroom upstairs and living room downstairs.
The effect is totally WOW.
Pics will be posted this weekend. So check back and see what I'm talking about.

Splish Splash Update

The isshew of the shower screen in our ensuite has been resolved.
Phew!
No glass screen - instead a gorgeous woven shower curtain has been agreed - hung on a rail, suspended from the ceiling, so it doesn't need to be fixed to the beautiful glass walls.

All good
Everyone happy ;)

Yay

PS Thanks mum for the suggestion. xxx

Splish Spash ...

It doesn't photograph very well, but the glass walls that form our ensuite are now in place.
James and I are in discussion about the this room.
It is literally a room to in and there's a vanity too.
He thinks we won't need an internal glass wall/a shower screen.
I say we do!
I say wet towels, wet floor, wet everything does not make me happy.
He says it won't happen that way ...
I say it will ...
Your thoughts??
I'm not giving up just yet.

What a difference the walls make

What a difference the walls make !
I can really see how the house will look when it's finished.
These pictures show the kitchen, dining and living rooms.
It's once big space to par-tay!

And below is the plywood feature detail on the the ceilings in the living and dining room.

Out with the old ...

Our new front door

and the old one

=

Up in the attic

There's a litte room at the top of the house which is beautiful.
It's our creative space
The attic
The studio
Call it what you like.

I call it heavenly
Can't wait to get in there.

Are we there yet ??

Are you in yet?
Is the house finished?
When are you moving?
Have you got a completion date?

No
NO
Don't know
and no ...

I've decided that building a house is like having a baby ... except that building a house takes longer.

And everyone who's been with you for the entire journey knows the baby is due soon ....and everyone's ringing and asking ... have you had the baby yet, have you had the baby yet, have you had the baby yet ???

With the house, it's the same thing .... except the delivery date keeps moving back and back.

So last night James told me that Ben the builder told him that the house won't be ready by the end of the month.

EEEeeeeekkkkk!!!

To be honest, this is not a surpirse or a shock. I never believed it could be done by the end of March because frankly there's still so much to do ...

So the new arrival date for our house is "before Easter" ... which is OK.

Memo to my parents reading this: looks like you'll be bunking in with your other daughter when you come to Melbourne.

Memo to my sister: thanks for buying those new mattresses! You must have known.

A quick update ..

I dashed to the house for a quick look see on the way home this afternoon. Eliza stayed in the car while I whizzed around to check the progress. She's over the house!

I didn't have my camera with me, so there are no pics ... but Ben's been busy.

We have a brand new front door. So solid.

And the walls are up in the kitchen, dining and living room. Wow!

The ceilings are in too. The height of the ceiling change at various points - adding interest and space ... the whole thing is coming together in a fast and furious way.

I decided against climbing the ladder to the first floor, on my own. (That's my occupational health and safety training coming to the fore!) but James tells me the studio has now been lined, the glass walls for the ensuite are in and look incredible!

The Family Checks It Out

The family were on site today checking out progress

Some were clearly more impressed than others!!

Popping Up

The extension pops up at the back

And this is the view from the other side of the house

We've Got Walls !

What a difference some walls make!

Plaster board in the right place and the joint is starting to feel like a real house instead of a building site.

And the studio is taking shape in the roof, below.

This is the playroom for grown ups! Nothing kinky, mind. Far from it, actually.

A spot right at the top of the house for a bit of crochet, a place for painting, a quiet cuppa, some quilting, maybe some old fashioned needlework ... the odd haiku or blogging. Maybe I'll even twitter - that seems to be all the rage.

I can't wait to disappear into the studio and start a project or two ... or a better idea ... finish a project or three.

Then and Now ...

Look how far we've come ....

Then

And now ...

Not long now ....