Sometimes 5 mins work...

...can make the most difference of all!!!

This was the back verandah area before...

During: After the guys removed all the bricks...

After: Jeff removed the metal cage bars from the opening above the handrails

Funny how 5 mins work removing these bars has opened up the space so much and made it feels so much bigger... wish everything was that easy!!!

Another productive weekend...

Next job on the never ending "To Do" List is battening in underneath the house. 

Like this:

Long Battens around the sides as seen above

And fringe batten around the front (underneath the deck) as seen above in this pretty house

So Dad made up 180 steel brackets (because the quote he got to have the steel fabricators do this was "ridiculous") his words - not mine :-p and on Sunday he set about welding them onto all the posts... Here's some pics including one of him in his welding gear - pretty funny!!!

Dad welding the steel brackets to the posts...

If you look carefully you can see the posts with the brackets attached...

Dad in his welding "get up" :-D

Whilst they were doing this I was no more gaping. Gaping is a tedious job that involves running and squeezing a tube of no more gaps down a VJ (with  the help of a gap gun) to fill any holes that have developed between the VJ's over the years.  This is a HUGE job as the house has not been painted (or gaped) for at least 40 years and even the ceilings are covered in VJ's, but a job that needs to be done none the less.  I have given myself a deadline of Dec 1 to have it completed - Wish me luck :-/

VJ Walls - The white stuff in between each gap is the "No More Gaps" stuff.

 So this weekend J aims to make a start - and a huge dent in the battening and I... will be gapping!!! :-D

Gapping, Gapping and more Gapping....

We have been very busy gapping the house over the last few weeks, 3 rooms down - 7 to go... hopefully we can start painting by the the first week of December! Jeff has also been busy working on the back deck which he has almost re-done:

old deck coming off...

old deck...

We have also been busy pricing up timber to begin the battening in process - Jeff has also bought a new nail gun which he is very excited about (what's with boys and tools???).  The boys have been hassling me to choose a colour for the battening - they claim they need to know this now as the rails have to be painted before the battening can go on... so I am thinking white like this:

I am also still trying to decide what batwing doors to go with for the front of the house - here are some of the designs I have been looking at:

my overall favourite...

decisions, decisions....

Also trying to get a concise idea of what the kitchen layout will be as I have finally settled on having the middle room as the kitchen... and have spotted a large 2m x 1m marble slab that I LOVE for the island.  Here's the latest "look" please don't hold me to it I am sure I will change my mind again by next week ;-)

I am still holding out hope we can fit a walk in pantry into the space - If so I would arrange it just like this:

minus the cat ;-)

OMG really???

Rainy day inspiration...

Love this stripe rug and round table combo...

perfection...

literally obsessed with everything at Mrs Darcy...

Gloss Black Front Door...

cute everything!

love the detail on these cabinets...

Deck is done... well almost :-)

On the weekend the boys managed to get 99% of the deck on.  Here's some pics:

We chose to put down Hardwood Kwila (Merbau) Hardwood Timber Decking, I am planning to stain this very dark so wasn't too concerned about the colour but surprisingly am quite happy with it all the same.  During the week the concretors and blocky's have been back to finish the last little details and Kimba (our painter/no more gapper) gapped another room - Jeff says it's about time I became familiar with a gapping gun??? I'm not sure how long I'll last but keen to give it a go :-)

Block Work Complete, Bathroom Vanities Chosen...

So happy that the Block Work was finished today, this means we can get started on the battening... right after J has finished the deck - poor guy :-(

I also drove to the Recollections Warehouse early this morning to choose the vanities they had brought in for me - I ended up going with the "Sorrento and the "Casual Elements" - very excited!

Sorrento Vanity

Casual Elements

I am going to put the Sorrento in the main bathroom with the Claw Foot Bath with one of these two wallpapers:

Cath Kidston - Wild Rose

Oiseaux et Fleurs - Porcelain

 

 

The other wallpaper I will likely use in the Walk in Wardrobe or Dinning Room... I am also keen to have wainscoting put on the walls like this:

 Not sure if I should get the exact wallpaper used above as it is also very pretty! Decisions, Decisions.... Finally we went to Masters for the first time this weekend and I have to say I was very very impressed.  They sell Laura Ashley Wallpaper, a full range of electrical equipment that are brands you have heard of and many more great products that Bunnings have not! Anyhow we picked up a few pots mainly for the front entrance - getting a little ahead of ourselves I know but they were so cheap I couldn't risk them selling out and missing out, here's a pic:

BARGAIN at $49.95 each :-)