The fringe battens are up... and I love them!

After a lot and I mean A LOT of indecisive discussions about the shape of the fringe battens (which conversations often ended with Dad and J saying "we don't care just remember variations will cost you more beer") I finally decided on the shape.  I love the look of curved fringe battens but worried the look was too "pretty" for our house, with seems more bold and angular than most cottage Queenslanders. Thus I finally decided on a more angular look and couldn't be happier - a collective "phew" was heard throughout the street!  Here's a pic of what I'm talking about:

The boys worked most of the weekend again finishing off this side of the house...

This weekend they are under strict instructions to down tools at lunchtime as we are off to the temple for the Loi Krathong Festival - Can't Wait!!!

Today I went to the Lily G relocation sale and picked up some bargains and Christmas presents - is it wrong to buy my own Christmas present from J and Huddy? J loved the idea - he struggles every year!

Picked up this for a special someone... isn't it amazing! 

These to die for Staffordshire Dog statues (in Blue) - the Christmas Gift for me from Huddy and J (I have been wanting them for literally years)

Also I have been taking every opportunity possible to take detours to examine peoples houses, fences, colour palates, landscaping choices etc etc etc... I don't think I will ever tire of looking at Old Queenslander homes they are a thing of beauty! This one (in my old stomping ground of Greenslopes) has been a long time favourite... 

I hate to think what a fence like that would cost - I can only but dream to have one half as nice i day...

Finally been thinking a lot about the White Floor boards this week and Dad (not a fan at all) suggested not painting them white everywhere - he said we could look at doing something different in the kitchen or even some of the bedrooms? I am not 100% convinced as was looking for a more uniform look throughout the entire space but it's worth considering... he really is very clever with all this renovating stuff! Here's some pics of white floors - truly breathtaking!

I know this last one is not really a "white floor shot" but I couldn't resist - I just love everything about it...

The battening in has begun...

Over the weekend we begun the battening in process.  I call it a process because there are SO MANY steps involved - kinda goes like this:

1. Make Brackets
2. Weld brackets
3. Paint post and brackets in no more rust paint 
4. Paint Posts
5. Buy Rails
6. Measure and Cut Rails
7. Paint Rails
8. Screw Rails to brackets
9. Buy Pailings/Battens - lots and lots (maybe 500+)
10. Measure and cut pailing/battens
11. Paint pailings/battens
12. Nail Battens on to rails  

Rails on...

Hudson waving to Nanna next door...

Almost finished product...

Front of the house - as it looks today! We are doing fringe battens around the front and a chamfer board wall under the deck - can't wait to see it all come together!

"Grown up with a paint brush in his hand" as my Mum would say :-)

 

More mid week madness....

Yesterday we picked up our new French Doors for the Kitchen - So in LOVE!!!

Here's a pic:

They will go here:

Taking up most of the wall at the top of the stairs ^

 
Hoping to use them to re-create something like this...

Amazing... Right??? I even have similar lights I got from Cape Cod Designs

After all the excitement of picking up the doors J decided he would open up the space for the kitchen (used to be 3 rooms a kitchen, bathroom and walk in pantry) so off he went with his trusty crow bar and new saw! I was being useful as well in this time painting all the posts downstairs with some kind of silver paint to stop them rusting??? I painted 6 - which doesn't sound like much but was quite a good effort seeing i was also watching/supervising Hudson at the time.

Here's some before/afters of our new kitchen area:

Blue Room to the right was the walk in pantry and green/wooden looking walled room to the left was the old bathroom

During...

After! Yes that is a hole in the floor (not J's fault LOL - wood rot from a leaky bathroom)

Looking from the other direction.

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???