Garden fun in the holiday sun

Well, that depends how you define fun...

We have been a bit quiet on the blogging front, for a couple of reasons. First of all it has been the usual silly season approach in the lead up to Xmas, and rather than get tied down with social media over the holidays and blogging, we wanted to make the most of our first Xmas in the house. Secondly, we had some big jobs to get done in the short time that I had off over Xmas, so we made that a priority, and get done they did !! So read on and see what we got up to on our 'break' ;-)

The happy snap of Sasha is a good indication that landscaping was one of those jobs on the to do list.

The shed was finished in time for the holidays

It got certified by the building inspector on the day I finished work for the year.

Which meant I got to crack on, go shopping at Bunnings, and start putting together the work bench and storage units :-)

This is just the start, as both walls have floor to ceiling storage which means we could free up space in the garage (and can now actually park the car in there!).

Once that was done it was time for another quick trip to Bunnings on Xmas Eve to buy a chicken coop, then dash home to get it put together in time for the arrival of four new chickens for the girls, of which Kate can fill you in on the details later.

Next it was time to turn our attention to landscaping the garden bed along one side of the pool (you can see Red doing an on-site inspection above).

It also meant getting rid of this  old garden bed, as the Paw-Paw trees in the photo were blown over during the last cyclone (early 2014), and we found termite damage about four weeks before Xmas. This required us to have the garden bed sleepers treated, then wait a couple of weeks before getting rid of the affected timber.

Which was no small task I can assure you. Digging out the sleepers and getting rid of the top layer of accumulated weeds and clippings meant two trips to the dump, all done by shovel and barrow (by yours truly) in the heat of the day.

Once all this was taken away I got down to some decent garden soil (a bonus considering we are on sand out here), some of which I transferred to the other garden bed, and the remainder (above) which will be used to create some new vegetable garden beds.

To get some plants for the garden bed alongside the pool we took a drive out of town to Woody's Tree and Worm Farm. Woody's an ex-pat Pom with a great sense of humour, and has a wide range of stock that you can buy at half the price of major nursery's and hardware chains.

These charcoal pavers from Bunnings provide a raised edge for the existing garden bed, which will stop soil and mulch washing out in heavy rains.

We got  combination of plants from Woody's, including society garlics, varigated crotons, cordylines,...

...and some blue eyes for ground cover. 

The fine mulch we got from McCahills Landscaping Supplies on the South side of Townsville - great value for money.

And at the end of all this hard work we took a trip to Bunnings (again - sigh say the girls), and picked up a new four burner Matador BBQ, and a Chapala Wood Fired Pizza oven.

The Pizza oven stand went together really easily.

And the pizza oven has to be the quickest 'flat pack' assembly ever !!

The BBQ however took a little longer - 3 hours and 3 beers later...

Hope your break was as productive as ours, and here's to a good year ahead with some major renovations planned to take place. Wish us luck !!

Cheers, Col

P.S. I didn't lie, here's a photo of the car actually IN the garage !!

The Shed is Built !!

At long last the shed is finally up, proving once and for all, all good things come to those who wait... actually, as my shirt says, to those who work their asses off and never give up! 

Yes it's been a while, starting way back here on 3 July 2014, dealing with unexpected set backs due to sewer pipes and council building regulations, subsequently learning about the history of the property through the council building searches, choosing a builder and signing contracts, before finally seeing some progress with the form-work done for the slab to be laid. So without further ado, see the shed evolve through the photo essay below...

A big thanks to Trevor from McSheds and Cameron from Gun Constructions for getting the shed delivered and constructed by Xmas. I can honestly say that while we were limited to a 3m x 4m shed due to the council building regulations Trevor and Cameron ensured we got value for money. Best of all they took care of all the non-construction related aspects for us as well from design, to council approval, to final building certification. Last but not least, a big thanks to Kate for coordinating everything as resident on-site construction manager, so that the only thing I needed to do was pick out shed colours one lunchtime (thanks babe x).

Cheers, Col

PS. In lieu of a topping out ceremony yours truly celebrated this building completion with one of James Boag's finest :-)

Building the Shed - Update # 2

Sometimes it feels like you're getting nowhere fast when renovating... and then it all starts to come together at the same time. This week we've had a new pool pump installed, new LED lights installed in three of the four bedrooms, two new Solarstar roof vents have been installed, the new hot water system has been installed, and we even managed to find some replacement floor tiles for the laundry (now that is a story that deserves its own blog post in due course as we progress through the laundry renovation). 

Even better, I managed to score two slabs this week, both of which managed to put a smile on my dial :-) The first slab was a reward for taking the old hot water system and copper piping to the metal merchant, who gave me enough gold coins to stop in at the Bottle'O on the way home and grab a slab of XXXX Summer Lager - who says renovating is not without its rewards.

But even better than that, was finding out on Friday arvo that a second slab was only a few days away, with the form work for the shed's slab to go down on Monday, with the concrete to be laid Tuesday. How very cool to come home today and see the slab for the shed ready for a pour tomorrow... sweeeeet!!

It's been a long time since I've been this excited about a concrete pour !! Best of all it will be done by the time I get home and then it's a short wait for the slab to cure and the shed goes up the following Monday.

Cheers, Col

Gutting The Laundry...

This post could also be titled 'Why you don't have chipboard cupboards in a wet area' for reasons obvious to most but oblivious to some.

For those who read the blog regularly, you would know that recently we commenced gutting the laundry in preparation for a new fit-out, as the location of the laundry wasn't going to change regardless of any master plan for the renovation. We also knew it would come with some unique challenges, as the tiles around the hot water system cabinet were laid after the hot water system was installed, and with no spare tiles located anywhere in the house disguising this oversight would prove difficult. The chipboard cupboards are an blatant no-no in a wet area, and these had swelled and expanded over time due to a leak from the bathroom (which was an immediate fix required before moving in). And the final challenge we face is that the laundry door to outside is off centre (a gap of 500mm from door to wall), meaning that any cupboard and bench fit out would need to be custom made rather than the DIY flat-pack route we planned to take ourselves.

But I digress and below are the before and during demolition photos of the laundry prior to its makeover. Brick masonry walls and tiles proves to be more complicated as expected.

How the laundry looked on Day 1 when we got the keys to the house.

And how it looked before the first hammer was hurled in (controlled) anger.

The 1976 hot water system is inside that CHIPBOARD cupboard!!

Being ex-military, everything is done in Phases. 

This is demo phase 1 - removal of all the wood.

Ol' Gurgler - it just sits there gurgling ALL day...

Rule No 1 - Don't build cupboards out of chipboard in wet areas - durgh!

Rule No 2 - Don't tile up to the cupboard, tile up to the wall. 

(Renovators in future years will love your forward thinking!)

Rule No 3 - Render the wall, then fit the home made shelf, don't install the shelf and then render the wall around the shelf... double-durgh!!

Note the protective duvet cover over the new Bosch washer-dryer, which was meant to be installed after the renovation, however our old top-loader didn't get the memo and gave up the ghost about three months too early - doh!

On the upside, I finally got to use my Ryobi reciprocating saw for the first time. 

That baby goes through wood like a hot knife through butter!

Demo Phase 2 - getting the tiles off was a 'gentle' process. Couldn't bang the walls too hard because of the new bathroom tiles on the other side of the wall, and I was trying desperately to get three tiles off in one piece to reuse on the floor; I only managed to get two... :-(

Cleaning Up - My fave part of demo!

So there you go, demo 98% complete. This week our Plumber Ray is installing the new energy efficient hot water system (it's new, holds twice as much water, and being modern it is more efficient than the ol' gurgler you see here), relocating it outside, while Kate has the cabinet maker down to do the final measure up for the new fit-out.

Wish us luck!

Cheers, Col

PS. As an update on the shed, we received a copy of our builders insurance cover for the project in the mail last week, and we are hoping to hear on the building approval from council this week.

Building the Shed Update #1

This post is a quick down and dirty on where we are at with getting a shed built in time for Xmas. After shopping around to find a shed that meets code for building over or adjacent to sewer lines (which we wrote about here), we finally settled on a shed using local company McSheds, who quoted on the following design:

The shed is an all steel construction using steel stud work on a slab with a recessed edge for addition weather protection and is also an anti-vermin barrier (see below):

We've paid our deposit and signed a relevant BSA building contract, and the builder has been out on site already to peg the site for the slab, and to gain the necessary measurements and layout on site to obtain council building approval (forecast to take one week). After approvals it should be a week for the slab to be laid, and then the shed constructed in the following two weeks. With a BSA building contract the payments is in stages following completed works; 10% deposit, 25% on completion of slab, 55% on delivery of materials in kit form, and the remaining 10% on completion.

Of course if you build a shed, you MUST have an organised storage system to maximise use of space, and I'm planning on using the ROMAK QIQFix Range from Bunnings to fit out the space. We'll be buying all the cabinets and shelving in the next two weeks so that it's ready to be put together as soon as the shed is finished.

And every shed needs a good sturdy workbench, and I've always wanted to make my own timber one using the design file that's available for download on the Mitre10 website. It will be slightly shorter in length, as I'm using a solid timber top off an old drafting desk I brought back from America. I think this will be my special project over the Xmas holidays!!

And there you have it - so much work done and we are on track with this and so many other projects, all thanks to Kate and her diligence and persistence in arranging quotes and following up on Tradies. I'll keep you updated on the progress of the shed as it evolves, and Kate will do a post soon on the start of the Laundry renovation, and another on just how complicated arranging window refits can be.

Cheers, Col

Developing the Renovation Master Plan...

...Where are we up to?

I'll be upfront and state openly "I can't believe where the time has gone"! It seems like only yesterday that I wrote a post titled Patience and Planning, but in actual fact it was in early July. In that post I wrote about things we were hoping to incorporate into our plan, and how a master plan would allow us to sequence the implementation of them, as we commence the renovation proper. I also wrote two weeks ago about 10 Renovation Tasks to do Before Xmas, in the hope that this would get us back on track.

So how did we fare with some of these ideas and goals, and where are we up to with developing the master plan?

• Building a shed at the rear of the house: We hit a bit of a stumbling block here with the issue of building over / adjacent to sewer pipes, which we wrote about here, however we have now signed a contract to put in a reduced sized shed (3m x 4m) with the aim of it being up by Xmas...

New Shed Right Here By Xmas !!

• Choosing an energy efficient hot water system to replace the cold war relic currently heating water for the house (either solar tubes, heat exchange or high star rated electric). We've actually committed to a high star rated electric system (not what we thought we'd choose), which again will be installed by our plumber by Xmas, and Kate will right a full length post on that in the not too distant future.
• Replacing our old (on their last legs) top loader washing machine and small tumble dryer with new appliances which have high star ratings for energy and water conservation. Well here's a funny story - The Good Guys have moved location in Townsville, and we happened to walk in on the spur of the moment to do some research, and ended up walking out later having purchased a Bosch integrated front loader Washer / Dryer. Our aim was to store it at home and install it when we complete the Laundry renovation (again - before Xmas). However, guess which electrical appliance decided to DIE on the night that we left to go on our holiday to the Whitsundays? You guessed it, the washing machine. Thankfully we had 'one we prepared earlier' to whip into action as soon as we got back from our holiday.

What do you think of my new German Appliance?

• Gutting the Laundry to start its renovation. Tick! 90% complete on this front - we have a dishevelled skeleton of a laundry with a brand new Bosch Washer Dryer sitting in the middle of the room in stark contrast to its surroundings... Kate's had our cabinet maker out to measure up the new cabinets for the laundry as well.

Sneak Preview of Laundry Demo Part II

• Source and purchase required tiles, fixtures, fittings and new door for the laundry. Ummmm, still working on that one, though Kate thinks she may have some final contenders.
• On site visit from builder's construction manager, to get a Tradie's perspective on our renovation ideas. We've done this and it was really handy in gaining a different perspective, which helped prepare us for our initial master plan meeting with our builder and his key people.
• Conduct our first focus meeting with our builder to develop the master plan for the whole renovation, broken down into phases. We've done that this week, and are working on the tasks that came out of that meeting. This is another area I will write a detailed post on soon, as there is lots to cover here that's handy to know if you are thinking about doing the same.
• Have a big pre-renovation clean out by participating in Australia's biggest garage sale. Done - but a bit of a 'meh' result.

And jobs still to tackle...

• Paint all door trims (4 x Bedroom, 1 x Bathroom, 1 x Toilet) and all skirting boards white (yes - they are still canary yellow).
• Re-point and fix up a few tiles in the roof and install 2 x Solatube Solar Stars to ventilate the roof space.

So there you have it. To be honest, I don't think we have done too bad in the last few weeks since the school holidays ended, and am starting to feel like we are back on track (just in time for the silly season). Mixed in amongst this was a long overdue holiday, Poppy doing swimming lessons, and Sasha and I undertaking our respective Yachting Australia 'Learn to Sail Courses'. Like I say, never a dull moment.

Coming up next on the blogosphere will be Kate's reasoning and rationale about why we've chosen the hot water system we have, and not the one we thought we would.

Cheers, Col