Friday, September 27, 2013

Going home - Reno Day 130



Well, here we are, the final week in a five month renovation. And look, there they are, those shiny gloss floors that have caused so much drama. By some miracle, the magical product was found to remove all the silicone and the floors were fixed for a grand total of $200 and one extra day of work. Thank goodness it's all over and we can finally move home. I am loving the floors, especially how they reflect all the light and the trees, in my opinion all that reflection actually distracts from any grot on the floors rather than making it more visible.




While we had limited access to the house this week due to the floors, we didn't get anywhere near as much done as we had planned. However, we did manage to complete Liongirl's bedroom. Yep, even the skirts, arcs and windows by some miracle. The first and only finished room in the house.




Whenever the grot and dust and peeling paint and unfinished bits in the rest of the house were getting to  me, what a lovely little space to hang out in and swoon over all the perfect whiteness.




The only small problem is when you are using Vivid White (ie pure white with no tint) it takes a good six coats to get even coverage. Yep, three undercoats and three topcoats. Needless to say, when Liongirl turned around and said she wanted a pink room, I told her to get back to me in say about a year or two. I figure by the time she strews all her pink possessions around the room, that will be all the pink required. And I need to save my wrists for the rest of the house.




Since we were locked out while the floors dried, we wasted no time and got stuck into some exterior jobs. Legoman was in charge of oiling the deck,




And I made some sort of commitment to an exterior colour. Let me just say I'm still not entirely sure. The blasted thing changes colour depending whether it's in sun or shade and is completely confounding me. Time will tell if it stays or it gets tweaked.




And lastly, while there are many unfinished bits in the house (bathroom sink, doorknobs, lighting, kitchen drawers fronts, a whole lot of cruddy walls), there is one really significant bit of our kitchen that is still pending. A sneaky bit that I left out of my sketched plans. Let me give you clue with a little peek at the work in progress.


So, we are off to pack up all our goods, chattels and children and find our way back to the new, improved and incomplete Betsy. At this point it is probably wise to point out that this is not going to be one of those renovation blogs where there is a big reveal of a complete and perfect house. Nope, unfortunately not. But if you enjoy watching a house grow beautiful, room by room, with lots of love and white paint, then this is that kind of blog. Me, I'm looking forward to going back to a normal life, with more time for creative pursuits.

28 comments:

  1. Congratulations! So excited that you guys have reached this point in your journey and very pleased that you have resolved the floor issue! Liongirl's room looks beautiful- especially with all that light flooding in. There will be plenty of time to complete all of those remaining jobs and of course I'll continue watching on as Betsy becomes your home once again. :-)

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  2. I'm so happy for you that the floor solution turned out to be so much easier and cheaper than you had feared! Five months is a long time to be away from home, so I'm glad it's move-in time. You've been very patient, and now you can start to return to normal. Sinks and doorknobs and lighting...and even painting...will go fast, and Betsy will be finished before you know it. :)

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  3. oh yes those floors are beautiful!!....only 130 days Mel that's pretty impressive.....I love a slow reveal!. cant wait to see Liongirls room swallowed by pink. happy moving xxx

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  4. You have got me completely stumped by those curved structures - I'd love to know what they are, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'm so glad you were able to resolve your flooring woes - it all looks great! I'll be reading along watching as you get through each room one-by-one. You must be very excited to be back at home after 5 months - hope your move is stress-free. xx

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    1. Hey, I've been thinking about that photo ALL day and I think I've finally worked out what they are. Are they C.W.S.? xx

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    2. You've got me completely stumped now! What the heck is a CWS ? Cask wine storage ? Child wrangling system? Neither of those by the way........ keep guessing! mel x

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    3. Haha, you are a clever chook! Now just hoping it all works out the way I have imagined as it is a bit 'out there' and the kitchen company have never done anything like it before.

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    4. Good - I can sleep now. Can't wait to see the finished product! xx

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  5. YAY! Happy moving day (hmmm-well at least you know it will be the last move in a long time!)!!! Liongirl's room looks gorgeous-as do the floors! You must be so happy and excited. I'm with Caroline-I have no idea what that kitchen hint is... x

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  6. Home Sweet Home! Enjoy your new improved Betsy. Looking forward to seeing the rest of her transformation.

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  7. Your floors are so shiny they look wet.
    I can see why you wanted them glossy Mel - all those lovely reflections - just like a pond or a lake.
    Glad they weren't as much of a pain for you (or your back pocket) to sort, as you thought they'd be.
    Can't for the life of me work out what those curvy things are! Come on, spill the beans!

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  8. What are those curved things?? So glad that you are able to move in and the floors are fixed. I agree with the high sheen - they do distract the eye when the floor needs cleaning and they always photograph well! Hope the move is smooth. xx

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  9. I want to know what the curved structures are too. You've got us all intrigued.
    The deck is looking very inviting. x

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  10. I love the way your floors look...so glad that you got the exact result that you were hoping for.
    And the deck looks great too...just in time for this early summer!
    Good luck with the move back home...I can't wait to see your reveal continue to unfold!

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  11. Very exciting Mel. The floors are lovely as is your girls sunny room. 200 bux us a fantastic outcome I think. Annoying yes but still a good outcome I think. Happy moving.

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  12. Hmmmn. Something to do with wine?...

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  13. Ooh lala! Shiny shiny floors. Enjoy your your new and improved digs.

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  14. Congratulations! Well done. I can't wait to watch your home unfold over however long it takes x

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  15. How fab! Wow, you must be ecsatic! No better feeling than moving in and making home again!

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  16. All I can say is this (sing to your fav tune):-

    Shiny shiny shiny shiny shiny floors. Shiny shiny shiny shiny floors. Shiny shiny shiny shiny shiny floors. Shiny shiny shiny shiny floors.....

    Repeat at will whilst dancing around on the floor!!

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  17. Wowser! I have been keeping up with your reno although I haven't been able to comment for ages. The floor glossiness has been a question for us but your glossy ones are giving me pause. Our prob;lem is where to put all the stuff while it is done. At least you are doing it properly in one fell swoop. How exciting to be moving back in. Betsy must be quite aglow with pride!

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  18. Ohhhhh I see, I see!! No wonder you loved the curves on my retro kitchen. I remember you mentioning having curves in your kitchen. I think I saw it on Heidi's blog when she featured a UK kitchen company that used lots of curves. And then I was looking out for it when you kitchen was going in and I did not see any curves and I was like. . . hmmmm. But I am still not quite sure what they are and I can't wait to find out!!!
    www.lasscreative.com.au

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  19. Oh wow, will you look at those shiny floors?? Gorgeous! I'm so glad the silicone came out. I bet you're dying to move back in and get stuck in to the fun part now - I'm looking forward to seeing how you decorate the space. xx

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  20. Looks amazing... We are renting a little house while our new build goes up and as much as I thought it would be hard the little rental has been fun. Good luck with moving back in. How exciting.

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  21. Love the floors Mel - they look amazing, and I can't believe that after all that headache it's finally worked out fine! Sometimes I think builders do this to us to make us sweat a little as some sort of perverse punishment. The deck looks lovely too. So excited for you (and jealous!). Enjoy making it all yours. I don't believe in big room reveals either. I think an interior is always a work in progress (and rightly so - that's the best way to make a home feel like a home and not a show home). xx

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  22. Wow! How exciting to be going 'home'. I too, am very slowly building / decorating a home so I empathise with you but I think I appreciate the little progresses that are made! X kl

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  23. Wow, all looks amazing! What fun you will have setting it up!
    If you have a pink quilt in your daughter's room, or another large pink item, the colour will bounce onto the walls anyway! My 13yo now wants to "unpink" her room, especially the pink quilt cover that makes her whole room feel
    pink!

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