Saturday, August 10, 2013

Driveway envy, hardware and goodbye peekaboo - Reno day 77


So, here we have a sparkly new slab drying in the sunshine. Unfortunately, it was so quick drying that by the time we arrived home after school and kindy, it was too dry for the kids to pop their handprints into. Before we bought Betsy I would often be driving past and while pausing to turn, would glance up her long, long concrete driveway which usually had kids on it hooning around on scooters and bikes.

At that time, we had no such expanse of kid friendly concrete and I remember thinking how lucky the kids were who lived in that house and how I never realized (before kids) that concrete could actually be such a good thing. Who knew that as a grown woman that I would have driveway envy? Shoe envy, most definitely, but concrete slabs?

Anyway, as concrete is not cheap we kept most of our old driveway and simply replaced and widened the section where the new carport would be going. And that carport is going, going, up. Yes it is.


The plan is for it to look something like this.


So, with all the gables on the house, it has a feel like this (minus the door). Ours is on the small side for a double but was the best we could do. There were issues with proximity to the house, the fence, the corner of the boundary, talk of firewalls and council relaxations, (blah, blah, blah) so we did what we could and as we have a car and a scooter, it will do just fine.


Meanwhile, the builders started in earnest on all the windows for the front half of the house. The louvres were installed into our bedroom.


And the bathroom.

And the front bedroom. My goal was to have these high enough to not be able to see the top of the carport roof. The builders even made a mock up of the deck ridge before we put the windows in to help us work out what height to make the carport.


The deck wire rail was installed.



The old skylight hole was patched in the hallway.


And after much deliberation, we decided to cover over the peekaboo hole between the lounge room and our bedroom. Whilst it did let in lovely morning sunshine, it also provided no privacy, so it was time to go. 


Gone, just like that. Well, sort of. Being the rabid sentimentalist that I am, I couldn't completely remove such a great feature could I?


So, we kept the other side facing into our bedroom, and just sheeted over the back. Thank goodness, there is still somewhere to pop my favourite milk glass bits and bobs.




Did you spy something else in that previous pic? Something at the front of the house. Something that looks as though it has always been there. Let me give you a sneak peek.


Yep, that is the new front bungalow doors installed. Would you believe they were a little short so the builders just lengthened them with some extra timber? Amazing really, they look like they have always been there.


Meanwhile I have been traipsing all over town looking for door hardware that does not exist. Except occasionally in a clearance bin for unwanted stock. Hence this back door set for $25 from Woodworkers . Brushed chrome hardware in a traditional style is obviously not everybody's cup of tea. The only other problem is that when you are four years old, Woodworkers has a distinctly creepy vibe and Liongirl is convinced there are witches and Big Bad Wolves living inside. Makes for a highly anxiety filled visit.




At least these handles were in abundance as we need multiple sets for the multiple sliding doors in the house.  I really like the concealed screws, and I found simple round finger pulls as well at Paddington Hardware. They have a fanastic range and their prices are excellent. 


And unlike Woodworkers, Miss Liongirl was relieved to tell me there are NO witches. Back soon with the last few days of major build work completed. 

18 comments:

  1. I'm new to your blog, but I just wanted to say that I love the windows in the shower so that you have a view and also the brushed metal door handles/knobs. They are just the sort of thing I would like. Good luck with the carport building.

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  2. Loving all the new work over at Betsy's. The front doors look fab and I like that you've kept the peekaboo window (now shelf) in your bedroom - it'll be a great spot for displaying some of your precious items. (Oh btw, I hope your two get well soon.) xx

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  3. It really is all coming together! :)

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  4. Love those front doors, they were such a wonderful find. I know what you mean about the concrete driveway, our's is quite sloped, so I always felt my kids were missing out a bit not having a driveway to play on - sounds dangerous but you know what I mean :-).

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  5. Hehehe! I love Liongirl's thoughts about Woodworkers! It is kind of dark and creepy in there! How good is your carport going to look?! And the front door is perfect! :)

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  6. Driveway envy? I have entire house envy. It looks amazing!! Can't wait to see it all finished.

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  7. Paddington Hardware is great...child friendly and also dog friendly! And so patient with wives whose husbands send them down mid task with a vague description of what they need and then don't answer their phone when clarification is required...they have never steered me wrong! A wonderful community store!
    It all looks great...I am have envy...that is surely going to be multiplied when I see the kitchen!

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  8. Ohh this post breathed fresh air into my soul! SO GOOD. So much progress. I have driveway envy too!
    I love the little niche that is now in your bedroom. The things you could put on it. Like perfume bottles or bud vases! Gorgeous.
    The carport will look lovely. Ohhh your front door. What a little tease you are.
    www.lasscreative.com.au

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  9. It sits all coming on a treat.....bet you can't wait to start the 'nice' bit, all those finishing touches....so exciting! :) x

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  10. It's looking so fabulous, Mel! Love, love your new front door. xx

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  11. oh I can see the finish line!! x

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  12. Holy smokes there has been some great progress!!! xo

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  13. Totally feel the same way about woodworkers and I'm a grown woman - tell her she's not alone xxx

    Everything is looking wonderful and those doors are to die for!

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  14. Your new front doors are so beautiful. How lovely to have double doors! You hardly ever see that here in the UK. And I really like the way you kept the old window in your bedroom. It'll be a really nice feature and a place to display bits and bobs. x

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  15. I can feel how excited you are right now. The roof, the sidings, windows, and the rest have all been installed. You're so close to the finish line! Your main focus now is the interior. Everyone will witness your dream home very soon. All the hard work will pay off. Mind if I ask the what roofing material did you use for your carport? A corrugated plastic roof is a good option, but if you want a sturdier cover, you should go for a metal roof.

    Katelyn Sousa @ A-1 Property Services

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  16. I like that you've kept the peep hole as a shelf. I'm very sentimental and I think it's a lovely reminder of what was. Betsy is going to be so awesome Mel.

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  17. All looking fabulous at your place Mel, the front doors are looking so pretty too. Hope you find all those bits and pieces without too much drama. Ps. my kids only remember what our house looked like because of the photos, lucky you have lots of digital ones.

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