Retaining Wall - back

Drew has put in blood, sweat and splinters to get the retaining wall started along the back fence line. The gap is for the bali doors, giving us rear access to the park. Me - well I sweated creosote! Everything is looking very lush and green thanks to the weeks upon weeks (months really!) of rain.

the kitchen...

We've also been pretty happy with the kitchen...

Things we did RIGHT:
- the round tubs are wonderful
- having an island bench with stools has worked brilliantly
- having a dishwasher is great
- my layout of what's where and the spacing worked out well - the flow is great
- Drew's skinny long cupboards are brilliant (not too deep so the rear cans are carbon-dated, but lots of room to see everything and it fits everything)
- wine rack at the top (where I can't reach it) - forgot how many bottles it fits
- getting a fridge with a water dispenser (which isn't really a reno but worth it just the same!)
- finding a little room for a small alcove for tea-towels to hang and store cutting boards
- the colours have worked out fine
- enough room for two people to work around each other
- opening up the wall between the kitchen and the dining / living room
- removing the asbestos!
- we've well and truly tested the kitchen out and it has performed well exceedingly well!


Things we'd CHANGE:
- get someone in to do the rangehood as it's a little tricky and still isn't hooked up
- get some tilers who cared a bit more about keeping a clean finish with the splashback (still have to re-paint but there's a few spots to do at once, all over)
- Drew would like to rip out the splashback tiles and do something different - I don't mind them but the top looks unfinished - maybe it needs a silver strip or something?
- get fixed shelves in the cupboard (you'll never change them and being able to bear weight is important
- maybe a cesar stone top down the track, but I'm happy with the standard laminate one as it feels a bit more in keeping with the house
- even though it's a largish kitchen, you can never have too much storage space!

the bathroom...

Overall we did a great job on the bathroom, but there are (of course) things you would do differently...

Things we did RIGHT:
- removing the tiny 'linen' cupboard (suitable for pillowslips and hand-towels only)
- moving the wall forward to gain more room
- moving the toilet to the bathroom from the outside landing
- thinking ahead and putting in the laundry shoot (as yet unused until we lift the house)
- the general use of available space not bad - especially in comparison to other houses we've seen (in the same street)
- despite what people thing initially, no, the openness of the shower doesn't result in water everywhere!
- the overhead shower head is wonderful!
- love having a shower / bath / spa combo


Things I'd CHANGE:
- the floor tiles - I don't know if sealing them would have made a big difference - fact is I could never get happy enough that all the grout and dirt off them so I could seal them. Don't get textured matte, unsealed tiles - bitch to clean, to keep clean.
- wish we had a better window solution (and I don't like the glass tiles pattern chosen by Drew)
- should there have been a step to get into the shower/spa? might have been a bit more elegant and helpful for older people, but then it was a space issue (visually and physically)