Catch-up pics!

I've missed posting a few pics of our progress - a result of smartphones / Facebook as I forget about the blog! So here's a few catch-up pics:

Cats relaxing in the backyard, on the newly-laid turf. Hard work for some!
The turfin' surfers at work! Vlad and Drew breaking their backs laying turf on the newly-levelled bottom terrace.
 
Drew spent eight hours on the dingo - and has the blisters to prove it! He levelled the bottom terrace section - enabling us to get a start on getting some plants in the ground!

Back fence...

Next up was putting up the rails and the shiplapped palings for the back fence. The fence is set back a bit from the boundary line, so we can soften up the back retaining wall with some pig-face (Carpobrotus glaucescens) or other trailing plant. The house side of the fence will eventually be hidden by all the plants and landscaping.

All of this progress enticed us to go fruit tree shopping on the weekend, and we've got a bush lemon (Citrus limon), tahitian lime (Citrus aurantifolia), blood orange (Citrus sinensis), imperial mandarin (Citrus reticulata), and an angel peach (Prunus persica) tree all ready to be planted along the back fence line - exciting!

Second retaining wall goes in...

Well, 2012 is certainly going to be Year of the House [revisited] as we make good progress into some long-awaited projects. Drew found some likely lads - Mark and Jay - who were keen to earn some weekend dosh in exchange for blood and sweat and muscle. Under Drew's direction for his landscaping vision, Mark and Jay knuckled down and have done some big hours which has seen some really positive development in the backyard.

First was the posthole digger action to set posts for the second terrace retaining wall, and the eventual fencing all round the back end of the block. Then the boys started on the retaining wall, three sleepers high...

Maggies give seal of approval...

Nice to see the local maggie family (mum, dad, juvie) enjoying the garden too (eating our lawn grubs!)

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)