Kitchen next week

We have all but done the rest of the house with just a few things to do really before we start spending money on the beds and wardrobes etc. Its looking good, with a few odd jobs to be completed. Fireplaces have to go back in, and its looking like the marble fireplace in the office might have to be replaced with a wooden one, as the marble is marked under the paint as we removed it. That's OK, that is just how it is. It will still look great with the fireplaces reconditioned and sprayed black with new firebricks in them.

In the meantime, I have put together 4 months of work in pictures in 2 1/2 minutes. Gives you an idea of where its all heading...

So next week we are hitting the kitchen. This week has seen the walls get their final coat and the cornice painted in ceiling white to finish it off, so the non slip floor is going in. Then off to a kitchen supplier for some stainless shelving, a 90cm 6 burner gas hob/oven, range hood, sink, fridge and freezer, and utensils. Beautiful.

Gutters going up...

Had a Sunday at work today. Victoria was called in to work, so I thought I would oblige and do the same. I managed to get a lot done really. I am using a disc grinder with a rotary heavy duty brush to clean off all the old paint (!) and self leveling cement from the hearth's of all of the fireplaces, to return them to slate. Its working a treat, and even though it takes about an hour and a half to do one, They come up really well. So I figure in spite of all the dust I will do one a day all week and have all 6 hearths finished off by the end of the week. 

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it....

The gutter company were at it all day today as well and making some great progress as well. They only have the downpipes to fit, and are back on Wednesday to finish it all off. Another major job out of the way then.

Yay!! Gutters that hold water!

Another week closer to opening...

So another hectic week has passed. Managed to get the rear counselling room finished and painted, and the rear bedroom finished after some more plastering there too. They look great and signal another step closer. Next week there is fireplace installations to be done, bathroom windows to paint, doors in the second counselling room to paint and a staff bathroom to finish. After that we get stuck in to the kitchen, and then just kitting the whole place out with stuff. SHOPPING!!! I'm looking forward to that. Another sign of things moving along, we got our very first bill the other day, thank you Telstra.....

Looks nice so far....

Urrrgghhh

Glad these are done too.

First Hiccup...

The gutters were ceremoniously pulled down and off the building over the weekend, and as I was working away this morning, I noticed them putting up sections of brand new shiny galvanised...D Section guttering. Woooops. A BIIIIIGGGGG Wooooops. It should be ogee section guttering. I dutifully told the guys to stop what they were doing, and with the speed of a few phone calls their boss was over like a shot. Oh dear.

He wasn't happy. At all. I think something has been lost in translation here, but I am absolutely certain that I told him ogee section and galvanised, as we had to apply for planning from the council for it. He is certain that I just specified galvanised. I beg to differ, but the conversation got...well...heated to say the least.

He is back tomorrow with ogee section to install, and hopefully that will be that. After all, he is the gutters man and knew we had to go for planning for heritage work to get approval, and they would only approve one type of gutter for this. I'm sure I'm off his Christmas card list though. Replacing 100 metres of gutter wouldn't be fun.....

And that dear readers is the first thing that hasn't gone to plan since we started this project. Not too bad. Lets hope its the last too.

Heritage funding granted

Well...that is good news. The Adelaide City Council are assisting with the costs of the façade and gutters, and now it's official. We even get a sign for the work, and probably a blue sign for the house when its all done too.

Put that on the gate tomorrow morning

Ken and I have been cracking on with the skirting, and the plasterers have beed busy finishing the rear counselling room too, so it has been a hive of activity today to be honest.

 

Looking good....

Finishes it all of nicely

My New Office!

Well, lucky me, we have the phone and the internet here now. Very posh, don't you know. makes it very easy to blog whilst having a cup of tea at the site. Today, I am mainly painting! We have taken delivery of the skirting quad to finish off in the rooms and halls, and I managed to get 2 coats on that before sundown yesterday. It's all looking good. we had approval for the facade paint removal work and the gutters too, so when that is all finished we will put in application for the pointing and plaster repair work, as well as re-tiling the verandah. All going well though, and that can all start soon....

The Scotia quad ready to go

My New Office!!

End of a long week

Managed to get the two client bathrooms completely painted out, ceilings finished and walls, woodwork to go (small window). Finished off the timber divider between the dining room and a bedroom too. Lots of my favourite....painting. Still we are very nearly there with all of that, a few doors to do and some scotia skirting trim for the halls and the rooms and we are done with it. Well...the inside anyway! 

The façade of the building is coming along nicely indeed. It amazes me that with the colour that is in the stone, that someone painted over it at some point. The bottom part should be complete by mid week. 

Mike doing his stuff...

Colourful isn't it?

Beautiful...I can't wait to see it finished, pointed and limewashed

Sandstone sneek peek...

The paint removal took another step forward today when they determined that they were using the right stripper on the building. It can vary from place to place according to the age of the paint that is on it and the general condition of the sandstone. As a result, they have done the entire under veranda section in stripper and left it overnight, and tomorrow they will be cleaning it all off. More pics then....

The sandstone revealed. It should look quite colourful at the front when its all done....

2000 views - and back to the grind

Today we tipped over 2000 views. Thanks for your interest folks. 

So it was back to work full steam today after a lazy week last week waiting for the floors to harden, and then I had a long weekend in Melbourne. We finished putting the second coat of paint on the woodwork today, so it leaves only the bathrooms, dining/bedroom partition and rear counselling room to finish off. We are getting hold of the quarter-round to finish off the skirting to floor nicely tomorrow, and using a 20mm scalloped (convex) profile . 

The planning for the gutters and the paint removal for the façade has gone in, and the company has already been given telephone approval for the cleaning work to start. He is well known to the council, and has been told that we can go ahead. The people doing that turned up today to test a few areas for the best chemical to use, but will be back tomorrow to start the stripping of it all. 

The front of the rehab, and the sandstone area that has been painted, and needs removal

The testing area for stripping