Day 15-35

There is a bit of catching up to do with my photos. So these may not necessarily be in order but you get the idea...

No more fireplace!

Action Man

open bathroom? it will get its new roof soon

entry, mudroom and future bathroom and laundry

pruning the garden

it is my job to take down the fence,
never mind that it is roped to the ground by
the roots of these trees and an ancient wisteria vine.

Mucking Out

With most of the dusty business done with, it was time to clear up the mess. Bring forth the industrial vacuum cleaner! You can see the transformation of the boxed in rooms into a framework for a large living/dining/kitchen area.

When the old fireplace is knocked down (hopefully this week) we will be able to appreciate the space almost as it will eventually be ...using visualization of course...just have to imagine the timber paneled walls... polished floors, the neat little kitchen and our big old antique dining table... the new fireplace (perhaps fitted later) in the south wall and a high ceiling (please!)

more to come soon.... as a parting gift, here is my favorite view towards the mountains and the setting sun

Serenity

just to keep our spirits up.... this is the view from what will be the living room. And I took this on a stormy, freakishly windy day

keep this image in your mind. You're going to need it in the weeks to come :)

Day 8 - 14 Open plan living

How do you make lots of cubby sized rooms into an open plan living space? Mix 2 parts strong men with 1 part sledge hammer, 1 part wheelbarrow. Mix well. 

And don't forget to deliver a hearty lunch to the men, preferably before 12 noon.

You remember this shot from last week? well...

And today....

 We have an 'open plan' living space!

This is what we in the cottage demolition industry call 'rubble'. Perhaps this could be the fill for a retaining wall? 

Day 2 to Day 7

After a week of demolishing and deconstructing we are all seasoned recyclers and salvagers of timber in all shapes and sizes. While dad did the heavy duty demolishing work, 'Muscles' carted the rubble to the bonfire and the salvageable skirting boards, doors and window frames were piled high for the sensible women of the family to sort through. 

I'll need to gather together the BEFORE shots and add them here with these DURING shots...

the kitchen is no more

future mudroom and entrance to my bathroom

future non existent wall (if Mum gets her open plan design)

First task is removing all the nails (pointy end first for some strange reason) because when these boards are sanded back it would be a bit uncomfortable if one of them got caught in the machinery...  and we have to do our bit to make sure they look even more authentically pre-loved.  We did this by putting more holes, dings and scratches in them than there were before. But the nails are out!  And the palms of our hand are bruised and battered despite the PPE we are strictly enforced to wear; gloves, dust masks, goggles. Check. Check. check. 

Some nails just don't want to leave their snug little homes and would rather snap off, sending our hands crashing into a sharp edge and leaving their little heads buried in the board. Frustrating. Not to worry, when we get hold of a nail punch next week we will have our revenge on these most stubborn of nails.

A stubborn nail ~ BEFORE

AFTER ~ yeah, the little b#$%*!  is out!

All this effort will surely be worth it when our cottage is restored with its original, wide (and very-expensive-when-bought-new) skirting boards, and its vintage window frames... still, we have yet to strip away the many layers of paint before we can really restore the timber to its rightful place. And that is no small task.  

It will have to wait till next weekend. As you can see, this is exhausting

Welcome to Day 1

Welcome to Our Little Cottage Home. 

aerial photo from 1950's - hand coloured

We found this old aerial photo of the property taken in the late 1950's. How amazing to see how much the place has changed since then and yet how many things remain relatively untouched...

The main house is a 2 bedroom cottage with one bathroom and a semi outdoor laundry room attached by a covered breezeway

The grounds have been significantly cleaned up since we purchased this place. Initially they were so overgrown and filled with rubbish it was just a little bit scarier outside than it was inside...

but that view...

and the potential for this garage to become my studio...

The renovations have begun. We will transform this cottage into the warm sunny home it is meant to be. 

Over the next few months, myself and my family are throwing all our energies into entirely remaking the interior and reviving the exterior of this 1950's farm cottage. It will be a 3 bedroom uh, make that 2 bedroom, open plan living home with a country style kitchen and the nearby shed will be converted into my art studio and the 3rd bedroom with a tiny kitchen and bathroom. Because like most artists I long for a space of my own and even if it means I have to put it together with my own hands, one recycled floorboard at a time, after dreaming and longing for it for so long I now need it to become reality. 

At the end of November we must be able to move in.

More photos and tales of our first day of renovations is on my art blog if you'd care to take a look... I don't want to have to type it all out again here...too tired now, sleep time. Goodnight