Renovation Photos - The Main Bathroom

The main bathroom was SCARY when we bought the place. It was 3 pokey rooms. Separate toilet, separate vanity and then main bathroom area with shower and corner spa bath. 

So out with the old and in with the new.

Before:

 There wasn't any room to move. The spa was way too big for such a small area.

The shower was leaking in the walls and causing water damage and wood rot.

After:

 Everything is new in the bathroom. The only downside is it's quite large and tiled so freezing at night!! This is the main bathroom and will only be used by guests. Abigail has her own ensuite and James and I have a master ensuite.

 I picked the tiles and fixtures. I'm really happy with the finished result.

 The bathtub is really deep and I can bath with both kids easily with room to spare. 

 Love the huge double mirror and double vanity. The vanities are custom built. I chose the under mount sinks too. 

Renovation Photos - The Formal Living Area

Finally!

These are just a few quick photos to let you see the final result of the reno! 

Here is the rundown of our renovation.

House purchased in October 2010.

We decided that it needed complete gutting and removal of some walls and almost all fixtures.

Renovations began in December 2010. I have lost count how many tradesmen have been through my house but to give you an idea I've a draftsman, builder, apprentice builder, plumber, landscaper, tiler, painter, floor specialist and more!

Almost everything in the house is brand new. New garage doors, carpet, bamboo floors, kitchen, bathrooms, some new walls, all new LED lights, new fans, new doors and handles, new blinds and new windows.

Here is the formal living area before and after. The before shots were taken just after we made an offer on the house. I was 5 months pregnant in the photo. And my hair looks crap. My inlaws are also in the photos below. It's quite hard to see what we did here. We knocked out walls to open the area up. It was a formal living/dining area but it was very narrow and a wasted space in our opinion. Now it's a formal living area. With no furniture yet!

Before:

 Formal living area

 Looking at onto the porch

 This photo gives you an idea how UGLY everything was. The old bar was the 1st thing to be ripped out.

 This room was dark and cold. You can make out in the photo, but the carpets were soaked and stained with cat urine.

 Through those doors, lead into the old kitchen and hallway. It was pokey and narrow. 

Formal dining room

After:

 New windows and shutters. New lights. Air conditioning added. New front door. New floors.

We knocked out the old windows and added new stacker sliding doors that open onto the undercover pergola. 

 This is the view from the front door. Now the house is long and open instead of little rooms and narrow halls.

New front door. I chose this. Everyone loves it. It weighs a tonne though! 

New plantation shutters, I love them.

I will miss the city

Outdoor Furniture

The new house has a large undercover pergola. We love entertaining and spending time outside so I'm sure we will be using the outdoor room as an extension of the main house. Choosing outdoor furniture is tough because it's all so expensive. We already have an 8 seater dining table but we are looking for something casual to lounge around on and read/cuddle etc.

Patio by Jamie Durie Daybed & Bench from Big W. Yes, it's from Big W. And what great value! This is simple and modern.

Panama Sofa from Freedom. This is perfect. I would buy this in a heartbeat.

Bahama Lounge from United House. This is nice but very expensive!

Grande Sunlounger from Harvey Norman. This is great but only seats 1 person. I would love one by the pool but it's not very practical to buy a few of them.

Air Nest Sofa from Coco Republic. I'm sure this probably costs about as much as a small car. I love Coco but most things are out of our price range.

Dining Chairs

Choosing the perfect dining chair involves many important points.

1. It must be comfortable.
2. It must be kid friendly.
3. It must be easy to clean.
4. Preferably modern and contemporary.
5. Fit our budget.

Here are a few chairs I like. We will need 6 or 8, depending on the size of our table.

Replica Eames DSR Side Chair from Matt Blatt. Unfortunately we cannot afford the real ones so the replicas will have to do for now. My mother-in-law has the real versions of this chair at the beach house and they are fantastic. Very cool chairs.

Replica Eames DAR Armchair from Matt Blatt. They have these in the food court at Bondi Westfields. They are very comfy to sit in, and I like that they have sides so kids want slip off or fall off the chair. I also like having sides on my chair but I am worried they will look too bulky side by side and that they won't fit under the table.

Bella Dining Chair from Oz Design. I like these very much. Simple and classic. But they could be a nightmare to clean with little dirty fingers around.

Nils Dining Chair from Ikea. These look wide and sturdy. They might look too chunky though? I will need to see these in the shop for sure.

Replica Xavier Pauchard Tolix Chair from Matt Blatt. These are very hip chairs. But they might be too industrial looking for the house. You can get them in various colours, I was thinking of being bold and buying them in bright yellow to make a statement. They would be easy to clean, but I'm sure the kids would need to sit on a cushion to soften the harsh feel.

Dining Tables

We are yet to choose any major pieces of furniture for the new house. I am starting to freak out so have resorted to some research online to start narrowing down our selection.

Here are some that make our shortlist. Just to give you an idea, our kitchen is white, benchtops are white, walls are white and floors are natural sand coloured bamboo. We haven't picked out dining chairs either, that will be a whole other post!

Cancun Dining Table from Freedom

Carpenter's Dining Table from Freedom

Campana Dining Table from Oz Design

Montana Dining Table from Freedom

Oakwright Dining Table from Freedom

Stratford Dining Table from Freedom

WARNING - Busy week ahead!

Monday

• Edward's 6 week checkup with pediatrician in Bondi Junction.
• James has Grad School in the evening so I'll have a quiet night with the kids at home.

Tuesday

• My 6 week checkup with my Ob/Gyn at the hospital.
• Edward's hip ultrasound at the hospital (because he was breech / transverse for my whole pregnancy)
• Inspection at the new house to see updates and choose colour for the splashback in the kitchen.

Wednesday

• Eye test for new glasses
• Possibly booking Edward in for his immunisations. The clinic nurse told me to get him done at 6 weeks due to the whooping cough outbreak. But I will check with the Pediatrician first.

Thursday

• Car going to be serviced. Faulty park brake being fixed, despite having my car completely serviced 3 weeks ago. I have a car with an electronic park brake and this is the 2nd time in a year that it has failed. Very annoying! At least they are giving me a replacement car for the day.

Friday

• Meeting at the new house with the guy doing our blinds and shutters. Have to choose types and colours. Going with white shutters along the front windows, blockout roll blinds for the bedrooms and light roll blinds in the rest of the house.

Saturday

• Contemplating going to Ikea to pick up stuff for the new house. It might be quiet on Easter Saturday, who knows.

Sunday

• Will eat Lindt bunnies and have a bbq on the balcony. Probably our last BBQ on the balcony before we move to the burbs. I'll miss those harbour views!

Monday

• James has Grad School in the evening. Apparently students studying for an MBA have to still study and learn on public holidays. Boo.

Tuesday

• Start packing boxes for the move. Eeeek!

Renovation Update

Yesterday I left the house for the 1st time since coming home from hospital. I was SO ready to escape the apartment, Abigail and I had major cabin fever. It felt different driving along the freeways with 2 kids in the back of the car. Edward slept the whole way and Abigail was amused by the pouring rain hitting her window and the windscreen.


So off we went to the new house to see the progress and check the newly installed vanities and kitchen.


I can't believe how far the house has come in 2 weeks. It's finally being put back together and looks like a house again. Completion date for the renovation is the 1st week of April which will put the move in date a month from now. I can handle that. I can wait another month, although, not much more. Since having Edward, we already feel more cluttered in the apartment with mini nappies, cotton balls, tiny 0000 suits and burp cloths everywhere.


Here are some updated photos below.

Lights ready to be installed. Crap everywhere. You gotta love tradies though, it is neat clutter.

Hallway into the master bedroom

Master ensuite double shower

Master ensuite double vanity

Love the shower screen. Found it online and saved a bundle!

Hallway into the main house

My new kick ass kitchen

Kitchen with butlers pantry to the rear

Butler's pantry

Shower in the main bathroom

Double vanity in the main bathroom

Laundry with built ins. New glass door is being installed this week.

2 car seats in the back! Abi happily playing her itouch. Edward sleeping like a prince.