Rotten and rusty

So here, as promised, are the pics of the back of the house - No more raccoon hotel under a mouldy deck and no more waist-high weeds either. Everything, including a half buried rusty old swing set, made it into the full-to-brimming skip. As usual there were suprises; like the deck's rottten support beams that are actually tied into the brickwork, and the bee's nests in the siding. After all that, David is bruised and achey and Graham claims he was hit by a train.

There are more suprises to come, just part of the joy of older an older home. I know, it's not a Victorian, but even a sprightly 43 year old can have some issues. Take a look at all the 'before' pics in The House Project gallery to do a quick compare and contrast. Oh, and why do you think that the upper windows still have their original aluminum frames and glass and then new vinyl windows on the inside? Strange. 

The next tour starts in 5 minutes

The tours have begun. Kind words and concerned looks are the norm, and everyone has ideas, which is always helpful. The place really is a blank but dirty slate - and of course the bathrooms get the most reaction (we've heard a lot of 'eeeeeewwwwws'). But the question is this, do we need a powder room on the main floor? In it's current state it actually has a shower stall in there too (huh?), which definitely won't stay. But should it disappear entirely? The choices that are floating around (I kind of see them as thought bubbles) are - Keeping it but making it smaller. Changing it into a laundry room. Losing it entirely. I'll let you know which thought bubble wins...

In the meantime we've been shopping for loos (fun!) and this is our Top 3. The new Saile from Kohler; a sculptural little dual flush number (0.8 or 1.6 gallon consumption). The Happy D by Starck for Duravit; quite the modern classic in the loo world (1.6 gallon consumption). And finally, the Aquia from Toto; a fave brand and a very simply styled dual flush (0.9 or 1.6 gallon consumption). But lets start everything off with a pic to remind you of the powder room (everybody go 'eeeeeeewwww').

Living concentrated

It's Monday and, after an intensive weekend of moving and two (yes, two) yard sales, we are finally in the rental apartment - our temporary home during all the upcoming renovations on the new place. The rental is petite to say the least, I'd call it a semi-1 bedroom, but it'll suit us just fine. Between the apartment and a storage unit our whole house has been kind of boiled down to fit. It's times like this that I feel like a goldfish (don't they only grow as large as the bowl allows?), and David is already saying that we should stay in the apartment and not move into the house - after all, who needs any more space? Crikey... I'll post pictures of the apartment later.

The House Project

This is our latest huge project; a new house. The space has great bones but is in major need of tlc inside and out. I know I said we were after a 60's bungalow (perhaps announcing that on national television wasn't the best idea, but thanks for all the suggestions, lol) but this totally fits our needs, is more central than the other great neighbourhoods we were looking in and just feels - well - right.