The loungeroom gets great sun through the 3 large windows and north facing aspect. The kitchen, being behind the loungeroom, is quite dark and cold. We have decided to knock out a hole though the wall to create a service bar area capturing sun, and to create easier flow between the rooms. We will also be knocking out the wall between the loungeroom and kitchen further down, toward the dining table area as we are putting a deck off the side and it will give access onto the deck straight from the loungeroom as well as the kitchen. We have left the posts in for now, getting a good look and feel for the idea, as we wait for a builder to put a beam in to support the weight.
Leigh and our neighbour James are building a fence with occasional help from our friend Mike. Thats Mike with 3 bloody posts on his shoulder which he did 3 times and then 3 times again with 3 25kg bags of cement! The fence is in total 46m and 1800mm high We are using 100 by 100mm by 240mm high posts, all spaced 2 metres apart and set 600m in the ground with that miracle stuff quickcrete. We also used normal concrete on steeper ground. Hired an orga although, Leigh tends to think a spade is easier, luckily the ground was very soft clay. The fence will be going around half of the backyard leaving space at the back to grow fruit trees... one side of the fence will be starting at the front of the house with a gate, and the other side starting at the back of the house. There will be a deck on the side of the house where the fence starts at the back. Leighs' ordered the rails and pailings, all up the job has cost $2500 materials, not including the 4 days labour.
We ripped up the carpet in the loungeroom and hallway and exposed the floor boards. It was an epic to pull the rusted nails and staples out of them before sanding them back. We hired a floor sander with 60 grit paper that whipped through it occasionally sparking up on a nail we'd missed. We then used a hand sander on the corners. Its very important to go with the grain of the boards because going across the boards really stands out. Still not sure what to do with the carpet and foam underlay... it would be a waste to throw it out.