The Renovations So Far…

Posted 26th Jul 2021 1 Comment by Zita Norton

Let’s start with a teeny tiny disclaimer: This is by no means a complete overview of the renovations my new house needs.

I have an ever growing list of repairs, replacements + renovations needed to be done over the next couple of years.

BUT I am hella excited to show you what’s been done so far with a cheeky little peek at what’s coming next!

This will be a photo-heavy blog post, so strap in for the before and after pics that will blow your mind!

First up: painting

My housemate and I painted the three downstairs bedrooms on our own.

We bought the paint + all the supplies and just jumped right in.

First thing we learnt? Masking tape is necessary.

Second thing I learnt? Painting one handed is HARD.

What we decided? The rest of the interior is being painted by a professional.

It was a great experience, but we still haven’t finished the teal room and I cannot even imagine trying to paint the lounge room or the kitchen.

So yes, more painting will be happening in future. No, it will not be by us.

Next up, flooring:

The three downstairs bedrooms were first, with a very nice charcoal grey carpet put in by my local Carpet Court.

I love how it makes the walls pop.

All that’s left for the downstairs bedrooms now is windows replaced, wall shelves put up, new curtains + wardrobes jazzed up.

Now let’s look at the corridor!

Old, nasty carpet replaced with dark ash hybrid (also by Carpet Court).

I actually still cannot get over how much more modern it makes this section of the house feel.

There’s still a fair bit of work to be done in this corridor though. The double doors need to be replaced + resealed, the walls repainted, the windows replaced, light fittings updated, reverse cycle air con installed and the curtains replaced… Phew!

We then moved on to plugging up gaps + holes in the brickwork, where the ceiling meets the walls, in the corners, above doorways & skylights etc etc…

I don’t actually have any “before” photos for this, as this work took a week to complete and started 3 days after we moved in.

But it’s made a humongous difference in three ways:

Waaaay less draughts now (which is great for heating the house)
It looks much nicer (the gaps made the house look unfinished)
Less entryways for nasty fiends such as mice, rats and my least favourite: spiders

Unfortunately some of the materials haven’t arrived, so there’s still sections to complete (under the stairs is a major one), but what has been done has made us feel so much more comfortable in the house.

Outdoor work, including:

New guttering
New water tank tap
Fixed downpipes
Lockable fire hatch

Last but not least, the lounge room + upstairs bedroom carpets.

You might be wondering “Zita, why didn’t you book in all the flooring at once?”

And honestly, that’s a great question but I promise I have my reasons.

Reason number 1: was budget. I simply couldn’t afford to book + pay for all the flooring in one go.

Reason number 2: I changed my mind. A lot.

We discovered that under the carpet in the lounge room was original hardwood and under the carpet upstairs was pine.

So initially I thought, “oh easy, I’ll just have the carpet pulled up and then have wood in both these rooms.”

But then I learnt the hardwood would probably have to be fully restored, and the pine would need to be washed + varnished.

I then also remembered that I haaate having floorboards in my bedroom. Give me soft, plush carpet underneath my toesies, thank you very much.

So with those two realisations, I decided it would be a) more comfortable and b) more affordable to have the same carpet put in again.

And I’m really, really glad I did.

So! What’s next?

Well I have a number of big jobs and small jobs. Here are some of the top priority big jobs:

All interior walls repainted
Exterior of house painted
Section of roof replaced
Set up sprinkler system around garden + on roof (bushfire protection
Replace flooring in both bathrooms with tiles
Renovate/restore out-buildings
Restore windows

And here are some of the top priority smaller ones:

Replace both toilets + bathroom extractor fans
Fix broken + leaky taps
Finish cornicing work
Get reverse cycle AC installed
Plant a small veggie patch

That’s not even a quarter of my list, but some of that list includes low priority jobs that exceed my budget as of right now (e.g. extending the decking so I can get a hot tub and use my telescope – delightful but I should proooobably get the roof replaced first #RIP).

All I can really say is you can expect many more blog posts like this over the next 12 months.

There’s so much to do, and I’m looking forward to all of it!

(Except unpacking. I haven’t finished unpacking and I actively loathe every cardboard box I see.)

With love,