I thought it would be fun to do a snap shot of our lounge before, during and after. It still needs its skirting boards, my photo wall hung and a few finishing touches, but it is certainly getting there.
To remind those who are new to this blog, this is what it was like when we bought it....
The boys chiping back the old, salt damp damaged plaster which they treated later.
The fire place needs its tiles grouted, and blackened, and the flue repairing. We keeping an eye out for second hand/salvage parts on our gumtree trawling.
Applying the brown coat.
My beautiful painting "two hands" by my artist friend Elizabeth Close takes pride of place above the fire!
That blank wall is screaming out for all my family photos.
The ceilings are huge in this place - I need to add a panel to the of the curtains so the sheer is the right length. We tend to put a simple roller blind behind and hang a simple white sheer in front. I like the light and airy effect it gives, and it has the advantage of making the most of the whole window, allowing in maximum light which can be lacking in old homes. It's also a frugal option, so a winner all round.
The blind was about $45, the sheer was $30 and we already had the pole to hang it. I will lengthen the white sheer with contrasting material from my stash. We were advised by Williams Dr to keep all window furnishings as simple as possible to minimise dust for his allergies. This way the blind can easily be wiped down and the sheer is cotton and machine washable, unlike traditional rubber backed curtains. Which if anyone has ever tried to wash them, you know what I'm talking about!
To get this room stripped back, salt damp treated, walls re-plastered, painted and floor laid by trades would have cost many thousands, but by doing it ourselves we managed to keep the cost down to approx $1000. This figure doesn't include the split system air conditioning that will be installed once we upgrade the power as its not in yet. We have budgeted about $1800 for that. We will buy it in winter and try to find a good special. Well worth the time and effort.
We are going to spend some time in our garden now, fixing sheds, the chook yard and the fences, and we have a bunch of new heratige chooks, and a friendly rooster on their way from friends that are moving interstate at the end of the week!
So our current rooster will be dispatched for stock this week.
It's lovely to take a break from the dust and the grit of renovating for a few weeks and trade it for the mud, dirt and straw of the garden! Ha!
Much love,
Emma
Xx
