Day 62 - November 10th
Big things over the past couple of weeks - the roof has gone on the extension/new room out the back.
Thursday, 11 December 2014
New Windows - Part 2
Day 51 - October 31st
Although this post relates to the end of October, it is being posted in December. The reason that it's such a long time since we posted on our reno blog is that a lot has happened - especially in our daily lives. Despite the build going on, we've had upheavals with me tripping in the garage and snapping my achilles tendon resulting in a stint in hospital for surgery and having to wear a moon boot until February 2015.
In our last post we started to chronicle the installation of the new windows. The photos that follow let you see what happened.
The new picture window in position but without a hole to insert it into.
Below is the final result.
The new kitchen window.
In our last post we started to chronicle the installation of the new windows. The photos that follow let you see what happened.
The new picture window in position but without a hole to insert it into.
Below is the final result.
The new kitchen window.
The hole in the wall in the study that will house the new window.
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
The Long and Dusty Road to New Windows and Doors - Part 1
Day 45 - October 24th
It's time to put in the new windows and doors that have not already been installed - again something that Anne and I have been dreading as we know what this will entail - all the d's - dust, dirt, damage, din and drop sheets!
First the new window in the master bedroom. It's the same size as the old window but has to be moved 700mm to the right to centre the window in the main front part of the building.
Here you can see the new window with a solid centre panel and louvered panels either side.
Note the building paper covering up the hole left by the old window. Finally some street art to decorate the front wall of our bedroom!
Next it's time for the picture window in the living room - this is to be a fixed glass panel and will take 3 grown men to carry it.
Chris takes out the old window (which is larger than the new single pane window) and installs the aluminium surround to hold the new piece of glass.
Then the guys from the window company come and manhandle the new sheet of glass into place.
The view from the new picture window after the glass has gone in.
Next it's the new sliding doors in the flat - and dust central revisited.We cover everything in the flat with drop sheets to protect them and pray that it isn't too messy. Chris duly removes the first window with little apparent mess.
Soon after, I'm upstairs in my office when Chris calls me downstairs to the flat. "Take a look at this" he says as he places his level against the upright jamb of one of the old windows. "It's 30mm out of plumb between top and bottom!"
"It can't be" says I - knowing that no builder could be that bad even if it was nearly 40 years ago. I look again and sure enough Chris is right. It was one dodgy building job. "Don't worry" says Chris. "I can fix this". "Great, I say and return to the office upstairs.
Soon after, I hear the screech of power tools and soon after that, the air in the office starts to get hazy. Next, I hear the smoke alarm outside the main bedroom start to wail and I walk out and look down the stairwell to be greeted by a rising pall of thick red brick dust. At the end of the day, Anne and I clean up as best we can.
Fine red brick dust over everything from where Chris had to cut the bricks with the diamond saw to make the opening perpendicular and square - instead of the squashed oblong it was before.
Finally the doors go in after another solid day of cutting and cussing and another 5mm of gritty red brick dust. We discover that the dust has gotten under the drop sheets and that in places it is up to a centimetre thick. Oh joy! But at least the doors look good leading out onto the deck.
First the new window in the master bedroom. It's the same size as the old window but has to be moved 700mm to the right to centre the window in the main front part of the building.
Here you can see the new window with a solid centre panel and louvered panels either side.
Note the building paper covering up the hole left by the old window. Finally some street art to decorate the front wall of our bedroom!
Next it's time for the picture window in the living room - this is to be a fixed glass panel and will take 3 grown men to carry it.
Chris takes out the old window (which is larger than the new single pane window) and installs the aluminium surround to hold the new piece of glass.
Then the guys from the window company come and manhandle the new sheet of glass into place.
Next it's the new sliding doors in the flat - and dust central revisited.We cover everything in the flat with drop sheets to protect them and pray that it isn't too messy. Chris duly removes the first window with little apparent mess.
Soon after, I'm upstairs in my office when Chris calls me downstairs to the flat. "Take a look at this" he says as he places his level against the upright jamb of one of the old windows. "It's 30mm out of plumb between top and bottom!"
"It can't be" says I - knowing that no builder could be that bad even if it was nearly 40 years ago. I look again and sure enough Chris is right. It was one dodgy building job. "Don't worry" says Chris. "I can fix this". "Great, I say and return to the office upstairs.
Soon after, I hear the screech of power tools and soon after that, the air in the office starts to get hazy. Next, I hear the smoke alarm outside the main bedroom start to wail and I walk out and look down the stairwell to be greeted by a rising pall of thick red brick dust. At the end of the day, Anne and I clean up as best we can.
Fine red brick dust over everything from where Chris had to cut the bricks with the diamond saw to make the opening perpendicular and square - instead of the squashed oblong it was before.
Finally the doors go in after another solid day of cutting and cussing and another 5mm of gritty red brick dust. We discover that the dust has gotten under the drop sheets and that in places it is up to a centimetre thick. Oh joy! But at least the doors look good leading out onto the deck.
Saturday, 25 October 2014
The Stairwell from Hell
Day 37 - October 16th
It's time for some inside work - something Anne and I have been dreading! We were about to descend into a world of concrete dust, grit and grime and holes in the walls and ceilings that you could literally squeeze your whole body through. First...the staircase......
The original staircase was fine - except that the treads were very narrow and varied in width and slope, there was not enough headroom and anyone over 180cm tall knocked their noodle every time they descended the stairs, and they were so far from complying with the building codes of today that it wasn't funny.
The solution was arrived at by Nadine, our designer and by us independently. When Nadine presented her idea to us, we proudly announced that we had also come up with the same idea! The solution was dead simple and damned hard to do.
You simply cut out a part of the concrete floor to open up the stairwell and give more headroom and redesign the stairs to have additional winder treads (those that make the stairs change direction) at the bottom and wider treads as the staircase climbs up beside the wall - you'll probably understand better when you see the final photos as the new staircase isn't built yet!
But it's not quite that simple - to make this happen you have to:
The remains of the linen cupboard - love the holes in the ceiling!
The new doorway into the third bedroom. Our office is a tad more airy than before as the window in the outside wall is also missing and temporarily replaced with plywood sheets and building paper.
The original staircase was fine - except that the treads were very narrow and varied in width and slope, there was not enough headroom and anyone over 180cm tall knocked their noodle every time they descended the stairs, and they were so far from complying with the building codes of today that it wasn't funny.
The solution was arrived at by Nadine, our designer and by us independently. When Nadine presented her idea to us, we proudly announced that we had also come up with the same idea! The solution was dead simple and damned hard to do.
You simply cut out a part of the concrete floor to open up the stairwell and give more headroom and redesign the stairs to have additional winder treads (those that make the stairs change direction) at the bottom and wider treads as the staircase climbs up beside the wall - you'll probably understand better when you see the final photos as the new staircase isn't built yet!
But it's not quite that simple - to make this happen you have to:
- remove some of the walls in the lounge room
- cut the current linen cupboard in half
- cut the wardrobe in the office/study/third bedroom down in size
- cut in a new doorway into said bedroom from what is now the passageway to the back door
- seal up the original doorway into the bedroom
- connect the petrol driven concrete saw to the garden hose and generally flood the upstairs bathroom, the stairwell , the garage and the second bedroom in the flat - oh.. and cause the sprayed-on finish to the downstairs ceiling to detach from the ceiling thereby necessitating the installation of a new gyprock ceiling - all at additional expense, I suppose.
The remains of the linen cupboard - love the holes in the ceiling!
The new doorway into the third bedroom. Our office is a tad more airy than before as the window in the outside wall is also missing and temporarily replaced with plywood sheets and building paper.
Now comes the time for the floor to be cut and the flooding to begin. Chris does his very best to shield us from the inevitable mess - he uses an extractor fan and flexible ducting to whisk away the dust and he wraps the entire are in a huge plastic sheet.
But...there's no escaping the water and the concrete slurry that the cutter generates.
The old banister and hand rail lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. When the carpet came off the steps, it revealed just how dodgy the staircase actually was.
The destruction zone in preparation for the floor to be cut. Ground zero....
The floor took nearly 4 hours to cut and a further 3 hours of jack-hammering to remove the concrete and the metal sheeting that the concrete slab had been poured on top of.
The result - a bigger stairwell.
Note the flooding down below. We also decided to jack-hammer some of the bricks out (right hand side of steps) to open up the stairs and create more light.
That's the beauty of doing a reno and having a great builder - spur of the moment improvements.
Just don't ask about the plumber's adhoc decision to relocate the vanity in the new rear bathroom meaning we'd have to glue the vanity mirror to the inside of a window to be of any use!
Friday, 24 October 2014
The Front Balcony Extension
Day 35 - October 14th
The steel beam that will support the upper level floor has to be winched up into position at the top of the two steel columns and bolted in position. Chris uses a nifty little hydraulic lifter to raise up the 150kg beam and soon we are underway with the top balcony.
The massive steel beam bolted in place at the top of the square steel columns.
Chris has cut the front of the existing verandah off with the concrete saw to give a flush edge and expose the 150mm concrete slab that is the upper level's floor. Two courses of bricks also come off across the front to create a bearing surface for the floor joists.
A timber support beam is then bolted to the edge of the slab and fixed with long bolts that are chemically bonded into the concrete slab. It's amazing how construction technology has advanced since the last major building work I did some 30 years ago!
Next, the floor joists go in.
After they're all secured in place, the flooring goes down. It's a brand new product called INEX - like the old compressed fibre cement sheets but lighter, stronger and the sheets have a tongue and groove system to make the joints rigid.
Pretty soon the floor is all but laid and we have the makings of our newly extended front deck.
The massive steel beam bolted in place at the top of the square steel columns.
Chris has cut the front of the existing verandah off with the concrete saw to give a flush edge and expose the 150mm concrete slab that is the upper level's floor. Two courses of bricks also come off across the front to create a bearing surface for the floor joists.
A timber support beam is then bolted to the edge of the slab and fixed with long bolts that are chemically bonded into the concrete slab. It's amazing how construction technology has advanced since the last major building work I did some 30 years ago!
Next, the floor joists go in.
After they're all secured in place, the flooring goes down. It's a brand new product called INEX - like the old compressed fibre cement sheets but lighter, stronger and the sheets have a tongue and groove system to make the joints rigid.
Pretty soon the floor is all but laid and we have the makings of our newly extended front deck.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
The Front Lower Deck
Day 31 - October 10th 2014
Work has ceased out the back! The floor, frame and roof trusses are up and it's now time to focus on the front of the place - and what a mess this will create!
First Chris and McCallister (his apprentice) dig the holes for the footings.
The hollow square steel section for the two main upright columns and the C-section steel beam to hold the upper level floor of the balcony are lying on the grass.
Next the left and right footings are poured ready for the uprights.
The upper level balcony railing disappears and Chris attacks the concrete with the huge concrete cutting saw.
The lovely fluted concrete columns also get a trim and begrudgingly, we agree that they will have to go as part of the reno. So sad!
The mess from the saw is everywhere as the concrete dust and water slurry splashes over everything - especially the large glass panels of the sliding doors and the big windows of the flat downstairs.
Next, the bricks below the windows of the flat are removed to expose the interior floor level. This leaves a hole in the wall about 25cm x 10cm. From inside the flat you can see daylight through it but Chris solves the problem by stuffing an empty cement bag in the opening. Voila - no more daylight.
The steel uprights are bolted to the footings and the joists are attached to give a solid base for the decking that will go on later.
All ready for the next stage which will be raising the main steel cross beam up to the top of the support columns.
You can see the place where the bricks once were below the windows and the solid concrete slurry coating to the front window in this photo.
One steel column is also visible at the eastern end of the deck joists.
First Chris and McCallister (his apprentice) dig the holes for the footings.
The hollow square steel section for the two main upright columns and the C-section steel beam to hold the upper level floor of the balcony are lying on the grass.
Next the left and right footings are poured ready for the uprights.
The upper level balcony railing disappears and Chris attacks the concrete with the huge concrete cutting saw.The lovely fluted concrete columns also get a trim and begrudgingly, we agree that they will have to go as part of the reno. So sad!
The mess from the saw is everywhere as the concrete dust and water slurry splashes over everything - especially the large glass panels of the sliding doors and the big windows of the flat downstairs.
Next, the bricks below the windows of the flat are removed to expose the interior floor level. This leaves a hole in the wall about 25cm x 10cm. From inside the flat you can see daylight through it but Chris solves the problem by stuffing an empty cement bag in the opening. Voila - no more daylight.
The steel uprights are bolted to the footings and the joists are attached to give a solid base for the decking that will go on later.
All ready for the next stage which will be raising the main steel cross beam up to the top of the support columns.
You can see the place where the bricks once were below the windows and the solid concrete slurry coating to the front window in this photo.
One steel column is also visible at the eastern end of the deck joists.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
The New Lounge/Entertaining Room
A note to readers of this blog - the day counter I'm using for this reno is in actual calendar days from the start date of 10th September 2014 - not days that the builders are here on site as they don't work on weekends of public holidays.
Day 22 - October 1st 2014
Well the floor is down for the extension at the rear of the house. Yay! Now the wall frames go up.
Eastern, southern and internal wall frames are up.
Next will be the western wall frame and the header above the sliding doorway.
Now the roof trusses go on.
And that's the frame and roof done for the back room extension until the time comes to tie the new roof into the existing roof and the new colorbond roof goes on.
Unfortunately to get the western wall up, the window to our study had to go. The plywood sheeting doesn't give much of a view of the backyard anymore!
Next will be the western wall frame and the header above the sliding doorway.
Now the roof trusses go on.
Unfortunately to get the western wall up, the window to our study had to go. The plywood sheeting doesn't give much of a view of the backyard anymore!
Friday, 26 September 2014
In the Beginning...
Hi
There
This
blog has been set up to track the progress of our renovation at 21 Golfers Pde
in Kiama Downs NSW. In March 2014, we moved permanently into the house we
purchased in Golfers Pde way back in 2007. It's a two story place with the main
living area on the top floor and a self contained flat on the lower floor.
The
flat has two bedrooms, a living area and full kitchen and a bathroom/laundry - the perfect guest/family/friends retreat.
Upstairs was pretty representative of the time the house was built - back in the late
1970's. If you recall that era, you'd be familiar with Laminex kitchen
benchtops and woodgrain laminate cupboards, a three-way bathroom with shower
and an old steel pressed bath and very old fashioned everything everywhere you
look.
The Before Photos
The
house from the front. Note the fluted concrete columns supporting the verandah
roof, the ornate filigree railing and the arches to the doorways. Hmm...simply gorgeous!
The
exterior bricks are to die for and unfortunately the powder-coated aluminium
windows - modern for the time it was built - now are characterised by flaking
paint and perished rubber seals around the glass.
Inside pics of the upstairs....
Above - the three-way bathroom - three rooms inside one bigger room...genius
Above - the main living area
Left - the ultra-modern laundry. Not!
The Reno - Day 1 - September 10th, 2014
Chris the builder arrives and so starts a time of jackhammers and brick saws. The first to go is the rather strange enclosed tunnel-like walkway, our bridgehouse that spans the chasm between the main house and the retaining wall holding back the backyard.
The bridgehouse - the plants that grew in a tangled jungle to the right of the structure (where the tree-fern stump is) are gone to good homes or replanted in the back garden.
What's left of the bridgehouse - a pile of bricks and rubble.
The brick piers are in to support the bearers. Termite barrier film (orange sheeting) is down and we're ready for the joists to go in.
Day 14
Chris at work putting in the joists prior to the drainage being roughed-in and the floor going down.
Day 16
A new building material that Chris is using for the first time - roll out insulation - a thin layer of insulating foam between two layers of fireproof aluminium foil.
Termite resistant green tongue particleboard flooring is going
on top.
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