Friday, February 28, 2014

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Sunday, February 23, 2014

"Long Time Love" Chair


Do you love it?? Do you love it as much as I do?? If you've been reading my house blog for a while, you'll know I've been loving this chair forever and finally...here it is! It's (drum roll please...) the Retro Chair from Freedom.

I actually bought it weeks ago in the great Freedom sale and it was supposed to be here for when all my friends were over last weekend as we're little short on sitting space. But I'd ordered the 'Neptune' fabric which to me looked like a dove grey colour.


Retro chair in 'Neptune' fabric


But when it arrived it was more (I thought) a sea green colour. So I ordered it in the 'cement' colour and was told it would be 14 week wait!

What?

Yep, it was THAT popular. Actually, I thought, that would work out perfectly as I could save a little each pay and then it wouldn't be such a lot in one hit.

Anyway, it turned up in two weeks. Annoyingly the week after everyone had gone and when I had other bills to pay, but no matter. Look how lovely and mid-century is looks. It's just perfect next to the Tatler lounge and just needs a cushion to complete the look.

As gorgeous as this is, it will definitely be my last purchase for a while. Not to worry, this will keep me happy for quite a while.


Friday, February 21, 2014

New House Project!


So I have some dirt. Correction, I have a lot of dirt! Jansen was doing a massive site cut on one of his builds and I do need some fill to build up the back yard so it was a win-win situation. It's cheaper for him to dump in on my yard and pay for a landscaper to flatten it out than it is for him to dump it. And it's definitely cheaper for me for him to do that than for me to pay for fill. 



I wasn't expecting quite so much though. Luckily it's a big block. I'm wondering how long until kids start riding their BMXs over it!


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Day Nine - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


Josh's bedroom with painted skirtings

It's Saturday and time's up. I kinda missed the deadline because I got upstairs completed but I simply ran out of time to do downstairs.

Tomorrow I have two of my bestest friends in the world and their collective five children and husbands coming over for lunch. As Murphy's Law would have it, Energex have decided to upgrade all the transformers on the street and so the power is going to be out from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

Oh...and it's going to be 36 degrees.

Anyways, we're going with the flow, the majority is completed and most importantly everything is back where it is supposed to be! I'll just have to do downstairs when I can because the rest of the day and tomorrow morning will be spent picking up ice for the eskies and prepping lunch.

Here's some pics so far though - enjoy. It only took nine days!

Dining room before

 
Dining room after

Bedroom before

Bedroom After


Study after

It's not like a massive change or anything is it? In fact, you hardly notice it, and that's what I love. Before, the unpainted skirtings stuck out like a sore toe. Now everything just looks, well, finished. I love it, just need to get downstairs done.



Friday, February 14, 2014

Day Eight - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


Hmmm Jansen told me that before I put the second coat on, I should shine a torch across so I could see the nail holes I might have missed patching up. Not only could I see that, I could also see the crappy paint job I did on the corners. Lucky I can sand them back.

I have overseas and out of town guests coming over on Sunday for lunch and I still have the rest of upstairs to put a second coat on and downstairs to get a first coat on!

I'm feeling a bit under the gun.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Day Seven - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


Yep, we're definitely on the home stretch! The second coat is on most of the skirtings upstairs and I've been taking the tape off as I go cause it just makes me feel better.

I have a couple of quiet nights coming up to knock this over and then hopefully life can get back to normal (and neat)!


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Cushion Addiction




Anyway, to console myself on the general crappiness that is painting skirtings, I treated myself to these cushions for the lounge.

They were on sale!!!

(I think I might be addicted to cushions...)

Day Six - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


OK I started pulling the tape off in great anticipation that the first part of this whole saga was over and guess what?

I suck at putting tape on.

Seems there's an art to that as well and I either didn't put it close enough or didn't press it down hard enough. Either way, it's bled underneath and looks like THIS!

Grrrrrr. It's fixable...but annoying. I have to scrape it all off with a flat head screwdriver.

Will this ever end??

My Aunty and Uncle came over last night and were like, "um doesn't look very even," and Jansen looked at this morning in the harsh light of day and said, "I can still see some nail holes."

*Grumpy Face*

The good news is that I have decided to let the professionals in because if I can't even tape properly I'm pretty sure I can't paint with PERMANENT, NON-WATER BASED ENAMEL. Yeah that crap doesn't come off easily and I don't want to be wearing that on my person until I grow a whole new layer of skin. Yesterday I was in a meeting and looked down and saw streaks of paint all over my legs.

Anyway, he can't come until the weekend and I have people over then so I'm just going to finish off these two undercoats, scrape off all the excess and put everything back until next month when he can finish it off.

I think we're on the home stretch.


Sunday, February 9, 2014

Day Five - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


OK we've reached the end of day five and I'm so much less homicidal. The tape is down and we've started the first layer of undercoat.

And it looks FABULOUS!

Actually, that's exaggerating, it's just an undercoat! I think the word is more, "finished".  Yeah, it looks more finished. Before, when I walked in the door the unpainted, unfinished skirtings was the first thing I would see. Now, it just blends.

I finished the undercoat for the main upstairs living spaces and the study. I would have gotten a lot further but I had a pre-booked tour of The Walter Taylor Bridge and had to ferry Josh back and forth to his Dad's to mow the lawn so I lost a few good hours there.

I also learnt you really shouldn't paint after a glass of wine...especially red. I might have to go back and fix a few of those errors tomorrow.

After this coat I need to give it all a light sand and fill in any extra nail holes and wood perfections that are now showing through so much more then when there was no paint and then it's time for the next layer of undercoat.

There's a possibility that the pro painter may not be available this week and if that's the case I'm happy with the two undercoats for the moment. I need to put all the furniture back and get back to a normal life and perhaps he can come next month.



Saturday, February 8, 2014

Day Four - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way



"It'll just take a weekend"

Well, weren't they famous last words!! Although it's been over a week since we started, it really is only day four because it's such a messy process that by the time I get home from work during I'm too stuffed to start.

So at the end of day four we've FINALLY finished sealing all the gaps at the top of the skirtings. It is by far the messiest my annoying job, although we have silicone the bottom of the skirtings as the final step and I don't know what that is like.

So today we'll mask off the rest and (hopefully) start painting.

Apparently to get a "professional" finish, we need two coats of undercoat and one of top coat. Jansen is hassling me to get a professional in just to do the final gloss top coat but that will probably be about $210. I'm still debating. It seems almost pointless that a professional to do the whole job would be been about $1000 and done in one day and I've gone to all the hassle (and pain) to do the other two coats. Although...and $800 is still substantial.

Watch this space. If he can't come in to do the final coat for another week I just don't know if I can wait that long with the house in such a state. All the beds are in the middle of the rooms and everything is out of place and my sight isn't great at the best of time so my legs are covered in bruises from running into things. I'm also pretty clumsy so this has just exacerbated the problem.

Gotta run...back to taping...


Monday, February 3, 2014

Day Two - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


Day two done and really not much more to report. I gapped all downstairs and Josh plugged and sanded the rest of the nail holes upstairs. It's painstakingly slow and messy work and I spent a good half hour scrubbing off the chalky residue from under my nails and in my hair (??).



We've started masking up too with Selley's 14 day tape and by our progress I'd say we're going to need all 14 days and then some. Professionals would have had this done and dusted in one day, watch this space for how long it takes us. But we're having so much fun and learning etc....NOT!! :-P




Sunday, February 2, 2014

Day One - Painting the skirtings...the builder's way


We're painting the skirtings...the builder's way. That's code for Jansen's way. Which is code for doing it properly and taking three times as long as anyone else and having five rounds of quality checks on the way.

So why are we painting the skirtings nine months after we moved in? Long story short, the builders put the skirtings too low for the floating flooring to fit but it wasn't noticed until after handover. I had to pull the skirtings off to get the flooring in and we've been in a bit of a dispute since then as to who is responsible for replacing them. I already had them supplied and reinstalled by Jansen's tradies, but I wanted the builder to paint them. It's still an unresolved issue but after looking at them unfinished for this long I can't stand it any longer.

I need closure!!

Jansen said I should continue to fight the good fight on principle and while I agree, I also have the philosophy to just get over stuff and get on with life. They're only skirtings!!! Furthermore this was basically the ONLY issue in a pretty major build and I'm absolutely over the moon about everything else with the house.  So I was like pffft, it's only a day's work right?

WRONG!!

Apparently if you want to do it properly the builder's way there are a million steps compared to the three I thought there was (mask, undercoat, topcoat).



Plug up the nail holes. Wait for it to dry. 


Sand back the putty.



Wipe down all the excess and put your big, fat finger on the corner of the camera as you take the photo



Next, put Selley No More Gaps on the top of the skirtings. All of the skirtings. Like, probably over 100 metres of the stuff! Arrrgh! I google "painting skirtings" and this step didn't come up in ANY of the results. Having said that I can see how it gives a million dollar finish, so this step alone took up almost all of the day and I only completed half of the upper floor of the house. This is totally going to take more than a weekend.


Apply, wipe off excess with a wet rag and then run your finger over the top to give a smooth edge. Repeat 100 times!!


Josh was responsible for the plugging and sanding of the nail holes on the lower floor. He doesn't look very impressed does he? He did it though, with gusto and to the acceptable level of quality so kudos to him.


So that's day one complete and this is the state of the house. I can completely understand why so many couples want to divorce (or kill each other) during renovations. This is chaos the house is currently and after just one day I want to gouge my eyes out. I have to move quickly because I don't think I can live in such a state for too much longer!

Day two is to finish sealing the gaps at the top of the skirtings (most don't even have gaps but apparently I need to fill them anyway to give an "even" finish!!) mask off the floor and perhaps if there's time, paint on the first coat of undercoat.

Wish me luck!! xx