A very belated post-handover update

For the benefit of family and friends interstate and overseas I will endeavour to keep updating this blog with progress in the garden etc even though the actual build is completed. 

Where do I start? Let's back track to handover day. 

We gained access to the house on Thursday 8th May around midday and after pinching ourselves to confirm that it was really ours we spent a few days taking car and ute loads of possessions over so that we could unpack them at our own pace and put everything in it's right place to start with. No double handling if we could avoid it! We included the spare bed in on of our loads so that we could stay at the house on the Saturday night - we were too excited to wait any longer. By Monday mid-morning the removalists had brought across all of the heavy items and we started the heavy duty unpacking.

Our side and rear fences were installed the same day as the removalists moved us. It was really nice to have some privacy right from the start, as most of the street would have been able to see me bumbling away at the oven if the fences weren't there.

The following week we headed back to do a final clean of the old place. It was the last thing we felt like doing but it had to be done, and we were absolutely exhausted by the time we handed back the keys to the unit.

In amongst the moving and cleaning we were madly fitting out our WIR with PAX wardrobe units from Ikea. We are rapt with how they turned out. We have fitted much more into our unusual shaped wardrobe than we expected. 

Drawers plus shoe, bag and shelf storage here.
More shelving and shoe racks plus hanging space is over to the left.

Nine days after handing back the keys to our old place we had our first and then second sets of house guests, so we got the spare room ready, enjoyed our time with them, and then set aside some annual leave in mid June to work on the garden and a few other projects. 

One of the first things we tackled was a study nook in the family room. I was nervous about painting the feature wall (Dulux Malay Grey) but we knew the colour looked great as we have it in some other rooms, and it didn't take long for me to get my painting mojo back. This is a great spot for charging our devices and keeping the bills and filing under control. We'll be putting a light-faced clock at the top of the dark wall as soon as we get the perfect one. 

By the time the study nook was nearly finished the weather cleared and we got stuck in to a section of the front garden. The area on the right hand side of the driveway will have to wait as it provides temporary access to the backyard for getting landscaping supplies through.

And then our decking contractors finally turned up! Yay!

Plenty of room for BBQ's and relaxing in the sun.
We will put a pergola over this area when funds allow. 

These chairs have had a lick of paint since this photo was taken. 

Other tasks we've tackled include: 

• painted the garage floor (Berger Jet Dry)
• painted the wicker outdoor furniture
• sealed the concrete in the cupboard under the stairs
• sealed the enormous deck (Cabots AquaDeck)
• installed various shelves, hooks and pictures. 
• installed some roller blinds and made some pelmets for the dining and family rooms
• made most of our flyscreens - what a nightmare - never again.
• started moving soil in the backyard in preparation for further landscaping.

Stay tuned for more photos and progress reports.