Office and Entry (Aug-Oct) 2005

The office and entry transformation started in August 2005. As I recall we were sitting in our not finished bedroom one day discussing the need for a third bedroom (we were using one as an office) and we came to the conclusion that it could go in the existing garage - the one nearest the house! As you do!!

This is how the entry looked pre demolition and rebuild!

Anyway, we changed the front door to face front on, making where Lyall is standing in this shot the new entry with the new office to go off to the right of the shot. But first the floor level had to be raised so it was the same as the rest of the house - no problem - bring in a big truck and Martyn and the job is just about done!!

Enty and Office (Aug-Oct 2005)

Entry & Office (Aug-Oct 2005)

The big truck arrived - very exciting for Isaac! (nearly 3) and Martyn and Lyall set to work.



Tornado decided he would make his mark on the new concrete!

Of course the garage door had to go and be bricked in. I can safely say - LYALL HATES BRICKING - off all the work he has done this is the only one he complained about. But in true form he kept going and it looks fantastic. So good in fact that if you didn't know the house before you would never pick that there was a garage where I am now typing this blog!!!

Entry and Office (Aug-Oct 2005)

With the outside work done it is on to the tiling - very exciting because every time Lyall starts tiling it means that another mile-stone has been reached.

We put glass bricks in the front and it just looks great - think I already said that but it really does.

One thing about blogs I don't like

is that when you do blogs from yesteryear as I am at the moment, they are all out of order. Sooo, I have a new plan - for each post I am going to say when the photos were taken, this will give some idea of when the work was done. Good Idea? I think so.............

More of the garage - slab going down

A big day....... the concrete is poured for the slab. A lot less grass to mow now!

A new Facade.........

Our good friend John Richards helped get us started with the garage. This was to make a huge difference to the front of the property and give Lyall lots of room for a workshop and to house cars and trailers etc. ....

Who shifts 3 tonne of date palm......

We do......

We hired a crane to yank it out of the ground as it was growing right where the new 3 bay garage was going to go!

Lyall felt it was a shame to just dump it so we replaced a more ordinary Queen Palm with the more exotic Date Palm.

It was a interesting and expensive ($1,000) little exercise.




It was put in place and is still going strong.

Theatre

It was a bit scary when we started paining the ceiling black!! The result was fabulous though - look at the size of Isaac, he would have been about 2 1/2 in this shot.

Steve took the makeover of the movie room to heart and really helped Lyall to do a great job. Kate and I made all the curtains, metres and metres of material. The sewing seemed to go on for ever! The screen is made of special fabric which we have to thank Graham Ironside for.
The screen is up but still lots to do. ..

We have a secret.......

This is our movie room but as you can see things were not always as they seem! There is a fireplace beyond that there screen!! You see, you can't believe everything you see at the movies. It has changed again really because we have new furniture - any photographers in the family to do an update???



Rather a percarious predicament for an 86kg projector. It took Lyall and Steve quite a bit of ingenuity to get it up there.

A look at the room before it became the theatre. Very different. Since moving into this house this room has been a lounge room, billiard room, back to a lounge room, and now a theatre. An amazing transformation and fun to enjoy the latest flicks!

Ensuite, Bedroom and Walk In Robe

Well this is a bit of a collection of the ensuite/robe and bedroom reno.

Even looking at these pics sends shivers up my spine and prompts me to say to Lyall "never again babe"!.

Lyall worked so hard and it seemed to never end. More than once he had to contend with me sitting in the corner of the room with my head in my hands, rocking, saying "it'll never be finished". I got to the end of my rope a hundred times and Lyall kept tying a knot in the end so I wouldn't fall off!

Martyn was a wonderful help on many days! Thanks Martyn, you are a great friend! Love ya!! I particularly love the one of the toilet in the bedroom - just says it all really.

One day I came home from work to find them both 'gassed' and feeling rather ill. They had been using a petrol driven concrete cutter to cut the groove in the concrete for the new plumbing in the ensuite. They had terrible headaches and looked quite pale. It wasn't all beer and skittles!! Thank you Janet for lending us your husband - sorry we nearly killed him!

Isaac just loved helping Pa and still does. He is a big boy going to prep now and still loves to help whenever he comes over. Hope that never changes darling boy. The photo that is on it's side - is going to stay on it's side because I have turned it about five times now and then when I load it onto the blog it changes back. So I will just have to 'build a bridge' !!
As you can see it did get finished and it is lovely. Still love our bedroom - so spacious and clean lines. Mmmmm that is artistic isn't it!!

Martyn says of this shot - Lyall spent all the time on the phone and he did the work. Mmmmm they had fun together, that is the main thing!

It started with the pool ..........

In January 2005 we started with a upgrade of the pool area. Isaac was so little, he has grown up so much and is in prep now! He always wants to help Pa and he was no different when he was smaller. He picked up handfuls of rubble and put them in the barrow. So incredibly cute.

John and Jenny Kelly came and gave us a hand too, as always we had a lovely time with them. Michael was here too and gave us some 'great' ideas for the rest of the house.
This really started us thinking of what we could do. The pool received a paint and what a difference that made. New gardens were put around the pool to soften the whole area.





Lyall worked really hard in the hot sun to paint the pool. Martyn came over to lend a hand but he is camera shy!
The finished job was a wonderful improvement.