A pool once lived here...

Happy Sunday everybody.

Now that the weather is cooler, I am taking the time to write about renovating rather than renovating itself. I need a break too....before I begin the big exterior paint adventure.

Let's take a walk outside....

As I mentioned in a previous post we once had a pool. The pool was a fibreglass structure with enormous cracks and holes where the dirt was slowly making its way in. The decision to remove the pool was a 'no-brainer' that is because we are less than 200m from an amzing beach and we didn't want pay the crazy electricity costs in running the filter 24/7. It took us 3 months to get organised as there were some planning questions that needed to be resolved. Essentially when you live close (100m or less) to the coast in South Australia you require planning consent to bring in clean fill (I think it is 9 cubic metres or more from memory). This isn't a huge amount but lucky for us I resolved that we didn't need approval because we are more than 100m from the coast, we were not removing the pool entirely and we were not going to be building any habitable rooms (generally these are the loungeroom and bedrooms)over the location of the pool once filled. Presto - pool demolition was happening. If you were going to be building a dwelling over where a pool or any other large hole once was you will require a compaction report from an engineer. This is very important as the earth will move considerably if you don't compact it and then build over it. Think cracked flooring, sunken foundations, cracked walls etc...not pleasant so its worth spending the time and money having this done. Cost wise this is around $5-$8k.....

For us, it was more of a drain, bash and fill mission. Firstly we disconnected the electricity which ran into the pool and around the front (underwater pool light and bollard lighting around the periphery of the pool). Then we used the filter in reverse and drained the pool into our sewer. Once most of the water was gone we used a drill with a 30cm drill bit and bored more than 1000 holes throughout the pool shell (a job Mr Renovator loved by the way). We then removed all the coping pavers. A bobcat and more than 30,000 cubic metres of clean fill was brought in. We filled the pool a third of the way to the top with fill and then pooled water over the top to help compact it. We added a layer of gravel to help stablise and then the final layer of clean fill which we flooded to again help with the compaction. All up this exercise cost us around $2000 and took 5 days with the bobcat only working half days in mornings to technically it took 3 full days.

The white structure in the second photo is the old bessa block shed....which you guessed it, has also been removed. I'll post these photos tomorrow with a before and after of our backyard. It's taken us a year but we got there in the end.

X S.

Introducing the Kitchen.....

 

Welcome. Let's step inside Old Victoria. As you can see this is an extension- likely built in the late 70's or early 80's when bessa block (those large rectangle, grey, concrete looking blocks)were all the rage as they were readily available, required little mortar and were a much cheaper option than brick or stone. To the left are beautiful french doors that lead to the backyard. Looking forward is the u-shape kitchen. The second photo is just the kitchen...Looks so neat and tidy doesn't it? Well it wasn't! Very few of the draws opened and the cupboards were hanging on within an inch of their 1980's life. There was black smoke damage all along the wall where the oven/stove was...this we discovered the day we pulled the kitchen out. The flooring is checkerboard, vintage green (which is never to be seen) and cream. The photos are so misleading. The stove and oven didn't work. To be honest, the oven was so dirty that we couldn't get it clean. Not even with a cleaning agent reserved for removing grease from driveways. The rangehood was dripping with grease...Ew. The only thing that did work was the dishwasher, which we ended up selling for $200 on gumtree. The first thing to go was the kitchen....and boy was that not fun at all. Don't get me wrong, I love a good demolition, but when I pulled the kitchen out, I was not at all prepared for what I found....

 

Here are my tips for renovating a kitchen:
1. Understand how you will use the space, how you want your kitchen to function and what other functions such as laundry (common in the UK) facilities, additional sinks, butlers pantry etc you would like to incorporate into your kitchen.
2. Look where the natural light is - do you want an outlook? If you are renovating and have considerable space within the vinity of the existing kitchen, ask yourself if this is the BEST place for the kitchen. Can it be moved across the room or reconfigured to a different shape.
3. Take your time, and don't rush. Keep a photobook of images and colours that you like as inspiration.
4. If using a cabinet maker - show your photobook to them and discuss your style and function with them. They may think of an idea or design that you haven't thought of.
5. ENJOY. Enjoy the process. Picking out tiles, splashbacks, tapware (my favourite pastime), paint colours, bench top materials etc is a chance to be creative and a chance for you to create something for yourself or your family.

In my next post we move outside to the backyard.......let's just say that pool I talked about in my first post, well that didn't last long at all!
Remember, you can never go wrong with white. X S.

Introducing Ye Olde Lady. There is a house somewhere in this picture.....beyond the overgrown Crepe Murtle, Velvet Red Rose Bush and heritage green picket fence (did I mention it was heritage green? New motto, heritage green will not be seen). The house is circa late 1800's and I have been working with the local historical society to identify its early life pre 1950's. I have been told by some of the more colourful local residents (mostly those who have lived in the area all their lives) that it was once the Apocathery - this would explain all the old bottles and medical instruments we found when we removed the pool (ahh yes it did have a pool, but more on that later). I have also been told that it was once a boarding house, a doctor's residence, a parlour house (not sure what that is -brothel maybe?) and of course a family home. All of this in the first 60 years, no wonder she looks so tired. Our present neighbour has lived in their home all his life and has only ever known the residence to be a family home (post 1930's). Keep following my progress as I discover the wonders of this magnificent house and create a home. Remember-  never underestimate the power of a good white paint. Until next time, S.

Welcome to Sarah Renovator where paint meets brush and cups of tea are a mandatory pastime. I'm currently bringing life into an old (really old) Victorian era house on the coast in Adelaide. Whilst I'm not a novice, this is a steep learning curve which I am enjoying, hating, loathing, loving and talking about to anyone who will listen. Sit back and enjoy the ride!