Rain rain rain

So work continues but oh so slowly.  In winter there's less daylight, it's cold and it's pot luck whether the weather is nice or not.  For an area that's meant to be dry, it does seem to rain a lot at the wrong times.  Still I will never begrudge the rain there, even though it does slow things down.  

Dad's report from last week's trip:

I had dreadful weather this visit.  On Sunday and Monday it was very cold but not raining, just overcast.  But the clouds bucketed down on Tues and a bit on Weds.  I was able to complete the enclosure of the octagon room by working until 9pm on Sun, using light and generator, and again working from 0430 to 9pm on Mon.  Little did I know that the heavy rain was to come on Tues, but needless to say I was relieved I had made the octagon room serviceable. 

(The 'Octagon room' is a small enclosure Dad has built near his campsite surrounding the fire, so there is somewhere warm to be when it's cold)

I moved a tankful of water to the 5000 gal tank so we could continue to collect water this winter.  When I go back I will move more water. I moved materials stored in the Lakehouse out to the embankment.  I had put the decking into the Lakehouse the previous visit because the rains had filled the dam and where the decking was lying was underwater.  But now all is tidy in the Lakehouse and materials stored properly under covers on the embankment ready to resume the building of the pier.  I moved the planks to cover as well since they were left on the outriggers at the side of the Lakehouse and were exposed to serious weather.  I am gradually removing all the building waste material from the embankment as well.  I have taken three pots of firewood to the octagon room and sorted these according to type of wood for either kindling, small wood, or large wood pieces.  I did these jobs when it was raining because I could not use the generator.  

Some good news though:  

When I got home I found the permit for the amendment to plans for the old house waiting.  I can now seriously begin work on the extension. 

Revised plans for the old house

Late last year we decided to hedge our bets.  Making the old house bigger shouldn't cost a lot extra, but brings a lot more flexibility for staying in it long-term, should the 'dream house' build get postponed.

We finally got the revised plans back from the draftsman and I'm really happy with them.   Here's the floorplan now: 

The key changes are:

• Addition of walk-in wardrobe and small corridor (with storage) between the master bedroom and the bathroom.  
• Extra room for the kitchen, with the addition of a jutting out "L" section.  This means we no longer have to stress about squeezing the dining table into the kitchen.  
• Repositioning of the stained glass bay window.

It's mostly straightforward, except the bathroom.  I wanted a luxurious bathroom with lots of space, so Dad suggested adding a loft area for the bath, accessed via a spiral staircase.  He also came up with the idea of having a glass roof for part of it, so it has the feel of a conservatory.  Having the light coming in should mean we can grow tropical plants that it would otherwise be too dark for.  I also like how there's a big high ceiling above the shower... I think I am going to experiment with having the shower head up high so it feels like a rainshower...  

Finally, here's what it looks like from each angle.  Although it's not on the same scale as the 'dream house', it does have a very different look from each side, which I really like: 


South elevation: 


This shows the original front door side.  The master bedroom is on the left, and I'm hoping we can keep a section of the verandah without a balcony, so you can sit on the edge and dangle your feet over.  :-)  We'll likely also have a canopy shade over the big bedroom window too -- but that's a finishing touch we can add later.


East elevation:


This shows the side that faces down to the dam.  There's the long verandah with the double doors that leads into the dining area, and the kitchen window on the right.



North elevation:


This shows the technical 'back' of the house.  The laundry is on the right and deliberately is accessed via the covered porch, so it can also function as a kind of mudroom.


West elevation: 

Finally, this shows most private side of the house -- the one that faces uphill.  There's a small door from the master bedroom to step outside, and there's a small balcony that adjoins the upstairs bathroom area.  I don't expect we'll use the balcony area a lot for sitting in since I don't know if it's going to have a nice view -- unless we get lucky and can see over the hilltop.  But it should work out OK as a place for plants, or (if I flyscreened it in) as an occasional sleeping area for hot summer nights.  Or perhaps even a place for the telescope?  This side will look more symmetrical in reality than the sketch shows, because the drawing had to get squished on the far left to fit on the page.  

a long overdue update

Sorry for the radio silence.  Things have been progressing the past few months, albeit like molasses.

Dad has almost got the lakehouse finished -- apart from the painting that is, which I asked him to leave for me to do.  The only thing still outstanding is to finish the pier.  I am desperate to see photos, but I think Dad is waiting until it's completely finished before unveiling it :-)

In his spare time, Dad has also been working on what he calls the "octagon room" at his campsite.  This is sort of like a mini enclosed gazebo area, so that when Dave comes for his next winter working trip they have somewhere properly warm to sit.

He's also apparently cleared lots of stuff out from the old house so there's space to work inside when the weather is bad.  On the next trip, he and Dave are hoping to get the stumps for the extension poured as well as begin with the window restoration.

Speaking of the old house, we also *finally* got the revised plans for the old house renovation from the draftsman.  In late 2011, you might remember we decided to hedge our bets and make the "old house" a little bigger and more suitable for longer-term living.  The revised plans are now with the council so fingers crossed all will be smooth sailing.  

lakehouse is almost done, but not quite

We finished up getting about 95% of the way there with the lakehouse.  Which isn't bad going considering we lost Dave from the team after his accident.

If you take a photo from the right angle, it looks quite complete... (except we eventually do need to get some trees planted to shield the next door neighbors shed and house roof - they weren't there when we started)


But from other angles, it's clear there's a ways to go

There are a few little bits and pieces left to do inside but nothing major.  The bulk of the work is outside - painting and some carpentry.  Dad has since got all the important stuff done so it's watertight and secure, but the painting I fear will need to wait for my next visit!  

Sunsets

So I love the vibe inside the lakehouse, and the verandah is great... but the most wonderful thing of all is the view.   It is the most perfect spot to sit and relax with a glass of wine, the fire going, and just look out.  These are just a few of the sunsets we got to see ...  

The verandah is amazing

So far I've not really talked much about the verandah of the lakehouse.  This was an impromptu idea of Dad's but a brilliant one.



Rather than having it be the full height, he put in a lowered roof so there's a small loft above it.  That's great on the inside as it's extra storage - or even a sleeping area.  But it's also a bonus for the verandah as it gives it a far cosier feel.

There are glass panels either side of the verandah so that effectively it's closed in on 3 sides.  I must admit, I was horrified when I first heard about that - but it turned out Dad was right.  They are hardly noticeable, and it really helps cut down the wind.  He was also right about the balustrade - I'd been convinced I wanted it open so I could sit and dangle my feet off the edge; but it's such a small area that you really do feel safer having it.  Plus it turned out to be a great footrest :-)

The verandah floor is currently just stacked brick, although eventually I'll put tiles.  The roof is lined with an old metal fencing sheet which I painted sky blue.  Dad put that in so it was fire-resistant, so we could use the chiminea there, which is just lovely to sit around.



We still have a bit of work left to do on it - the floor needs laying properly, the architraving needs doing on the outside, and of course it all needs a proper paint job.  But we got close enough this trip for me to see how wonderful it will be.

We finally moved in... (well temporarily)

OK, it's not 100% complete yet on the outside, but we got it to the stage that it was close enough.  I couldn't wait any longer to move in.  :-)  




It was furnished with a combination of things that I got out of storage.  The bed is a blowup one, believe it or not, but very very comfortable.  Some old chairs and tables that I cleaned up, along with some nice linen and paper window blinds and the odd book and nick-nack and suddenly it starts to feel very comfortable.  Still very shabby of course, as befits what is basically a glorified shed - but I love it.

The amazing thing about sleeping there is that it is so peaceful, the only thing that wakes you in the morning is the sun creeping in and the sound of the birds.  It's lovely.

Of course, we were only there a few days when it was time to leave, so everything got packed up so Dad can use it for his own stuff.  But I prefer to remember it like this.  :-)

Working on the lakehouse

We recently spent over 2 weeks at Amherst as part of our long-awaited holiday.  Originally the plan had been for the lakehouse to be ready for us to move into - but despite Dad's valiant efforts, that was still a long way off.  This is what it looked like when we arrived:



Yes, charming and visible potential, and some lovely windows and a ceiling... but no walls.  :-)   Thankfully we had backup accommodation - huge thanks to Tiff and Cal, Renee and Dave - or else I would have been a very unhappy camper!

The first day and a half we made great progress, with Dave putting on plasterboard.  Dad had cleverly rigged up electricity through the generator and so we had lighting, letting us keep working late into the evening.




Then disaster struck... Dave fell off a ladder.  He was really lucky - the only thing hurt was his ankle, in what turned out to be a severe sprain - but it could have SO much worse.  So we spent a day getting acquainted with Maryborough Hospital.

From then on Dave was out of action pretty much, so Dad switched his focus to help me work on the interior.  While I worked on the undercoats on the wall, Dad gave the ceiling a good wash.  He'd used old lining boards for it which looked amazing - but they were FILTHY.  Once scrubbed up though the end effect though was worth the effort - I adore them.  :-)



The next urgent task was to get the end somewhat sealed.  I'd bought some old stained glass windows that were still in frames, so Dad put them in... then did a quick patch job with old plasterboard, until he could get to the weatherboarding.  The architraving was made by Dad on-site hewn from some old weatherboards he saved from a skip.

 


And so it went on.  I painted and painted, while Dad did carpentry, and even Dave helped where he could - washing the floor which by then was filthy with plaster dust...




Until at last... it was ready.