A new home for Ollie

Once the building started we realised that Ollie was not going to be allowed outside while we were at work. 

With fences gone and builders crawling everywhere, he was sure to make a runner!

Last weekend we spent several hours creating a small pen for him to live in during the day while we were away.

The girls in particularly, protested and were miserable at the prospect of him being alone and cooped up in such a small space.

Surprisingly though, during this first week, reports by the builders were that Ollie was strangely calm and happily entertained by the noisy goings on of our building intruders. 

There was compensation to come for Ollie though! The best news for all was the realisation that at night time, Ollie had to sleep indoors with us! It was too cold and too far away in the back yard for him to be alone.

A designer bed for a designer dog! (He has to look good if he's going to live inside!) 

I don't think it took him too long to realise that time alone in a pen for just a few hours a day was by far worth it, when he could enjoy the warmth and comfort of being with his favourite fans during the night.

I don't think so Ollie!!!

The coming winter months will probably be a little cramped upstairs for us all, but for Ollie and the girls a little more cosy with their furry friend by their side.

Giulia:) x

Doors and windows

We have decided to go with G.James Aluminium windows and doors. White is our preferred colour ( as usual ). 
I love the solid, clean lines of these windows and doors. Across the back of the house we will have fixed glass panels with louvres. This way we do not need to worry about obscuring our view with a pool fence between the back of the house and the pool edge.

Something like this...

The doors leading onto the deck are sliding and slide back behind each other, to one side,  and will provide a wide opening which will bring the outside in, while entertaining. It was a cheaper alternative to concertina doors but after researching the two alternatives, I actually think that these sliding doors are better because they are easier to manoeuvre into place than those that concertina back onto each other.

The other bonus with these windows and doors is that they include the security crim mesh for no extra cost.

These beautiful pictures give you an idea of what I'm after. Let's hope I can achieve the same look and feel!

Giulia.x

Kitchen to Laundry

As you can see from previous posts Giulia has started some major renovations at her place. As for me, I have a little renovation going on as well. We are turning our old kitchen into our laundry. The old kitchen has been pretending to be a laundry for 10 years now and I'm finally ready to make it into a more practical laundry space. We have sold our old kitchen/laundry on ebay and the new owners are removing it this weekend.

 I'm looking forward to seeing the space empty so I can plan and visualise my new laundry. Right now, I'm enjoying searching through magazines and the internet looking for inspiration.

xToni 

A positive start!

Well, we were pleasantly surprised on day 1 when the builders turned up just as they said they would.

Last night we didn't get home from work till well after dark, but hand in hand and armed with a torch, the four of us excitedly scoured our way under the house. 

We couldn't believe the progress. Walls, doors and windows removed and levels had been taken.

Upstairs, where our original staircase had been blocked off with temporary flooring, there was no evidence of work?!? They had cleaned up after themselves, which was a welcome relief at 7.00 pm at night.

This old stairwell is the perfect place to house our winter clothes... for now.

Today the electricians are replacing our electrical hot water system with gas and removing the old air conditioner from the back of the house.

Oh, and I've ordered my doors and windows!
I think that's pretty good going for one days work, don't you?

I can hear a truck!! They're hear again and right on time. Good boys!!

Giulia :) 

Turning a Negative into a Positive

When renovating this London home the owners were faced with an annoying supporting column. They decided to make a feature of the column and create a gorgeous wrap around unit turning what could have been a negative, into a positive. 

For more pictures from this stunning home click here

xToni

Window wows!

If you had windows like these, it wouldn't matter what you had in the room! 

These stunning windows certainly have the wow factor.

 The sheer height, grandeur and even distressed, aged features definitely take the limelight.

 It confirms my belief that your choice of windows and doors are paramount when building or renovating. They really do take centre stage in any design brief! 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Giulia.x

D day...

Goods news. Our builder starts on the 23rd of this month and so far everything is on track to go. 

• Carport down
• Pool deck removed
• Back verandah gone.
• Furniture downstairs put into storage.

before

after

We've worked very hard over the last four weekends, methodically working through each task and removing all the building materials as we go. Every Sunday night we've welcomed sleep early in preparation for our usual weekly jobs.

We still need to move our bedroom furniture upstairs and take all our garage tools etc over to my mum's for storage and then we can breathe while the work begins. 

We are looking forward to just having to make the mental decisions and leaving the physical work to the experts. With Winter setting in, I can't wait to bunker down and watch the progress.

This afternoon we meet with our builder to fine tune any details. I only hope there's no hidden surprises!
Giulia.x