The next major step towards completing the renovations commenced this week, stripping out the enclosed portion of the verandah on the western side of the house and removing the besser block walls and sliding windows. These had been identified by the heritage consultants as ‘invasive’ in nature, i.e. not in keeping with the architectural style and materials of the rest of the house. Our plan is to remove them and replace with weatherboards and windows in keeping with the 1850s colonial Georgian character. Again, asbestos removal specialists were called in to identify and remove the many wall and ceiling panels and the site was in lock-down for the duration.
Mother Nature turned on perfect weather for the day of the swimming pool concrete pour, which saw the team from Blue Tongue Pools on site along with a number of concrete trucks – it was fascinating watching the concrete being sprayed into the reo framework which had been constructed the week prior. Now it’s simply a matter of patience as we wait for the concrete to set over the next few weeks; a temporary fence has been erected to ensure no one stumbles in.
Inside, electricians Zac and Graham cracked on with the task of installing the pendant lighting over the dining space and kitchen island in the new extension as well as connecting and commissioning the underfloor heating controls and thermostats and installing further light fixtures throughout guest rooms, laundry and butler’s pantry.
The three guest bathrooms are very near completion following the installation of the glass shower screens. All that we’re waiting on at this stage is the mirrored doors for the inset bathroom medicine cabinets, to be followed by a few days of painting.
The hallway and new door treads fashioned by Red were also given a spruce-up, with a light sand and using a water-based stain and sealant to achieve the correct colour and a lovely warm, satin finish to the boards – our instructions to the floor finisher were to avoid at all costs an overly shiny, perfect mirror finish; we were keen to highlight the age and bring out the quirky imperfections in the wood, character that only comes with hundred-year-old floorboards! The entire process took three days to complete – sanding, applying stain, allowing it to dry, buffing, applying another layer, buffing…etc.
