Day 88 (I think)

Can it really be?  A 30 day renovation and here we are 88 days later!  Okay so some days no one pitched and some of those days have been spent doing the same thing over and over and over again but anyway, here we are.  Isabel and Kaeli this is for you.  I cannot photograph the kitchen right now but I thought I would take a few minutes to do a quick post and show you the view from my office (future family room).

I don't like to say but, ja, it is a braai room.  There are still a few small issues to be dealt with here but this was the actual reason for our renovation.  We really needed an entertainment area.  I, however, have never really been a great fan of the indoor braai. There it stands in all it's black glory though.  I would have loved a sleek stainless steel baby but that simply was not in the budget (she says as that Abba song replays itself in my head over and over again Money, money, money ...).  We need to get some doors put on under the "barbeque" but unfortunately we cannot get anyone to do anything in Cape Town at this time of the year.  So, the opening shall remain until the new year along with a list of other odds and ends.  The shutters are from American Shutters and are aluminium security shutters.  The idea was not to enclose the room completely so we can open them up and still enjoy the beautiful view of the vibracrete (mooi) and fresh air.  Hold on, I will open them up and take another photograph.

What we would like to do is have that vibracrete wall "plastered" and maybe put a water feature or some modern benches there for extra seating.

Here is a view of the room from the lounge.  The blinds are a temporary solution.  The sliding door that they are covering will eventually lead into our main bedroom.

I need to decide how to place the table and tomorrow we are having chairs delivered (if I can decide on the colour before then).  The finish on the table is a little more rustic than our normal choice but we wanted something that would be durable and could withstand the braai rituals.  If you are South African you will understand this.  It has been very hard to find chairs but we have finally decided on a poly wicker chair that should be very durable and resistant to the sunlight, etc.  The chairs pictured above normally grace our dining table and I would have been happy to purchase new dining chairs and use those outside but they are a bit wide and we would like to put at least 8 chairs around the table.  I was hopig that we would be able to fit a small corner sofa into that room in the same poly wicker as the chairs but I don't think that is going to happen.  This is the chair I have ordered.

I really wanted the one with arms but they were also too wide if we wanted 8 chairs so this is the one it is going to be.  I don't like that tie on the cushion but I am sure we can find a solution for that.  The hard part is picking the colour.  When I ordered them they did not have the colour pictured here (Mocha) so I ordered the Grey.

Now I am not sure which colour to take.  Help.  I would love to have some input here.  I always know what I want so this is killing me.  I have to decide before they close today. Actually, that lounger could be the prefect "bench" outside (think out loud).

Day 65

Okay, I should really change the description of this blog.  It started as a day-to-day account of our home renovation, quickly turned into a week-to-week account and is starting to head toward a month-to-month account of what is happening.  Officially I can refer to this as day 65 since our renovation is still not complete.  At this stage I am beyond it.  Really, does this always happen?  It seems that finishing is the part where it starts to turn a little sour.  I understand that I am a little pedantic or OCD (depending on your point of view) but here is the current situation.

The builder and his team have not been on site for about a week now.  As far as they are concerned they are finished with the exception of the bathroom.  We are cutting them a little slack here since we are having the vanity custom made.  It is costing us alot more than we intended to spend but it is being done through a very reputable company.  Or is it?  The Ceasarstone tops and the basin should have been installed this morning so that the plumber could come in and complete the bathroom.  An hour after the installation was scheduled I sent the company a polite but stern email stating that this was the second time that they had not arrived as scheduled and it was not acceptable.  An hour after the email I received a call from the owner of the company to say that the representative we had been dealing with had been dismissed from the company and it would seem that there was a problem!  Although our quotation specifies the custom vanity as discussed with the ceasarstone tops (even the color is stated) he is saying that their company has nothing to do with installation or the tops.  Parden me?  I am not too concerned as it is in writing and will be hard to dispute and my partner is a lawyer (smug grin).  The bottom line though is that we have not had a functional bathroom for weeks now and we want to finalise the renovation so that we can start settling in.  My gosh, is anyone out there even interested in all of this?

I am going to presume that someone is and continue anyway.  This is what the bathroom looks like at this stage:

It is hard to photograph this room but I am very happy with the choices we made.  When the vanity was installed on Saturday I had this panicked feeling that I had indeed made it too big but I think it is because we have been looking at an empty bathroom for weeks.  I hope that it holds once the tops are on.  They actually went straight through the wall into the kitchen when they put the bolts in the wall (something else to sort out).

The wooden blind was installed in the bathroom this morning but I have had to phone them already to come and look at the color and to adjust the bottom.  As you can see it is catching at the bottom.  We chose the same color as the existing wooden blinds in our living area and although we were warned that there would be a slight color variation I am not happy with the color at all.  We chose Walnut and the blinds which went in this morning look like a deep Mahogany or Cherry wood.  

I am hoping that the vanity drama will be sorted out today and that we can get this room finished off.  Our little en-suite was not designed to be used by a family of 5.  

Day 54

Aaargh!  I have been feeling far too angry and frustrated to post but after some therapy here I am.  Everything is moving at a snails pace over here and despite the fact that I promised myself that I would not get irritable and impatient, I am losing it. In fact, I am starting to wonder if I have a touch of split personality or bipolar.  This phase of the renovation should have been finished but unfortunately we still do not have a functional home.  We are crawling over furniture to get into bed, we have not had use of our kitchen or main bathroom for a month and there seems to be no end to it.  This is what our living area looks like:

This is what our bedroom looks like!  I am not feeling the joy right now.  I want to but it is just not coming to me.

On a more positive note, the kitchen tops went in and the Hanstone looks great.  The walls are bare since I was unable to decide how I wanted to finish them.  Initially I wanted a pure white glass splashback behind the extractor fan but now I think it may look too clinical to finish with white.  Also, I would love to have a glass splashback which fits the entire wall and another on the wall by the kitchen sink.  We may need to do this later as the budget has been blown.

It all comes down to finishing right now.  It seems that just as one item is ticked off the list another two are added.  I know it is all coming together now but I really want our home back.

Day 41

I can officially refer to this as day 41 (even though it is a Saturday) since there is a team of tilers here today.  All the tiling should be complete by Monday.  It has been a big week this week.  The roof lights and patio doors are finally in.  The ceiling boards are up in the patio.  On Monday they will skim the ceiling and put the cornices up in preparation to paint.  

So, last week I was going to tell you about the bathroom.  This little room has given us the biggest headache.  The first problem being it is little.  The second problem being my big ideas.  Well, I think they are totally realistic but it seems to be causing one small problem after the other.  Here it is as it looked last week:

You can see how small the room is.  The photo below was taken after the bath and the Geberit system went in.  We had to build that small wall to accommodate the Geberit. Seems like a silly thing to do as we are trying to make the room appear more spacious but hopefully the desired effect will be achieved.

And here it is starting to take shape.  The wall tiles were cut down to even pieces to cover the wall which is housing the Geberit system.  I tormented myself over whether or not we should use that stainless steel trim detail for days as the tiler seemed a little hesitant about how neatly it would come together.  The tiles are not grouted yet but I think it is going to look good.    

The vanity is still an issue.  We had a great carpenter who was able to do the job within our budget but due to a family crisis he had to cancel all his current jobs.  After what feels like hundreds of quotes, opinions and disappointments we have decided to go with a engineered stone top with kiaat veneer doors and drawers.  The basin is rather large and the vanity is just over 1,6 meters long.  Yes, in that small space!  We are going to have to be a little more patient over the bathroom renovation.

Patience is something we seem to be running short of this week.

Day After Day 35

I can't exactly call it day 36 since it is not officially a working day.  It is however, the first opportunity I have had to post what is happening in our home.

This week started badly.  On Monday I had to call the kitchen company and ask them to delay the installation until Tuesday because in my opinion the kitchen was not ready. The tiler and the electrician were meant to have worked last Saturday but nobody pitched so Monday came around and the kitchen tiles were not grouted and the electrical issues were not dealt with.  It was also pouring with rain and I could only imagine that it was going to be chaos if the kitchen company arrived and needed to start building units inside while the tiler was finishing off the tiling and grouting.  The plumber was also meant to arrive to install the Geberit system. 

On Tuesday the kitchen company arrived on schedule and started to assemble our kitchen.  Now, this was the part I was looking forward to the most ...  seeing it all start coming together, at last.  It is far from finished but I love it already.  Final measurements were taken for the Hanstone tops and hopefully they will be installed within 2 weeks.  

I like the addition of those top cupboards above the fridge and sink.  Now if I could just convince Mr. Money Bags that we really need a sleek new stainless steel fridge and dishwasher!

There was a small hiccup in the kitchen which I only noticed on Wednesday when the cabinets started getting fixed. The short "island" was extending into the dining area a lot more than before and while this made the kitchen bigger it stole place from the dining area.  Luckily the kitchen company and the installer were both very accommodating and together they made a plan.  The drawers next to the oven have all been sent back to the factory to be made smaller (luckily they were longer than standard) and the "island" depth has been adapted.  The counter tops were not effected as the final measurements were only done on Thursday so they will be cut accordingly. Be warned, this could have been a potential disaster (for me anyway).  When you sign your contract with the kitchen company check the floor plan diagram very carefully.  I only looked at the design drawings (see below) and never thought to check measurements.

I was so caught up in finialising the finishes and position of drawers, etc and it never occured to me to scrutinize the detailed plan.  Normally, I go over evry little detail with a fine combed tooth but ...  It was a easy mistake to have made.  

Other elements of the renovation have been less than rewarding this week.  The plumber never arrived on Monday, or Tuesday and by Wednesday we were feeling a little frustrated.  After a conversation with the builder another plumber was appointed and work in the bathroom is also underway.  Just as well since I have big plans for that small room.  More about that later.

Day 30

It is all happening now.  I am feeling a little delerious with all the mess and noise even though we are now pratically camping in our home.

Right now, the tilers are here and have started laying the floor tile.  The priority is to get the kitchen done as the new kitchen is being installed on Monday.  I need to make a decision and purchase an extractor fan this weekend.  Now as much as I love shopping this does not really appeal to me.  I find extractor fans pretty ugly actually.  I have narrowed it down to 3 choices based more on functionality than looks to be honest.  

At this point I think it will be fan number 3.  How did I decide?  Very easily.  Price!  This product is manufactured locally and offers great performance at an excellent price (I hope).  It is also agood clean and simple design.

My largest dilemma right now is our bathroom vanity.  The carpenter who was going to make our solid wooden vanity phoned on Wednesday to say that he had an emergency family situation and he could no longer do the vanity.  They have already begun work in the bathroom and I am now under pressure to find someone reliable to make the vanity.  It is completely stressing me out.  Also, I wanted the basin to be positioned directly opposite the toilet pan so that there was counter space left to the one side and now I am having doubts about the design as the plumber and builder both agree that it is going to be very tight.  The basin is failrly large and rectangular and I think it will look funny in the centre of the vanity.  This silly and simple decision has been giving me nightmares and I need to make a decision today as they want to complete the plumbing in the bathroom.  If only the bathroom were a little bigger!

Day ?

My day-to-day week-to week account of our home renovation seems well on it's way to becoming a month-to-month account at this rate.  Not much happened over this past week.  Some preparation was done on Monday and Tuesday for the roof to go on but otherwise the builders have been on another job for the rest of the week.  In all fairness, I agreed to it as they are waiting for doors, roof sheets, etc.  Lots of waiting involved!  I have to keep telling myself to be patient and that it will all start coming together fast and furiously.  Mmmm.

So, our kitchen is coming out on Tuesday so that the walls, floors, electrical and plumbing can be sorted out in time for our new kitchen installation.  I don't think I have ever been more excited about all the mess, noise and distruption we are about to face. Here are some pictures of our current kitchen:

This is the view from our open plan dining area.  As you can see, the kitchen is not very big so we are pretty limited as to the layout and major changes.  I am not a fan of faux wood finishes and absolutely hate those postform kitchen tops with a passion.

For now, all of the current appliances are going back into the new kitchen.  As much as I long for a sleek new fridge with water dispenser and a new oven, we decided to spend the entire kitchen budget on the best finishes we could afford.  The last photograph really captures the "true essence" of our current kitchen.  

I can't wait for the "After" photos.  All of the base units are being made in kiaat.  I love this hardwood and we chose it to go with the solid pieces which we had made a few year ago and which we both still love.  

The top units are mostly finished a soft satin touch white duco. There are 2 aluminium framed doors with sandblasted toughened glass fronts and the kickplates will be alumium.  I am struggling to make a decision on the wall tiles and splashback.  We have had quotes for a white solid glass splashback behind the extractor fan.  I would love to have these splashbacks on all the walls but ... it is not in our budget.  Famous last words.

Day 19

So, I am back with my day-to-day week-to-week account of what is happening with our home renovation. Things are progressing.  It is still happening a little slower than I would like but the quality of the work is good and I think that is far more important than speed.  The window in our bedroom was bricked up and the future study window was installed.  Hopefully phase 2 of this renovation will happen within the next year. Our bedroom looks a little peculiar with that tiny little window in it.  The electrician has installed his conduit for the electrical work and we are waiting for doors. There is a whole lot of waiting for stuff involved.  You would think that these items would be ordered way in advance but anyhow here is where we are at:

The front entrance area is also plastered and I cannot wait to see a new door going in. The light is not staying.  We are putting dowlights in the ceiling.  Our garden is pretty wrecked (not that it was a show stopper before).  I would love to remove that bed and replace it with wooden decking and some beautiful modern pots with lush greenery or maybe even some sort of water feature.  I would also like to see a wider pathway in a natural stone paver and borders of small, smooth white pebbles.  Clean, modern and hopefully very low maintenence.  Sorry, lost myself there for a moment ...  It is not in the budget!  We will cross that bridge when we get there. 

Day 13

Day-to-day.  Well, that was the intention anyway.  The thing is, reality is so very different to how things happen in my brain.  The renovation seems to be heading that way too.  In all fairness the builder did tell us that we could expect the entire renovation to take 40 days.  I am impatient though and things seem to happening so slowly.  So, the day-to-day account was so unrewarding.  Here we are 5 days on from the last post and as you can see the walls are going up.  I think I watch far too many home make over programmes.  I am a real before and after kind of girl.

Last Thursday they started at the front door as they (the builders) could not continue with the entertainment area.  They are waiting for a window to arrive.  Testing my patience.  So, here is how it is looking.  I think it is looking good and gives some substance to our entrance area (previously non-existant).  Of course my man is not seen the point of this at all but the idea was to tie the front into the back with some matching elements.

PS:  The wall is not actually skew.  That would be my photography skills (I hope).

There is a ceiling going in there with downlights and a new front door.  I am trying to decide if I should get rid of that outdoor light or move it (well a new one of course) to the front of that pillar.  All these decisions.  I will sleep on it.  Opinions welcome.

Day 8

The main focus right now seems to be on our braai/barbecue.  I am feeling rather safe about all of this but at the same time can't wait to see some of the good stuff happening.  Of course, along with the good stuff comes all the bad stuff too.  Lots of mess and noise inside while we are moving from one room to the next as the builders work around us.  So, here's where we're at today.

I have to confess that I am really trying to relax about all all of this.  I am one of those people who pretty much expect perfection from everything and have to stop myself from running outside with the spirit level every ten minutes. 

Day 7

Yesterday was a productive day.  The bricks are going up and things are starting to take shape.  The braai/barbecue was installed yesterday and while it all still looks a shambles it is starting to take shape.

Everything looks a little small but I think it is because I have built everything up in my head so much that I anticipated it to look a little different.  We know that it will look very different once the walls are up and plastered and when the tiles are laid.  

Day 4, 5 & 6

I have to say that I anticipated being allot further with our build at this point.  Nothing happened on Monday as the builder was waiting for bricks to be delivered.  Nothing happened on Tuesday as there were still no bricks.  Wednesday bought a little action but not much.  Some bricks were built up in the foundation trenches and along the perimeter of the entertainment area.  On Thursday, after another visit from the local building inspector, the slab was thrown.  The braai/barbecue area was marked out and more bricks were built up.  On Saturaday we paid for the braai unit which will be built in on Monday.  My first choice (if money was no object) was the Jetmaster but we found a great deal on a Megamaster Deluxe 1200.  So effectively Monday should be day 11 of our renovation but will actually only be day 7.  Hopefully things will start to progress rather quickly from this point on.  To be honest, it is not really effecting us right now but as soon as work inside begins I will most certainly be pushing them to speed things up.  Spot the difference?

On a positive note we have decided on the finishes for the kitchen and we are very excited about this.  The only thing that we have not made a final decision on is the work tops as we are struggling to get a quotation which fits our budget.  We really do not want to compromise here so we will probably go ahead and make a compromise somewhere else.  We have also made the final selection of sanitary ware for the bathroom.  This was very hard as I was determined to find a basin which matched the shape of the bath exactly.  The basin should arrive this week and we can move forward with getting our custom floating vanity unit made.  We are hoping to have this done in a solid kiaat which which we will be tie in nicely with our kitchen and our current furniture.  I have been a little safe with the finishes but I think it will all work beautifully together.  Our home is not very large so I think it is important to stick to similar finishes to maintain a good flow from one space to the next.

Day 3

We were able to fill the trenches yesterday and that is all that will happen now until Monday.  Not very exciting and a bit of a let down but hopefully Monday will bring the sort of action I am hoping for.  In the meantime I am having sleepless nights over the work surface for the kitchen.  I really want engineered stone, Caesar Stone or Hanstone, but everything is so over budget (really hate that word) that we may have to reconsider doing the kitchen at this point.  We are waiting for one final quote and will have to decide one way or the other on Monday.

Day 2

The local building inspector came around to check the trenches before the foundations were thrown.  He was happy with what he saw and we can move forward.  There is however the small problem of all the water in the trenches which was from the heavy rain over the weekend.  The sun is shining so the builder has bucketed the majority of the water out and hopefully the rest will dry up and we can continue with the foundations.  A bit dissappointing to see nothing happening but hopefully the sun will continue to shine and we will see some bricks going up soon.

In the meantime we need to make some decisions about our kitchen. 

Day 1 (and 2)

Day 1 should have happened yesterday but due to the rain over the weekend and on Monday morning it was delayed until today.  The builder dropped his team early this morning and explained that they would be marking out and digging the trenches for the foundation of the undercover living area today (braai room if you prefer).  I have to tell you that I have never been so excited to see my backyard in such a mess.  It took 4 guys about 3,5 hours to strip our existing patio and dig the trenches.  Tomorrow the local building inspector will come and check that they have been correctly marked and that they have been dug to the correct depth before any further work is done.

This is the view from our back yard at the moment looking into our property.  We are going to be removing all those doors and windows and replacing them with other doors and windows.  Silly?  Well , the idea is that once we finish the second phase of the renovation all the rooms surrounding this undercover area will open into it.  We also want to open it up as much as we can and keep as much light coming into the property as possible.  The 2,4m sliding door in the living room will be replaced with a 3m one. We are still trying to decide on the configuration of this sliding door.  I would love stacking doors but I got a quote this morning and they are at least 4 times the cost of a sliding door.  A girl can dream!  It is my philosophy that you should always try and get exactly what you want first and then start compromising.  I will let you know how that works out for me by the time we are finished with this.  The small window in the corner is being replaced by a small sliding door.  This room will eventually become a family room.  It is currently our study.  The other window is being closed in and a much smaller window is going in.  This will be a little weird for us as that is currently our bedroom window.  Part of this bedroom will become a very small study so we decided to make these changes now to prevent any work having to be done later in this renovated space. Right now, I need to do a little more homework with regards to the built in braai (barbecue).  More compromising ...  My first choice was a Jetmaster 1200 but once again, it is not in our budget.  At the moment it looks like we will be opting for a Megamaster 1200 Deluxe. 

Let the Renovation begin ...

I am starting this blog to keep a record of our home renovations.  Since we have never embarked on something like this before we have no idea of what to expect or if we are making the right decisions.  What I have learned so far is that there are no universal "right decisions" and sometimes you just have to go with it and do what works best for your family.

At the beginning of this year we approached an architect with grand visions in mind.  It did not take long for me to understand that our very ordinary suburban home was not ever going to meet the vision in my head but we could certainly improve the space and make some much needed changes.  

The idea is to convert our small 3 bedroomed home into a 4 bedroomed home.  Our plans now boast 4 bedrooms as well as a tiny (I mean tiny) study and a undercover entertainment area.  Since we are not big on gardening we are happy to be using up most of our backyard to create our undercover living area.  This was in fact the main focus of our renovation initially. 

So, after getting some building quotations we realised that we would have to do this in 2 stages.  Firstly, due to the cost and secondly due to the fact that we will be living in our home during the renovation.  We also decided that we needed to update our exsisting living area.  We bought our house 9 years ago and the choice of finishings at the time were limited and very basic.  Although our home is a freestanding property it is situated in a secure housing estate and as such there are fairly strict rules about what you are permitted to do to your property.  I love and hate this at the same time.  We did consider moving rather than renovating but property in our estate is highly sought after and I love the security of the environment.  Most of the ouses have been built in closes.  There are 2 parks in the estate and we are directly opposite the one which gives the kids the freedom to "play in the street".

So, for now, we think this is the perfect place for us to be.  The builder will be arriving on Monday morning and renovation will begin ...  Wish us luck!