FIVE YEARS DOWN THE TRACK...

In November 2004 we started the journey to bring a baby home from China ... five years later, in October 2009, we met Isobel Pingqin.
Our little livewire known as Izzy.

Friday, January 20, 2012

House - we're nearly there!

My favourite thing in the house was supposed to be my ensuite, but the tilers have totally stuffed up the tiles on my feature wall... and there are no more in Australia. So we have a dud ensuite.

So I now have a new favourite - I hadn't thought about what this would look like, and now that it is built, it's pretty fantastic - my pantry!!!
We decided to go for colour in our media room.
Water tank - not sure how it all works, hopefully there will be some instructions as we have grey water and mains water throughout.
Posts in for back retaining wall, the rest of it goes in tomorrow.
First few posts in of northern retaining wall - these plants have survive so far.
Urban Grey is the colour of the weatherboard sections
This is what happens to bad brickwork...
the Department of Fair Trading orders builders to render
The dark grey areas were always going to be rendered, the lighter colour is "paperbark" .

Izzy's first day back at kindy

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Summer school holidays

car websites on the iPad - en is in Heaven!
Izzy loving her DS (Ben's old one with new pink cover)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

House update and photos

Especially for Angela, a whole lot of updated photos of the progress.

The builders are officially on holidays for the whole of January, however some of the subcontractors have been coming to do some bits and pieces.
We will be moving house twice as our friends we are living with move house on 14 Feb. We will move with them, and then again when our house is finished (hopefully sometime in March)

From kitchen, door through to garage. In the garage we've put in an attic ladder going up to a roof storage cavity.
Hallway
Door handles on all internal doors.
These are hidden cavity doors which we can use to close off the front from the back of the house.
Entrance (inside)
Walk-in-pantry waiting for shelves to be built.
Looking into kitchen from open plan living room.
Back of the island, now has doors and drawer fronts.
These are the "accessories" that go with my sink - I'm desperate to open this package.
Sink mounted under bench.
We have telephone connections ready to go.
Termite protection
Gas
Ben & Izzy's bathroom - shower screen, mirror and towel rails went in last week.
Ben & Izzy's bathroom - the bath has been in the kitchen for months now.
Same basins in ensuite and WC. Peter hates the basins.
Outside, this is the courtyard on the northern side. This will have a fire pit in it.
Plants on the northern side which we've been trying to keep growing, we are just about to put i a retaining wall along this side. Retaining wall on southern side has been done.
Top section of back yard, digging holes for retaining wall posts. This will be a flat(ish) area straight out from the alfresco. There will then be another level before the bottom of the yard where the vege garden and trampoline are.
Most unattractive garage door we have ever seen... this is the result when choosing from a chip the size of a 50c piece.
Front entrance. Rendered parts will be painted a darkish grey colour.
Cedar entrance.