Living and DiningMaking HOME Renovations Begin!
Well, hello! Welcome to the very first peek at what will be our first renovation project for Making HOME.
Each week we’ll share some progress. We’ll take you through the tasks we had on our list, the choices we made and our decision processes.
But most importantly, we’re going to be honest! Because while we do love to renovate, we know that it’s always an emotional roller coaster. Times are a little tough right now with materials shortages, tradies in short supply and interest rates going crazy. So all of that on top of the actual project will make for an interesting project!
To-Do List: Week 1
This week was all about prepping for the excavation to begin.
Here’s what we did:
- Cut back all the hedges, shrubs and any other greenery that may restrict access or be damaged by the machines or builders.
- Cleared out all the areas at the rear of the home that was due for demolition. Thankfully this home has a huge underfloor area so we were able to store a lot on-site.
- Laid timber and protective coverings over the paths and other hard landscaping we want to preserve. This will come off once all the machinery has finished.
- Installed soil and silt erosion capture at the rear of the property so any runoff stays on our block.
- Installed site fencing, laminated all the notices and contact details that need to be displayed and set up the site office under the house complete with coffee pods, a laminated full set of all plans, a noticeboard, lots of toilet paper and matches. (Matches are a brilliant air freshener, which is very important in a site office with lots of people!)
Where We Saved
It took us a good two days of work to get prepped for next week but we managed some good savings by using old timber we found under the house to protect and cover the paths. We took two trailer loads of green waste sent to the tip (free to dump) and we cut down some larger star pickets we already owned to save buying more.
The saving was mostly just labour. Not thousands, but worthy savings nevertheless. If we’d left this to the builders, it would have been faster and easier but their hourly rates add up fast.
And besides, who needs the builders doing this when you have strong arms and a weekend to fill?
What’s Next?
Next week we start excavating. We’ll bring in a small machine, remove all the side fencing and gardens to create an access alley between our house and the neighbour and then the big gun will roll in. Our goal is to get down to rock by the end of next week!
How We’re Feeling
Excited, excited, excited! We’ve been waiting for months … for revised plans, for the weather, for the builder to finish up on an earlier job and for us to get the finance sorted.
We’ve got such a long way to go but it’s going to be great. We’re going to be Making HOME: more functional and of course, more beautiful!
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