Before and After

It's taken me long enough, but I can finally show you some renovation pics!

Bathroom:

When our house was built, the owners at the time decided to change the plans for the en-suite bathroom in the main bedroom. They were elderly and didn't want a bath, so they built a wall in the middle of the room that would be the bathroom and installed only a shower, toilet and single basin, using the other half of the room as a walk-in cupboard.

The spare bathroom, on the other hand, has a bath and no shower. In winter, being cold-blooded, I find that the only way to get warm is to immerse myself in piping hot water. We would often use the guest bathroom to bath, but when we had guests staying with us, we were stuck with our shower, which had a broken sliding door that needed to be forced closed and still let cold air in because it wouldn't shut properly. The guests, on the other hand, were stuck with the bath, which is difficult for people like my 85-year old granddad to use.

So we installed a hand shower in the guest bathroom, broke through part of the wall that had been built in the bathroom and used what was the walk-in cupboard as a spot to install a lovely bath.

We found a way to fit in our new bathroom without moving any major water points. We added an extra basin and an extra shower (inside the existing shower). That last bit is one of my favourite things... Now TSC and I can shower together and he can have his luke warm water and I can have my scalding hot water. I've been explaining the necessity of this to everyone who has seen the bathroom: I believe all serious marital discussions should ideally take place in the bath or shower because it's very difficult to fight with a naked person ;-)

Anyhoo... Here are the pics...

Before

If you look closely here you'll see the towel rail lying on the floor. We tried fixing it on numerous occasions and it just kept falling off. So glad we have nice new, sturdy towel rails!

It may look innocuous, but this non-closing shower door was evil.

The walk-in cupboard

During
Here's where we broke through the wall from the existing bathroom into the walk-in cupboard...

After
Now we just need more stylish laundry bins!



Still can't believe this was the walk-in cupboard!

The Bedroom:

Once we'd put a bath in what was our walk-in cupboard, we obviously needed to find a new storage solution, which meant installing new cupboards. We also had to replace the carpet, which was worn through in some spots, and the skirtings. You'll see why when I show you a pic! The ceilings had pulled away from the cornices, allowing dust from the roof to pour into the room and make TSC's allergies a million times worse than usual, so we fixed the ceilings, rhinolited over them and put in new cornices and a new light fitting. While we were at it, we installed a vanity for me so I don't clutter the new bathroom with my make-up and hair accessories, and we also replaced the curtain rods.

Photos...

The revolting skirtings. We've now replaced most of these around the house with Meranti wood ones. The originals were made of a substance that was almost like cardboard - you could pull the things apart with your bare hands!

You can also see how worn the carpet is here - it's actually threadbare under the skirting on the left side of the pic.

Fixing the ceilings and prepping the walls...

This pic shows where we built up the old doorway to the walk-in cupboard and the rhinolite, stillwet and patchy on the ceilings.


New paint, fixed ceilings, new cornices and a new light fixture...


The finished room:


I LOVE these cupboards (thanks Louisa for the recommendation). They run the whole length of the wall and one of them opens up as the entrance to the bathroom (the one you can partially see on the far right of the pic)

The new cupboards opposite the bed, along with my dresser and the new curtains.

I'm so chuffed with the way my heart-art headboard substitute worked out! Our old headboard was too big for the room. We actually had to take it apart to get it out once the cupboards were in!

So that, my lovelies, is what I have been preoccupied with over the last six weeks. I'm very glad it's all finished and I am supremely happy with the end results. But now I want a break from home improvements for a bit ;-)

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing TSC. We didn't finish the renovations before my bday, but I'm glad we did it before his.

It's been a week already...

...Since I last blogged. Crazy.

Here's a quick update of what's been potting:

It was my bday on Sat and I got spoilt rotten. TSC surprised me with my gift (for almost the first time ever - usually I know exactly what I'm getting). He gave me this:
He already got us Cold Play tickets awhile back, seeing they are my fave band ever, so I feel very blessed with my "bonus" present Jamie book and can't wait to get cooking. I just have to fugure out what some of his British slang words mean!

We had a lazy morning and then headed to Zebbies so I could pick out my bathroom light fittings (weird way to spend one's bday, I know. But there was no other time to do it). Then I picked Lucky Moo in Atholl Square as a lunch venue. Meh. The service was fabulous, but the food less so. My fault entirely though - I should've stuck with somewhere I know. I felt like a change.

We had an afternoon nap (bliss!) and then made a quick stop at the nursery, where I picked up some pansies and a third variety of primula to add some instant colour to the garden. I got my hands dirty planting them while TSC watche dthe rugby. Then we had a bubble bath and got ready for my birthday supper with my folks and brother at Royal Thai. It was divine! Great food, lovely family time and I got spoiled some more... nursery vouchers, money, beautiful cards that made me teary and my favourite perfume...


All in all, a good birthday. Especially supper, which is a wonder, seeing I usually end up picking a restaurant that leaves at least one family member (if not all of them) unimpressed.

The renovations are at last (and thank goodness) nearing their end. The cupboard guys are busy right now. They've taken longer than they were supposed to, but they seem to be doing a really thorough job. They'll finish on Monday and then we can hopefully move back into our own bedroom! And I can show you pics :-)

Now it's just doing the final bits... skirtings, the shower door, putting up the bathroom towel rails etc. Which is great, seeing TSC and I have been working through weekends and every evening to fix the bad job the tiler and plumber did, as well as touching up on the paint work and doing small niggly things like siliconing around the basins etc.

If journalism doesn't work out, I can always start a handyman (handywoman?) business!

I am slowly transforming back into a nicer version of the winter me as the weather warms up. As the little buds on my plants blossom and the tiny leaves on my frees unfurl, so my temper lengthens. And I will be a decent person for the few short months that it's warm.

Have a good wekeend, everyone.

Bullet point updates

Hello! Been desperate to blog all week and catch up on my reading, but it's been more of the same manic pace, I'm afraid.

So here are some quick bullet points:

• It's my birthday tomorrow. Renovations were supposed to be complete by then, but alas it was not to be. The cupboard guy's materials were delayed, so he can only come on Thursday. But the new carpets are in and they look amazing! And they feel good too. Who knew carpets could be so exciting? And yes, I realise I sound like a total loon, but I find them so awesome that I want to take a leaf out my cats' book and roll on them.
• I got rid of my accountants and found a new firm. Yay! The old ones were not very reliable in terms of communication and didn't take me seriously at all, so I'm glad to have found someone who is willing to answer my (probably silly) questions.
• My garden is coming alive again. I love it - spring is on it's way, at last! I'm enjoying peas, carrots, spinach, rocket, Asian greens, herbs and spring onions from my veggie patch, and the gorgeous primulas (two types) are in full bloom, making for pretty bursts of flowers all over the show.
• I took my brother out for coffee yesterday (had the most divine chai freezo at House of Coffees in Menlyn). I'm so loving getting along with him for the first time in my life. At long last, we can chat. And not just about jokes and the weather - about real stuff too. Without jumping down each other's throats! It's fantastic. Makes me very happy.
• TSC and I have settled on a theme for usual joint birthday bash. We're having a bring-and-share gyspy-themed picnic in our garden. So excited! Gypsy decor is such fun and virtually free. All I need to buy is a big bag full of gold coin chocolates ;-) We thought of having a picnic at one of the lovely parks, but I worry that it will rain (usually happens when I have picnics) and I'm not keen to put my friends through the traumas of the public loos (our favourite local park only has a port-a-potty). Also, I worry that if people want to drink wine, they'll get in trouble in the public parks. So our garden it will be.
  
• I cannot wait to show you renovation pics. Hoping by next week it will all be done. And then I'll post some before and after shots.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Never been happier it's a Friday

What an admin week! Goodness.

Not only have we been running around trying to manage builders, plumbers, tilers and painters while still getting some work done, but I've also been sorting out tax stuff (hate, hate, HATE) and we've switched our insurer. Finally.

In between, the dishwasher has stopped working, the expensive Floor Wizard mop (or whatever other euphemistic name it has been given) fell apart and my remote control for the gate broke. Our phone line has also stopped working. This not only means that people can't get through to me for business calls (it sounds like it's ringing from their end, but doesn't ring on my end), but also that we can't let our visitors (including the myriad renovation subcontractors and repair men) in through the front gate, which operates through our landline. All of this, of course, happened in a week with a public holiday in it. Which means that getting anyone to fix anything has been unlikely since everyone other than us is on holiday. Or that's how it feels, at least.

Just to make life rosier, I've had to go into the bank twice and spend a few hours there on each occasion. Had to pick up two cards (old ones expire end of this month), extend my internet banking transfer limit to be able to pay the deposit for the new cupboards, update my FICA (what a frikking mission. Might have been easier to let them keep thinking I still live in Cape Town) and I wanted to apply for a credit card. Didn't think this would be a problem, seeing they have my personal, business and investment accounts and know exactly how much money I have at any given moment.

Hah! Should've got a credit card before I became self-employed. They don't want to give me one unless I get a letter from an accountant saying how much I earn every month. I don't have an accountant, so I told them I'll apply through Discovery (where all they need is three months' bank statements). The joke is that a telesales person from my bank has called me twice in the days since to offer me a credit card. Grrrr.

I'm seriously over this week. TGIF. For real.

That said, it hasn't all been bad. I really enjoyed Women's Day on Tuesday. TSC and I slept in late, had scones and coffee at The Tea Room at Crabtree & Evelyn, took a long walk through all of Lonehill's little footpaths, shared a vanilla milkshake from Milky Lane (been craving one for weeks) and chilled at home watching episodes of Glee. It was divine.

Glad I had a day off, because tomorrow morning is a big business meeting and the rest of this weekend we'll have people working in the house. I'm really, really hoping that by next Saturday (my birthday!!!) it will all be done.

On that note, any ideas for birthday parties? TSC and I do a combined one every year as our birthdays are three weeks apart. We've decided we can't host one at home this year, but I'd like to something a bit more exciting than hooking up for drinks at our gloomy neighbourhood pub. I'm open to ideas! But seeing all our money is currently being spent on light fixtures etc, it can't be expensive.

Anyway. Have a fabulous weekend, all.

Renovations & Recommendations

I'm big into social buying and am signed up to Groupon, WiCount and now Daddy's Deals. They're having a competition where you can win a fab adventure for you and three friends along with loads of other cool prizes, so if you want to enter too... click this magic button:

Ended my work day well today - got a phone call from a potential new client. She was given my number and a recommendation by one of my current favourite clients.

It's awesome to get people phoning wanting to offer me work at any point, but it's especially awesome when it's thanks to a recommendation from a client. And it's even more fabulous when it's my favourite client.

Yes, a good end to the day. Which is lovely, considering all the mess and foolishness in my house at present. At least we have a new plumber!

General Chaos et al

General Chaos and his troops have invaded our house. Major Mess has taken up headquarters in our spare bedroom while Private Breakdown was allegedly crying in the downstairs toilet, although there is no hard evidence to substantiate this rumour.

Yes, renovations are on the go, despite our plumber failing to show up yesterday as agreed and our tile-remover dude being three hours late today. Still, at least the process has begun. Now we just need to find another plumber and somehow stick to deadline and budget. And I must learn to be able to think in a house filled with noise and dust.

Simple.

Assorted updates: count down and cat warfare

I'm so glad last week is over. What an insane few days! Presentations, deadlines, power plays and boundary laying... Not so much fun.

That said, there are things to smile about this week:

Renovations! Commencing in T minus 2 days (or 3, depending how quickly we get our upstairs packed up). It's going to be hell, for sure, but I am SO looking forward to the end result. Note to self: Must remember to take BEFORE pics this evening.

Thus far, we've moved most of the furniture out of our bedroom and into the spare bedroom (except the bed and my gas heater) and most of the clothes have been moved out of the cupboard too. Thankfully the spare bedroom is ridiculously big, so we've managed to fit its furniture and our room's furniture in there, albeit in wobbly vertical towers.

Tonight we'll do the last moving and sorting and try to get the study (which is tiny) kitted out to use as the laundry room and mini-spareroom (with a single bed in it) for the time being.

It's strange though because our room looks so empty. And messy. I was shocked when I pulled my small drawer unit off of the table where I do my make-up to discover that it's left dirty marks against the wall. I'm very much looking forward to painting over the white walls with a shade that won't show the dirt so much!

Things are obviously chaos at present. I woke up wondering where I was this morning. The cats are loving it though. They feel like they have a brand new obstacle course that's been set up just for them. Little brats. Much as I love them, they do test my patience at times.

This morning, while I was trying to work, they decided to interrupt my concentration by doing repeated time trials around the obstacle course, making as much noise as possible as they went. The pitter-patter of little cat paws is surprisingly loud at high speed. Especially when accompanied by the sound of their bells and the taunting meows they throw out to each other as they race (worse than cricket sledging, I tell you).

They were having a grand time trying to outpace each other and drive me insane.

Until I joined in.

They were not expecting me to jump up from my computer and hare after them through the boxes and piles, challenging them at the top of my lungs with my own meow.

They stopped for a split second to give me a look of absolute terror and then fled in opposite directions.

Marble ended up under the spare bed (wedged between my shoes and other newly stored items), watching me suspiciously with wide eyes and trying not to show just how unsettled he was.

Sapphire, on the other hand, quickly scaled the mattresses piled against the wall (she mistakenly thinks there's safety in height). As I rounded my final corner, however, and let out a whooping victory cry - the bloodcurdling sound of an unhinged writer driven to the edge, which could unsettle even the bravest army veteran (or so I imagine) - she got such a fright that she backed right off the side of the mattress and made an undignified and rapid descent, noisily hitting each and every metal strip of the Ventian blind on her way down.

(She's fine, by the way. Just embarrassed)

Satisfied, I returned to my PC. Silence reigned once more.

It goes to show... that old adage is true: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Works for me :-)

The facts from this week

I'm off to Durban tomorrow for the weekend. I will visit my gran, who had a mastectomy on Monday. She only found out on Friday that she needed one, so it's been a shock.

The op went well and we're just waiting for the histology reports. My granddad has been beside himself - he lost his first wife (my biological gran) to cancer after a marriage of more than 40 years. I was still in primary school at the time. It was very sudden - she had a stroke, they found out she was riddled with cancer and days later she was gone.

Understandably, he's terrified that this could happen again. He's a little more relaxed now that the op is over, but he has bronchitis at the moment, which is no joke when you're 85. I need to see them to feel ok.

Of course, having booked flights, I've now come down with the head cold from hell and I'm worried about passing on my bugs to either of them. I have downed Med Lemon, Panado, Nurofen, Strepsils etc (not all at the same time!), but am just as miserably sick and battling to breathe. I am eating oranges (when what I really feel like is all the cheesy stuff that's especially bad and mucous-producing), rubbing on Vicks VapoRub and staying in bed. Hopefully I'll be ok by the time we fly tomorrow.

It's been an especially busy week, with assignments from old clients and an exciting new one (thank you, Jeanette - I owe you for this recommendation), which are all (of course) urgent. On top of that, there's other family stuff, friends going through really rough times and some other stuff that doesn't get discussed here.

On the bright side (and there is always one), I'm looking forward to spending my dad's birthday with him and my mom on Saturday, and TSC and I are busy planning a bathroom renovation (very exciting, but probably insane, seeing I work from home and will be witness to every bit of dust and noise). Our church small group is also partnering with an incredible adoption organisation to help them refurbish the homework rooms where the kids work. I love that sort of stuff.

Life is crazy. But I am still here. Until tomorrow. Then you won't hear from me till after Durban.

Have a good one.

Lucky me (it's my bday and the house project is over. For now)

It's my birthday and I've already been spoiled. And it's not even 9am*. I have such cool family and friends, and I'm always surprised by the random people who remember my birthday.

TSC has made me feel like a princess (albeit not a very well groomed one - he woke me up at 5am to give me my presents. NOT a morning person). He spoiled me with two new types of bubble bath. I'm fussy about it - I don't like flowery stuff like Rose or Lavender. It must be spicy, fruity or chocolaty. He got it just right.

I also got the gorgeous bright pink memory foam slippers I wanted from Woolies, a stylish black handbag to replace my ancient and abused one that I bought years ago and the divine Neroli Jasmin eau de toilette from Body Shop.

Le pretty pink slippers...


Very spoilt!

Here, because I promised them to you, are some before, during and after shots of our recent house projects...

Veranda, before


Veranda, during


Veranda, after (with new tiles that don't show all the dirty little cat pawprints)...


Braai area with old, ugly paving removed...


Braai area with waterproofing and concrete-pouring complete...



Braai area, after. New tiles! Now I just have to tidy the area up and put in some pot plants and it will be beautiful.



The guest loo once TSC had removed our old, ugly basin with horrible leaky taps (what a flipping mission - the first replacement basin we bought had corners, which meant that in our pathetically designed guest loo, even though the basins were the same size, the door couldn't close past the corners. We had to swap the first new basin for a second one, and that required some serious plumbing ingenuity on TSC's part as the plug hole was in a different place).



The guest loo with the second new basin (and a mixer tap - no more leaky horrible hard-to-close monster taps. Yay!), the new towel and toilet-roll holders and new listellos (that border of tiles above the old ones). Visiting the guest loo is now a much happier experience ;-)


*Well, it wasn't even 9am, but Blogger took so bloody long to upload my photos!