28th February; evening

Lester has  updated progress this evening. The kitchen  is looks pretty good. There are also some shots of Greg knocking out the final window early this morning.

Dark grey tiles laid upstairs

pale grey tiles laid downstairs



The view through the big window; what one heritage champion called an "unsympathetic void"





Greg removes the central, deteriorated, window



Kitchen bench

Cooktop and updraught exhaust

Side bench

Other side of the kitchen. Stone tops all round!

28th February

We spent most of the weekend clearing out Stockton. We are in a slight state of panic, as time is quickly running out. I knew this would happen. We have had a year to get ready to move but we can't do so many things until the last minute. We have begun negotions with a removalist company. Ruth and Ian came over organised the removal of some things, as well as, pack some boxes of stuff. How nice was that! 

Various developments over the river: The windows are now completely gone. The bench in the kitchen is going in, or, I should say, on. Tiles are laid in the bathroom and the toilet. Ian has fixed the antenna. Decisions have been made about pelmets, stringers, ballustrades, and details of the roof garden are proceeding.

The stone tops are being put in place today

Sexy antenna!

Measuring up awning

Lester and Bernie

Streetscape...

24th February

Lots of action today...

Bricklayers put hebel blocks in place for the garden beds. Skirtings and cornices and general patching were worked on by Jim the plasterer and Greg and Richo. The joinery team installed the stair shelves on the bottom stairs and the huge bookshelf (which we absolutely love) and some more kitchen cupboards which will surround the fridge. We received the  built-in wardrobe plan which is  fine.

I packed up more stuff at Stockton in the morning, before manning the desk at the surgery in the afternoon. I've obviously strained a few back muscles that I've not used in a while but I will soldier on: no sympathy here! (This is a test to see if Lester reads my blog. I suspect he doesn't!)  After work, we zoomed out to Good Guys and bought a wall mounted TV and a bar fridge and we went to my fav shop - Howards Storage World and bought  more of those sucky bags which enable you to store voluminous amounts as shrunken bits. Also arranged for them to come out and measure up wine storage racks.

Just had a good conversation with Rowan and Sammy in Thailand and earlier with Liam, who is at NSW Uni  on a five day intensive course. Also been in contact with Kiz, Jac and Bern about the renos and other important things like Tropfest, the breakout in the Middle East, Mossie Belle (Liam's horse which is having her first run next weekend), the new house in Thornleigh, carbon tax and earthquake survival. Rowan was able to tell me that Kristina beat Barrellofarrell in The Debate. Oh darn! I missed it.

Examining the planter boxes on the roof garden

Hard at it: the plasterer and the cabinet maker.

Lester loves his new bookshelf.

shelves on the lower staircase.

Skirtings and cornices. The door will not stay this colour.

The rest of the glass doors for the kitchen have arrived.

The retractable exhaust fan(downdraught) in situ.

the exhaust  going out through the wall.

23rd February

Lots to report today. There are some detailed photos for those site engineers who  peruse every detail of he construction. Jim, the plasterer was on site today finishing off upstairs cornices.

Bob's team from the joinery works installed the "banquette". (I am not sure this is the correct word or spelling. It is a built-in seat. I have heard it called a "banque" too. Lester calls it the bonking seat! I know that a banquette was  made in the sides of the trenches where the soldiers stepped up to fire their guns. I must investigate this further.) Our seat is made with lifting tops so we can have storage underneath. They also installed the shelves under the top staircase and began the construction of the bookshelf in the second bay. The space at the bottom will house the ethanol heater.

Greg and Richo tackled the removal of the front windows. They did the two outside ones this morning and will work on the main one tomorrow. The rust in the surrounds is pretty severe and  once removed, a fairly large gap is revealed. Amazingly, the  curved archways did not fall down. The retention of these arched windows was the deal we struck with Council and Heritage; to leave the original iron tops in place. I am not sure how long they will last as they are seriously rusted through. Anyway, the desired result has been accomplished: lots of fresh air flows through now. Greg is working out ways to dress the gaps and to install the small glass barriers. Greg and Richo also started placing the skirting boards. These are the special "art deco" designed ones. They look like little geometric Aztec pyramids.

The waterproofers came again and applied their magic mixture to the rods which were put in place in the garden yesterday.

We've negotiated with Greg and Steve about he size of the bbq and the bar fridge which will go out in the garden. Lester has become very interested in this part of the development. He liked Steve's story; he volunteers to go out the back after work and bbq the meat every night as he takes a beer and relaxes doing it. Sometimes the hotplate takes a while to warm up sufficiently or the meat is so thick, that he has to slip back and get a second beer before it's done!

Free flowing air, at last... and funny man...

This is how the balcony works (Rowan). The floor will be paved.

Detail after removal of rusted out window

Rusty bits

The drain from balcony floor onto roof (under pavers) [This is for Bernie]

Stair shelves from below

Stair shelves from above

The "bonking seat" and the beginnings of the bookshelf

Storage in the seat

"Art Deco" style skirtings

22nd February

Conferred with Bobby today and modified  some wall cupboards. Spent time  talking to removalists, most of whom find the options of craning a piano and a couch two storeys over Hunter St a bit too difficlut. (I think I have found one company though.) Spent the morning liaising with Steve, Brian, Greg, Steve, Wayne, Richo, Greg  etc. etc. All hilarious and productive.

The  foundations are ready for the roof garden beds to be constructed.

18th February

Today started at 7.30 on site with a reunion with our painter, Ken. "Our painter" is a bit like saying "Our Doctor" or our for that matter, "Our Builder". Ken has painted Stockton twice over the years and now he is lining up to do Gracelands for us. He knows that deciding on colours has always been challenging for us but luckily this time everything is sorted. (Remember at Stockton we had patches of about ten different colours all around the house, trying to decide? In the end we decided on "Dirty Wombat!" ) He has agreed to use Porter's Paints - low sheen - and to use a distemper finish on the portals. The job is fiddly and a bit time consuming and while I suspect  it's not an easy job, Ken managed to be quite positive about it.

The waterproofers had started work very early. It was interesting watching them slosh thick, pink gooey stuff over some sort of fibreglass fabric.

I also had a meeting with the Oz Robe designer. So, the  wardrobe is underway. We are going to have bronze- mirror doors which I hope are OK. I would like some black-mirror doors but apparently Newcastle suppliers are not interested; too hard. Have to get it from Sydney, therefore, too expensive.

I then spent two hours with "My Colour Consultant" at Cardiff Curtains. This amazing workshop has thousands of  samples. Decisions were eventually made through processes of elimination. However, when I arrived home later in the day I had a phone call to say one of the fabrics was no longer available. So, will have to start again. I am enjoying the process of "changing my mind" anyway.

After this I had a lengthy meeting with John, "Our Electrician" who has travelled from the his new job in the country to finish this place. All the lights, well most of them, have arrived from the supplier. Discussions centred around the exact placement of the continuous fluros. As no wall in the place is square and the beams differ in size, their placement is problematic. Greg came up with a couple of good ideas (amongst a load of stupid ones), which was two ideas more than the rest of us could come up with. Lots of laughing out loud! I am debating whether not to have pelmets at all - just leave the narrow fluros naked. Will see what they look like. Had to decide on switch plates (brushed aluminium) and led holders. They turned up and were white but we've decided that Ken can paint them in the ceiling colour, which I like better anyway.

Greg's injury from yesterday. Compo claim ??

Fitting the door to the cupboard under stairs: to house guitars, vacuum cleaner and Christmas tree.

Waterproofing the  roof garden

We've decided to be out of Stockton by the last day of March. We may, in fact, move over the week before (Friday 25th) and then I will have a few days to clean Stocko from top to bottom. My next door neighbour came in and chose things which she would like. This was terrific - both for her and for us. She wants lots of stuff. All I have to get rid of now is two king sized beds and some black desks in my study. Great!  I've even found a home for lester's ABC Cricket Books from the 1970's. They are going to live in Adelaide. (Hold on John, I will get them in the mail this week!)

And  Steve gave us another progress account...   enough said about that!

17th February

Action Central today...

The company which is installing the solar panels arrived and put all the cabling in place. They are also putting in a tariff meter.  The waterproofers coated the bathroom/laundry; toilet and level 1 balcony; the place reeks of fibreglass, (you'll remember that smell Bernie!)

The main job was removing the malthoid (??) from the roof garden. Apparently the first thirty minutes went well. It lifted easily because water had crept underneath.  The rest was stuck hard to the cement. Steve had to arrange for a special grinding/lifting sort of machine to be brought in but he needn't have bothered. In the end  Richo, Tim and Greg had to use elbow grease and a trusty crow bar to remove it all. This took most of the day. Poor Greggy got a blister! I shouldn't be too mean - it must have been a terrible job. All the rubbishy stuff then had to be lugged downstairs onto the truck to be disposed of. The boys were all itchy. I noticed, from the surgery desk, that a quick visit to the Bottle O next door occurred before the long trip back to Maitland. Don't blame them.

Anyway, just as they drove off, the HUGEST storm hit. On the BOM site the centre was black, surrounded by red. Needless to say there was flash flooding in Newcastle. It took us over an hour to get home as roads were flooded. I was pleased that Sally was up at Playschool and not home alone, as she would have been frantic.

Although the roof must be bone dry tomorrow before the  waterproofing will happen, this afternoon it was awash. The water cascaded off the AMP wall and the drain cannot cope. Water was pouring into the footpath on Hunter St. Not that it mattered as everyone out there was soaked to the skin. The roof itself  was draining fast but there was about 1cm of water covering the area. Maybe we have to think about drainage a bit more...???



During the deluge - hard to show the amount of water. Some cracks are evident though.



The overflowing drain upstairs



The overflowing drain from Hunter St



Waterproofed Level 1 balcony

Waterproofed laundry area

We also have to do something about the front door. The key/latch is now so hard to turn that my arthritic fingers can't turn it. Now, that's no good - is it?

Big day tomorrow. Meet with painters 7.30am. Then off to Curtain place. My "Steve List" (decisions) include;  a) moving date,  b) front door,  c) design of bbq area and drainage upstairs, d) time to meet Mr Oz Robe next week.

The funniest thing is probably going to happen too. Bernie and Jacqueline bought a house on the weekend (helpfully financed by their  Dulwich Hill shoebox.) It is a three bedroomed house with a three tiered yard on a beautiful sandstone ridge, backing onto a National Park - birds and trees everywhere. The smells of the bush and only five minutes from Pennant Hills Road. What's funny? They will probably be moving on the same weekend that we are. It will take them six weeks to move.  It will have taken us 16 months. But we always knew we were doing a marathon...suits our mature pace of life. But darn! They won't be around to help us move! Never mind...