Granny Blankets

Over the past few years, Granny has been making everyone their very own fluffy blankets in their own special colours. In our house, they have been coveted by Phantom our Cat.  

So today Granny presented him with his very own mini blanket made out of extra fluffy wool.

He has spent at least 4 hours cuddling into it this afternoon. It is another hit.

Thanks Granny!

A kaleidoscope of tradesmen

This project has been truly a multicultural effort. We have often mused at the wide varieties of cultures on site. Many of them share the name "Michael", although we're not sure for how many that is their real name! After the master craftsmanship of the Chinese timber layers, here is "Mario" the floor sander at work:

And here's Ray & Al at work giving the boatshed its foam cladding:

They've also installed Phantom's very own cat door into the Laundry:

Inside, the floor has had its first two coats of Tung oil:

And the flight of stairs up to the garage is looking much brighter:

Next week the Kitchen Cabinetry will start going in.

Pool Shell

Today the concrete pool shell was poured. The guys all went to great lengths not to damage the existing construction on the house. This is how it looked from our Bedroom balcony: And here's the result: The tubes sticking out of the wall are for the lights, return water and blowers for the spa seat: After curing for a few more weeks, the interior of the pool will then be finished with black pebbles. This is how it looks from inside the family room: And this will be the view when you are swimming in the pool (minus the scaffolding of course, but you can see here how much lower the new boatshed sits compared to the old one):

Can't wait. Roll on summer!

On the downhill run...

The site continues to be a hive of activity. We feel like we've turned the final corner and can see the finish line down the straight! The painters have been putting in long days finishing off the inside surfaces. A team of electricians have been installing a multitude of light fittings, switches and power points, and we didn't anticipate just how much these items start to make it look like a finished house. Even the fan in the bathroom: The ensuite shower: We also have the toilets in now: We only hope we can get the sewer connected UP to the street, otherwise we might need to hang onto the builders portaloo for a bit longer!

The "Stupid" Waiter

From this unusual angle, not only can you appreciate the blades holding up the garage, but from underneath you get a better understanding of the height, with the garage floor 7.2metres above the ground: And we didn't leave that hole in-between all 3 levels for nothing; today the Dumb Waiter was installed:

This handy device will make it easier to get the shopping directly from the car to the kitchen without scuffing up the walls down two flights of stairs!

The boatshed windows have also now been installed, with louvres to let the breeze in.

And the formwork has commenced for the pool

The happy family watches the progress eagerly...

Lockup!

No longer is the house a floating island... It has finally been connected to the "mainland" with the driveway now going all the way to the garage! which is great, because it is going to be a bit longer before we can afford the timber stairs to the front door. So for now this and the internal stairs will be our main entry. The front doors have now been properly hung with the electronic locks installed, and their first couple of coats of stain. With the driveway completed, the cedar garage door could be installed.

Don't panic Kate! It has only had one coat of stain here - there are a few more to go to make the colour deeper.

At least the place is now weather-tight!

Concrete Driveway and Glass Balustrading

The Innovative Team got stuck into one of the last pieces of the jigsaw today; the bridge across between the old concrete driveway and the garage: Meanwhile, downstairs, the glass balustrades were installed on the terrace: and you can see here why it's nice not to have the view interrupted!

It will also be nice to enjoy the reflections off the pool from the terrace

The New Boatshed gets a roof

Our cute little boatshed has now got a roof: We are very happy with the "Jasper" coloured steel, and it fits beautifully into the surroundings. Inside the main house, the timber flooring has finished being installed: And the last of the windows are now in place, with the tricky curved pieces in the curved skylight finally arriving: The tinted eco-glass seems to make the view of the trees even more impressive.

Next week, the bridge across to the garage should be completed.

Jacob's 14th Birthday

We had a family get-together at our temporary home in Sutherland for Jake's 14th Birthday

Getting ready to open his presents:

with little Chris also eager to help:

With a major addition to his power tool collection:

And some replacement wheels for his beloved (and worn out) scooter:

Uncle Dave commented that his old ones were shaped more like a 50 cent piece!

The next morning (his real birthday) Jacob was brought to tears when he uncovered an electric guitar:

He has since amazed us with his playing prowess, you would think he has been practicing for years - he's very clever!

That day we took him to the Sydney International Motor Show, and he had a ball (and a bug)

Although he seemed just as impressed with what he found in the parking station:

Afterwards, we picked up Jess from work, and bought him some orange sheets and pillows for his new bedroom (with the orange wall)!

Back home, we had another birthday cake, this time just big enough for the 4 of us...