Shelves

Ok three in one day is bordering on harassment! But I cannot procrastinate any longer. One of Heathers must haves over the past few years has been a book shelf. She loves her books and had a hoard of them throughout the house packed away in boxes. Finally I have it done! It is a nice sturdy structure. I liked how I used steel rod in the studs to give it a bit of a floating effect. Some of these rods I drilled a hole in and epoxied the other end into the stud. After putting the shelf into place I put a screw through the shelf and the hole in the rod to secure it into place. It means it is secured but you cannot really see it. It also makes removing the shelf possible.... but I don't know why anyone would do that! I originally had grand plans... stone backings, apple creates, feature boxes... etc... but in the end I went for getting it done with as little mess as possible. Boring but practical, we can dress it up with what every we put in it. It really made the room feel like home and finished!

Barn Door

I have been looking forward to this one since the beginning. I have reinstalled one of the original barn doors in its original location. Took a bit of work to clean up. I finished it with some of my home made beeswax polish. I had no problems installing it as it miraculously fit into the space perfectly! A very rare treat. It use to be covered with a whole bunch of articles and packing charts, I still have these and hope to frame them someday. Some are pretty funny with their not so subtle sexual references. I find it a nice addition as it added a more homely feel to the room. 

Babies, clothes lines, island bench, clock and chook run.

Ok, Ok.... well it has only been... ummm... errrr... 4 months. I wish I had a lot to report but not really. There has been a lot of finishings going on. I didn't even bother taking photos of most of it as who wants to see skirting and architrave going up! Though they are the old barn weatherboards and look great. I will post a few posts in the next week (hopefully) covering some of the more major stuff I have done, but to be honest I have just chilled mainly. 5 years of working basically every evening, lunch time and weekend has taken its toll and I really want to relax more and spend more time with the family. This blog covers a few of the minor jobs I have undertaken since November. Next on the agenda will be the deck out the front and to start clearing out the back rooms ready for demolishing. Stage 4, the final stage of the house, is the hallway, pantry, 2 bathrooms and a laundry.

Incase anyone didn't know... this one is due well.... any day now.

What is a house without one of these icons!

Legs and bar stools for the island bench. Used reclaimed studs again. they look good.

I had planned on doing something creative underneath the island bench.... however I couldn't be bothered. So I went for quick and easy. Not particularly attractive themselves however highlights the timber nicely.  

My giant clock! It is 1m in diameter. I really really wanted it above the breakfast bar between the two windows under the bulk head but Heather threatened to be 'really upset' if I removed the family photo that already had taken pride of place. Not willing to mess with a pregnant woman I made plan... and will bide my time : ) ...... 

Heather has made only a few requests over the years while I was building.  Fireplace, bath, chicken run, and oven. Pretty well sums it up. I have now finally accomplished 3 of the 4. The chicken run has an enclosed area of 3x7m. I am planning to add an additional 20x10m roughly unenclosed for free ranging.... but it can wait. Angus, Erin and Brigham all helped me during the build.