Twisting by the pool.

I really didn't want a house with a pool that dominated the whole back yard.  We saw quite a few while we were looking.  In terms of the layout of the house at Porter Street and its garden, I really couldn't be happier with the location of the pool, except of course if the whole house was reversed and the kitchen, livingroom and pool were on the north east side.  But then again, poolwise, there would probably be too much sun and we'd have to erect some sort of canopy. 

Dig those pencil pines.  Yup, dig them right out of the garden, please.

So.  I'm happy with the location of the pool.  

And the great thing about it too is that it's impenetrable on three sides:  you've got the side of the house on one side, the boundary fence on the other side, and a gated brick wall at the end.  (Oh, and I've just noticed from this picture that there are steps at both ends.  Nice.)

So my thought is that instead of the metal fence on the fourth side, we should install a glass fence for aesthetic as well as safety purposes.

View of pool from other edge of verandah.

Melbourne Glass Pool Fencing depicing use of glass and metal fence around pool.

We will be getting rid, too, of all those straggly plants, pencil pines, pebbles and statues and other crap stuff and clean up the space with a clean, modern, built in timber bench, lining the fence-side which can act as poolside seating and storage.

As it is, it looks pretty messy, but the brick work / tiles are sound.

 

I saw exactly the sort of thing in this month's Home Beautiful.  I'll add a picture if I can find one online.

Floorplan

We had a letter from the vendor's agent yesterday reminding us of our right to have a pre-settlement inspection.  So in the week commencing 24 January we're going to be going through the house again.  Yay.


I need to make sure that I don't get rushed during this inspection because there are quite a few things I need to check:  

• We want to replace the stove top, rangehood, dishwasher and wall oven.  So I need to measure up the existing appliances and see if we can get a good deal on purchasing at the tail end of the January sales.  
• We need to bring the painters with us too, so we can get a quote on how much it's going to cost and how long the painting will take:  it needs to be done and dry before we move in on 22 February - that's 19 days post-settlement.
• I'd love to have the kitchen tiles painted if we could achieve this pearlescent blue finish (I may be dreaming) - but I'll ask the painters what they think.

I love the feel of this kitchen and
it's what I want to end up with...

• I've never looked beyond the surface, either, because I didn't want to invade the vendor's privacy but now, a week out from d-day, I need to look in the cupbards and wardrobes throughout so I can obsess plan how we're going to use the available storage.

There's so much more.
I'm in no way daunted.
This is going to be the best, funnest project ever.

Underfoot...

We intend to stay at the house in Porter Street until cardboard coffins and funeral pyres engulf us, so although I would love to undertake an enormous renovation the instant we take possession, it is much more prudent (and in line with reality) to plan to change/update/improve all the things that need doing, over time.  Say, over the next 20 years.

That said let me bring to your attention to the tiles that flow through the formal dining, kitchen and family room areas.  The space is vast (I'll tell you how many square metres after I've learned how to do maths) and it's wall to wall this...

We didn't buy the rug.

My rational response to these tiles is that they are probably very forgiving and practical.  I am sure they will hide a multitude of sins and they are in incredibly good nick.  The emotional response is somewhat more withering.  I think its the colour that makes them seem tired and dull.  And since there is such a huge quantity of them they a bit depressing.

It's going to be interesting to see if they seem less tired when the walls are spanking white.  My mind is open.  And hope fills my heart...

However, if this doesn't come to pass, what about these PLI Wood-like Series tiles.

PLI Wood-like Series tiles in white.

They don't just look like distressed timber boards, the blurb says they feel like them too.  They're strong enough for indoor and outdoor high traffic areas, and I think I may be in love.

Wondering if they're available in Australia : hastingstilebath.com

A chandelier in my bedroom

Greedy wardrobe doors

eat into the precious
floorspace.

And have you ever seen
anything sadder than 
that straggly, dangling jewel?

My decorating style is without doubt eclectic. But of all the elements that make up the mix, there isn't the merest trace of the shabby chic as suggested by a chandelier, and parquetry floors.  

That said, I've been pondering the possibilities for my bedroom as an ideal, and as a reality.  

Ideally, I like books in my room.  I favour the presence of a bed (joke).  I like a standard lamp to read by (so it doesn't take up precious bedside table space).  I want a tv.  I need lots of display space for  picture frames and precious things.  Clothes must be self-folding and invisible (dreaming).  And although I like timber floorboards, I think I'd like a cozy rug to dig my toes into when I roll out of bed...


The only ensemble is the bedding.  
Nothing else is to match.

The flouro light.

The built-in desk.

(The horror.)

The house at Porter Street poses some challenges:

• the chandelier 
• the wardrobe doors
• the built in desk
• the floors

I don't know what colour they call that apricot-tinged muck they currently have on the walls, but before we move in, that's going to be eradicated by a healthy coating or two of Dulux White on White.

The west facing window is opposite the wardrobe and overlooks the the many many pine and fir trees in the garden (who don't yet know that their days are numbered).

At this moment I can't project exactly how this room is going to be altered, but I can promise it will to be unrecognisable when I've finished with it.  Watch this space...

19 days to settlement...

Riverside done got no drawers

The house we are renting now has just one redeeming aspect: a lovely, light airy living space attached to its at best rudimentary kitchen.  While we've been here I've found, that of its many, many, negatives, the most vexing is its lack of storage.  

Food preparation area
and kitchen sink, providing a
generous 70cms of bench space to
accommodate the most challenging
culinary undertaking.

Pantry

There are NO DRAWERS.  

There are NO WARDROBES.  And as far as other utility cupboards are concerned, there are three hall cupboards (one larger, two smaller) and these beauties in the kitchen. 

This brings me to the House at Porter Street.  I know the decor is a little dated, but it is hard not to notice all those banks and banks of cupboards.  

And that's just the kitchen. There are enormous built-in-robes in the bedrooms and a monster linen press in the hallway.  There is also supplementary storage under the stairs, in the walls, in the roof, under the house and in the garage.   And there are even cupboards in the laundry.  

I wouldn't say we chose the house because of the cupboards...but they didn't hurt.  

21 Days to Settlement

It is no understatement to say that I am eager.  Excited.  Anticipatory.  Impatient.  In fact, itching.  We bought this house on Porter Street on 31st October 2010, and we don't get the keys until 3 February 2011, a long, long, long 93 days later.

The 31st October was a big day for us.  An important and monumental day.  It was a Sunday.  And it was the day my dear granny, Lals, also died.  So when Dawn* phoned to say our offer had been accepted, we were shrouded in an impenetrable cloak of sadness and it was impossible to comprehend that the thing for which I had longed, for longer than I can remember, was actually going to happen.


Maybe the weight of the keys will help the reality sink in, that finally, after 22 different residences in my 42 years, I will finally be home.


*friend, negotiator and advocate