We now have our Certificate of Occupancy, and what a relief that is. Not that we were worried that we wouldn't pass, just that all the required paperwork and arranging appointments etc has stopped.
Stan has worked his little butt off for the last two years, and finally might slow down just enough to enjoy our new building. I am starting to tell our 'friends' it is safe to visit now, the painting has virtually finished.
Won't it be strange not having to sweep up any sawdust Sunday mornings as we pack to come back to Pakenham. I really won't miss that!
We know the reverse cycle air conditioners work for heating, from our next visit we might have to try out how well they cool!
We still have a few minor things to finish off, but nothing that won't matter if it doesn't happen for several months.
We ordered seven vanities and they are all in place and connected. That sounds an awful lot but it just happened that way. One of those is the laundry trough.
We were hoping we would have a real bed delivered by the time we go there next, but don't think that will happen. But at least it should be there in time for Christmas holidays.
With a bit of luck we will have time to 'smell the roses' over Christmas. Nearly ready to start sorting out the non existent 'front garden'.
A few weeks ago, last time we were there, it was lovely to hear construction work being carried out on nearby hangars, knowing we'd already 'been there, done that'!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I've obviously still been lazy with a long time since last entry. You could say a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then.
But the finished hangar house is still so near and yet so far.
We now have our lovely kitchen installed, with wall oven under the stairs and an induction cooktop. We had quite a lot of dramas with the installation and it took about 12 weeks to feel complete (but there are still a few panels to come).
Even a rangehood above the cooktop.
It is really great and seems to be a very workable kitchen with heaps of storage drawers. Wonder how long before I say I haven't any room for 'things'.
Stan also constructed two benchtops for our office area so nothing else required there.
Wall lights now up on the wall in the bathroom and on bedroom wall.
Stan had two weeks at Yarrawonga without my interruptions and during that time he sanded and varnished the stairs, and finished off a lot of skirtings/architraves, and once again, painted, painted and painted. Unfortunately the paint tins do have bottoms and we have reached the bottom of several, so keep purchasing additional paint.
Stan cooked a roast in the oven and feels the oven passed with flying colours.
He has really enjoyed fiddling with the induction cooktop. (Maybe that is why the electricity bill had increased so much).
I caught train/bus to Yarrawonga on 16th September, left work at Berwick at 4.30pm, caught train to city and then had to really rush to catch next train to Seymour, then change to a bus to Benalla and onto Yarrawonga, arriving at 10pm. Came back with Stan on the Saturday. I made a batch of scones in the new oven and they were also quite good, but then again, jam and cream make all fresh scones enjoyable.
We had purchased four futon couches/beds from Fantastic Furniture in Shepparton, and were not at all happy with the mattresses. Eventually we were very appreciative of them swapping them over and the new mattresses, while not 100 percent successful, will be a lot better.
Now have to organise six vanity units (hangar toilet and shower, upstairs toilet and shower and our ensuite toilet and shower) and also another unit for the laundry trough.
We have been delighted with the kitchen cupboards in that we seem to have a lot more room for lounge furniture than we had anticipated. Will be some time before we decide what we require, so the good old plastic outdoor chairs will have to last a lot longer.
But the finished hangar house is still so near and yet so far.
We now have our lovely kitchen installed, with wall oven under the stairs and an induction cooktop. We had quite a lot of dramas with the installation and it took about 12 weeks to feel complete (but there are still a few panels to come).
Even a rangehood above the cooktop.
It is really great and seems to be a very workable kitchen with heaps of storage drawers. Wonder how long before I say I haven't any room for 'things'.
Stan also constructed two benchtops for our office area so nothing else required there.
Wall lights now up on the wall in the bathroom and on bedroom wall.
Stan had two weeks at Yarrawonga without my interruptions and during that time he sanded and varnished the stairs, and finished off a lot of skirtings/architraves, and once again, painted, painted and painted. Unfortunately the paint tins do have bottoms and we have reached the bottom of several, so keep purchasing additional paint.
Stan cooked a roast in the oven and feels the oven passed with flying colours.
He has really enjoyed fiddling with the induction cooktop. (Maybe that is why the electricity bill had increased so much).
I caught train/bus to Yarrawonga on 16th September, left work at Berwick at 4.30pm, caught train to city and then had to really rush to catch next train to Seymour, then change to a bus to Benalla and onto Yarrawonga, arriving at 10pm. Came back with Stan on the Saturday. I made a batch of scones in the new oven and they were also quite good, but then again, jam and cream make all fresh scones enjoyable.
We had purchased four futon couches/beds from Fantastic Furniture in Shepparton, and were not at all happy with the mattresses. Eventually we were very appreciative of them swapping them over and the new mattresses, while not 100 percent successful, will be a lot better.
Now have to organise six vanity units (hangar toilet and shower, upstairs toilet and shower and our ensuite toilet and shower) and also another unit for the laundry trough.
We have been delighted with the kitchen cupboards in that we seem to have a lot more room for lounge furniture than we had anticipated. Will be some time before we decide what we require, so the good old plastic outdoor chairs will have to last a lot longer.
Monday, July 26, 2010
TUESDAY, 27 JULY 2010.
Oh dear, I'm getting worse. Haven't blogged since February and now close to August.
I really have a lot to report this time, and once again, it will be out of sequence, so much has happened.
If I repeat things I've already put in, sorry!
We are presently getting very excited as the end seems so close - and at other times so far.
Firstly, the grey weatherboards on the hangar side of the house have been painted (with assistance from my brother Barrie Cousin and his wife Margaret). They came soon after Easter and stayed for a couple of weeks with their caravan on our front 'lawn'. Weather was perfect. Stan using a lot of borrowed scaffolding reached high into the hangar and fitted all the weatherboards in place. The architraves around window and door openings are pale yellow, and the colours look great. There is presently an advertisement on our telly with someone admiring their Colorbond roofing, with romantic music playing. I swear I can hear that music every time I look at the house from the hangar!
Upstairs the ceiling boards look wonderful, particularly at night as the light fittings are up and it was terrific to switch them all on. A lot of lights in the one room but all with low-voltage globes so hopefully not much electricity to run it. (Yet to be found out.)
Also most lights connected downstairs, and once again, a lot of lights, but all with the low-voltage globes. It is strange to walk through the building at night, and then suddenly remember that we can actually light our way.
Airconditioners - one upstairs and one downstairs. Not sure yet how they will go for cooling, but for heating they seem to be perfect.
We seem to be eating a lot of meals in our real kitchen where it is much warmer than in the hangar. Even without the heater on the sun comes in through the large windows and warms beautifully. Will probably be trying to block the sun out in a few months but not yet. Still no curtains in place. Open the kitchen window and pass food through, race around and eat. Not sure if the flyscreen for that window will ever go on or too convenient to leave it off permanently.
Most of the painting now finished, and Stan today is there doing architraves and skirtings. And painting. Don't think we will ever finish off the painting. I don't like painting and Stan hates it, but he has painted and painted, and painted. I will admit that Stan gets a much better finish than I ever do.
Then around middle of June our Granicrete flooring went down right through the house downstairs, and upstairs on the walls of shower and floor of bathroom and toilet. Have a few minor problems with it so that should be fixed later this week. Not everyone will like it but we do, so that is all that matters.
Our kitchen cupboards were delivered on 24 June and the installer arrived and started on 25 June. Then the installer discovered a scratch (or crack) on one benchtop, so work stopped. If all goes as planned the new benchtop will be delivered today and installer there to finish it off tomorrow. I found it very scary waiting to see if our chosen colour scheme would look okay or not, so even though I have yet to see it finished, the colours seemed to be just what we wanted. Phew!
Still have vanity units to go in three toilets and three bathrooms, and upstairs a cupboard with a sink and downstairs a trough in the hangar. It doesn't sound like much, but it is amazing how much time it all takes (not to mention money).
Oh dear, I'm getting worse. Haven't blogged since February and now close to August.
I really have a lot to report this time, and once again, it will be out of sequence, so much has happened.
If I repeat things I've already put in, sorry!
We are presently getting very excited as the end seems so close - and at other times so far.
Firstly, the grey weatherboards on the hangar side of the house have been painted (with assistance from my brother Barrie Cousin and his wife Margaret). They came soon after Easter and stayed for a couple of weeks with their caravan on our front 'lawn'. Weather was perfect. Stan using a lot of borrowed scaffolding reached high into the hangar and fitted all the weatherboards in place. The architraves around window and door openings are pale yellow, and the colours look great. There is presently an advertisement on our telly with someone admiring their Colorbond roofing, with romantic music playing. I swear I can hear that music every time I look at the house from the hangar!
Upstairs the ceiling boards look wonderful, particularly at night as the light fittings are up and it was terrific to switch them all on. A lot of lights in the one room but all with low-voltage globes so hopefully not much electricity to run it. (Yet to be found out.)
Also most lights connected downstairs, and once again, a lot of lights, but all with the low-voltage globes. It is strange to walk through the building at night, and then suddenly remember that we can actually light our way.
Airconditioners - one upstairs and one downstairs. Not sure yet how they will go for cooling, but for heating they seem to be perfect.
We seem to be eating a lot of meals in our real kitchen where it is much warmer than in the hangar. Even without the heater on the sun comes in through the large windows and warms beautifully. Will probably be trying to block the sun out in a few months but not yet. Still no curtains in place. Open the kitchen window and pass food through, race around and eat. Not sure if the flyscreen for that window will ever go on or too convenient to leave it off permanently.
Most of the painting now finished, and Stan today is there doing architraves and skirtings. And painting. Don't think we will ever finish off the painting. I don't like painting and Stan hates it, but he has painted and painted, and painted. I will admit that Stan gets a much better finish than I ever do.
Then around middle of June our Granicrete flooring went down right through the house downstairs, and upstairs on the walls of shower and floor of bathroom and toilet. Have a few minor problems with it so that should be fixed later this week. Not everyone will like it but we do, so that is all that matters.
Our kitchen cupboards were delivered on 24 June and the installer arrived and started on 25 June. Then the installer discovered a scratch (or crack) on one benchtop, so work stopped. If all goes as planned the new benchtop will be delivered today and installer there to finish it off tomorrow. I found it very scary waiting to see if our chosen colour scheme would look okay or not, so even though I have yet to see it finished, the colours seemed to be just what we wanted. Phew!
Still have vanity units to go in three toilets and three bathrooms, and upstairs a cupboard with a sink and downstairs a trough in the hangar. It doesn't sound like much, but it is amazing how much time it all takes (not to mention money).
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Obviously I haven’t updated this blog since, dare I say, August 2009.
Now February 2010, so Happy New Year to all.
But, while not much has happened on my blog, there has been a lot happening at the hangar. As I’m so far behind, I know the order of things happening will be out of sequence, but better that than not at all.
Stan has been working like crazy, and at times had a week or so there by himself struggling on without my help!
The electrician finished off all the wiring and I think around that time the required council inspection took place. He found a small piece of metal bracing was missing on the hangar frame which has since been rectified.
Stan then, with a lot of cursing at how terrible the fibres out of the insulation bats were, put all the bats into the upstairs ceiling, the walls, and supposed silencer bats between upstairs and downstairs. Yet to work out if they were worth the expense as at present when you walk across upstairs floor it is clearly heard downstairs. At a much later date we might carpet upstairs which hopefully will prevent that noise problem.
Anyway, upstairs shower has continued to work well and we are very pleased with the Solar hot water. Once the weather started warming up we haven’t had to turn on the booster heater at all.
Michael Reidy made a trip to Yarrawonga to install the air conditioning pipework upstairs and downstairs, and since his visit Stan and some friends put the two air conditioning units up on the roof near the solar hot water panels, so they are well out of the way.
Michael has to come back and fit up the two air conditioning units inside once the painters (us!) finish off painting the walls where the units are to be installed (one upstairs, one downstairs). Would have been great to finish that off and have them up and running prior to the hot weather arriving, but it was not to be. Now I’ll just hope we manage to finish off enough to get him back prior to the really cold weather setting in, as the air conditioners are also our heaters.
Van Steensel’s Timbers from Officer have made two more deliveries of goodies for Stan to play with. The first with pine lining boards for the upstairs ceilings and also Weathertex which will be the weatherboards for lining the hangar side of the residence.
Not sure what else they had on that truck, but the second truck came in January, and it had cupboard doors and shelving, and all the fix material for skirtings and architraves.
Don Santoni, the Plasterer from Berwick went up prior to Christmas and didn’t quite finish off the plaster, so went back again late January and it is now finished. Looks great.
Late November we received the sad news that Ted Berryman and his brother were killed in a Microlight accident at Yarrawonga. Ted made and installed our big hangar door, and several others at the Yarrawonga Aerodrome. He will be sadly missed, but we think of him every time we press the button and our hangar door goes up or down.
We met one of his son’s, Auskir, who together with friend Cecil finished off one of Ted’s doors. We look forward to hearing in a few years that Auskir has taken over building Ted’s large doors!
We purchased most, if not all our paint undercoat and top coat and took it to Yarrawonga prior to Christmas.
We had a few days at Yarrawonga, then back to Pakenham for a few days around Christmas Day, then we went back for three weeks.
Stan had started on the upstairs ceiling pine lining prior to Christmas. He ‘limed’ all the boards, then we painted them all with a lacquer before he fitted, glued and secret nailed each board in place. As he was working off rather high planks, he soon had me organised to glue each board prior to passing them up for fitting. Very time consuming, but the result is terrific. He fitted the boards up the ceiling of the stair well and balcony area, right through the large room and also the upstairs bathroom and toilet. There was an awful lot of fiddling with a lot of boards as they had to fit around or above the hangar steel bracing. Apart from it looking great, the best thing about finishing that was most of the horrible insulation bats were covered up, particularly when the plaster was also finished.
We also painted at least a third of the Weathertex boards in a grey, trying to match the colour of the interior of the Colorbond. Will try and finish the rest prior to Stan putting them on. The Weathertex grey paint we purchased at the Yarrawonga Paint Shop.
Isn’t it amazing how people seem to disappear when you mention you are painting and that you have spare brushes?
Max Glynn was an exception to this. He flew in one day from Porpunkah with Ken Jelleff. He didn’t leave when Ken left, and we soon had him helping us paint for the day. And it was an uncomfortably hot day! He was wonderful, as we had been putting off making a start on the painting, and he got us underway and into the swing of it. Max flew out the next morning. We hadn’t met him prior to that day. What a man!
The painting in the hangar shower was finished off as Darren Harris from Select Finishes at Shepparton came and placed a product called Granicrete to the shower walls and floor, and the hangar toilet floor.
The whole process took about three days before the final lacquer was applied. We really like the look of it, and it will be good to try it out before we decide whether we put Granicrete through the residence.
It was really nice to shift our showering facilities downstairs.
After the plasterer finished, we had another weekend where we painted, and painted, and achieved a lot, but there is still a lot to do. One of the good (or bad things, not sure which) is the paint shop suggested we tint the undercoat the same colour as the top coat. After undercoating the ceiling and walls of the lounge/kitchen hall area it looks so good we nearly feel reluctant to start the top coats in case we mess it up!
The best part about heading back to Pakenham after the last weekend was that we didn’t have to pack up all the hangar, as we presently don’t have any more tradesmen or deliveries planned. Other times we have spent several hours packing things away and generally cleaning up, and then getting into the car tired out before our four hour drive home. But as we left the fridge seemed to die in as much as the freezer was still working but the fridge didn’t seem to be keeping things cool. We will have to sort that out on our return.
Stan presently has some ‘real’ paid work for several weeks, so we won’t get back to the painting for a while. No doubt, it will still be waiting for us. Just hope the paint hasn’t dried up in our absence.
Now February 2010, so Happy New Year to all.
But, while not much has happened on my blog, there has been a lot happening at the hangar. As I’m so far behind, I know the order of things happening will be out of sequence, but better that than not at all.
Stan has been working like crazy, and at times had a week or so there by himself struggling on without my help!
The electrician finished off all the wiring and I think around that time the required council inspection took place. He found a small piece of metal bracing was missing on the hangar frame which has since been rectified.
Stan then, with a lot of cursing at how terrible the fibres out of the insulation bats were, put all the bats into the upstairs ceiling, the walls, and supposed silencer bats between upstairs and downstairs. Yet to work out if they were worth the expense as at present when you walk across upstairs floor it is clearly heard downstairs. At a much later date we might carpet upstairs which hopefully will prevent that noise problem.
Anyway, upstairs shower has continued to work well and we are very pleased with the Solar hot water. Once the weather started warming up we haven’t had to turn on the booster heater at all.
Michael Reidy made a trip to Yarrawonga to install the air conditioning pipework upstairs and downstairs, and since his visit Stan and some friends put the two air conditioning units up on the roof near the solar hot water panels, so they are well out of the way.
Michael has to come back and fit up the two air conditioning units inside once the painters (us!) finish off painting the walls where the units are to be installed (one upstairs, one downstairs). Would have been great to finish that off and have them up and running prior to the hot weather arriving, but it was not to be. Now I’ll just hope we manage to finish off enough to get him back prior to the really cold weather setting in, as the air conditioners are also our heaters.
Van Steensel’s Timbers from Officer have made two more deliveries of goodies for Stan to play with. The first with pine lining boards for the upstairs ceilings and also Weathertex which will be the weatherboards for lining the hangar side of the residence.
Not sure what else they had on that truck, but the second truck came in January, and it had cupboard doors and shelving, and all the fix material for skirtings and architraves.
Don Santoni, the Plasterer from Berwick went up prior to Christmas and didn’t quite finish off the plaster, so went back again late January and it is now finished. Looks great.
Late November we received the sad news that Ted Berryman and his brother were killed in a Microlight accident at Yarrawonga. Ted made and installed our big hangar door, and several others at the Yarrawonga Aerodrome. He will be sadly missed, but we think of him every time we press the button and our hangar door goes up or down.
We met one of his son’s, Auskir, who together with friend Cecil finished off one of Ted’s doors. We look forward to hearing in a few years that Auskir has taken over building Ted’s large doors!
We purchased most, if not all our paint undercoat and top coat and took it to Yarrawonga prior to Christmas.
We had a few days at Yarrawonga, then back to Pakenham for a few days around Christmas Day, then we went back for three weeks.
Stan had started on the upstairs ceiling pine lining prior to Christmas. He ‘limed’ all the boards, then we painted them all with a lacquer before he fitted, glued and secret nailed each board in place. As he was working off rather high planks, he soon had me organised to glue each board prior to passing them up for fitting. Very time consuming, but the result is terrific. He fitted the boards up the ceiling of the stair well and balcony area, right through the large room and also the upstairs bathroom and toilet. There was an awful lot of fiddling with a lot of boards as they had to fit around or above the hangar steel bracing. Apart from it looking great, the best thing about finishing that was most of the horrible insulation bats were covered up, particularly when the plaster was also finished.
We also painted at least a third of the Weathertex boards in a grey, trying to match the colour of the interior of the Colorbond. Will try and finish the rest prior to Stan putting them on. The Weathertex grey paint we purchased at the Yarrawonga Paint Shop.
Isn’t it amazing how people seem to disappear when you mention you are painting and that you have spare brushes?
Max Glynn was an exception to this. He flew in one day from Porpunkah with Ken Jelleff. He didn’t leave when Ken left, and we soon had him helping us paint for the day. And it was an uncomfortably hot day! He was wonderful, as we had been putting off making a start on the painting, and he got us underway and into the swing of it. Max flew out the next morning. We hadn’t met him prior to that day. What a man!
The painting in the hangar shower was finished off as Darren Harris from Select Finishes at Shepparton came and placed a product called Granicrete to the shower walls and floor, and the hangar toilet floor.
The whole process took about three days before the final lacquer was applied. We really like the look of it, and it will be good to try it out before we decide whether we put Granicrete through the residence.
It was really nice to shift our showering facilities downstairs.
After the plasterer finished, we had another weekend where we painted, and painted, and achieved a lot, but there is still a lot to do. One of the good (or bad things, not sure which) is the paint shop suggested we tint the undercoat the same colour as the top coat. After undercoating the ceiling and walls of the lounge/kitchen hall area it looks so good we nearly feel reluctant to start the top coats in case we mess it up!
The best part about heading back to Pakenham after the last weekend was that we didn’t have to pack up all the hangar, as we presently don’t have any more tradesmen or deliveries planned. Other times we have spent several hours packing things away and generally cleaning up, and then getting into the car tired out before our four hour drive home. But as we left the fridge seemed to die in as much as the freezer was still working but the fridge didn’t seem to be keeping things cool. We will have to sort that out on our return.
Stan presently has some ‘real’ paid work for several weeks, so we won’t get back to the painting for a while. No doubt, it will still be waiting for us. Just hope the paint hasn’t dried up in our absence.
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