Windows, paint, electrics and lettuce.

Windows coming unstuck!

We have only been able to open 2 or 3 windows at our ‘new’ old house and even though there are several air pathways under doors, down chimneys and through the timber floors, there is nothing like throwing open the windows and letting a good blast of air in. Luckily there haven’t been too many coats of paint thrown on over the years so they loosened relatively easily. I simply gently hammered a paint scraper in between the window and casement and tapped, did this all the way around and on the exterior until all paint sealing the joints had been broken. I haven’t concentrated on the top section of the sash windows yet, that will evolve!

In the old surgery:

   

Yay, we have lift up!

Lounge room next!

Paint

My new VBF from Moe Paint Spot called in today and the good news is that the surfaces I had thought had been previously coated with calcimine paint aren’t! He also gave me some great tips for cleaning the roof, how to paint the pressed steel ceilings and how to test existing surfaces to see what products we need to use to get the best effect. Nice to know there are still some businesses that offer such great service.

Electrics

More work progressing on having the house rewired. It is so good to be on a break and be able to be on site with the guys so that first hand info regarding needs can be relayed. The boys are quite stunned at the ceilings in some rooms of the house and haven’t seen another like it. Glad that they are happy to share our vision and they really seem ‘stoked’ to work on this project. This is why we chose them and I am pleased it is going well.

Bit scary seeing electrics wrapped in steel.

Lettuce

Bit excited! I have planted some lettuce seedlings into my first wicking bed today. They are still very tiny but incredibly the roots were about 3 inches long. I have covered the bed with some bubble wrap saved from parcels received. This should create a comfy home for them until they grow a bit while this weather is still so unpredictable.

Tomorrow I work on getting the second bed up and running!

First step down the long, long road.

The very exciting beginning to our restoration/renovation process has officially begun! This week the electrician has started re-wiring the entire house which will include replacing and relocating the meter board, replacing the fuse board with something slightly smaller than the mini sub-station hanging from the wall at the moment and removing all of the fluro tube lights  and wall strip heaters. I can’t envisage that these electric strip heaters could achieve anything in the way of warmth when they are 12 feet off the ground! I will feel so much safer when these dangerous fittings have been given the old heave ho! The one thing we really hope to keep is the original door bell, its a doozy! None of your electronic ding dongs here! You remember, a good proper bell that continues ringing as long as you push the button,  the type where you can annoy people by being smart and pushing the ringer to SOS or happy birthday etc. Love it!

 

Wonder if the new one will last as well as the old one? We estimate about 70 years!