Spinosa of Hoddle

There was a little house, on a little hill...

Our new neighbours, Barry and Jeanette, are finally getting their house up on the block.  Techinically we are their new neighbours as they bought their block before I bought mine but have been houseless until now.  The house was meant to go onto the stumps last Friday, but unfortunately it was far too wet, so was delivered and has sat there until today...Monday.

I arrived home after dropping Bryce off for his camp to spy the beginnings of a new house and a big crane in the paddock next door.  While it was very windy, and I was bighting my nails watching the crane lift the last piece into place it all went smoothly and they certainly looked like a team that knew what they were doing.  Congratulations guys, I think the house looks great!!

Turn your speakers up and enjoy a preview.

Download Barry and Jeanette's house

We've been sooooo busy...

It’s been such a busy time around here with all the work that’s going on in... and around the house!  We’ve lots of good times, and some sad times, but all up things are moving forward and Spinosa is shaping up nicely. We did take some time out last November for a little holiday and I couldn’t resist including a picture of ‘Lion Bryce’.  We spent a week on Lindeman Island and he really got into the spirit of things as you can see, even learning to swing upside down on a trapeze!!

 
So back to the house.  I have deliberately limited the number of photos of the house because as we near completion of the renos I want the before and after photos to be all the more dramatic.  So the following is just a teaser!!  You will just have to wait a little longer to see the finished product.

A little reorganising of the floor plan can go a long way.  Adding a door here and there for more light and a wall or two to make better use of the space and voila – Spinosa of Hoddle is reinvented. The hallway divided up what was once the front sunroom and lounge to create a new bedroom.  It also means that all the bedrooms are now at one end of the house and the living space at the other.  The living spaces will now make the most of the northern aspect, not the bedrooms.

The one thing I am most pleased with is the new space for a kitchen. The roof line has been lifted to match the side with the back and fixed a leak that otherwise would have gone undetected. This has in turn added more ceiling height.  The corner floor which was once the laundry is now level with the rest of the house, filling in the corner of the space.  Creating more space here has also meant the wall for the bathroom could be moved out, effectively doubling the size of the bathroom.

I spotted this set of French doors when hunting for windows at the second hand yard in Leongatha. They have a great range of almost new and used materials.  Anyway, the actual dimensions of the room are quite small but the doors really open it up and let in more natural light...of course.

Finishing touches

Every home needs little hidden spaces to escape to.  This bench is by the front door, but there will be other little spaces around the house to utilise – if nothing else to get out of the coastal ‘breezes’ we get up on this hill at times.

Wall art seemed a good way to get out of having to stick posters on the walls – boy will be boys.  So why not go all out a do a life size silhouette? So easy to do if you have an image to transfer and a steady hand.  I also let the boys pick their own wall colours with great results.  Gecko in one and Mandarin Grove in the other – with a life size mountain bike and motorbike respectively.

POP QUIZ - Why would a grown woman get so excited about a truckload of sand?

Answer - Yes the horsey girls had this one pegged, the new round yard is almost finished...woo hoo!!

 

Vale Bush Picnic

Sadly Bushy was laid to rest earlier this year after an incident in the paddock.  We gave him time to heal and had the support of a really great vet from Tarwin, Cath Unkenstein, but his injury failed to heal and we had to make the right decision for his well-being.  He is greatly missed and as you can see from the picture above was just a big gentle giant. 

It's all happening...

It’s hard to know where to start as there has just been so much going on around here. Since the last update with the bungalow, I decided to extend the space available. It was just going to be too cramped in that single room for the 3 of us to live for several months (realistically) while the main house…that sounds very grand…was renovated. But what it does mean in the long run is the bungalow will have much more space for visitors and it will make a longer stay more comfortable. 

In order to make the bungalow safe there was one big, big problem.  There was a huge old cypress tree, precariously balanced on one side hanging dangerously close to the bungalow. Now cypress trees have a bit of a reputation for unexpectedly falling so I wasn’t going to take the chance that this might just be an urban myth so….the tree had to go.  One twenty tonne excavator and a few man hours later and you can see the results below. Check out the photo album for more photos.

 One 20 tonne excavator ... check !!

You can see how close the tree is to the bunglaw, above

Keeping is all in the family - the boys take a well earned break. Front to back - Al - bob cat operator and driveway artist, Nev - cabinet maker and bungalow guy and Col - excavator driver and tree remover extraordinare!!

Also on the to-do list was the machinery shed floor I mentioned last month. Need I say more the before and after pics tell the whole story. Bernie Brewer was the man for the job and I have to admit that concreters work hard for the money….you know the song!!!!  They got in and got the job done quickly and effortlessly, from where I stood anyway.  Voila… one neat and tidy new machinery shed floor. In the short term doubling as an undercover outdoor entertainment area.

 Yes Bernie, I did catch you smiling!

Can't stop in case the cement goes off....

On to the next item. One regraded and gravelled driveway.  It’s a little hard to tell in the photo but the driveway is now straight and just needs some top soil and grass along the edges to tidy it up.  It's also created a neat parking bay by the front door. The finishing touch will be a pair of new front gates that I will no doubt report on in the near future.

You can really notice the difference when you see it side by side.

Last minute update

While rain has held up progress on the outside the bathroom and electricals are progressing well inside the bungalow.

Where the old yards stood has been tidied up with an area prepared for a round yard...

Wow... you should see it now!

Well the vision is starting to almost look like it could be a reality.  So much has happened over the last few months and with the hope of some drier weather in the new future...so much more to come in the next few months.

Since we last checked in with you I was patiently waiting for the fencing contractors to start. I had my suspicions that they had left the country. When I'd almost given up on them I got a phone call to say they were on their way.  Well wouldn't you know it...they turned up.  So a mad dash to get all the materials on site and make sure all the bits and pieces were here for them to start and they were off...

I went to the additional expense of site wire on all the fences.  As those of you who are horsey may know, horses don't always see things the way you would like them too... and sometimes not at all.  The site wire, while adding to the cost, really does help make the fence more 'visible' and look a little more finished than the average fence.  While they beavered away on the boundary fences I made some quick decisions about the internal fences and decided to keep them here another couple of weeks to get some of that out of the way too. No they were not incredibly slow, we just had a lot of wet weather to slow things up.

As well as keeping the fencers busy they were in turn keeping Alan busy. Alan is my 'handy man' and gets all the jobs around the place that I can't physically do... or just don't want to do.  Like cutting up all the fence posts that were pulled out into perfect logs for the fire place... and then stacking it all. He was also the artist behind the post and rail sections alongside some of the new gates, from recycled yard timbers.

So how is the bungalow going I hear you ask.  Well as you may be aware it had a little hiccup in it's metamorphosis and has taken a little longer to emerge as the beautiful butterfly we know it will become.  It has progressed somewhat though with the cupboards being installed just last weekend. Thanks to Stephen for making the trip down to help out with this.  It just leaves the painting of the skirting boards, installing the kitchen cupboards and finishing the bathroom!!! Just a few things.

 

Last minute update

Work starts tomorrow on the machinery shed - it's getting a new floor

Bunglaow is just waiting on wiring and a bathroom

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO ALBUM FOR MORE PICS

It's been a while....

Well it has definitely been a while since I updated these pages and we've definitely been busy. The bungalow - or Bungalos de Spinosa - is coming along nicely and I have completely fallen in love with the shade of white.  As you may recall from an earlier installment I colour matched a little white IKEA ceramic pot at the paint store in Yarram. The result was a Wattle colour called 'Flokati' and I am completely in love with it.  It's warm, without looking too yellow and has a crisp modern look without being too stark. Of course I can't take all the credit, Stephen has been working tirelessly - literally - on the bungalow on the weekends. We thought the plastering had a few rough spots until we saw the ceiling at the Wild Fish at Port Albert. All I can say is if you eat there, don't look up. Anyway back to the renos....

 Starting with the undercoat...you wouldn't recognise the old shed!

 The new sliding door has really finished off the bungalow

There's been more tidying up and more rubbish collected. With the cooler weather we've been able to get some burning off done so the pile has shrunk but is yet to be removed. I convinced the bin man to try and put the bin somewhere other than smack bang in the middle of the driveway, so that makes a big difference as you drive in already.  I have to say we've been getting lots of positive feedback from neighbours, who knew the house in it's previous glory, about how much better it's looking. 

Next job on the list is to get the dairy cleaned out and start using it for the horses and get onto the fencing.  In any other setting the fencing around this place could be thought of as an artwork. No two sections the same, gnarly and weathered...perhaps in a gallery it could even be considered beautiful...I digress.  The fencing has to go, it's just plain ugly and dangerous and I've already had one lot of vet bills as a result of it.

 David's dog 'Sonic' hiding from Leon in the piggery....

NEWSFLASH

Alan is on the job dismantling the dairy and pulling out the yards so the excavator can get in and remove some dubious cypress trees.  We've managed to salvage lots of timber, old gates and tin that will go into new projects once the trees are gone.  I may even get that round yard I want!!

The fencing contractors are coming in next month to start on replacing the fences around the boundary and some internal fencing....it's all happening.

The next installment will hopefully be over this weekend and I'll have pics of the finished blackwood floor in the bungalow, dismantled yards and empty dairy...yey!

A Busy Easter!

Easter was a really busy time at Spinosa.  With lots going on, not all good, we set about getting stuck into the bungalow again. Now with a dry floor and framing up it was time to think about the finishing touches, or at least heading in that general direction.

 

It all looks so easy but I'm lucky to have a great builder working on the job.  In the lead up to the insulation was of course the battons, etc. This can be a messy, itchy job so I wasn't all that upset about not being allowed to help with this one.  My job was to just keep the food and the fluids up and keep the kids occupied.   Although I did come to the fore when Stephen struck a glitch in plastering the ceiling!!!!

He did attempt to do the first sheet of plaster on his own....won't go there.  By the last sheet we had it down to an art.  I'm not giving away any trade secrets but you need - a few ladders, a prop, a blanket and a broom...Oh and a drill. I'm won't going into details but persistance and patience played a big part too!

So with some of the big jobs out of the way we got into celebrating easter the best way we knew how, lots of chocolate and an easter egg hunt.  My Mum, sister, nieces and nephew came up for a visit so we cracked out the eggs. They were a great distraction and supplied lunch and goodies. 

 
With such a rambling place I thought I had lots of great places to hide eggs. But, the kids were onto them a lot faster than I thought so I'll have to try harder to fool them next year.

There was lots of fun with picnics and trailer rides, even a snake drama. There's a story in that one.

Lots more pics in the Easter photo album.

Cleaning out the Bungalow

The weekend of April saw us really get stuck into cleaning out the bungalow ready to start to hang the plaster and start to fit the facilites, ready for a great hang out for the boys and a place to call home for a while when we start on the house. 
It was really quite amazing how clean it came up. The walls and roof were disgusting and we really didn't think it would be that easy to clean off.  However, despite our doubts it almost came up looking like new.  I even got to steal the pressure washer off Stephen for a go myself, albiet toward the end of the job.

 
So now we have a nice clean floor it's just a matter of letting it all dry out ready for the next big weekend - EASTER!!!!

The Wedding

Don't get too excited, it's not my wedding.  On March 26th of this year we were very privileged to be invited to my friend Kylie's wedding to Graeme.  In what could only be described as the perfect location, Grae and Kylie wed on the shores of Corner Inlet, on an absolutely perfect day.

 
I think she would have taken Gra's breath away. She looked so beautiful and so happy. It almost bought a tear to my eye when I saw her step out of the car. Her dress was perfect.  I remember her telling me when she found the dress and knew it was the one.  Now I know why - it was simple, elegant and she just looked stunning.
Of course I'm obliged to report on the rest of the fashion for the day...the bridesmaides.  Yes we all know that this can be the make or break of a great wedding.  The girls wore the cutest little dresses that a picture can only describe.

 
Georgia, Vanessa and Tige looked gorgeous and summery!

 
It was just the most perfect spot to tell someone you love them, let alone get married in. 

 
I am just so happy for both of them. You can see that they just adore each other.  A friend once said to me when we were having dinner with them at the pub one night that you could just see how much Gra adored Kylie. They really are so lucky to have each other.

 
And mum and dad are happy too!

Well done guys this really was a fantastic day and I am so happy for you both.

Highlights of the day....
* drinking beer on the beach, served out of the back of a ute
* Dancing the night away to a band of young local guys, in a shed with no floor

We loved it

We love bobcats!

What better way to clean up a big area than to get a dirty great machine to do it for you. Top of the list - a bob cat.  Second on the list - a dirty great excavator!  

 
WE LOVE BOBCATS!

Stu Loader could only bring his bobcat around for a couple of hours on the weekend so we made good use of the time.  Items to be gone; fence along the left of the driveway and dog run.  Areas to clean up; around the tank at the back of the house, in front of the house and alongside the driveway. Job Done!

 
Of course it's noisy work so the boys need their protective gear.

   

Last but not least is the bungalow. Team Foster tackled this one with vigour and you wouldn't believe how many kilos of rat poo came out of the walls.  It was completely disgusting, but as the shed had been used for bulk feed storage at one stage who can blame a rat (or 2 or 3) for getting in for their bit. Thankfully the strange musty sweet odour has gone from the building and the home away from home is well on its way.

 

Next on the list it to clean up under the cypress trees, chook shed (don't panic girls you won't be left homeless), and around the side of the 'studio'.  We love bobcats!

Starting out

So this is what we are starting out with.  This house has been lived in and loved but collected just a little too much stuff over the years.  I suppose over time we all become complacent with our surroundings and get used to the clutter that has built up around us.  We love our home and all the stuff that's in it and expect that the next person will too.  Well sorry little house but you are long over due for a clean up.

 

You may recognise this picture from the article in Realliving magazine. I haven't spent my voucher yet, I've been trying to find the perfect white for the interior to spend it on.  I think I've found it. It's a wattle colour called Flokati. Not too yellow, blue or brown.  The lady at the paint store very kindly matched it to an Ikea pot that I had.  I came up with the idea after chatting to my sister about the miriad of whites available and she suggested the Ikea stone wear colour - perfect!!!

  

The house itself is quite comfortable. I have to say that most of the big stuff around the house was gone when I took possession however there is lots of little bits and pieces lying around that are proving very frustrating to work around.  However I'm told the best way to approach it is one job at the time. To be honest thinking about the whole is a little overwhelming - thanks TF. The shed pictured above is being turned into a home away from home so we can live in that while we renovate the house.  Target date, Christmas 2009.  And if it's not finished by then let's hope the weather is good.