Have you ever looked at the beautiful homes in magazines and wanted to know more about the family or looked at the renovation section of
Home Beautiful (which I love) seen the steps and the cost it took to get the final look but would love to know how they juggled it with day to day life a bit more? The story behind the process. Well I know I certainly have but maybe I am more nosey then most?
And this is probably why I love shows like Grand Designs where host Kevin McCloud talks to the family a lot more and often they are quite honest about how they are feeling and the impact. Even so I want to know what happens after the show and their are some Grand Designs revisited but that is more about just living in the house.
So along this vain I thought I would start a regular post - A Day in the life of our renovation - so let me know what you think (please note as first one will be a little longer the future posts).......
Site before all the rain, now very muddy
The Tuesday Juggle
Tuesday is the day I try to get into work by 8am so I can leave by 4.30 to pick up my daughter from after school care and then my little boy from childcare, it is a full on, long day. But trying to get out the door by 7.15 to make this 8am deadline was a little difficult this morning with both kids wanting Mummy and pulling on me to try and get my attention while I am trying to put on my makeup.
Then of course at 7.30 this morning there is a knock at the door as the guy to insulate under the floor (who we weren't expecting) had arrived at the same time as the plumber (who we did expect but were given half a days notice about). We were a little concerned about them installing insulation as the termite company was due to rock up as well to treat the stumps (mind you this was a last minute thing too being told the day before we needed to organise). Can all this happen at once? A call went out to the Supervisor, who by the way has been on our job for less then a week as the last one resigned.
Both Hubby and I are too busy rushing around trying to get the kids ready, marking a spot in the front for the portable toilet (also which we were only told we needed to organise the day before) to hear what the Supervisors response is to the guy putting in the insulation. My little boy is also continually opening the front door to say hi to different tradies and getting upset when we won't let him go out into all the mud to see what is happening, resulting in screaming which has the flow on effect of upsetting my daughter too.
So finally rushing out the door (having to leave Hubby to deal with everything as his turn for dropping off the kids) and getting on a packed train just after 8, I get a call from the Supervisor on my iPhone ( a bit of a plug here as an invaluable tool in the whole balancing thing), which I try to answer while not falling over onto the business man next to me, to be told " I hear you said the installation of the insulation had to stop because of termite treatment.' My internal thoughts were screaming, no, no, no, we just asked if it was a problem as hadn't been warned at all that this was all happening today. Communication people!
All this to then find out later in the day that Hubby had spoken to the plumber who said the floor insulation can't be put in anyway until he does pipes. And on top of this the builder was talking about putting in the rest of the frame and roof first. Kind of makes sense for protecting it.
So glad that things are moving along quickly (especially after having the ensuite take twice as long as expected) but sometimes feel even with a Supervisor we end up doing a lot of Project Managing and wish we could be on site more. Especially when I had a day like yesterday where I got calls at work and had to rush around organising last minute things in my lunch hour.
Thankfully tomorrow I am at home for the day and have a meeting with the new Supervisor first thing so will have to reiterate the importance of keeping us in the loop and maybe giving us a timeline more then a half day in advance (especially as we are living in the house with two young children). They haven't knocked through yet and I would like a bit of warning before they do, is that too much to ask? When they do that, that is when the real mess and difficulties are going to start.
View from the kitchen tonight, in a few weeks these doors will be taken out once the back is at lock up
This renovation gig is a little like having a third job, first being looking after the kids, then my paid office work and then the reno.
Those that have read my blog for a while may remember a post I did ohh some four months ago about painting my hallway blue and changing it from the dirty cream it was. Well It took us a while to decide on the blue (British Paints, Distant Shore) and with other continual renovation distractions even longer to paint it.
Love these Paris boxes that a friend bought me from a $2 shop. Great for keeping bit and pieces in. Have even managed to get Hubby to empty his pockets into these when he enters the door.
Now from the images below you can see we still need to paint and decorate the rest of the hallway..............
You can also see the edge of a cupboard door here (our linen cupboard) which you see as soon as you enter the hall. So am thinking of ideas to spruce the doors up.
