Its been a flurry

Just as I made a mental note to post more often in order to keep up with everything happening so fast at the Homemade House, things got so fast in all areas of life that nothing has been written.

I also made a mental note to keep the posts short and snappy - but not this time.

So lets re-wind a little bit to where only a few weeks ago the plastering had just been finished and the fireplace was installed.

Then suddenly the scaffolding went back up, and the verandahs for the front and back were built leading me to finally identify that first morning cup of tea on the porch as the marker for when we would know we had finally made it through all the hard yakka of 2013.

Next thing we knew, the scaffolding was back down and the timber flooring installers were in residence for a couple of days, transforming most areas downstairs and the master bedroom upstairs with beautiful Spotted Gum wide boards. 

That then cleared the way for surely one of our favourite features: the gorgeous Spotted Gum staircase. Beautiful hand-turned newel posts along with traditional decorative elements have combined even better than we had hoped.

Not to mention that it has paved the way for me and the Homemade Kids to finally see what has been happening upstairs over the past month. (Being not all that fond of ladders!)

While all this timberwork was being installed, the seemingly endless painting continued. Ceilings were painted and walls were sealed in record time. Next thing you know, I was meeting with an interior decorator to select wall colours and blow me down if those colours hadn't found their way onto the walls within 24 hours. Fast doesn't even begin to describe it.  Take a quick look:

Meanwhile, in the background I was off getting the verandah balustrade and fretwork designed, lugging home a bootload of corner brackets, handrails, and balusters for Captain Laird and I to scrutinise and debate. Decision made, and now a lovely chap called Steve is cheerily manufacturing those for us in a workshop over in Fairfield.

Also in Fairfield is the granite and marble merchant, singing his siren song of beautiful yet treacherous marble benchtops.

 We nearly succumbed but couldn't bear the thought of its pristineness being so easily spoiled in a house that is meant to be a home complete with children, and not a museum piece to fret over.

So then came the quest for, well, basically a granite that looks as much like marble as possible.

 First I thought it was one variety but the whole slab turned out to be nothing like its sample. Then the same thing happened with another sample. Then that supplier went into liquidation anyway! Then I found another variety I liked - but that was out of stock and not going to be available again. And the same with the next one I liked!

This was getting a bit ridiculous but a hot tip led me out to the badlands of Melbourne, to an industrial precinct housing the Hells Angels headquarters and an excellent stone merchant a couple of doors down from there.  

"Well that's just great." I muttered to myself as the fortress came into view. Always looking on the bright side, however, I made a U-turn for that little photo opportunity before heading into the kingdom of stone. 

Turns out those marble-like granites I was after all came from a quarry in India that had closed. I was helpfully advised that a large bribe paid to the right government officials to release the quarry owner from prison was my only hope of getting a particular variety I had asked after. I mulled that over for a moment, admittedly.

Happily, however, another gorgeous slab was found, hailing from Brazil. No corruption issues there, right? Deposit paid, job done.

What else? Electrical cable trenching etc has been done, and we are in the bureaucratic phase of getting utility connections, new meters and so forth ordered up. Not interesting, pretty, or fun.

Then T2 was warmly invited back onto the site for a little bit of verandah deck building. That's three out of four lovely spots to relax complete.

What can we expect this week? Well the newest members of the lovely Homemade House cast are the tilers and their good friend the waterproofer. We're looking forward to marble tile floors, mosaic tile floors, and a traditional black and white checkerboard floor or two emerging. 

Internal doors will be hung, and skirting boards and architraves are on the agenda too. All of which can only lead to yet more painting!

And you know what? It really does feel like a house now.

We may even move in there one day.