Rounding the last bend

It does feel as if we're getting really close to the finish line now! The heat is on because this weekend we've got a lot of people coming to see us AND my parents-in-law are due to stay with us (in the big house) for a week. Anyway, Warren's pulled out all the stops and in the last week we've had the Satler Brothers painting the interior like mad, the electricians putting in the ceiling lights and fans and power points, the bathroom people plumbing in the toilets and showers and basins, the kitchen people starting to put in the pantry units, and the fireplace has been started. I have hopes that by close of play tomorrow we'll have lighting, water, functional bathrooms and half a kitchen and - possibly - a useable firebox albeit without an actual wall around it. You'll see what I mean eventually when I can show you some photos but today it was a bit featureless and covered in tarp, so to keep you amused I can instead show you the following photos:





















This is the main living area, painted and with the ceiling lights and fans in place. Some of the windows are still covered in thin plastic sheeting ready for the paint sprayer





















A first look at the pantry! The photo is looking towards the cool room (where you can see the sections of the triple-skin flue waiting for the firebox to be assembled). The black stone benchtops aren't in yet, obviously, but the large sink and the dishwasher will be under the window to the left, while all the appliances will be out on the benchtop above the banks of drawers to the right





















The floor-to-ceiling cupboards on the left are larder cupboards - for food storage





















They have pull-out drawers so no more reaching to the back of the shelves!





















This is a view into the family bathroom, still shrouded in plastic but today the corner shower went in, and it looks really nice






















Two views of our en-suite bathroom from the master bedroom. At last we get to see what the vanity unit looks like: rather than purchasing a complete unit we bought a solid wooden sideboard, designed for a dining room, and put two basins on the top - and I think it works well. Even the plumbers thought it looks good!

Painting for parties

We're having a party at the weekend, which has acted as a spur to Warren to push on with some things. The gentle conversation I had with him just before dearest husband got home having been away for a month may also have been useful! "We're already three weeks behind the most recent construction schedule"... You see what I mean.

Anyhoo, the aim is to have at least the ceiling fully coated by the middle of this week to enable to sparkies to hook up the electricity. The bathrooms are almost ready (although shrouded in plastic sheet so sorry, no photos of our LOVELY wooden vanity unit in our en-suite bathroom, with gorgeous square bowls on top and beautiful taps (*sigh!*) and apparently the pantry units may be in by the end of the week and possibly also plumbed in. All of which is very useful when one's parents-in-law are coming to stay on Thursday and are expecting to be the first sleepers in our new house.





















It looks weird all taped up like this, but I must say that the paint spraying machine that can do one entire undercoat in 2 hours is very impressive





















The draped cloth and plastic sheeting around the bath and cabinet in our en-suite reminded me of the draped platforms and models so beloved of life-drawing classes!





















The front door's quite atmospheric, too