I thought it would be a good idea to write a bit of an overview of what the house is now, and what we want it to be after the renovation. I though it best to wait to write up the milestones until I have a better idea of what they are myself. Hope this gives a bit of a better picture of things.
Cheers
Background
- Two existing workers cottages
- Two Lots
- Both houses straddle both lots
- Combined Lot size 546m2
- Width of property at front 14.738m
- Width of property at rear 16.934m
- Average width of property greater than 15m
- Is not aligned to any of the houses in the block
- Has had several alterations made over the last century
- Is starting to fall apart
- Sits approximately six meters from rear cottage
- Aligned with – and almost on – rear boundary
- Aligned with houses in street behind our property (I think that is because in the ‘olden days’ before they built the townhouses next to ours, access to the rear house was via the other street. When they built the town houses – approximately 13 years ago – they fenced the access point off)
Objectives
Cottage #1 – our house – big ticket items only (the rest will just have to wait) - Raise and slide house as close to front and south boundaries as possible in order to:
o Maximise distance between house next door (north) to allow better lighting, privacy, airflow, and usable space.
o Maximise distance between Cottages 1&2, to improve privacy, and create more usable space
o Ensure legal height underneath for additional living space
- New kitchen
o So we can stop carrying buckets of hot water from the bathroom into the kitchen because there is no piped hot water to the kitchen! (And yes, it is safe to assume there is no dishwasher other than that which is human powered)
o So that the fridge can finally go in the kitchen where it belongs
o So that we can have an oven that not only fits more than two narrow bread loaf trays in it at once (on two levels – this thing is narrow!), but that also doesn’t need to have the baking goods shuffled around to use the one heat point in its bottom back corner.
o So that we no longer have to use our camp cooker when we need to cook two things at once. Trust me, one element is only okay if there is only one of you.
o So we can finally meet some basic health and hygiene requirements
o To open up the rear of house to allow improved ventilation and lighting (especially through summer time…the house is so hot).
- New bathroom – in comparison to the kitchen, this wish-list item just makes me feel greedy
o Existing bathroom (and separate toilet) situated in area of the house where best airflow obtained in summertime
o Like the kitchen, it has some fairly big issues.
o Aesthetically – and let me alert you to the fact I am probably understating things – the bathroom could do with a bit of a facelift. I should let you know that it is missing a few internal walls in the shower at the moment because I couldn’t stand the peeling-mouldy-paint hanging off the rotting thirty year old mdf sheeting anymore. As for the ‘temporary’ outdoor copper coloured tap that we installed over a year ago? Well, I have no real problem with this…at least can clean it…there are many things I can’t clean properly. Lucky I am not a an obsessive cleaner!
- Second toilet (one that works and that I would be prepared to let others use)
o Let me just say, when you have six people and a cat lined up first thing in the morning to take care of business, a second toilet is a boon! At least the dog doesn’t use it.
- Safe entry points
o Remove existing stairs – both front and back – and ensure there are two safe entry points to the house. When we first moved into the house over three years ago, I tagged one of the rear stair treads with some paint to identify which one was a bit rickety. I think perhaps that is the safest tread now. Hope we get the house done before one of us falls though, as the quote to fix them was for around $2500!
Cottage #2 – our friends place
- To facilitate separate vehicle access to the cottage
- To create greater distance between the two houses for improved livability and privacy
- So that we have the option to sell the rear cottage if ever we want to relinquish some debt and reduce our stress levels.
- The inside of the cottage is sweet, although the outside needs a little attention.
ttrttrrt
ReplyDeleteThis blog about Brisbane Renovations.This is a awesome post... Carry on
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