Construction starts and it’s a mud bath

It’s been two weeks since the ‘urban luxe’ renovation started and I think there have been almost more rainy days than dry ones! Needless to say, there is mud everywhere. Nevertheless, the builders have well and truly got stuck in and the footings for the front bedroom and ensuite and slab for the family room have been poured and stage one of the internal demolition has started.

 

Porch demolished and footings dug

Bed 2 and ensuite footings poured

Family Room marked out

Family Room slab pour

Family Room slab done!

 

To make sense of what is where, here is a peek at the floor plan. The dotted red lines indicate demolition and solid black lines represent the extension or new walls.

The house already had four bedrooms but the layout was disjointed and tight, with long narrow living spaces and no direct access to the back yard. The previous owners had done a small extension out the back that was used as a study and bedroom. We initially wanted to demolish that extension as the roof was poorly designed and subsequently leaking and the entire structure was blocking the beautiful northerly sun from the rest of the house, with one pokey window facing North.

The Design and Build company we chose, Build Professional, helped us find a more cost effective solution to utilise the extension by replacing the roof and also extending out to the side to create a new family room.

Locking in the re-design of the original house took a bit longer, but in the end we opted for a more generous entry with two separate bedroom wings either side of a spacious Lounge Room. The Building Designer also suggested extending out the front to improve the street appeal. I was keen to retain the original fireplace (in the former Lounge Room) and had my heart set on this being a feature of the Master Bedroom, so we positioned the ensuite and Bed 2 at the front.

I can’t wait to see the new sunny rooms and reclaim the back yard!