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| Bill's Basement - bit of chaos now it needs to be lined |
As we are coming out of winter and the days are starting to get longer, we are also moving on with our renovations. The kitchen is almost finished (Splashback to complete). The Benchtop arrived on time and looks amazing. We weren't expecting the Guys to install it, but they weren't in a hurry to return to Christchurch, so happily installed it with all the gear to join the two seams. 😀 Bill did an excellent job of templating the bench down to the mm, which was quite critical where it fitted into the window. Perfect 👍😘.
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| Bill in his happy outfit 😄 |
The next day the Electricians came in to finish the wiring for the new kitchen appliances and various power points. Time for the borrowed gas hob to be returned and try the new Induction hob. Love it 😍
The Plumbers were in the following day to do the plumbing of the kitchen and sort the waste pipes for the new laundry. Prior to this Bill had to find the sewer & storm water pipes which we assumed ran close to the house. Bill recruited young Tyler (Tahuna neighbour) and for a small fee had him start to dig up the drive beside the house. Lucky for Tyler he found them within the first two hours, so it wasn't too big a job. Not for a strong young lad anyway.😆. This let the Drainlayers (different to the Plumber!!) connect up the new greywater pipes to the sewer.
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| Bit cool for a beer today at the Local 😰 |
Bill had also been working away on the old kitchen being converted to a fourth bedroom or office/study. That had to be finished painting after the ranchslider was put in replacing the window. Plenty of time I said!! And then was called up for two weeks work back at Stuart Drummonds Ltd - oh oh. Looks like all the pressure was back on Bill to complete. Which he did no problem (well from my perspective he did 😉
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| A few bricks to reinstate |
The carpet arrived on the due date - thankfully the weather played it's part and we had the house cleared and ready for their 8.00am arrival. And on the dot they were too. We left them to it as we couldn't do much else. We headed off in Bill's trusty Ute (now named the Thunderbolt) to the recycling centre to drop off the last of the carpet we had still been using in the bedrooms and a lovely rug back to Trevor (Four Corner Rugs) that he had kindly loaned us.
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Kitchen looking great - missing a few doors.
(Splash Back to come too) |
Mid day we headed to The Sticks down on the Waterfront to meet up with Simon for his birthday along with Nicki and the Girls. Wayne and Kate were down for the school holidays and had been helping S&N with the Girls. I think secretly Grandad had a lot of fun, hope the Girls did too. It was a beautiful afternoon, a couple of wines in the sun with a lovely meal before returning home to find the Guys all finished and gone. They had done a beautiful job and it was like the icing on the cake - finishing off the top floor of the house (inside that is).
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| Stormwater & Sewer found 😊 |
Over all this time I had continued working on the patio / garden area out the back when weather allowed (it's been such a wet winter), where Bill has taught me how to lay concrete blocks and mix concrete. We got the new clothesline concreted in (it's got a removable post for when you want to entertain without everyone looking at your underwear!). And getting a few more grasses planted.
Drainage has been a bit of an issue here with being a property on the hillside - the basement has always had water leak in through the back wall after heavy rains. Living on site we have been able to see a bit more where our issues are and sorting blocked drains. Bill's been uncovering drains that were put in at the time the home was built and finding some of the drains not connected anywhere! So hopefully by the time he finishes sorting them, the property will be so much better drained. And more importantly, no water leaking into the basement 🤞
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| Taking Joan out in Big Blue |
We have also been visiting Joan usually over the weekends, taking her out for a drive somewhere for a change of scenery. Quite enjoyable for us too to have a fresh look around Nelson and the new sub-divisions that have been created all around Nelson with it's building boom like around the rest of the country.
With the living part of the house now almost completed, Bill has started lining the garage and preparing space for a new laundry that will free up the existing downstairs entrance to become a more inviting entrance.
