The Guest Room Completely Finished

 

Finally, We have finished the Guest room and the ensuite... and all for a low budget using a lot of recycled materials and salvaged  goods. Cut-offs from floor layers, left over tiles from builders and even the plaster board which was given to us from friends who had a few sheets left over from their renovation.







The old shower cubicle out of the cottage (which we replaced with a bath) had to be raised to accommodate the location of the waste pipe already in the concrete slab.





We have even finished off the paving in front of the shed which, when the grape vine spreads out its leave and grows more across the pergola, will be a wonderful spot to sit on those sunny spring/summer afternoons.

 

A few more jobs ticked off the list... woo-hoo!!! With the holidays approaching more will be done!

Ensuite - Xmas Project Update

Well, even with all the rain and financial setbacks we have been able to continue on and almost finish the ensuite. We wre able to cover most of the wall with the salvaged gyprock and only needed a couple of more sheets to do the wall and the ceiling. The shower was a little difficult to place due to the placement of the drain in the slab but with a little ingenuity we were able to lift the shower and the drain works a treat.

The sink fitted in great and our only trouble was locating a single tap and spout combination which I finally found on e(vil)-Bay and for a fantastic price too in Sydney! With the addition of the water filter on the side shelf and the towel rails all we have to do now is add a decent mirror and that side will all be finished.

The toilet sits nicely in the corner and we have decided to build a shelf or two on the side wall (yet to be added also), but for now we have a function toilet, sink and drinking water supply. The shower is in and the hot water system (LPG continuous hot water) has been installed... so nice warm showers are available as well.

So, what remains to be done... walls and ceiling painted, lino flooring and a little bit of tiling left.

However in the main room we did manage to score something that was going to get a demolition saw and sledgehammer through it and that was the old office kitchen at work which was being thrown out for the refurbishment of the campus. as luck would have it it fits perfectly in the guest room and looks just like it was purposely built for the room.

With the addition of a small bar fridge and some basic appliances (kettle, toaster etc.) it will now allow our guests to chill out in their own space with out coming down to the cottage. We even supply tea and coffee in the room >8^)

Outside the ensuite door to the main shed, we decide to add an old laundry tub so that we can clean up, wash up and anything else we might need a large tub for... We also continued the mini-orb iron sheeting that we put outside the guest room to make it all look the same. Even the toilet door is the same as the guest room door, a recovered cedar door from a Gold Coast nunnery which we purchased from our local salvage yard.

Please note; that we do not recommend anyone attempt their own electrical, plumbing and gas fitting and we did all the above under the watchful eyes of friends who are licensed tradesmen and we saved money by doing all the 'grunt' work for them.

So, a few more weeks and it should all be finished but that hasen't stopped people from staying, as we have already had several family and friends come and stay over the last 8 weeks.

The Xmas 2010 Project (cont.)

Still plenty of work to be done! Rendering the concrete so that it all looks uniform and neat.

The leftover road base we had from the Pise construction of the Chookhouse was put to good use as the foundation of the floor and once again machines came to our rescue, making life so much easier (adds to our carbon foot print but I will plant several trees just for the CO2 we have produced).

The stack of pavers we got dirt cheap (and the seconds paving slabs) have been put to use and looks great even though its not finished yet... but then anything would have looked better than what we had.

We did have to buy timber for the frame and new corrugated iron for the roof but that actually made it go up a lot faster as it was all straight and easier to use.

Well that's most of the hard work done... all that remains now is to build the BBQ and the Wood-Fired Oven under the new roof over the next few weeks (time allowing) and Party!!!

But till then we will just sit back and relax with a home brew! and for the record just because you don't see me working, doesn't mean I don't work up a sweat and deserve a beer too!!!

And it all comes with the Black Chook Seal of Approval!