We won’t have any internet access next week (we’ll be camping in Darwin) so I thought I would make use of the service we have in our apartment before we get cut off from the world. The first set of pics are of our renovations. To start with, the master bath. Here’s a before photo of the bath and shower:

This is the bathroom now. The whole area was gutted and now there is a new tub. Most of the tiling, electrical, plumbing and plastering is now done too. Our architect especially wanted to pay attention to cleaning up the shocking frame job around the window. We have 12 X 12 tiles on the wall and around the tub; 3 X 3 tiles on the shower floor and as an accent boarder going around the bath and shower; and on the floor will go 18 X 18 tiles, all honed travertine. And I asked especially that all the tiling have the minimum grout space possible between the tiles because if it isn’t, I’ll cry.

These pics are of the children’s bathroom. I didn’t have a before before pic but here’s a pic before the shower and floor was tiled.

Basically it was a narrow dark room made darker by a floor to ceiling wall that separated the sink area from the bath/toilet. We demolished that wall and in its place put a pony wall (see above) with the purpose to give an open brighter feel as well as hide the toilet. We also demolished the wall at the end of the pic (see above again) that was once a storage cupboard (access to that cupboard was from another room); this area will become a spacious shower. It would’ve been more spacious though if the entire space was used but there’s a water heater to the right of where the wall protrudes. We used 12 X 12 tiles on the walls and floor; and 3 X 3 tiles on the shower floor and as an accent in the shower, all honed travertine.

And now to where all the main work is being done; basically the ground floor. This is the formal lounge area minus the furniture (because we got rid of it).

Here’s a pic of the same room with the oak floorboards taken off. The wood frame and sandstone around the fireplace was removed too; in its place will go a slab of Caesar tile and on top of that Olivier’s plasma television. On the back wall will go my desk with room above for storage cupboards. My library—that I wanted in this space—will go upstairs.

Here’s another pic from the lounge room this time showing the kitchen/breakfast area:

And this is what it use to look like prior to the wall being demolished:

This is another view of the kitchen before the work. There was a guest toilet in the middle of my kitchen. Not very private. We moved the toilet to another part of the room near the laundry and in that space is now the new hallway.

More pics of a very gutted looking kitchen. The left pic is looking out towards the breakfast area. The ceiling in the kitchen used to be the same height as in the breakfast area; it was lowered so that my new range hood could be fitted. It was cheaper to go this route—to allow for ventilation—than to drill a line in the concrete. The right pic is taken from the breakfast area looking towards the kitchen where the toilet space use to be. That piece of wood sticking out of the concrete is where my new island will go.

Here’s another view of the kitchen with the ceiling plastered and the electrical work wired for the lights. You can see the formal dining area down the hallway.

And another view of the kitchen from the lounge room this time showing the stairway. The stairway use to be open but is now closed with room for storage.

This is what the stairway use to look like (although from the dining room area). Preeddy.

And a clipping I ripped out of a magazine for the stairway. I originally wanted something else but it was too expensive. The stairway will have night lights at the bottom of the pony wall like in this pic. The wood for the treads and landing will be replaced with the same wood we will use for the main floor. The risers will be painted white.

I’ll show more pics of the renovation’s progress when we return. There’s still the guest bathroom to show and the laundry area—where cupboards have been demolished. Olivier and I also have plans for renovating the deck area and—in the distant future—put an outside toilet and shower by the pool area. Nothing like dripping feet toddling through the house from the pool to go potty.