Latest update on DIY at Marau Cres

We are nearly there!  Since our visitors in March, we’ve managed to nearly finish the bathroom…which was probably the biggest mission of all the rooms.  We ripped the bathroom apart in late October, so since then we’ve not had a shower.  We put our new bath in before we went to the UK, but since then it has been in and out back into the sitting room on about a weekly basis, as we struggled to build the frame, sit it level and then plaster it in.  Phil was incredibly patient with it but even he was pretty tested over this particular aspect of our project.  In April we began finishing the plumbing, we pulled out the toilet again (3 weeks no loo was not a great highlight – Phil cunningly disappeared off the Melbourne for most of this time!) put in electrics and we did the carpentery on the vanity that holds the sink.  Phil has done some impressive work producing this from scratch.  The room now is wonderfully functional – power shower, underfloor heating, heated towel rail and fan, huge long mirror….all engineered by Phil.  I could happily spend many an hour in there!

The kitchen is fab – all works wonderfully in such a small space, and we feel we can pretty much live in all the other rooms.  We have still got doors to strip, two more windows to tart up skirting boards to reattach, some electrics to finish and a front door to paint…but hardly anything now compared to what we had to do last year.  So we’re pretty happy……and looking forward to a summer where we can relax on the weekends and not pull on our dungarees and work boots!  Check out the pics of before and after….

We have also been landscaping the outside of the block with our neighbours.  As well as improving the overall look of the flats, it has been a wonderful opportunity to build community.  We’ve really enjoyed getting to know our neighbours while gardening….and our lovely neighbour Margaret has been a total star cooking up delicious warming soups.  Roll on summer and BBQs outside…..