Been away for a while, working on a few tasks and getting organised for the renovation project.  My kitchen renovation project is on hold temporarily because I need to redo the roof on the house as it isn't to current standards and any works will have to come after this which will also enable better options after it is completed.   I also need to do some alterations to the laundry, toilet and bathroom to bring it up to current levels as well because it isn't exactly to standard at the moment.  In fact it is a little bit tight to get in and out of the toilet! ... View more

OMG it seems the planning for the kitchen has opened up a can of worms which is going to cause additional troubles because it seems the plans for the house were signed off by the Building Inspector back in the day when they shouldn't have been.  One wall is in fact 200mm from where it should be in the plans and as a result a door is 100mm closer to the outside wall so that has caused a lot of issues especially when it is the door between the laundry and kitchen!   I have since also discovered that the doorway to the toilet is only 620mm wide, that is 200mm under a standard door size!  I have been tossing up if I should alter the way the toilet, laundry and bathroom are laid out because at the moment they are not to code and if I make any changes then I will need to move walls or doors to make them to code! ... View more

@Former-Member it unfortunately has been problematic and in fact could have been a contributing factor in something else which at the time I was completely unaware of.   The doorway to the toilet is only 620mm wide when the sliding door is fully open and that space is also impacted by a wall hung vanity which protrudes into the opening about 50mm.   ... View more

Well, it seems that my fixing up of the kitchen has in fact opened up a proverbial Pandora's box of problems.  The Building Inspector who signed off on the construction of the house seems to have not done the job properly.  1 wall is in fact 200mm from where it should be, which means that the doorway is incorrectly positioned and as a result that impacts the entire operation of the back corner of the house.   According to the plans there is a post supporting the centre of roof at the rear of the house, but there is nothing there.  The roof trusses are not standard distances apart instead they are all randomly placed and in most places the fascia does not correctly attach to the rafter, the gap in some areas is larger than a garden hose. So now I have to investigate the course of action that I will need to take to rectify these problems. ... View more

@Former-Member I had picked out a few colour options and after putting them together came up with a new perspective.   I had initially had 2 different whites to choose from Vivid and Natural, having seen them on the wall I felt that Vivid was just too bright and would become a bit glaring, so I guess that was one change I made.     There were 2 slightly different greys as well being used for different aspects and I was going to do them close to each other as well. However, once the colour testing was done and the drying was completed, I found that it was easier to go for just the one grey instead of them both.  They look similar wet but are completely different dry and I think it reduces the visual strain and work by going for just the 1 other grey. ... View more

Good morning, everyone, been a busy boy here and haven't been on as much as I would like.  Currently feeling a little bit overwhelmed with things coz, I have a lot to do and not really much time to spare at all.   I have to organize the kitchen renovation and still trying to sort out the roofing issue.  That is also a costly repair given that the timber frame required is the price of a small car and then the roof needs to be re-sheeted and insulated as well.  However, once that is done, I will be able to look into solar panels for the roof because at this time the roof won't support them. ... View more

@Former-Member hopefully your week has improved my friend.  I have been pretty busy the last few days and have in fact been working out paint colours and so forth for this upcoming renovation.  I worked out the colour scheme predominantly and was like... what room can I find to do the full thing in and BOOM... the smallest room is the toilet! ... View more

@Glisten an overlap weatherboard bedhead sounds pretty cool but are you using square or round edged weatherboards.   I have also noticed a lot of self-pruning eucalyptus trees; some have pruned small limbs others have removed larger ones.  All in an attempt to survive in the heat and the difficult weather we are having here.  Unfortunately, a couple of trees have fallen over as well, I think their roots weren't deep enough and the storms caused them to go over. ... View more

Since we were doing DUCKS, I thought I would do one of the most famous... he of course was one of the first "voices" I could master as a teen!  Alas now I am way out of practice, but I still love his antics!     ... View more

  Looking at the tiles, and how they will match the benchtop colour, naturally that is a little brown but that is good for rural areas with poor water quality and can hide a bit of dirt on the floor too!  Downside is they are hard and if something falls it usually breaks.     Thinking of waterproof floating vinyl floorboards for the wet areas as they are softer than the tiles and they tend to also be a bit warmer and nicer underfoot.  These can be used it all the wet areas (except in the shower but then a shower base can be used for that!     Of course, the next consideration is the splash back in the kitchen, and also the wall tiles in the bathroom and ensuite.  The other option is a vinyl or laminate panel that will cover the shower area in one large sheet (which can also be done in an acrylic or stone like product as well.) ... View more

Choosing colours   I found the grey was too similar to the existing colour on the walls which is dull and makes the place a bit darker, so now I am looking at white tones to add light to the house and reduce the use of power overall.   Working out the fitment   Of course, I still have to choose the flooring and the wall tiles that go with this.  I was going to go for Ceramic Tiles on the floor, but another option is Vinyl Floating Floorboards. ... View more

@Oaktree  Viper - Chinese New Year   Since the Chinese New Year is that of the SNAKE, I have chosen Viper out of the Kung Fu Panda movies! ... View more

@Oaktree ... Dumplings and Chinese New Year   Makes me think of Kung Fu Panda.... maybe a Poh or one of the other characters will be my choice! ... View more

The last of my 5FDP contributions.... a cool song and clip again of course! ... View more

... another awesome clip and song! ... View more

... an anthem for my 'brothers' and 'sisters' ... View more

I got this stuck in my head! ... View more

P A R T .... Why .... because I wanna! ... View more

A bit of PARTY music.... to bop along to and enjoy! ... View more

@PeppyPatti ... no this was much further back and prior the '80s!   I have actually met a lot of famous people, when I was working in Melbourne I was just down the road from Channel 7's headquarters! ... View more

The last movie song this morning... anyone know the movie that it's from?  It is pretty Excellent! ... View more

Since it is Music n Movie links... here is another great one from a wonderful movie! ... View more

Feeling a bit nostalgic this morning.... here's one that was a big hit and used in the sequel as well! ... View more

@PeppyPatti this was years ago when I was a child, and at the time they were in fact the former Prime Minister but it was still a PM's actual residence unlike the Lodge or Kirribilli ... View more

@avant-garde ... the last one for you...    Do unto others... ... View more

@avant-garde    Here is a classic done a little different...    ... View more

@avant-garde here is one for you...    ... View more

Since we are doing the Piano thing....  here's the ROCKET MAN! ... View more

Such a beautiful song and probably the best ukulele one recorded.... ... View more

@PeppyPatti ... since you got me on the piano tunes, I will have to play you a song from a piano man! ... View more