One small step...

Taking shape - next the tiles and lights get added and the patio is complete. The study, the room on the screen left, will eventually have double doors opening up onto this area.
The steps have had to be redone; they were far too narrow, and as a direct result, the bottom step is fairly small. Lights will be added to the top and second step, and then along the length of the new wall.
The area under the bathroom and kitchen window, screen right of the pic, was going to get a cupboard, but we've built it to accomodate a small flower garden. I can still come back the cupboard at a later stage.

I am a hollow shell

Top pic is the deep end and they're building cocktail steps on either side. Lights have been added, and a new weir - the old was leaking.
Bottom pic is the shallow end - also has a light (this pool is huge and needs two at least). The steps and corners are being squared - the round edges aren't as modern.
The tiles and mosaic have arrived, and once the rain stops, they will lay new marbelite and then start laying the tiles.

The pool, we've discovered, had a layer of fiberglass over the original marbelite, and on the original marbelite they had a very intense mosaic - most of the builders time has been used to remove the fiberglass and chip away at the mosaic below... crazy??

Day 4: Wiring and Patio Lights

The conduit runs to the wall edges and I'm embedding circular brushed steel lights most of the length of it at intervals.
The wooden kitchen door will also be replaced at some stage with a framed glass door, like the rest of the house.

Day 4: Landfill continues

Start of the steps, the foundations are laid and the conduit and wiring has been set - just needing a bit more fill and we're set to add final concrete and start tiling.
New builders are working fast.

Day 1: Pool Demolition

Ok, arrive home and suddenly realise I'm in the thick of renovations again. How'd that happen...

Make fireplaces in summer and redo pools in winter....

So the next set of renovations has to do with the pool - it has a leak and the bricks around are really ugly...

First step will be to drain the pool, remarbelite (royal blue), remove the bricks, removes the coping tile and mosaic, then retile.

While I'm doing this I intend to extend the existing patio all the way to the study and make one large patio the full length of the house.



This will result in the loss of a lot of trees, which is a pity, but also will help to lose some of the shade and overgrown aspects of the back garden.

Make sense?

Will start this week, and hopefully be complete by the first week of Sep... watch this space :-)

It's been awhile, but here we go again...

ok, so i didn't do pre shots and if you look at that fireplace it looks like it's always been there - it just fits, but if you go back in the archives and see what used to be there, you'll see why i did this renovation overnight when the gas started leaking. The reason I actually went with this model is because its one of the few gas burning fireplaces that can convert natural muncipality gas direct from mozambique. Egoli gas is also really cost effective and simple - I never need to refill canisters, and the bill in winter is never more that about R150-200, and that's for geysers, cooking and fireplace.