Whole home low budget slow refresh

[BoeingFan]

Home Sweet Home!So I'm about to take on a little cottage in the middle of nowhere to be near family, and I'm beside myself with excitement about all the stuff we can do to freshen her up. I've never done any reno stuff before, but a lick of paint is always a great place to start. Bunnings, here I come!

P.S. I'm still trying to work out how to add an image to this post!

[BoeingFan]

Demo has begun

Well the bathroom demo has begun. So far I've removed 2 panels of non-asbestos fibro, exposing the original fibro walls, and removed the Zip electric instant hot water system. There was also a large cupboard in the left corner which was impossible to remove in one piece, so I chainsawed it in half. I've got to remove the vanity and bathtub (which will go to the tip 🤔) yet, and then the plumber will do the internal plumbing. Fun, fun, fun! I'm very inspired by @jaga and the bathroom reno posted here because the room dimensions are very similar. Now what to do with those fabulous 70's curtains! 😁

[EricL]

Hello @BoeingFan

Thank you very much for the update on your home renovation. Are you installing a walk-in shower as well? Will the vanity still be in the same spot or will you be putting it at the far end wall? Is there a toilet in this room that we can't see? It looks like you have a steel ceramic bathtub. If you do, I propose saving it from the tip and turning it into either a vegetable garden out the back or a timber-heated spa. It would be a shame to just get rid of the tub when you can repurpose it for something else.

I also strongly encourage you to save all the timber pieces in your home demolition. As you mentioned earlier, it sounds like you are far away from the town's commercial centre. Hence, it would be practical to recycle as much timber as you can. Even the vanity looks like it is still in fair condition. Perhaps you can sell it or donate it, you can even use the vanity top outside in your backyard as a handwash basin. 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your bathroom revamp complete.

Eric

[BoeingFan]

G'day @EricL 

Once I've stripped everything out of the room and taken the walls back to the frame, inside plumbing is re-done, and new walls are up, we will be installing a new shower, vanity, toilet and mirror. I won't be using any tiles, I don't care for them, so I'll be having a chat with my builder to see what ideas we can come up with for a clean, modern look but with some texture.

Your idea of reusing the bathtub as a vegetable garden, timber heated spa, or even a frog pond is great food for thought; there is actually an existing pond in the front yard which Mum built years ago, and I had been thinking about filling it in though I'll think on that some more now too.

Also, thanks for the nudge about recycling the old timber! I almost had thrown it into my burn tank last week, so it's good that I ran out of time and it's still in the tub. This means I am going to meed more garage storage hahaha.

Cheers,

Jason

[BoeingFan]

Hi Folks,

I've been toying with the idea of converting the old bricked pot belly stove landing in my kitchen to a space where I can instal an induction cooktop with drawers underneath, and a rangehood above which will exhaust out the existing pot belly chimney. The chimney stack shown sitting in the landing won't necessarily be connected to the rangehood unless that's a good idea, as the chimney surround exits the house at rooftop level. Pic below. External chimney surround

As the brick surrounds are flat and level, I was hoping to either sit an induction cooktop directly onto them, or get a wooden counter with and cut out the dimensions to fit the cooktop. I guess the drawer surround would need to be glued/nailed/screwed to the cooktop surround to make it a solid unit. Any thoughts? Pic is included showing the cavity where it will be installed.Old pot belly brick surround

[EricL]

Hi @BoeingFan

You most definitely can install an induction cooktop there, however, it's important to speak to your builder about the safety clearance between your cooktop and the range hood. I've sketched up an example of what your cooktop layout might look like. Please have a look and tell me what you think. 

I suggest asking your builder if a Bellini 52cm Undermount Rangehood will fit inside the cavity of the pot belly chimney. In this manner, it will be totally hidden from view and you still get the convenience of a kitchen exhaust.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[BoeingFan]

@EricLthat is fantastic, that's spot on what I'm looking for! Thank you so much for putting those together 😃

May I ask, what software do you use? It could be a very handy tool for me to learn to use.

Thank you so, so much!

Jason

[EricL]

Hi @BoeingFan

I'm glad my suggestion helped, I use Sketchup to do my renderings. It has a bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it, it's quite handy to use. I also suggest looking at tinkercad which is what @MitchellMc uses for his drawings, it's very user-friendly and you can still do awesome renders with it.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Ari]

@EricL @MitchellMc  this project needs to be a TV show. Or at least a YouTube series!  Real life on a budget with Bunnings advisors instead of judges is way better than The Block. 

Before @BoeingFan  does any more, will you contact Phillip Wade or shall I?

Jason would you be up for it? 

[BoeingFan]

Hahahaha @Ari I don’t think anyone would be interested in this little place, but thank you for the heart palpitations! 😂 it’s a very slow refresh as money trickles in so it may be anticlimactic! I’m going to pick up my 2 mini sausage dogs from Sydney next month and bring them up here with me, so I’m looking forward to their initial reactions 🐶🐶

[MitchellMc]

@BoeingFan,

Your little slice of paradise might not become the next big television series, but you might have some members vicariously living the dream through your project. Personally, I spend just about every night searching through similar properties in hopes I come across something that would work for my family. 

I'm super keen to follow along and provide assistance when needed.

Mitchell