Double glazing

We had our back windows and door replaced today, with timber framed double glazing.  Our old sliding door had become quite difficult to open and close, and last year I discovered a one inch by about 1cm gap in the top of one of the frames, which would let in hot or cold air depending on the season, and spiders I'm sure.  I plugged it up with cotton wool then, but things should be far more efficient now.  They are the windows/door for our lounge and dining area, which can get quite hot in summer, especially in the mid afternoon.  I'm sure a lot of winter heating went literally out the window too.  I'm having trouble loading a before photo, but I'll put it up soon if I can.

Happenings around here

Before

After

I've been spending the earlier parts of this week emptying our pantry and cleaning it all down to move it and the fridge out so we could have our kitchen floor sanded and polished. We were a bit sick of the old "terracotta tile" vinyl that was sitting on top of these raw boards, with a big seam line down the middle that we'd trip over, or get slippers caught on.
We're pretty happy with the improvement, now we have a few bits of paint patching to do, including painting the concrete hearth you can see. I wanted to tile it, but it will sit too high and might be a tripping hazard as it's not big enough for a whole foot to stand on. I'll be happy to have our kitchen up and running in a few days, when we can move the fridge and pantry back in. Our kitchen renovation is a step closer to being finished (almost 2 years after it was begun!)
A new blind for Evie & Liv's room- a holland blind made from Ink & Spindle's birch forest print in a large scale. I wanted to replace the cheap pvc venetians with something eco friendly (Ink & Spindle is a carbon neutral business), that would block out the light properly. The venetians blocked the view, but that was about it. Liv stayed in her bed all night after this blind went in, but we had to stay with my parents last night because of the floorboards.
It is very hard to photograph blinds, as you have to shut them a bit to see them. They are a dark dusty pink, a bit lighter than the photos.

Kitchen reno- tiling progress

It's been a bit quiet on the kitchen reno front, but this long weekend, Andrew & I have been tiling our new kitchen. A very satisfying project, that quickly changes the look of a room. There is still a little bit of tiling to be finished (with a bit of tile cutting), and then it needs to be grouted. We hope to have drawer fronts and knobs on this week with any luck!

Monday's progress

Sink installed, and plumbed underneath but no mixer tap installed (need a plumber). Doors on, but no knobs, drawer fronts still to be attached. It doesn't look like much has happened today, but lots of fiddly jobs have been done. Not much will be done now until the weekend.

Saturday's progress

Bench tops in , sink in but not plumbed.

Kitchen reno- Friday's progress

Toe spaces in, carcasses in, some doors on. Tomorrow: bench tops, fitting the sink.

This is what we're doing for Easter

Pulling out the lower kitchen cupboards, drawers and benchtops, to put in a new and more functional kitchen. My Dad has made the carcasses out of recycled packaging boards from his work, we've bought doors from Ikea, and Dad has made us a new benchtop out of an Aussie hardwood, that Andrew has varnished with a low VOC varnish. We hope to put in some green tiles shortly after, once the plumbing is all sorted. New floors and blinds for the window will come a bit later down the track, maybe a new light fitting too.
The stove/oven and hearth will stay as they are for now, we'll have built in cabinets made for a new stove and oven at a later date, and put some new tiles in.

This is how it looks as of last night.

I will post more pics as it progresses over the weekend.