ozzieeagle

Just an update on the post highlighted here...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...66#post9183766

The restumping is complete... cost me over 10K That in included a new Kitchen floor and 2 x 4 metre skips.

Was a horrible surprise when they ripped our old kitchen apart, especially the floor as I wasn't expecting that kind of disruption. They raised the house by 6 centimeters, which means the old Lean to, which must have been put up in the 60's is totally stuffed as well, as it' now completely out of whack. It was built when the house was uneven. Now we have no choice but build an extension.

Got a temporary Kitchen going back in tomorrow, salvaged out of the bits we pulled apart, it wont be pretty. Got the Guttering and Roofing on the old part of the house to do. Can't do the plastering for another few months, or it will crack. Have a professional flooring guy coming Friday week to replace a lot of floor, with old Baltic Pine. That can't be sanded an polished until I arrange another week of off work, as it takes 4 bloody days for the 3 coats of Varnish to dry House has to be emptied again at that stage... It's pretty full on trying to live a normal life through this.

Heres some Photos....

scottishcelts

You poor things

Turns your whole life upside down when the kitchen or bathroom is out of bounds. Went through it all with our last house and now this one. So sick of it now. Ours is almost finished - just the skylight from the original shitty really badly done extension needs fixed.

Our next place (I hope) is going to be brand spanking new.

Good luck pal - all those take away/mircowave dinners are horrid.

ozzieeagle

More photos, Skip is just one Chimney full of Bricks and Rubble... All the cooking and other Kitchen duties were performed in the Laundry....Previous photo in last post is Bob the Builder and Son, demolishing the old Chimney. Laundry area and how much the house has risen in another.... "mind the gap"..... House from front and another large gap, which pulled the posts from the Verandah, which means the Verandah has to be pulled down and rebuilt. Finally the old lean to which will have to be pulled down and replaced.

.

spartacus

Good luck with all that OE, it's looks like a total mare.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Last two houses I had in the UK were brand new after I went through the same sort of disruption Ozzie is facing now on the one prior to them. I swore blind that I would never have another old house... and then went and bought a 30yr old one here.
Been in four years.... new kitchen, aircon, new wardrobes, couple of toilets replaced, flooring.... why the bloody Hell didn't I buy another new one.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

I feel your pain and remember it only too well from a past experience of my own.

hevs

Cos they are souless arse? (sorry to anyone who has one, I just dont like it!)

hevs

Hmmmm food for thought. Been looking at a very old property (1895) in the hills, but it needs stumping....Only the front half and will be around 10K, but yeah...dont think I can go through it with 3 kids in tow....

scottishcelts

Indeed. Funny thing is, I always wanted an old victorian house in the uk, but here, it's the opposite.

Oh, and ours here is 30 yrs old too.

Wol

You have my sympathy - we had to have an 8 year-old house in the UK piled - we were in a rental for 6 months while they pulled the entire downstairs, floor and all, out. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

ozzieeagle

Thanks for your empathy guys.

Get the floorboards fixed up Friday week. Then have to wait for a while for Sanding and Polishing. Back to Work on Sunday night, so it's going to be slow progress after that. Just couldn't bring myself to move from this area. Someone else would have made a killing with this place if I hadn't bitten the bullet.

Pee'd off at my Finance guy for leading me up the proverbial garden path, assuring us how easy it would be to get a loan to build two Townhouses. "Yeah sure" till he realised how much it would really cost to build 'erm. Ironic thing is I will probably end up owing a fair bit more in renovating, than I would have building the Two Townhouses and selling one.

I'll probably have to wait till October/November at least before I knock down the Lean to and build the extension, dont fancy doing it in a Melbourne winter..

What do you reckon on Chocolate tinted baltic pine floor boards with shades of White paint work throughout ? We need White and offshades of White walls because there isn't a lot of natural light in this house.

irishbloo

The dark floor and white walls sound lovely,I have seen it alot.Dont go too fussy on your furniture.It sounds a mare with the upheavel.Everytime we buy we always swear we will buy a new house this time.Its never happened.

sonlymewalter

Looking good mate. Older houses done up are the best, plenty of character

carolinephillips

Excuse my ignorance, but what is "stumping"?
Our house is 50 years old and needs a lot of work- we were shocked to hear that it will cost $35k to renovate the bathroom. In the UK it only cost us £5000 for everything, but here the fittings alone will cost 5-8 thousand. Apparently you can't just replace fittings, you have to strip the whole thing and waterproof the lot so it is up to Australian Standards. And whatever happened to overflows???

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Have you had a look here? These guys aren't cheap either so it will give you an idea if you're being 'done'

http://www.reece.com.au/