My PPOR Renovations

[Tim86]

I like what you are doing, but those windows look more 1950 than 1900. Will you be replacing them? Or adding fake moulding bars down the middle of each side could make them eight lights?

I also recall you saying how you are tired of renovating. I get that, because I think you and (hubby and) I are very alike. I love the changes that renovating can bring, even when I'm hating it .

I'm wondering why you are pushing yourself so hard? Is it due to having to pay rent elsewhere and so a cost factor comes into it? And I'm curious to know if this bathroom in the latest photos is an ensuite because you put up a photo of a dark grey tiled (post 49) bathroom with very traditional fit-out (which looked amazing, by the way). Is that elsewhere in the house?

I reckon renovating is like childbirth... you forget the pain when you see the end product. This is looking very nice. Well done!

I like the windows. Don't feel any need to make them 8 light. I've never seen the original queenslanders with the 8 light windows. They usually just had that wavy glass, or the leadlight coloured glass. We prefer the ones we went with over those other options.

8 light might look a little better, but you've also got to consider price, it's $450 for a new set of casement windows. And the windows I restored and built the sill and frame for cost me about $50 a set.

Pushing to get it done because once we get it done we can rent downstairs out while we live upstairs, that will get us $620 per week, which we need to pay bills. Will have about $5000 on the credit card at the end of the build, so will be good to pay that off quickly. Also we want the build finished before the end of Jan 2015 because that's the peak time for students looking for accommodation.

And we also need to finish our house to get it re-valued to pay off loans for other investments etc...

The previous bathroom pic was of the upstairs bathroom, the one I'm building now is the one for downstairs (and it's going to look pretty sweet . The 2nd stage 10m extension out the back will house the ensuite for the master bedroom. I think the plans are posted up a few pages back.

And thanks for the comments. I'm actually not minding renovating right now. Just took some more annual leave and I've done four 10-11 hr days in a row, but I'm seeing lots of progress and sheeting off walls and plastering isn't that bad of a job. 2 more full days of renos before I go back to work on sunday. But I get about 3 days a week to work on the house, so my goal of having it done by the end of Jan should be easily achievable.

 

[Tim86]

Looks great Tim86. I want to do something similar (smaller). How did you learn to do all this? (I've never done a weatherboard before).

I have the luxury of being able to ring up my dad and ask questions when I get stuck with something. Or he'll drop around maybe once a week to show me what to do next.

But I've done lots of reno's already, again with my dad's help, so I've already picked up a fair bit.

I like to think of my IP reno's as practice for my PPOR reno

 

[Tim86]

It's getting there

Wife and I have been working pretty hard lately.

 

[Tim86]

And the built in cupboards I've started building. The cupboard shelves and sides were only about $10 per m so they aren't going to break the bank.

Starting to actually feel like I'm almost done with this stage one build.

Still have to finish off the bedrooms, hopefully that will be done in the next week or so.

Then it's just the bathroom and the kitchen/laundry.

Then I can rent the 4 rooms out That's going to be a relief.

 

[wylie]

It is taking shape nicely. I do love a before and after photo .

Are you going to live upstairs and rent out the downstairs? And does that mean it is fire rated and legal to do so?

Will you choose people you know or hope to find a couple of people who know each other, or bring friends of friends with them?

We have one house with a main tenant who has her boyfriend with her and she finds different people to rent a room. She has been there for probably five years and keeps the house immaculately. She is fussy with who she has living with her and all four are on the lease. So, I believe they start off as "strangers" but they seem to get along well. There have been two cases when the new person doesn't last long due to not getting along though.

We have another house with five mates (couple are brothers) who all know each other and they change tenants occasionally, but always get in a replacement from uni so they all know each other.

I cannot imagine having four strangers living downstairs with no common thread or common friendship base to keep things harmonious?

 

[Tim86]

Thanks.

I've lived in a share house before. It's not that bad.

It will just be my wife and me upstairs. It's all self contained downstairs so there shouldn't really be any issues.

I've lived in a dual living setup previously and you have practically nothing to do with the other tenants. It's pretty much like living in a unit above another unit.

Technically it's not dual living though, we are just going to do it up as boarders on one tenancy agreement, but I'm sure they'll just keep to themselves.

We live close to a university, so will probably rent to some female tenants who will hopefully keep the place nice and tidy. The house should appeal to female tenants with the clawfoot bath, chandelier, french provincial style etc... so we will hopefully find tenants easily.

As for the fire rating, the plans actually didn't have anything in them for that. However I have actually put up fire rated gyprock for the bedroom ceilings. Mainly for it's sound proofing qualities, the fire proofing is a good bonus though.

 

[Tim86]

Almost finished one of the rooms.

 

[Mr. Fabulous]

You're killing it, Tim.

 

[bigdealbaby]

Looks great bud, nice and clean.

 

[Tim86]

Thanks guys. We are getting there

 

[Television]

Thanks guys. We are getting there

Unbelievable work mate. Is 86 a reference to your birth year? If so, consider me staggered.

 

[Tim86]

Unbelievable work mate. Is 86 a reference to your birth year? If so, consider me staggered.

Thanks. And yeah born 1986

 

[depreciator]

Fabulous work. good on you. Looks great.

 

[Tim86]

Hallway coming along. All the bedrooms are almost finished too. So just the bathroom and kitchen next.

It's temporarily setup with the tv and bar table while we rent out downstairs, but will eventually be cleared and the back wall will open up to the 10m by 10m extension.

We didn't want to sacrifice one of the bedrooms as a lounge room, seeing as how most tenants sharing a house will just watch tv in their own room. So this was our solution

 

[Tim86]

We lost a bit of time with the hail storm, lots of smashed windows and stuff to clean up/repair.

But we are back on track. Getting stuck into the laundry/kitchenette for downstairs.

Kitchen cost about $3500 incl stove/oven, and front loader and taps, sink, cupboards, etc...

All the top cupboards are still to go in, and the protective plastic has to come off, and the wall tile grouting needs to be done...etc... but it's getting there.

 

[westminster]

Looking great. Is that a washing machine I spy in the downstairs kitchen for your downstairs renters? Good idea

Every time I look at your place I fall in love with your freizework above the doors.

 

[Tim86]

Spent a couple more hours on the kitchen today before heading off to work.

Got all the cabinets up now.

It's so shiny

My wife picked out eveything for the kitchen, I think she chose well She even helped put it together and install it.

And yeah westminster that's a front loader for the tenants downstairs. Eventually this will be the laundry for the house. But I thought it would be good to have a kitchenette setup downstairs anyway even when we have the whole house to ourselves, I'm sure eventually when we have kids they will make good use of it.

 

[tomlemke]

Spent a couple more hours on the kitchen today before heading off to work.

Got all the cabinets up now.

It's so shiny

My wife picked out eveything for the kitchen, I think she chose well She even helped put it together and install it.

And yeah westminster that's a front loader for the tenants downstairs. Eventually this will be the laundry for the house. But I thought it would be good to have a kitchenette setup downstairs anyway even when we have the whole house to ourselves, I'm sure eventually when we have kids they will make good use of it.

just read the whole build loving it you got a bargain with the kitchen the black looks awesome

 

[Tim86]

just read the whole build loving it you got a bargain with the kitchen the black looks awesome

Thanks mate. Yeah it's just an Ikea kitchen. Ikea service and pickup, etc... is absolutely horrible, but they are a lot cheaper than bunnings. The quality of the kitchens is surprisingly good too. So terrible service (3 hours I think it took to get the kitchen, even though we went in with a list of all the item numbers we needed)... but good product and cheap so it's probably worth the screw around

Helps that I got the smeg cooker from grays online, all up for $650, comes with a year warranty. The cooker alone retails for about $2500. So considering I got that and the rest of the kitchen for a bit over $3000 I can't complain

Nearly there. Me and my wife are so much more than burnt out at this stage. 8 months of nothing but reno's. BUT we are so close. Currently trying to get the bathroom done. Then we can advertise the bedroom's for rent. Will be amazing adding $600 to our income from renting these rooms. We be broke right about now

 

[tomlemke]

Thanks mate. Yeah it's just an Ikea kitchen. Ikea service and pickup, etc... is absolutely horrible, but they are a lot cheaper than bunnings. The quality of the kitchens is surprisingly good too. So terrible service (3 hours I think it took to get the kitchen, even though we went in with a list of all the item numbers we needed)... but good product and cheap so it's probably worth the screw around

Helps that I got the smeg cooker from grays online, all up for $650, comes with a year warranty. The cooker alone retails for about $2500. So considering I got that and the rest of the kitchen for a bit over $3000 I can't complain

Nearly there. Me and my wife are so much more than burnt out at this stage. 8 months of nothing but reno's. BUT we are so close. Currently trying to get the bathroom done. Then we can advertise the bedroom's for rent. Will be amazing adding $600 to our income from renting these rooms. We be broke right about now

i know exactly how you feel it took us 9 months! so hard working 40 hour weeks then coming home and doing 4-5 hours every arvo then on the weekend defiantly worth it in the end tho! wait till you finish you won't know what to do with your self! I've had to stall the kitchen guys from coming back to fix a few things so i could buy my self a few weeks to pay the remaining bill good luck with the rest of it, and the 600 a week will defiantly help!