To Move a House

So here goes.

I have an option to move a house from Brisbane to the lake.

It has potential, but would be a lot of work too and maybe not exactly what I would 'design' myself.
It is circa 1915. Very high ceilings. Bullnose veranda (once the 1950s additions are removed along with the asbestos eeewwww) Three bedrooms, beautiful wide timber floor boards which are in good condition.

But do I really want the issues of house relocation? What I do know though, is that if I don't move this house it will be either demolished or moved by someone else. The demolishing makes me sad though.
Please share any stories.
 

Lounge Area

Cabbages and Roses on SRT

The Girls at The Skirted Roundtable have impressed me again. Most guests have interesting and inspiring stories to tell. This week Christina Strutt of UK's Cabbages and Roses and author of her latest book At Home With Country: Bringing the Comforts of Country Home.

Go HERE to listen.

I really like the dark timber and white contrast.

Although I would have to tidy up that sideboard.

Timber! 'Fodder' for the fireplace. Yes!

Yes. Must have a sofa like this. With some different cushions though.

I like that the sides are not too high so I could prop up a little pillow to lay down and read.

The New Book - Off to order at American Book Store tonight.

Bedroom Love

This week I met briefly with a designer to talk about elevations. I am going to start there and work my way to the inside. When building modern residential project homes, mostly you choose your floor plan, then the elevation. That is not what I am looking for.

How exciting to see how it will evolve from the outside in!

I have previously posted of a couple of elevations I am very fond of and we are working with those to come up with something which will suit. I really want to work with sun angles to make the most of warmth and cool.

I will also spend this weekend stalking some recently purchased Australian magazines. There are currently LOADS of country styled places making their way to the front covers of the glossy mags this month. Yay for me.

Also, a HUGE welcome to my newest follower Sandy Foster of the most beautiful blog My Shabby Streamside Studio which I posted last week. I am so honoured and excited for her and her project. Sandy, you are my hero!

Onto a smaller and pretty project.  I am working on getting this bedhead made. I am even thinking of attempting it myself! I love it. And have loved this fabric for a few years now. I will use it now and then it will be sent to Heaven at the Lake.

The Bella Cottage

Could be the smallest lived in cottage in the world! Love to have this as a little guest house.

Over at Daisy Pink Cupcake is where I found My Shabby Streamside Studio .

I will leave you with just the photos of this cottage and a note that I love this woman's gusto with a drill and her little under step home for it. Would the name of a drill which lives under the stairs be called Harry Potter!? Boom Boom!

The drill under the stairs - Cute

Aga

For as long as I can remember I have wanted an Aga. Why? I just like the look of them. I am not sure about performance and all of that important stuff. I just love them. Why wouldn't I!!??

This weeks Brisbane News refreshed my memory by featuring an Aga on their "Loves" page. So I will go and check out Aussie BBQ's and Fireplaces at Murrarie

From an article in The Age in 2007 titled Gaga for Aga

"THE question has intrigued me for some time. Why do so many middle-aged women get steamed up over a big hot box that squats in their kitchen and has as much steel as a small Korean car, but costs twice as much?"

Makes me laugh. I'm not middle age!

If anyone has strong feelings about Aga, please note them below.

I would love to have either of these:

Maybe the second one is too big.

What my budget would probably only allow:

The Sunday Roast Aga Teapot

No, this one is probably more my style and takes me back to my heritage:

The Italian Aga Teapot

Yet they do say about the Aga:

"When you have one, you have this wonderful relationship with the kitchen. There's some dishes you put in the simmering oven when you go to bed and they are ready by breakfast-time. It is always there and always ready."

Is $17,000 too much to pay for an oven?
Probably.

Maybe at a tenth of the price ($1,700) and about a tenth of the style too I should get a Thermomix instead.

Homes in the UK

The only hard copy magazines I consume now are the following:

Home Beautiful (because it was a free subscription for signing up with Origin Electricity)
BBC Homes and Antiques (UK)
Country Style

Sometimes another one might grab my attention and beg me to take it home or a wonderful agent from Belle Property may drop me off the current issue of Belle. Or a good friend may bring me one as a treat. But otherwise, I find so many beautiful images, ideas and inspiration through the blog world that I have no reason to buy anything more.

So, back to homes in the UK.

Check out this beautiful place which I have scanned out of my current issue of Homes and Antiques.

I like the contrast of the outside to the inside. I kind of 'don't judge a book by the cover' feel. You may expect a dark, musty place filled with old books and chipped china. But its anything but all of that!
 

I like the bed net idea for a guest room / office.

I love the bath... I miss my claw foot bath. MUST HAVE

I like the exposed beams to create more space / light.

I like the use in two rooms of bench seats against the tables which in one has created a kitchen nook without it being built in (renters take note there!)

I do love the white slip cover look however I know I am a more structured person and I would forever be fiddling with them to straighten them up. So not sure about that one.

What you may have missed (because the photos are quite small)

The kitchen is nice. (peeling veggies in my high heels is not my thing though and I would probably trip on that mat and smash my face against something - I am a clutz)

I want this tea pot!

A question. Would you believe this is a kit home?  Oh yes-sir-ree!

Oh I wish some of these companies were in Australia.

Oakwrigths - oak framed houses with a traditional feel.

Potton - Classic (barns) or contemporary looks and a bespoke service.

There are so many more places too, if you would like my bevy of kit home websites contact me. But trust me, there is nothing as good in Australia. Please advise if you do find one.  Otherwise, Australia should be ashamed of itself.

THIS is the only half decent place I have found yet, if you want a cubby!

Half a Million Dollars

Half a million dollars is not much now days for a piece of real estate. But look what you can get in Maine, USA for under $500k

House #1

We have this beauty. With a heaps of fireplaces, loads of charm and a broad spacious 2 acres, who wouldnt want this home?

House #2

With lake frontage and oodles of charm, we have this gem. Water vista complete with little guest cottage!

House # 3

Please! Why cant we have many beautiful homes like this in Australia? Shame on us.

Now, bring you back to Australia....

For $500k in Inner Brisbane?

One of these town houses?

or

475 Sqm of land

I am sure you get the point!

I want my lake house to look and feel like its was born in Maine. It is decided!

Also!

Thanks to Brides.com you can access some of the Domino Archives. See HERE.

Lonny Mag

Please, if there is only one thing you do this weekend it should be reading this Lonny Online Magazine!

What do I love about this elevation?

The different angled gables.

The timber edging around the gables

The square glass windows / doors

The porch

The three steps up to the porch

No so keen on the thatching, I would want to clean it all the time!

What I don't like?

Not suited to my block and overall vision on my block. Maybe next one :)

P.S. - Wait until you see the kitchen too! WOW. This feature starts on page 164. But it might take you a few hours to get to that page because there is SO much to see and drool over to get there!

Girl Crush

I have a serious girl crush on Leeann Thornton.

I have had these images in my LOVE file and never blogged about it. Don't know why, but maybe because everyone else was crazy blogging about her at the time.

Anyway. Her site is HERE and you will NOT be dissapointed.

Love blue and white

Must have a kitchen nook

Must have a fire place (not sure I would have those two stools there though - FIRE ALERT :)

This is a like raj meets hamptons - Love it!

Something's Gotta Get Me!

For those who have seen my earlier post about Something's Gotta Give will know that I love the house from that movie!

In a previous life while at a boutique building company, I worked with clients during the design and construction of their homes from contract stage right through to completion. Although I have a love of interior styling, my skill is really with interior design. The BIG things.  Which is what I am actually qualified to do! Now days I work in a completely different industry, but that is a totally different story.

I would work with clients to help them with floor plans, the height of cupboards, room dimensions, ceiling heights, window styles, aspect of entertainment areas and size their garage to suit there needs. These things are not always thought of. That is the difference when building a house and building a home. I really miss working in those kind of roles, but have fallen on my feet here really so I shouldn't complain.

Many of my clients still keep in touch to tell me what is happening at home and how much they love their homes, even 10 years later! I have always been so scared to build my own place from scratch and prefer renovation -maybe because I can blame someone from 100 years ago for bad design and don’t risk that fear of failure.

I am going to be my worst client!

There are so many fantastic stylists around both qualified, self taught and those people that have innate creativity to ‘know’ what looks good, what balance is needed and can put things together perfectly! And they are all more talented than me at this.

So, back to Something’s Gotta Give and designer Beth Rubino who is extremely talented. I have listened to her interview (HERE) on Skirted Round Table a couple of times and found it very interesting.

The house was completely a set. They never found a house which would work. The exterior of the house you see in the movie was shot in the middle of winter and all the greenery was plastic!  All of the other rooms were purpose built for filming.

The dining room idea of the large wall filled with white ironstone came from the designer’s friends home.

 They were able to place some window dressings in the front window for the shoot, but that was the extent of that actual house in the movie.

The blue and white rug in the lounge was originally a huge antique Drury rug which was cut and re sewn for the set. (here is the photo again in case you missed it the first time I posted it)

If you listen to the complete interview you will hear about those ideas and many more.

I can not stop thinking about that dining room.

Could I make that work I wonder? I have a table just like that! Or just save that for a home in the city?

Also, thank you for all of the lovely comments and emails. 

I love stalking reading all of your blogs too.

From Washington to Queensland

I am seven days away from a BIG milestone.

Things are looking good and I am beginning to get excited and thinking more and more about elevation.  To me the elevation is number one. I can work the floor plan around that. And I have a few ideas about that too!

These houses are from Bainbridge Island Coastal Living real estate via Alkemie blog.

Bainbridge Island is an island city of Washington in USA.  How beautiful are these!

Wide Veranda is a MUST

Isn't American architecture just beautiful!

The little round window, the columns, the stairs, the roof line / angle.

How bright and airy does this feel! I do love this.

Because the view is about 160° I can grab some great views from the north. And north is where I would have these windows as that is where the beautiful warm winter sun comes streaming in to warm the cottage! One word - Perfection.

Bright Whites

The children have asked me to promise I will not be having painted white floors EVER AGAIN!

I don't know if I can promise that, but I totally understand where they are coming from.

Not that they ever do the cleaning, but they have seen me on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor at the farm house many times.

At the farm I have always had a very relaxed policy the whole weekend. Then when Sunday afternoon comes its tidy up time. And when the key goes in the lock and we walk away, it is totally perfect for the return.

Back to white floors.

I do love this. Its Heatherton House in the Blue Mountains. It was in Australian Traveller Magazine a few issues ago and I have a copy of it in my 'LOVE' file.

Same room, without studio light I am guessing.

Its important to think of colours / light at all different times of day.

I always keep that in mind!

I am becoming slightly obsessed with twin beds

A Place to Call Home

As this blog is anonymous I was reluctant to post a photo of my most special house. This circa 1920's Bungalow has been in our family for four years this year. I remember taking the children to soccer and getting the phone call "Darling, I have bought us a house."
"What?"
"I bought us a house!"
"Yeah right, can you pick up some tomatoes for dinner?"
"Darling, I don't think you heard me, I bought us a house. I have a bottle of Veuve ready so let me just give you the address and I will meet you there."
"What are you talking about? A house? Hang on. YOU BOUGHT A HOUSE?!?!?!?! While I was at soccer?!?!?!?!"
"Well yes, its not really big enough, but you are going to love it, and we can do an extension and it is going to be really great"

Well there was a bit more said after that, and stressing, and crying.  He bought a house at auction which I had never seen! And they say women impulse shop!

So of course there was more to the story than that, but I fell in love with this house and have made it a home to love.

Wouldn't this look great on the lake? And you can see where I get my inspiration from and why I love the current elevation idea.

I have all the colours written down in a little folder and I must begin taking photos from every angle of every screw and every tile and cornice detail before it is 'gone'.

Sigh. Love.

Elevation Dreaming

Still due diligence and still stressful. On top of this (of course) I have been feeling poorly :(

Anyway, started looking around at elevations and this is what I found I like so far. I love the veranda, the stone fire place, the little front steps, the square windows and the little garden.

You need to see it in (maybe) Dulux Sandy Day or Raw Cotton. With White trim. Roof I'm not sure of yet. Its just a little dreamy image that is in 'the file'.

Due Diligence Update #3 ~ Council Man Crush

I officially have a crush on the guy from the council. I have dealt with him before with Bellamore and he was great then, but now he has stepped up to a level of awesomeness!

I’m just going to phone him right now to say thank you. Again.

Most of the time I get so frustrated with humans. Well, not in the bloggy world of course. People out ‘there’ often seem so mean. It’s sad. But the last two days, abet stressful, have restored my faith in humankind and community. Again.

It’s the insight you get when you spend time in a rural setting.

A little story of Bellamore

We would go to Bellamore most weekends, build a fire, sing songs, drink wine, watch the sun go down, laugh, talk and sometimes even cry. It was that kind of place people dream of. Over the years we celebrated homecomings, friend's engagements, New Years, Easter Egg Hunts and even a B & S Ball! But probably the most magical of all was the conception of a little much longed for baby. It was New Years eve and this couple had been trying for years... little did we know at the time that the magic of Bellamore was to bring them big bouncing baby boy 40 weeks later!

Bellamore’s local township has a co-op which you pay $50 to join. For that small investment you receive between 5 – 10% off your purchases in the town. But the best thing about this $50 is that it gives you a ‘buy-in’ to the community. “You are now one of us.” they say.

How cool is that?!

Every Saturday night was Family Movie Night. For $20 regardless of the size of your family, you could go and watch the movie in the old theatre (circa 1930), have hot dogs and popcorn and afterwards chat with all the neighbours. And lets just say you had a couple of beers down at the pub. No worries! The local policeman would take you home and bring your car to you the next morning.

It was a life changing experience and I have so many people to miss, especially all the oldies who have lived in the area all their lives.


Back to my council man crush.

I will have you know he is at least 60, married and probably has grandchildren. Its not ‘that’ kind of crush. It’s the crush on someone you just want to squeeze because of how helpful, learned and accommodating they have been. He gave me contacts for all the right people, in all the right places and even phoned them ahead of me to ensure they had all the details and his support of my plight.

Finally THAT ONE PHONE CALL I HAD TO MAKE?

And it was a big fat

Y E S!

So now time to research the Taylex Domestic Membrane System or DMS as it is affectionately known. I never thought I would think a sewerage treatment system would get me so excited!

It uses membrane filtration plus UV light to produce the cleanest water from a domestic treatment system in Australia today. It's ok, I will leave that there for now for fear I may send you to sleep.

Photo of DMS installed near a little baby dam... so cute!

So there you have it. It's a win today.

More praying and believing over the weekend for the next mountain to climb next week.

Now, what pretty image can I leave you with....mmmmmm.... thinking.... thinking......

Ok, this is a residence which was recently for sale up in Dayboro. I just LOVE this idea.

Love to all

DC