So this is where we are at with the reno. No walls, no ceiling. The electrical has been re-done (removal of old knob and tube, new circuits). The plumbing has been done (removal of old galvanized pipe). err.. what else. Ah yes, most of the floor has been levelled. There was a dip of a couple of inches in the floor in one section that had to be corrected, and our contractor Dan has fixed up that. This is still early stages. This week brings an end to the electrical, the floors completely level and sub-floor done, and the ceiling squared away nicely. Next week early is drywall. Hopefully the weekend after that we will be able to paint.

There have been a few surprises the last couple of weeks. The electrical was in far worse shape than we thought. We knew that the knob and tube had to go, but the electrical work done by the previous reno people in the 80s wasn’t that great, so that got replaced also. The plumbing was in bad condition, and really had to be upgraded. What is more, it turns out our canterlevered deck wasn’t really canterlevered. The architect who did it (in the 80s) obviously didn’t realise that it has to go back into the house (the floor struts of the deck) twice as far as it sticks out. Turns out it looks like he got that ratio the wrong way round! Thankfully we got support posts put in under that deck a few months back. I cannot wait for this kitchen to be done!! I don’t mind the cooking outside, it is fun. The lack of a kitchen sink is a bugger, and knowing how good the new kitchen will look, man it is killing me not having it

This is also the reason for fewer posts at the moment. My food isn’t as inventive as before, and we are finding that we are cooking a few of the same dishes, just because they are fast and easy. One big hit is the BBQ’d pizza – who would have thought pizza cooked on the BBQ could be so bloody good. A few people that have tried it love it too.

Anyhow, I will try and keep the posts as regular as possible. In the mean time, enjoy these photos.