Progress... or should I say lack thereof!

We are moving in just over two weeks time and our house looks like this

I FEEL LIKE THIS

Needless to say I think we are going to have to find some temporary accommodation and just adopt the attitude of a dog

Look at them, they don't have a care in the world!

Hopefully my next post will show a lot more progress, because the pressure is on!!

Taking a break

Since we started building I feel like all my husband and I speak about is the house. There are so many decisions when you build a house. Just the other day we had to make a decision on whether we wanted cornices or not. I didn't even know what a cornice was and I have never taken notice of them. So to get a break from house talk and decision making, we took a last minute mini roadtrip to the beautiful Elgin valley and Onrus. Truth be told, all we spoke about was the house but at least we had delicious wine and beautiful views to enjoy whilst doing so.

Our first stop was at an apple farm called Galileo in Elgin. I was so pleasantly surprised by this accommodation, the photos on the farm's website do not do it justice. "The shack" as it is named was a little cabin on an island surrounded by water and beautiful views of the valley. I felt myself totally relax and unwind from the minute we arrived. Not to mention our dogs had the time of their lives swimming in the dam while we sat on the deck, in fact they played in that dam until we went to bed. 

I would highly recommend this place if you feel like relaxing. http://www.galileofarm.co.za

Our next stop was a place called Kennedys Beach Villa in Onrus. What excited me about this accommodation was that it was pet friendly. We often have to sacrifice luxury when we travel with the furkids, so being able to stay in a 5 star establishment that oozes romance and still being able to bring the dogs was a plus in my book.

We stayed in "The Villa" which is self catering and very private. The best part.... it has its own mini milkwood forest that leads down to the river and beach, and if you stay in the villa, this whole area is exclusively yours.

The decor is old world charm which adds to the romantic ambiance.

A bath in the forest anyone? This was magical!

The view from your private beach area

From the river up to the milkwood forest

http://www.kennedysathermanus.com/

A short but much needed break. Now it is back to business!

Rain rain go away

It is Spring. Someone needs to remind mother nature of this, she is confused! Cape Town is hitting freezing temperatures with rain forecast for the whole week, yet Johannesburg has skipped spring and jumped straight into summer?? As much as I love sitting next to the fireplace with a glass of red wine, it just feels wrong to be lighting a fire in Spring. We should be lighting a fire in the braai and having a glass of white wine in the sun!

Anyway, it is no secret that rain is a big no no when it comes to building, and Cape Town has had its fair share of rain this winter. As a result, the outside of our house is going a little slower than we would like but on the upside the builder is concentrating on the inside of the house which is all plastered now and will be ready for paint next week.

The estate only allows you to choose from a few shades of colour for the paint on the outside of the house. Different shades of green, brown, blue and grey. For us it was a no brainer... grey grey grey!

Our bub all snug visiting his future home.

Cape Town, sort yourself out and give us some sun pleeeeeeeease!

The roof is on

The roof took a couple of weeks to complete, but once it was done I felt a sense of security. As the saying goes, " we have a roof over our heads" and with that comes comfort. In the beginning stages of building and as the walls go up so do the levels of anxiety, wondering whether the house will turn out as you envisage it. Now that the roof is on, I can actually see what our home is going to look like and I am loving it!

There she is, all shingled!

The builders next job is the plastering and fitting the windows and doors. Our next job is EVERYTHING else! Not sure if I mentioned this but we are responsible for all the finishes, and Francois wants to do most of them DIY, including the kitchen. So watch this space.

Birthday Pup

Today is our doggie Chloe's first birthday.I know what you thinking and to answer your question, yes, I am one of those people that celebrates my dog's birthday. Nothing over the top, just our little family tradition of making meatball muffins and extra spoils. In our home, our dogs are like our children. I was worried when I gave birth to our baby boy (human, not canine) that I would not have as much time for the dogs. I am happy to say they get just as much attention as before our bub was born, the result, a very tired mommy but a very happy mommy nonetheless.

Chloe at 8 weeks old. Munckin!

Chloe's first walk in the forest.

The birthday girl!

Our other dog, Mo. He is 3 years old and our problem child but we love him to bits despite the fact that he is a bit crazeeeee!

Too true!

Happy Birthday Chloekins!

Victorian tub love

From the minute we started building I knew two things. Firstly, both our bathrooms would have free standing baths and secondly, one would definitely be a victorian bath. Our home design or decor is by no means victorian style but I can't resist these baths and one will most certainly find its place in our home. We are still on the hunt but here is some inspiration.

Image:weranda.pl

Image: housetohome.co.uk

Image: interiorfans.com

Image: weheartit.com

Happy Friday everyone!

Let's catch up

As I mentioned in my previous post, the building started in March of this year, 5 months later I am relieved to say we are still happy with our builder and the progress... touch wood! This is welcomed after a very stressful nine month transfer.. I wont go into the boring detail but getting a building bond is nasty business, you are welcome to get hold of me if you want to know exactly what it entails.We visit the plot at least once a week, and Francois will without a doubt always bring his trusty tape measure. Half the time I am not sure why he is measuring particular things, but there have been one or two occasions where that little tape measure has proven its worth! A tip to anyone doing building or renovations, keep an eye on it, like ALL the time, even the best builders can make mistakes. If you are anything like me, you would just give the builder the architect plans and assume it will all work out. Don't be like me, be like my husband and check everything!

The walls are up! Our builder warned us that we might get a shock when the walls go up, and have the impression that the spaces are tiny, but we were pleasantly surprised, especially with the open plan living and dining area.

Laying the first floor! This was by far the most exciting part of the build so far. All the neighbourhood kiddies were on the street watching the crane lay the cement.

When we drove in and saw the crane and all the cement trucks (a new one came ever fifteen minutes) my first thought was who the hell is paying for all this... and then I remember it's us and I remind myself that building is not cheap! Still, for a house obsessed person like me, this was a proud moment!

This is the upstairs where the main bedroom, bathroom and nursery will be. It's all so exciting watching it come together!