House & Garden

Click on the picture at right to read the description of the house and locale, and to get pictures and floor plans.
Improvement projects are listed in reverse chronological order (last first) and are also accessed by clicking on their thumbnail images.

We have had the lovely wooden floors in the dining room, longeroom, hall and study sanded, filled, stained and recoated.

We have had the whole downstairs lino replaced with new composite floor tiles.

Kay has stripped the wallpaper and painted the Blue Room and the Red Room.

The "breakfast nook" window has become a door from the kitchen to the back yard.

We have added a Bat House, in the hope of attracting some small furry animals as mosquito control, and for general green interest.

We have installed a hefty new wood-burning stove in the playroom.

We have installed the ultimate TV ugrade, a home theatre.

Kay has stripped the wallpaper off the lower bathroom and painted the walls, replaced the mirror and the accessories.

Rather than a conventional play set, we decided to experiment with a tree house for the kids' play.

We love fresh herbs and the fresh tomatoes last year were so delicious Kay has designed, built and filled above-ground beds.

Kay has single-handedly stripped all the staircase and hallway wallpaper and painted.

Kay has completed a further renovation of the main bathroom.

We have replaced the old garden shed with a ``Chalet-style'' Summer house.

Skylights---or rather skytube lights---have been installed in the rumpus room and the main bathroom.

An attic fan has been installed to improve the cool in Summer.

The house exterior has been painted.

The kitchen has been opened up and renovated, giving us more space, more light, a gas cooktop, powerful extractor fan, huge sink and more.

The rumpus room has been carpeted and is much cosier.

In view of the dazzling fecundity of our Meyer lemon tree, we have planted more citrus, including some exciting new types.

The front garden has been renovated with Zen koi ponds, a bridge, and a subterranean basin with fountain.

A new mantlepiece has been built and installed over the lounge fireplace.

We have planted a plum and a Pluot in the Orchard, increasing our growing food varieties.

The sprinklers have been calibrated, and seeds of many exotic sorts are being germinated with the assistance of our horticultural consultant, Dr Webster.

The house now has a very effective TV antenna, receiving both KRCB on UHF and KQED on VHF, which means 90% of all good programs.

The last two sliding doors have been upgraded to low E-squared double-glazing.

The faraway tree has received much-needed attention.

The lawn sprinklers phase two complete and watering.

The decayed lawn sprinklers are being replaced, phase one complete and watering.

New lampshades made of stained glass have tripled the light level in comparison to the ugly and sadly rather opaque original fittings.

A Water Purifier has been installed under the sink of the galley!

The new dishwasher has started work in the galley.

The rumpus room fireplace has been improved and commissioned. We learnt a lot about Americans and fireplaces.

The rumpus room door (whose dodgy installation the inspector missed, and the owner concealed) and the front bay window (whose double-glazing had become waterlogged) have been replaced. Click on the image at left for details.

The hideous "wild west" light fittings in hall, dining, and rumpus rooms have been replaced.

The loungeroom and hall wallpaper is Dead: Long live the paint! The black wallpaper has gone, and art is come to Vallejo Street.

The Sprinkling System: The automated anti-brown-thumb system, and the vegetable patch, are coming on line.

What do you do with a surplus bath? Bury it, of course.

Ceiling fans in the bedrooms help to cool in Summer and distribute warmth in Winter.

The orchard fence and arbor are finished! Click on the image at left for details.

The bathroom is finished! Click on the image at left for details.

Tony helped us install RC door openers... quite fun.

The first thing we did was to install the central vacuum system for which the house was plumbed, but that Ralph never installed!