Life Trove: DIY

I’m looking for a friendly housemate to share with two of us and Mack, my adorable Jack Russell.

Here are the essentials:

Your room

- A spacious room awash with sunlight

- Your own ensuite bathroom

- Your own private balcony

- Oodles and oodles of cupboard space

- Fully furnished

The house

- Beautiful courtyards; an oasis of plants

- Modern kitchen with dishwasher

- A large smart TV

- Barbecue

- Pristine; beautifully maintained

- On 3 levels, so we’re not on top of each other

The surrounding area

- A quiet, leafy suburb

- Waverton train station just three minutes away

- Situated right next to beautiful Brennan park, perfect for exercise and picnics

- Berry Island and Balls Head nature reserves on your doorstep

- 3 minute walk from Waverton Village restaurants and IGA

- 3 minutes walk from The Botanica, Australia's 2015 top voted cafe (great coffee!)

- 10 mins walk from all the shops and restaurants of Crows Nest

About me

- Friendly and easy going

- Neat and tidy

- My passions: hiking, photography, mindfulness, movies, ice-cream

- A good sense of fun

- Owner of the cutest dog in the world

My other housemate

- Not chosen yet, you can help choose if you want

What I'm looking for in a housemate:

- Someone who likes dogs

- Easy going

- On the tidier side

- Non smoker

Included in the rent

- Expenses (water, electricity, gas)
- Unlimited internet
- Netflix

Optional

- Underground parking available for $12.50 per week.

Introduction

I renovated my house in 2015, 2016. It was a big project for me as I had no DIY skills at all and I felt inspired to do the work myself.

Purpose and vision

Learn new DIY skills I can use for life.
Create a living space to raise consciousness and sooth the soul.
A living space to inspire creativity.
Develop my own sense of style.
Get to feel in control of my domain, having a real physical impact.
Cultivate a practice of mindfulness while doing DIY - giving each action full attention.
Increase rental income, especially by also renting out the small room.
Low maintenance if I go away.
Not run my bank balance down more than I need to (doing work myself, low cost furniture from IKEA)

Guiding principles

A sense of light and space (but with ability to shut out light too)
Minimalism / Simplicity / Clutter free
Calm / Serene
Nature (lots of plants, photos of nature)
Neutral (black, grey and white) with dashes of colour (especially through photos).
Beautiful + Functional
Comfortable
Creative / Innovative
Easy to clean / Durable / Low maintenance
Optimised for 3 people

Timing

June 2015 - March 2017

Results

Photos of the results

Scope

HOUSEWIDE

Painted walls, window frames and doors (white everywhere except Hogs Bristle in bedrooms)
New floors (light grey vinyl plank) laid on 2nd and 3rd levels.
Printed out my photos, framed and put up throughout house.

DOWNSTAIRS

Lounge

Removed old alarm and wiring
New front door lock
New ceiling light, removing fan
New spotlights
Blankets and pillows on sofa
New door handles on door out to courtyard
Coffee table
Curtains
Smart TV
Modem
Rug
Remove mosquito door

Dining room

New dining room chairs
New storage unit
Removed air conditioning unit

Downstairs toilet

Fixed damage along bottom of wall where Mack peed

Kitchen

New lights
New door lock
New door handle

Front courtyard

Relaid paving (lifted up by roots)
Paint paving with a sealer
Rigorous pruning of large bushes
Raised flower beds and planted new plants
Created hanging garden with trellis and pots
Removed air conditioning unit
Removed house sign
Oiled table and chairs
Secure latch on courtyard door
Magnetic latch to keep doors open
Pressure clean paving
Watering system

Back courtyard

Raised flower beds and planted new plants
Hanging garden with trellis and pots
New clothing line
Automatic watering system
Fix broken paving

Stairs

Carpets off, painted white (for now)
Painted bannister

SECOND LEVEL

Small study on landing

Room divider to create sense of separation and privacy
Fixed rotted door and broken window pane.
New desk, desk drawers and bookshelf.
Three pots on back balcony
Pressure clean paving
New door handle on balcony door
Curtains
Rug

Small room

King single bed and mattress
Chest of drawers
Lamp
New light, removing fan
New door handle
New cupboard handles
Curtains
Rug

Shared bathroom

Replaced vanity and taps
Painted bath
Painted tiles
New bathroom light
New vanity light
New shower glass panel
New bath and shower taps
New shower head
New mirror
New door handles
Fixed cracked ceiling
New door handle
Bathroom fan installed

Srini room

Fixed wall and ceiling cracks
New door handles
New cupboard handles
New desk
Rug
Two plant pots on balcony
New shower head and taps

THIRD LEVEL

My landing

Made white step
Photo wall with 3 shelves
New table on landing
Two landing bookshelves

My room

New desk and ergonomic chair
Removed bed frame
Storage unit inside cupboard
Stand alone fan
Remade step to balcony
Curtains on large window
Blind on small window
Little bookshelf
New light, removing fan
New door handle
New cupboard handles
New small lamp
Rug
Plant pots to go with rug

My balcony

Regrout paving and replace damaged ones
Lots of succulent pot plants
Buddha

Highlights

Realising that with a bit of work, the small room and study could be rented out as a separate offering.
Demolition in the bathroom, ripping out a vanity and brass fittings I've always hated.
How the downstairs looked so much lighter when the white paint went on the walls.
Inspiration from Chris to believe I could do it and some simple lessons on the basics.
Doing the floors myself (cutting under door jams, removing skirting, cutting and laying tiles.)
Getting reimbursed $2000 by the floor installation company (after a fight) for labour not done.
Getting additional floors sourced and provided for free by the floor manufacturer.
The way the shimmering floor lights up the second level and creates a much greater sense of space.
Playing with the power tools, especially the circular saw and grinder.
Grinding the concrete floor flat, although cleaning wasn't fun afterwards.
Creating hanging gardens and raised flower beds from scratch.
Creating the step in my room and on the landing, from scratch.
Installing the front door lock (after a lot of cursing!)
Fixing a rotten door and replacing a pane of broken glass myself.
Creating a succulent plant paradise on my balcony.
Becoming more and more methodical and relaxed in my work, knowing where everything is.
Help and emotional support from Srini.
Installing the vanity and taps with Brendan.
Finding ready made curtains and blinds for all my windows, saving costs on custom made ones.
Erecting a storage unit in my cupboard. So much better than before.
Deciding what photos to print, and the amazing quality of the prints when they arrived. Also deciding where they would go and hanging them.
Showing off the house to Jo and her approval. Also shopping with Jo at IKEA. And buying rugs with her in The Blue Mountains.
Realising that I can be lord of my domain.
Having the skills to keep the house maintained on an ongoing basis.
Lying on the balcony on my deck chair, enjoying the plants. Looking out onto them from my desk. Getting to watch them grow and flower.