It might have been pouring outside over the past week, but inside conditions were just right to crack-on with some major joinery and cabinetry work. Red completed restoration work on the staircase, installing a newel post which we commissioned from a Sydney-based wood turner; he used one of the existing balusters as a model upon which to base the newel post design (we also had him turn a few extra balusters to set aside as spares, all in cedar to match the existing wood). Now that all of the broken and mismatched balusters have been replaced and the missing newel post is in place, we’re waiting for our wood finisher to confirm his availability. Red also spent a full day on the front door, re-aligning hinges, adding a moulding skirt (for draft and creepy-crawly prevention), repositioning the boss (door knob) to its rightful (centre) place and filling and patching (again with matching cedar wood) accordingly.
Cabinetmaker Don has worked for Darryl for over twenty years on a huge number of client jobs, and has been busy building and installing bookcases for the library; made in Don’s workshop, then transported in pieces to Terragong and assembled over the course of two days. As you can imagine with a house of this age, none of the walls or floors run true or square, so plenty of time was spent on the veranda with saws, wood planes and sanders, shaping the pieces to precisely fit the spaces. Various examples of Don’s beautiful joinery work can be seen in the projects featured on Darryl’s company website -www.darrylgordondesign.com.
We’re currently deciding on a colour scheme for the library walls and shelves. In the meantime, we’ve found a temporary home for 38 cartons of books and design & gardening mags!