The first day of summer is an appropriate day for our latest reno update, especially as today is the day that the new solar system is being commissioned - and it’s a fantastically sunny day upon which to start harvesting the sun’s rays! The guys from Dunne Solar have been busy over the past week, installing 30 SunPower solar panels, a 10kW Fronius inverter, the 70 metres of electric cabling required (spanning the distance from the barn to the house) as well as two electrical sub-boards, one to provide power to the barn and another in the slab hut to power the swimming pool pump and filter system. A huge shoutout to Carolyn Lee from The Energy Efficiency Experts, with whom we consulted as to our requirements and who put us in touch with Paul Dunne.
Inside, our friend Alan from Mullany & Co in Sydney spent three days patching, repairing, rust-proofing, undercoating and painting the old pressed metal ceilings in the three guest rooms as well as trims (skirting boards, windows and door frames) in readiness for the arrival of the wall-paperer next week.
The renovation work on the sunroom and powder room has also cracked on, with Alan Jurd’s team demolishing the old besser block walls, removing the plate glass windows and stripping out the old shower cubicle and toilet from the bathroom. The old ‘50s era tiles were jack-hammered up before the slab was repaired and new penetrations made for the toilet and hand basin. New wall framework was constructed and insulation placed before installing new weatherboard cladding on the exterior and interior walls. The new sliding pane windows - designed to complement the house’s existing sash windows – are now in place, and the western façade of the house looks trim and clean. Later this week the old tank stand and hot water cylinder slab will be demolished, the rubble used to in-fill the old (and now decommissioned and - thankfully - emptied) septic tank.
Our stone mason delivered and installed the kitchen island benchtop of flamed granite at the end of last week, and the new cook tops (a mix of induction and gas) were put in place; we celebrated by cooking an omelette using farm fresh eggs from our wee flock (the ‘Gang of Five’) and pouring a chilled glass of Pinot Gris!