Meet Lynda.  From her impeccable seamstress skills to her next-level organisation - she keeps our Feather & Oak ship sailing smoothly.  Join Lynda on the blog as she begins planning & building her next family home - sharing her valuable knowledge along the way so you can rest assured you are well prepared, educated & inspired on your personal building venture.

That Silver Lining

The reference to Silver Linings and Tin Foil comes from my father, a practical and inventive man, who often thought outside the square.  He grew up in that era when plastic didn’t have a hold on the world and wastage was unheard of.  You made do with what you had and became inventive when you did not have what you thought you needed.  We had a very 'glary light' in what you could call a sitting area in our old home.  Dad got the tin foil and fashioned a shade to deflect and soften the light and it remained there for some time.  While it may not have looked immensely appealing, it worked and served its purpose well enough.  As our build progresses, I can see we will come up with some of those Tin Foil ideas.  We will also stand strong however for the Silver Linings that will make our home our home and tick the boxes in that initial 'Build Wish List'.

Finishing Touches

With our home becoming more three dimensional it is time to get some things decided and confirmed.  We had already decided on the exterior claddings so next we needed to finalise the colours – very important as it sets the tone and is the backdrop for the whole house.  Thanks to Caren (a friend who is my second set of fresh eyes) who pointed out those things that I otherwise may not have seen.  It was also great to have my work sisters’ cast their eyes over colour choices, concepts and themes - always  keen to play with all things interior.   

Next it was time to finalise and order some bigger items that took up a bit of real estate in the house.  The plumbing fixtures, as they would be some time arriving into the country, the carpet and hard flooring for the same reason, needed to be locked and loaded.  We did have a Tin Foil moment with our flooring and opted to paint the loft floor as opposed to carpeting.  We had rugs to use in that versatile space, so flooring decided, we confirmed our choices and the paying of deposits ensued. 

It was also time to put the kitchen company on notice when we would be requiring joinery, fine tune that plan I had played with for a long time, and talk finishes.  The kitchen is central to our social spaces, and it was to be a show piece that we would love to work in and live around with family and friends.  It had to function the way we wanted it too, and also make me smile every time I walked past it or into it.  Price is important but so is getting a good quality product fit for purpose.

I did the kitchen research but ended up going back to the company that did our joinery 26 years ago.  Having already chosen both kitchen and laundry appliances some time ago to avoid a disappointing waiting down the line, it was now a matter of slotting them into the spaces and tweaking accordingly.

One thing I was not going to tolerate was ‘enjoying’ yesterdays lamb roast when you walked into the house the next day.  I found a wonderful extraction system when visiting one of our clients homes late last year that had the powerful motor on the exterior of the house.  Hello Silver Lining!  This also solved another issue I have with extraction systems – noise!  Both bathrooms will also be fitted with extraction fans with the same concept.  Happy days.

Future Proofing

We were both keen to future proof this house if we were still here in our 80s.  Ovens and laundry appliances were at a level we would not have to bend too far down too, doors are wide enough to cope for a wheelchair if the need arose… access in and out of the house on one level and the ability to close half of the house off if it was just two of us.  It was so good to walk through that plan on site and see how it all flowed.  Some of these features did cost more but in the grand scheme of the build and the budget, not so much, and the outcome will be invaluable.

Budget Proofing

The all-important budget was getting well scrutinised and there was no scenario that would have the kitchen and window furnishings compromised.  These are the last two items that tend to get shunted down the line when the budget blows.  The kitchen I got onto early to get an idea of true cost.  Tick.  Our floor-plan only needed the Master bedroom to have some form of initial window covering.  The only other things we would install as far as the windows are concerned are the recessed tracks that are fitted flush with the ceiling gib - a builder’s job, and the wiring ‘tailing’ for any automation – an electrician’s job.  Everything else can wait.  Double tick.

Remember Silver Linings? 

One freezing evening at sunset we were standing at what will be our kitchen and hub of the home.  Looking West through the framing we saw that we would be blocking some of that view to the mountains, even though we already had other great views.  Long story short – two high windows will now sit in that general direction.  Future Lynda will look over and enjoy at that view immensely.

While all this planning and building is going on, other life happens.  After 56 years of farming on the West Coast, my Dad is moving off the farm and back to Canterbury.  Such a huge task but another silver lining appeared as he will take up residence right next door.  We look forward to the sage advice that his life to date has gathered.

If I have learned anything from this part of the journey it is about making the right decisions at the right time in the right order, while also being aware of what is looming.  Doing all the research is vital so when the next decision must be made it can be made with the confidence that it is the right one.  Our builder has been fantastic at steering us in the right direction and his attention to detail cannot be questioned.  The next big decisions will revolve around wiring, lighting, finalising heating, security and smart systems.   

It is now the beginning of July, and our site has sat dormant for a month while we wait for some components that make up the mid floor to arrive.  Thanks to some Kiwi ingenuity we may be able to move forward soon to get through this Covid19 related issue.  When we start hearing the music on the building site, it will again move quickly and hopefully we will have a roof by the end of the month.   

The next blog will be ‘The Belly of The Build’ and this is the part that will be really exciting with the house closing in and being able to see all the three dimensional shapes inside that you can only imagine from a plan – I’m really looking forward to seeing the vaulted space around the kitchen area and my own view out to the mountains from my own ‘me’ space.



Clyde, our designer has done us proud 😊 I can finally see where those treasures I have stashed will find their home in ours.

Until next time,

xx Lynda