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 and building her next family home - sharing her valuable knowledge along the way so you can rest assured you are well prepared, educated and inspired on your personal building venture.

All About The Money, Honey.

As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, there is a budget.  To keep that in control we needed to do some things ourselves.  A couple of weekends and days after work have been dedicated to getting the insulation in – it was a huge jigsaw puzzle, and we were very thankful that the product was not the scratchy and itchy type we have been used to in the past.  A change for the better.   As soon as the plastering and sanding was complete we launched into masking up the interiors and getting the interior painted during the Christmas ‘Break’.  We can now have the joinery fitted, plumbing connected, and the flooring laid in the New Year – I am very much looking forward to watching this phase evolve.

The time we had spent pre-painting shadow clad and soffits was well worth it – thanks Dad for the quality control and cups of tea! Having to apply just one topcoat in situ was great.  We are a bit excited to get some paint and special effects on the bricks to breathe a bit of life into the rest of the exterior.  It was a happy sight to see the soldier courses over the windows and doors, the odd brick shapes we had requested and the brackets the brick layer incorporated into his work for us.

Before we got to this stage however, there was the all-important wiring, ventilation, and plumbing systems to get in place and have perfect.  To be able to potter around on the building site after work and in the weekend was invaluable.  The time spent sweeping the weeks’ worth of dust and shavings was time to see everything up close and make some tweaks for the better.  We found a spray can of Dazzle and a builders pencil great tools!

Those little changes can make a big difference – the difference between things flowing and not being so streamlined.  Thanks to my cousin/electrician, we had good eyes over this side of the build and a logical head when ours were tired - we are now sitting pretty. Who thought there would be so much to electrickery!  Solar is high on the need list, and we have had all the rails fitted to the roof ready to go when life settles a little in 2022. 

Our appliances and flooring sit in warehouses patiently waiting for the day they can realise their purposes in our lives.  We are very grateful to these companies and sadly for them, we are not the only customers with this issue.  Our own furniture still also sits with generous friends who have kindly leant shed storage for our 30 plus years of belongings – the odd visit to storage has had us rediscovering things we had forgotten and scratching our heads as to why we didn’t get rid of something else.  There were many things we just didn’t know whether we would reuse so there will more things to be purged or maybe even repurposed.  The process is on going!

The End Is Near

I often hear of people getting to the end of a build and are rather decision weary and very ready for it to end.  We have started to fall into this category even though I love the build process.  All the pre-emptive work we did in the planning stages has paid off.  The homework before the project began was so valuable and even though we may have changed some things along the way, it is with well researched knowledge.

The window furnishings, joinery, wallpaper – all those things that pull the house together to make it your own - anything you know you are going to need that may get tossed to one side or too watered down or pushed too far out into the future if there are unplanned price rises – these are the things to hold on too. 

I like to think of it as the being like a good-tailored suit or well-made outfit being prepared to be accessorised.  There is nothing like having a good base you love to build on.  We love seeing our own clients at the early stage and it is also exciting to walk the journey with them and seeing all that work come together to make a beautiful home.

Laundry Business

With our build so close to our current accommodation it has been a bonus to wander over with a drink – the type of drink depends on the time or type of day!  We have discovered a few spots to sit that shield us from the wind.  For that reason, the future garden shed is going to look spectacular, with a lovely deck and a seating area to match.

We have decided to get all the decks built at once before we move in in order to get grass laid and subdue the swirl of dust from the inevitable wind we get in Pegasus.  Thanks in advance for the help Son!

On one of these days I redesigned laundry – the plinths for the appliances have been dispensed with and we have opted instead for the more valuable bench space and streamlining.  The ironing board will find a permanent home in my sewing space to save storing it. (Such clunky things ironing boards!).  For more day-to-day ironing we will be using a more versatile steamer in a permanent spot in the laundry complete with hangers and hooks – thanks for the advice Emma.

The decision to not install an internal vacuum system was made on one of those decision weary days – just a thing we don’t need and we can funnel that money elsewhere.  A vacuum stick will keep good company with the steamer!  I am grateful to the work team who have helped make some decisions when you can’t see the wood for the trees – when one shade of paint colour, over another can make a huge difference - thanks Liv and Kayla. 

With Christmas behind us, it's a wondrous time making preparations for an exciting 2022.  My girls have been home from the North Island, so it's been wonderful being all in one place again spending some quality family time together.  No doubt there will be more valuable input as our home glides into these finishing off stages – well, let’s just get to the habitable stage first shall we! 

Wishing everyone a well rested holiday break, and I'm excited to see what the New Year brings!

Until next time,

xx Lynda