14 July 2019
So many hiccups, so much time … The home renovations continue, but I wanted to share a few pics so you know there is progress. The latest hitch was the garage (honestly, don’t get me started), but the house itself is very near completion.
Front entrance. This is one way in – for me, a lift to floor level; for ables, steps up and a sliding glass door (to the right of the picture). Some painting left to do.
Front entryway lift for me to get to house floor level.
We’re keeping the front door with its lovely deco side-light.
Front door entry and the door to the master bedroom. Note where the light switch is (near the door handle of the bedroom). I can roll up and just reach out to the switch (true of every light switch in the house). That will be a nice change.
Original drinks cupboard on the right and sliding door to the hallway and the other bedrooms. We thought we didn’t like the wallpaper, but with new floors and external slider exposed rails, the wallpaper started to make more sense.
The part of the kitchen bench with the cooktop goes up and down so I can see the bottom of the pot for the first time in four years
Cook top down. Still a little bit of tiling left to do and tidying up the electrics underneath.
Fancy new oven – the door opens and slides underneath out of the way.
One of two pull out pantries. Because there is room under the cook top for me to roll in, space under the kitchen sink for me to roll in, space under the laundry sink for me to roll in … there is limited drawer space. We will be cutting down to essentials in the kitchen with once in a while appliances (like the standing mixer) being stored elsewhere.
The builders did a great job of matching the floor for the extension. All native New Zealand timbers right through the house – original except for the extension areas in Bed2 and Bed3. Such a joy to roll on this surface compared to carpet.
Dragging Wellington housing stock into the 20th (possibly 19th) century with a heating system, double glazing, and underfloor insulation. We will be warm and dry.
Vanity unit in the ensuite. Still needs a mirror, and the bamboo bench needs to be sealed to be waterproof, but I’ll be able to roll under the sink and see myself without doing a tricep dip.
Wet area ensuite with a rainhead shower and alcoves for products I can reach. I’m looking forward to being able to sit with my eyes closed while water pours on me from above. At the moment, I only have a hand-held job, which is fine, but impossible to sit and relax. There will also be a shower with a detachable nozzle (annoying when it is the only thing, but handy as an option) – yet to be installed.
So the toilet isn’t that exciting, but the little alcove for my rubbish bin is. No more moving bins around every time I go into the loo. Everything on the floor is an obstacle at some stage. Less floor obstacles = better.
Outside, the whole back yard has basically been decked. All of the panels around the palm tree will be blue so it looks a bit like a courtyard/room.
One of the indulgences of the renovations – a swim spa. One end is a usual seated spa with jets and the other end allows for swimming against a current (like a treadmill for swimming). It is undercover so I have no excuses, and there will be a hoist at one end to help me get in and out. Also note the seating along the fence with storage built in. The fence and seats will remain treated but unpainted.
Entrance to the back door. This entrance has a ramp rather than a lift. We used a lift for the front because ramps take up a lot of space. The panel in the foreground is to give a bit of wind protection while pfaffing about with keys or opening/closing the door. The alcove-y walls of the back porch will be painted white to brighten it up a bit.
I’ll try to keep updating as we go. We don’t have a definite move in date yet, but we are hoping for September. I’m optimistic (still). We don’t want to move in until the garage and driveway are complete, but we may move some furniture in over the coming weeks to get things out of storage and to experiment with placement. The progress has lifted our spirits a bit and being able to imagine living there helps too.
I don’t think many of the people involved in the decisions have a good understanding of what the waiting does to a person’s life and the lives of their family members. I also don’t think many of the people involved in the decisions have a good understanding of what this level of independence means to a person’s life and the lives of their family members. I’m hatching plans to invite people around to show them why this is important and talk to them about the difference between living in an unmodified house and a modified one. I honestly believe the voice of lived experience has an impact on some people, and I only need to change the perspectives of a couple of people to make a real difference in how the system works. Wish me luck.