Some Mutt's live in Kennels, this one lives in a Palace...
Archive 1: 9 April 1998 through 8 October 1998.
This page is to show you how we are going on renovating the house. There are before and after piccies, click on the small image for the full sized one. The most recent notes are at the top.
Return to current Palace page.
8 October, 1998: We've had lots of people around to quote on things... the house painter, two landscape designers, and the PMPMTDTC builder. We are really enjoying the deck, and BBQ
there every night! Luckily the BBQ sits in a little sheltered spot. We bought a painting for the lounge, 14 chairs at auction for the various tables, and a large rug for the "snug" area.
The lounge and sunroom are almost looking finished?
22 September, 1998: We've finished painting the lounge and we have hung the other lights from the ceiling there. The blinds are finally finished in the sunroom. The builder came to
price the further work, but haven't heard back from him yet. We moved the BBQ onto the deck and have started the BBQ season in style!
1 September, 1998: More progress, Mutt makes use of his new compound mitre saw and finishes off the sills and architraving in the Study and bedroom. Mutt calls up PMPMTBTC builder
and he will come around next week to price the next stage of work, Phase Ia which is tidying up the entrance. We put some glass in the bathroom window, but J.K. didn't notice obviously -
she tried to jump through it last night. Oh yeah, and we painted the bathroom ceiling.
10 August 1998: Well the builder appears to have finished the deck while we were away, and it looks great! And the Spotlight curtains have arrived. Look ok to me,
still this was the second attempt! They make the lounge look so different, and we've half painted the lounge in the new "warmer" colour.
18 July 1998: We've had a great day enjoying the sunshine on the deck. When is winter going to arrive? No sign of the curtains:
apparently the curtain man has been hospitalised and wont be working for a month. Spotlight have no idea how they are going to do anything
without him, so no curtains in the foreseeable future. Is this just bad luck?
13 June 1998: The Garage continues on its slow march to completion. Gooseman never turned up, nor did the deck builder or that block man, but the drain man did the stormwater drains. Massive diameter drains, must be designed for Auckland weather.
3 June 1998: We've signed up with "pick me pick me tumble down the cliff" builder so he will start building the deck next week. I wonder if the
beer driniking tiler still works for him? They put the big garage door on, and Jemima Kitten spent the night in the garage after getting shut in there by mistake.
1 June 1998: Still no word from the builder, but Mutt and Pristine have been busy fitting some new hanging lights in the lounge.
And the colour man came around to recommend colours for the lounge, hallway and master bedroom - some great choices!
29 May 1998: Yayyayyay. The builder has finished cladding the garage, and we parked the mini in the garage for the
first time! We were supposed to hear back from the "pick me" builder today but no call yet.
24 May 1998: Wow, so much has happened! The garage is really taking shape now, the framing and the roof are up. The door and windows
have gone into the upstairs bedroom, and the builder has come around to prepare his quote for the deck. We get his price next week, here's hoping....
13 May 1998: Well I talked to the block man about him finishing off that block. "I'll do it" he said, hmmm but he wasn't so specific on the timeframe.
One of the builders called up: "I am short of work, pick me, pick me!". So Mutt will get him around to revise his quote for the deck. Good news is that he want s
to start ASAP! Yayayayay. Still he is the only person to fall off the palace cliff, so maybe he isn't so good a choice? No sign of the door people. Maybe next week.
Oh yeah and the curtains should be ready this weekend, well the first lot anyway... they sort of mucked up the rest.
7 May 1998: They came to put concrete in the walls of the garage today. Damn, Mutt missed seeing the concrete truck here again. Nothing
makes it feel like real renovation like having a concrete truck there! And the curtain lady is still ignoring us. And the block layer has left one brick
out of the wall - does he think we won't notice, I see a phone call to him coming up! Gas heating is holding steady at 19 degrees!! Yayayayayayayayy!
30 April 1998: Well, they poured the slab, and it rained and rained and rained,
but the slab seems to have survived. The block man is there doing the wall, the wall will be
a little taller than planned - he read the plan the wrong way around and put the 2m wall where the 1.4m wall
is supposed to be. D'oh. oh yeah, and I think we have ordered the curtains now.
24 April 1998: Well, the garage people have been at it for the last few days. The floor slab is ready to be poured. That was supposed to be today
but no sign of the concrete truck. It rained last night so I guess they need to clear out the water before they can pour? Oh yeah and curtain lady is
now avoiding us. We changed our minds on whether to use a track or a rod, and why shouldn't we, we are no further forward than before when we first ordered!
20 April 1998: Things are moving along at last. The gas is all on, and we can now heat the place. Pity we dont have any curtains to keep the heat
in, but that is a long story. We dont expect curtains now for another 6 weeks or so! Let's hope for another mild Wellington winter! The sunroom is
just about finished now, just a few finishing touches to the yellow. They started the garage! Unfortunately they just dug some big holes and left!
The holes are now full of water? Will that be a problem??
15 April 1998: Okokokokokok, we've finally made some progress! The gasman has finished installing the heaters! So no more cold nights at the Palace.
The sunroom is 98% painted in its new Bechamel, that was after having to repaint it because the paintshop tinted the wrong colour. ughghh. The garage
man has promised to start work tomorrow, so here's hoping...
