Little Elm House

Week 6

The external cladding was finished this week and we are really pleased with the look. The clean, new lines of the vinyl cladding is refreshing, especially given the age of the original house (workers' cottages in the area were built between 1840 and 1900). Humble dwellings and considered to be slums by the working class, these cottages offered refuge and home to returning service men after the war.

Our original house even before construction had its charm with high ceilings and wide cornices etc., and was one of the reasons we decided to stay and give it new life. We have tried to keep to its originality by selecting colonial style windows and will also keep to a traditional staircase balustrade, with a nod to a Cape Cod design with colour selections in black and white, and an oak tread to add some warmth.

Only a slight disappointment with the exterior is the level of contrast between the windows and the grey cladding. Originally, we were meant to have a darker grey cladding to go with off white windows but unfortunately the cladding company were unable to supply our originally requested colour. Had we known earlier our only grey option would be a lighter one, we would have selected the windows in a much more vivid white for a better contrast. As I said, minor disappointment, and where we have landed in terms of colours still looks great, especially when you consider the neighbourhood landscape does lend itself to lighter coloured houses. The light grey is also a better colour in terms of efficiency, particularly given heat tends to gather in upper levels of houses.

It would have been preferable to have a couple of extra windows upstairs in some very specific locations to allow for more crossflow, but having been in the space last weekend, opening up several windows, this didn't seem to be an issue at all. The breeze from the window along the stairs is lovely, and as a bonus when you walk up the stairs you will get a view of the striking purple of the jacaranda in our neighbours yard.

Ceilings and gyprock went in as well, and the space looks lighter with all that plywood and frame finally dressed. The colour palette for the walls upstairs will be a calming neutral called Hogbristle in 1/4 strength, a colour chosen from one of our all time favourite cottages in Berrima. The owners were kind enough to share their colour scheme after our stay a couple of years ago, and we will finally get to use it in our home.

We had a meeting and final measure for the stairs midweek, with installation to follow next week. With this being the the connection point between upstairs and downstairs, colour selections in this area will be vital to ensure that the two spaces blend together well.

Tiling will start soon in bathroom and WC and we are excited to see how this space turns out. It's not an overly large space, but it was important to separate the two spaces for privacy and uninterrupted bath time for mum! A black hexagon tile will furnish the floor and large white gloss tiles on the walls, will hopefully reflect lots of light coming in from the bathroom window. A double vanity and shower will finish the space and speed up the morning rush (here's hoping!).

Stay tuned next week for more internal work, as the builders finish off cornices and painting and start to open up the walls for the open concept floor plan downstairs.

images: Shelley Stephens for Little Elm House