view from the back

We took some photos today of the back to help our potential architects/designers understand the space a little more. As you can see, the back is also in need of some TLC. We own the land right up the the beige foreground wall, so there is a decent amount of space at the back to do some landscaping and perhaps an alfresco dining area?? (from my rough calculation there's about 6.5 metres from the back of the house to the boundary). No doubt the neighbors who overlook this backyard will be happy about our planned renovation.

structural engineer

Today we had a structural engineer at our new place to do a visual inspection. There was a lot of stuff that he told us that we already knew.

• The roof leaks and needs replacing
• The wiring needs to be checked
• The concrete outside has settles and cracked

We did learn a few new things though

• The structure is in good condition, pretty sound.
• The bathroom downpipe is corroded and needs replacing
• All gutters and rainpipes need to be removed

The roof timbers seem pretty solid, and the air in the roof-space smelt dry, not musty. We won't know about any termite infestation until the roof is being replaced however.

Now we really need to find the right architect/designer to get everything happening.

we have a plan

Actually, we have two. And here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Here's the ground floor plan (click the image for a larger view).

And the second floor. Interestingly, what we're considering as the master bedroom doesn't have a door through to the bathroom in the plan. I guess it was added later. We also have an accurate date on the building - the plans were completed in 1964.

inspection

On Sunday we got an architect friend to take a look at the place and he gave us some good advice on what can and can't be done with the renovations. It was also a good opportunity for Paul, Kim and Kate to take a look too.