Herringbone anyone?

I've found driveways a bit of a stumbling block for some reason.  Perhaps it's because we really want a liquid limestone driveway but it's near impossible to get them here in Sydney.  Or perhaps it's because we are in a battleaxe which already has a concrete drive up to the building envelope and whatever we do from there needs to gel with the existing part of the driveway...

Just to recap, here is our existing driveway

And in no particular order, here are the different types of driveways I've been exploring:

Liquid Limestone 

Pros: Natural product, cool all year round to walk on and looks amazing!

Cons: Is in abundance in WA and is about triple the price in NSW and unless you want something done on a commercial scale here it is almost impossible to get it done (still exploring this option).  Would also not tie in overly well with existing concrete drive.

Paved

Pros:  Can look quite nice.

Cons: We'd need to have concrete poured as a base especially as the drive will slope up towards the garage.  So it becomes quite expensive and labour intesive. Would also not tie in overly well with existing concrete drive.  Also with the brick of the house, could just be a bit too much brick goin' on.

 

Hmmmm! This one just hurts my eyes!

 

Painted or Plain Concrete

Pros: Looks modern, comes in eleventy billion colours and is cost effective.  It means we could also paint our existing part of the drive so it looks seamless. You can get a textured finish to assist in being non-slip.

Cons: Would need to be repainted and sealed every couple of years.

Really like the squares in the concrete. Simple but nicer than just plain.

 

 

Stencilled Concrete

Pros: Would create a seamless driveway as existing drive could also be sprayed. Texture would be useful as a non-slip measure.

Cons: Needs to be sealed every couple of years.

And here is an example of why I generally don't like a lot of stencil driveways I see.  Just too bright, contrasty (yep, I'm making up words!) and cringe worthy...

 Stamped Concrete

Pros: Reasonably cost effective. Broad range of colours.

Cons: Wouldn't be able to match the joining driveway.  Don't know if I love the slate look.

Exposed Aggregate

Pros: Ummm....

Cons: Not nice to walk on, is quite expensive and looks dated to me.

 Asphalt

Pros: Economical, meant to last for 20 - 30 years! Textured surface good for being non-slip.

Cons: Very hot & sticky to walk on in Summer.  Wouldn't match up to existing driveway.

 Painted concrete or stencilling is most likely the way we'll go. What type of driveway do you have?  And what do you love / hate about it? 

  

A little surprise

It's only been a week since concrete was poured for our slab so I didn't really expect to see anything when I did my usual Wednesday morning drive-by today however it appears some electrical preparation has been going on recently.  Any progress, no matter how small is exciting!  I'm guessing we should have a frame in another week or so!

Meter Board going here

Not sure but hey it's a new pipe!

For our instantaneous hot water I believe

Appliances

We've chosen to supply a dishwasher for our new home because I want something that actually cleans dishes (shock! horror!) without having to pretty much hand wash them first and also one that doesn't sound like a freight train when it's running!

After checking out some online reviews I settled on a Bosch Dishwasher.  I was going to wait for some mid year sales when I recently heard that 2nds World were having a Bosch sale!  "B" and I went and checked it out and bought this baby for $1,085!  Has a few scuff marks on each side but you won't see them once installed!  RRP is $1,799 but let's be honest, you can always get it cheaper and my favourite online store is selling them for $1,451.  That's a $366 win for us!!!  Happy days!

While at 2nds World we had a quick look at fridges.  We have a fridge - it's a white, 12 year old, nothing flash kind of fridge that leaks and isn't frost free but hey it works and has served us well.  So while we don't need a new fridge, I'm certainly trying to stretch the budget to get a nice stainless steel one that won't be dwarfed by the huge fridge alcove home it will have in the new place.

Being conscious it's not one of the many necessities we will have after we move in I don't want to spend much more than around $1,500.  We're going to have plumbing in the fridge space so if we're going to bother getting a new fridge we may as well get one that has filtered water and ice too.  It appears most side by side fridges with this option start at $1,500.

The sales guy at 2nds World recommended this Samsung Fridge which seems to be the best value for money and has good reviews (even if only 2 people have reviewed it).  After chatting to the local Good Guys it appears I'll be able to get it for $1,565!  RRP $2,199, appliances online sell it for $1,716 and if I can get it for $1,565 we'll be saving $151!

Savings tally currently stands at $517.  Not bad.

Next on our list is a TV.  Like our lovely old fridge, we have a neanderthal beast of a television that's around 10 years old now so we would like to get a new one to hang on the wall.  Still trying to decide what to get.  On our tick list is:

• Good, clear picture (which they all have anyway - don't they?)
• 45 - 50 inches or so
• Economical to run (one sales guy told me the Plasmas are kind of on par with LCD running costs now, don't know how true that is)
• Internet capabilities (for down the track if we can ever afford ever decide to get foxtel)
• Cost around $1,000

I think that's about it really.  I know a technology buff would have hundred other must haves on their list but to be honest a TV is a TV to me ground breaking I know.  We're also quite aware of the huge changes that have happened in the last 10 years so can only imagine where TV's will be in another 5 - 10 years.

Any recommendations?

Inspiration For Boy's Bedrooms

Decorating boys bedrooms can be a little hard I reckon.  Harder than girls rooms anyway.  Everywhere I turn I see beautiful, pretty things for girls.

So this post is dedicated to inspiring boys bedrooms and ideas - little boys in particular - just like my 2 little monkeys!  No girls allowed :P

I'll let the pictures do the talking but I will say I don't dig skulls & crossbones, licensed items and going overboard with any one particular theme (which I must admit I find hard not to do).

I love how simple yet sophisticated this room is with gorgeous pops of red!

http://www.nameyourdesign.com/

Now this is a bedroom I love! So great for a boy of all ages

http://jackandizzy.blogspot.com/2010/03/jacks-big-boy-room.html

I know this is a Nursery but I LOVE the colours, the strips / circles, light - everything!  And how easy to make this a big boy's bedroom once the cot and change table are no longer needed!

http://www.freshchickdesigns.com/

How's this fabulous lego headboard!

http://www.anitaroll.blogspot.com/

Love the stripy ceiling and tying it in by painting the same green on the back of book case

http://www.decordemon.com/

I don't actually know which bedroom I love best but they've all given me loads of ideas!

We have a slab!

I was hanging out for my drive-by this morning and was very happy to see a gorgeous, yes gorgeous, slab has been poured.  Yesterday, if the date painted on side of slab is anything to go by.

We noticed last Friday that the plumber's had left one drainage point out (for future kitchenette in self-contained unit).  At that stage the waffle pods and steel had been laid but concrete not poured. 

'B's' first contact with our Site Supervisor (SS) was a little awkward because here we were calling him with an issue before he'd even got our file and knew he was our SS!  Didn't want to be known as too anal annoying pedantic this early on anyway ;)  And there was a bit of - you call him, no you call him going on but either way our SS sounded like a good bloke and agreed we were right to be raising the issue.

Anyway, what do I find today? Gorgeous slab - check, missing drainage point - ummm, still missing!

Not a great start but not the end of the world.  Eden Brae's problemo!

Waffle pods and steel all ready for concrete

Gorgeous right?

Step-down garage

Awww our first (and hopefully last) bit of graffiti

Guess we'll have to wait a couple of weeks now for it to cure.

Bugs & Alfresco Dining

When designing our new home our must have item were 2 walls of timber bi-fold doors meeting at the middle, opening onto our alfresco area.

And this was the display home where we first fell in love with them. Swoon.

Only problem with this kind of opening is that it's difficult to keep the insects out and I don't know about you but I'm really not a fan of bugs inside!

We're having a ceiling fan in the alfresco which I've heard helps to keep the bugs at bay.  We've also looked into screening options that can be retro-fitted.  There are a couple of options such as fly-screen roller blinds that have magnets and attach in the middle but I'm not convinced they'd stand the test of children time - especially with such a wide distance to cover and nothing more supportive in the middle to attach to.  Anyway, kinda defeats the purpose of having the beautiful opening only to put a screen in the way!

Then when I was at a friend's party a few months ago, we got chatting about her bug "killer" which had managed to keep all the bugs out of the house even though her sliding doors had been open all night.  I was quite excited about this little find as it's not a traditional zap it & smoke it kinda bug zapper (nothing like a smoking fried bug to kill the mood), it kills them quietly & smell free instead! Hey, they're only bugs! 

My friend had a bugvac which I can only seem to find at a Perth Mitre 10 store but I've also found the Bug Eater which is Australian made and appears to work in exactly the same way.

How it works (as quoted from their site)...

Insects are lured to the bugeater by an 8 watt ultra-violet light, specially formulated to attract biting insects.  As the insects approach the light, they are blown into the water tray below the fan.  A couple of drops of liquid detergent is added to the tray of the mosquito trap, to break the surface tension of the water, the insect is unable to float on the water so it drowns.

So it's safe (no chemicals), quiet, Australian made and effective.  I'll take 2 thanks!

How have you overcome a similar problem?

Address Stamps

Came across these gorgeous self-inking personalised address stamps a while ago on Young House Love and thought what a perfect early (verrrrry early) house warming present it would be to ourselves so ordered one.

We received our gorgeous stamp from Three Designing Women only recently and I love, love, love it!  'B' on the other hand just isn't quite so excited, can't imagine why.

Here's a sample of the one I chose...

Unfortunately they don't deliver to Australia but I didn't let that stop me and I opened a US parcel forwarding account with Ship it to and voila.

Since ordering this gorgeous stamp, I've noticed they're also on Etsy and found some of the following cute ones that all deliver to Australia!  Gotta love the strong Aussie dollar when buying American.

My Clear Stamps

Stamp Out Online

Save The Date

My Clear Stamps

Stamp Out Online

J L Mould