The Lounge: Stage One

When we moved in to our lovely 1950's home four and a half years ago, we had big plans for it.  Unfortunately, big plans goes hand in hand with big spending and most of those big plans have slowly faded into a "one day" dream.  We did manage to put a shower in, that was kind of important.  We painted the bedrooms (over the wallpaper, lazy perhaps but it looks fine to us).  We did the insulation and put central heating in.  And then the money ran out and the kids increased...and everything came to a grinding halt.

The list is a mile long.  The house needs rewiring. The lights aren't earthed. The gutters need replacing.  The windows need to be re-puttyed and painted.  As does the entire house actually.  The kitchen could use a face lift.   The carpets are down to the threads in the bedrooms, and buckled in the lounges.  The laundry lino has peeled away right back to the concrete, and the laundry cabinet doors fell off ages ago.  Luckily the laundry is detached from the house and nobody really sees those things.  Sadly, that kiwi gene called DIY does not seem to be in our blood.  We would rather take the kids to the park or watch a movie and turn a blind eye to our mustard coloured doors and the gate that doesn't quite open right.

A few weeks back, I noticed one of our church members fixing a gate at a home I was visiting.  Oh...a handyman.  I could so use one of those.  I inquired as to whether he could take out a fireplace, which was next on our "one day" dream list (we purchased the wallpaper for the lounge 4 years ago and STILL haven't put it up because we wanted the fireplace gone).

He agreed to come take a look, and he did.  Then today he rang me up and asked if I would be home so he could get started.  Gulp.  This is it! Something is actually happening on the house! So very excited.

It all happened very quickly.  The fireplace came out so quickly, I missed it because I left the room for a minute.  We were both surprised not to find a flue behind it, the chimney really was a chimney and we could look up it and see sky!  And then the tough bit - our concrete mantle.  I actually missed the photo opportunity when it finally came away after a lot of sledgehammering, chiseling, huffing and puffing.  Poor Shane had been sick recently and told me it didn't take much for him to pass out.  I got water and watched nervously.


The girls were delighted to come home and find a big hole in the wall and to be given the chance to pull some wallpaper off.  They did this with great delight and lots of grins.  I remember pulling wallpaper off walls as a kid, it really is a very satisfying task, and our lounge is so easy to strip because the owners had put THREE layers of wallpaper on top of each other!  We agreed there is no point taking the bottom layer off, it is so tight and smooth, but the top two have peeled off in about 5 minutes flat. We can't wait to see the room all finished with a smooth jibbed wall (the bookcase is coming out tomorrow), our funky wallpaper up, the TV mounted up high - the chimney will hide the cables nicely...and then I can finally dream about carpet.  Happy sigh.

And the cherry on top? Our amazing church friend stopped me when I mentioned payment to him, looked me in the eye sternly and told me If I mention money again he will go home. right. now.  He reminded me that I could earn more money teaching, but I chose to take the pay cut to work for the church, and this is his way of giving back while he was in the position to do so.  I am trying to swallow my protests (which he refused to hear) and accept this gift of love.



 But I did tell him the next job he does for us WILL be paid for...and I am pretty sure we have enough work to keep him busy for a good few years!

Mission lounge: end of day one