During one of our previous visits we became concerned that some of the floor coverings might contain asbestos, so last trip I suited up and cut away some samples to be tested, just to make sure. Results came back today and I’m stoked that they all came back negative for asbestos.
Full steam ahead for clearing out those rooms now. YAY!!
Friday September 11 saw our first “real” trip to the Charlton House. We were excited about the prospect of finally starting our renovation. The weather was simply gorgeous and we arrived to find much of the yard overgrown with tall grass and stinging nettles, so the first order of the day was to drag out the mower and get to work on the ‘jungle’ that had grown since settlement.
Unfortunately the mower had a problem with its wheels and blades – rather than cut the grass it just pushed it over – so it was off to the local hardware store to invest in a newie.
Whilst I was out mowing and poisoning nettles, Shirleen set to work on the inside, starting with the kitchen and bathroom – the 2 rooms we anticipate using the most during our stays.
The lovely weather continued on Saturday and we decided to spend most of it outside cleaning up the yard and removing an out of control ivy which was strangling a couple of very old grapevines. Some of the ivy was so thick it required my reciprocating saw to cut through it!
Whist Shirleen continued to attack the ivy I took to removing an old post & wire fence (which we think was the remnants of a dog yard) and moving mountains of old timber, iron, bed frames, wire mesh and other miscellaneous junk which had piled up over the years, from the side of the house to the “tip pile” in the back yard.
By evening we were both exhausted and in need of a shower and some wine, so we headed back to our lodgings at mum’s for a well needed rest.
Sunday, with aching bones partially rested, we continued the clean up of the inside of the house, removing old furniture, taking down the curtains, and generally tidying the inside in preparation for some serious cleaning on our next trip.
By Sunday lunch, with the tip pile resembling something like Mt Everest, we decided we had had enough for the weekend, so started packing up in preparation for our return home.
Overall we had a very productive weekend, during which we also met some of our new neighbours, and we cant wait until our next trip to continue our very own “Renovation Rescue”
SIDE OF HOUSE – BEFORE
SIDE OF HOUSE – AFTER
GRAPEVINE – BEFORE
GRAPEVINE – AFTER
MOWING THE GRASS
MOUNT EVEREST. Yes, that IS a boat!
Our first trip to our new Charlton house was on Friday 7th August to pick up the keys and show the kids around.
Whilst they can see the potential they are convinced we are mad for buying such a dump!
As it was a flying trip up and back we didn’t get to start working at anything bit we did move some ugly chairs from the entrance hall out to the ever growing rubbish pile in the back yard.
As we were leaving we had a family photo taken on the front verandah.
The 4th August seemed to take forever to arrive, but finally settlement day was upon us.
A text message form the real estate agent and a subsequent call from the conveyancer confirmed that settlement had gone through and the house was finally ours.
Friday 7th will bring a quick family trip up the Calder to pick up the keys and show the kids the latest addition to the family!
Settlement of Our Charlton house was due on 4th August 2015 so the weekend prior we made the trip up the Calder Highway for a pre settlement inspection.
Being a deceased estate, our initial offer to purchase the house included an option for the vendors to leave anything they didn’t want to keep, so we weren’t sure what to expect. On arrival we were confronted with a large pile of rubbish in the yard which indicated they had cleared a lot from the house. There remains some stuff to clear out of the house but we think we have a bit of a head start on what could otherwise have been.
Now we just want settlement to happen so we can get up there and start doing!
They say that first impressions are the lasting ones, but this wasn’t the case with Our Charlton house
Like any 100 year old house in its almost original state, The house is very tired and in need of substantial renovation. Our first thoughts were “what a dump!” However after a closer inspection we were able to see through its run down condition to how it would look once the dado paneling, 12′ high baltic pine ceilings, baltic pine floors, fireplaces and other period features were restored to original condition.
Click HERE to see some of the photos we took during our inspection.