Dormer view, or my space?

And another eventful weekend has come and gone. We went back to Woodbury on Anzac Day, Friday 25 April, and again, what a difference after just a week or so. The Old Forgery now has an upstairs to explore, and what big bedrooms we've got! Amazing spaces, which needed a lot of quiet attention to detail as we explored the upstairs for the first time. Funny how things on a plan can sometimes look a bit different in reality ... take our bedroom dormer windows. They are seriously large, luxurious alcoves, rather than the smallish window-seat push-outs I'd imagined - more than capable of taking a comfy sofa and table. And another interesting development is the large roof spaces that will be available between the dormers ... large enough for another walk-in wardrobe, it seems, rather than a little attic 'junk' room. So, plans are underway to take advantage of the sheer space available under the roof, with the possibility of access through the bedrooms and more potential storage than we thought. Good stuff.

Half the roof is on, too, and the skylights over the stairwell and single loo look to be doing their job well. Still deciding about access to the loo - from the stair landing, so readily available to all in the house, or a door from our bedroom only, so it becomes a really private privy, just for Keith and me, especially useful when we have guests? Still pondering. With these and other construction issues in mind, we've asked for an on-site meeting with architect and builders asap, so we can make decisions before further interior work makes these options more difficult to actually do.

We had guests this weekend, too, but not, obviously, in the house - friends Kenn and Kayo stayed at Wee Beauly for the night after a holiday weekend jaunt in the district, and joined us for a large, highly successful curry night dinner for 12 at Fi and Steve's house. We were tired but happy as we all visited our Woodbury house the next morning. Lots of developments, plenty to talk and think about, and yes, we were all rather reflective as we said our goodbyes and left for Christchurch on Saturday pm. But Woodbury put on its best autumn clothes for us all, and was looking lovely, as usual, as we walked and explored and talked.

No doubt the roof will be fully on soon. We've had a revised timeline for completion from the builders and it now seems as if the house won't be finished until the end of August, which is a relief in some ways as it takes winter right out of the picture in terms of selling in Christchurch, moving and generally going through the inevitable major upheavals. So, on we go ...

Ahoy there! Up where the air is clear

It's a beautiful autumn evening, April 13, and it's been another absolutely stunning day in Woodbury. All framed up and glowing very sweetly in the sunshine, the house is looking more like a - well, house really - than ever. Now that the upper floor has its shape, and the dormers are holding everything together, the whole project is fast becoming a reality. Interestingly, the size seems to have settled into something more modest and manageable than it appeared earlier without the 'outlining' effect provided by the builders' recent work. And once the roof goes on, I'm sure it will all seem even more nestled and picture perfect.

Pictures from the upper floor are courtesy of Steve, who clambered aloft for a bird's eye view, while I handled the tamer but safer job of shooting from the ground. The fireplace has also begun, and we can now see where the stairs are going. Once again, excellent proportions and can't wait for the next exciting episode.

Going up in the world

Monday April 7 ... and as we can see, the upper floor is well and truly on its way. This photo was taken by Fi on Sunday evening (the weekend of daylight saving changes and the clocks going back). Today is predictably wet and very autumnal, but with luck, the builders will be able to press on regardless and when we go down next weekend, we expect to see even more progress. More pix next time.