Heading back inside

Now with the HomeRAB PreClad lining affixed and the house weathertight and secure, it�s time to go back inside and finish off the demolition. This meant throwing what used to be the exterior wall of the kitchen into the FlexiBins. The effect was immediate and it really opened up the space!

Matt and Rowena�s neighbour Bill popped by to see what was going on. Matt and Rowena�s good relationship with Bill was evident in his immediate consent of their changed roofline, which brings us to a handy tip�

Staying on side with the neighbours

For all your planning, it�s amazing how far a good relationship with your neighbours will go. After all, it�s no good building a dream home for entertaining if no one wants to come round and see you afterwards!

Simple things like letting them know which dates will be the noisiest and keeping an eye on your contractors� start and finish time. Some builders will try and start before the council-designated start time in residential areas, eager to get as much work done before it gets hot. You might need to monitor this, as the quickest way to alienate your neighbours is to wake them up with hammering every morning.

And also do what Matt and Rowena did � bake a big batch of Afghan biscuits and take them round as a peace offering.

Walls, doors and cladding

Inside, the wall went up to create the new bedroom and hallway. Matt and Rowena used James Hardie Villaboard� Lining for its impact-resistance to kid-proof the hallway. Placing the door was tricky �� too close to the front door was unworkable, but too close to the middle would take up wall space and mean less flexibility.

The windows had also become a problem � they had been letting in moisture because they didn�t fit properly. But fortunately, it was all in a day�s work for Phil from Smith and Sons. He cleaned up the moisture damage, as well as paying attention to the important little details like squaring up the window surrounds. The wardrobe also had to go in, which wasn�t so easy as it might have been because the wall was out of line! A lot of packing out and measuring later and we were finally ready for the sliding doors to go on. Tune in next week to see the finished product!

The old ceiling had to come down, which gave the team a chance to get rid of the unsightly ceiling tiles and lift the new ceiling 300mm to match the volume in the rest of the house.

The Nulook Sovereign Series inline bi-fold doors went in and provided the indoor-outdoor flow they had been after. Matt and Rowena chose a pair of wide, 2.4m doors in white, which matches well with older-style houses like theirs. The double-glazing in the doors also ensured that their alterations adhered to the new building code. For more information on the building code, click here.

Linea Weatherboard went on to the new exterior walls, giving them a nearly indistinguishable addition to their old timber weatherboards. But with a young family, safety is paramount and time is a precious commodity � so the fire rating of the James Hardie fibre cement Linea Weatherboard and the extended paint warranty mean Matt and Rowena can sleep peacefully at night and not have to worry about maintenance.

Next week we look at wiring, insulation and lining.