Outer Space

Thus far all the work on this house has been on the inside, the outside being left a patchwork of original plywood walls, polystyrene extensions, foamboard and paper mached newspaper.  Not at all a pretty sight.  All that changed (or at least began to change) this week.  The first step was to hide all the dodgy alternations under a layer of airdry clay.  After carefully smoothing the clay onto the wall it was given some sound whacks with a scrubbing brush to create a rough stone texture.  I then used the edge of a metal ruler to create the impression of stone blocks.

This was done to both sides of the main house as well as the sides of the basement.  If you're wondering why the front of ths house wasn't also done this way, it's because there won't be a front on this house.  The front from the original house won't cover the added basement, won't fit with the altered roofline and was more Victorian than Georgian so won't be used for this renovation.  I'll give the house a clear perspex front instead.

Once dry, the clay was painted in a creamy sandstoney shade.  The front edges and the nuisance pediment were also painted in the same colour.  Way back when I started work on this house I beat the bejezers out of the pediment with a hammer in an (unsuccessful) attempt to shift it.  Being lazy by nature, I hid the residual hammer marks, as well as some damage on the front wall edges, by adding some texture paste to the paint and just sort of "splodging" it on to create a slight texture that does wonders at hiding imperfections.  Everything could still use another coat of paint, but otherwise the outside of the house is looking remarkably better than it did.

 While waiting for the various stages of the outside work to dry, I spent some time in the kitchen.  The copper utencils I bought at the fair in Hobart last week have been hung above the oven and a high shelf for those rarely used items has gone up on the right side wall.

The table is from the pre-renovation Dawncrest castle's kitchen.  It's a bit basic, but fits the space quite well, I just need to cover up that spot of white paint.  The ceiling light is another of Dawncrest's leftovers.  Technically, a Georgian era kitchen would probably not have a shiny brass ceiling fixture, but again being lazy, it was much simpler to add a single ceiling light than to try and conceal the wires for various wall sconces and handheld candle lamps.  Plus I already had the light and the basement is the only level of the house where the ceilings are high enough to use ceiling lights. 

 Of course, all the lights in the basement were added last week when I did the lights for the main house, but I still can't show you the effect with them turned on as the basement is currently on one side of the room, the main house is on the other so I can't plug the basment lights into the powerboard on the main house.  As soon as the final coat of paint is on (and dry) I can stack the house onto the basement and leave it there permenantly and finally show you the full effect of the lights.  With any luck by next week I will also be able to show you the fully built and decorated house and will have officially moved onto the next stage; furnishing!