Reno of a Old Sandstone house and using chalk paint to give it new life.

So back in the early 1990 we bought this house for my parents-in-law in a little town called Fouriesburg. Now after nearly 30 years myself and my hubby is back in Fouriesburg and we are doing a huge reno on this old home.

As I am a lover of chalk paints and in general I love painting we have decided to give this old beauty the love it deserves so I am doing several painting projects with different chalk paints that is available.

We started by packing up everything in the old house before we could start with the reno, which was not an easy job might I add.

Hubby very busy packing up and sorting out. 

Main Bedroom Reno

We decided to start in the Main bedroom as it was the room that needed the most attention and building work. Between the main bedroom and old sun room there was this huge glass division that just had to go!! It was so not going! 

Finally after a days work and 3 hours of that was getting that huge glass division out. Sorry for the quality of the photo but if was taken at 9 o'clock at night.

Huge gaps in the wall made it a nightmare to plaster so we first chopped of all the plaster and then we could start of with new plastering, keep in mind that this was all done in June (in the heart of winter where we sometimes wake up to -6 degrees)

Anybody that has tackled a job this huge will know that there are days when you just want to sit and cry....... When we chopped of the plaster we discovered that the wall where the window is has a wooden lintel above it that stared sagging, not to mention that the bricks that was used way back when was made from MUD!!!  Not even a drop of cement used in them which even made my heart stopped. Copping the bricks out one at

a time because I was so scared the whole wall would collapse.

   Here you can see the wood and what we had to deal with. A new lintel was build in and new bricks build in as the section above the window did just crumble and fall in a heap of dust.

 After all the dust was cleared the plastering started! The stone wall we had to plaster over 2 weeks as it was really wonky and it was winter. The plasterer Old Andries bless his soul worked very carefully to get that wall straight again.

Finally the plastering was done, for me personally it felt like it took forever!!! Next we wanted to add a bathroom on suite, so we chopped through the bedroom into the old breakfast room into an old shower!!! Yea a lot of "into's" happening!!!

Then at last the mess of breaking down was done and building could start on the new on suit bathroom. 

For the bathroom we stole 1 meter into the breakfast room! We we need this bathroom so we will have to comprises on a small breakfast room - or not?

Next I lifted all the parquet flooring, yes I know......... we love wooden flooring BUT I don't see myself polishing these floors everyday as that is what would have had to happen if I kept them.

So like I said do we have to compromise on a smaller breakfast room? Nope I don't think so....... we went right ahead breaking through from the kitchen into the breakfast room! Another couple of near heart attacks as this wall was also only build with mud bricks. A new lintel firstly had to be installed, once again copping the bricks out 1 buy one on the top where the lintel had to be installed.

 View from the breakfast room.

Taking out 1 brick at a time!!!

Lintel build in

Breaking down the WALL!!! Sounds like a Pink Floyd song............

What a MESS!!! I was jumping up and down with joy!!!

Finally all the dirty work was done!! In the mean time we also build a new wall between the bedroom and the old sun room which eventually will be the new tv room.

These renovations happened over a period of 5 months and then the house stood as the money was tight. We have decided that this entire project will be done on a cash only basis. From here on it is making the house pretty (which I love).

Follow me as we are going to be using different chalk paints for different projects right through the whole house.