Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[Former-Member]

Have been pleased with our unpacking efforts but the absence of a garden shed and the need to renovate a very odd bedroom area (to create an office and bedroom) has meant that there are some things that remain in boxes. The majority of these contain books, office items and tools. 

We decided today that we could fill one of our bookcases and clear a number of boxes BUT ... the shelf holders and other fixtures have gone AWOL ... yikes. Thought they were the last item in a dedicated moving essentials container which is no longer in situ where it had been put for easy access.

The hunt begins ...

[Former-Member]

Pleased to report the lost has been found and it is my job to unpack the books whilst Mr Darcy cooks tea.

There has been a delay in the latter as all book boxes are being retrieved for my attention. I suspect all books will need to be in situ on the shelves before Mr Darcy will be able to relax. 😀📚

[Former-Member]

Books unpacked and on shelves. Yay.

[Smc]

Have started clearing off a workbench at the back of our carport as somewhere for Hubby to set up the circular saw we've taken back here from Dad's shed. It's a big job and very dusty, so I think I'll do it in several stints.

Our carport, in all honesty, is worse than Dad's shed. We haven't managed to maintain any sense of order, there's almost no room to move, and yup, it's been many years since it's functioned as a carport. That's partially because it's awkwardly placed, around the back of the house instead of down the bottom of the driveway. Future hopes are to build a proper garage in a more logical spot.

I'm glad I've made a bit of progress, and simultaneously sad at seeing the abandoned projects and assorted "good intentions" hiding away in there.

[Former-Member]

@Smc  ... living grief ... 

Are you in a position to be able to put in a garage now?  It may be something that is doable immediately whilst you work your way towards getting the restumping done. 

We are finding we are doing things quite differently to how we thought we would and are also moving at a slower pace than anticipated but we now have an electrician booked.

All of our moving boxes have now been passed on  🙌.

[Smc]

@Former-Member, no.... it gets complicated.

Due to it's proximity to a creek, our backyard is officially leased from DNRE, or whatever their acronym is now. So we can put in a garage, but it needs to be approved by both our local council and the government agency. What we want to do is convert the shipping container that's in that spot to a garage, but as I've already mentioned, said container is still in use in its present form.

So the most do-abe thing in that regard at the moment is getting the existing carport sorted out. It hasn't got a proper floor, so I'd like to pave it. The workshop area at the back is a little lean-to, and I also wouldn't mind properly reconstructing that, which should also be do-able once we've sorted and de-junked. The advantage of all this is that none of it would need council permits as it's working with what we've already got, and that means we wouldn't be pinned down to an expiry date. We can do it "as able".

Junk is the big barrier to most of our house and sheds plans, and that in turn is a symptom of two exhausted people. Will get there. Little steps. Took one today.

[Former-Member]

 @Smc ... sending gentle knowing thoughts your way, the sicker Mr Darcy got, the less I coped and the house became messier ... some things are just too hard and even small steps difficult.

Our plans changed greatly in relation to shedding. The existing shed here forms part of the boundary, is leaking, is not fully enclosed - you can see right into it from the road, would need council permission to replace it and realistically is far too big for our needs. Still working on how to tackle the job but what is doable for us immediately is getting a smaller garden shed and after doing some research hope to place an order for one soon. There is however no grief in our present situation.

[Smc]

@Former-Member, in the long run, I'd like to have the carport as a covered flat paved space for projects like furniture repairs and other carpentry, and also as an outdoor social or family space when not otherwise in use. Given the awkwardness of getting permits for structures, it makes more sense to rethink an existing one than remove it. And also I'd love to have somewhere to dry clothes in winter when it's raining. 😄

Our place is kind of short on solid flat work spaces. Sloping gravel driveway, old uneven concrete outside the back door... I did briefly have the use of the frontmost part of the container, but then it filled up a bit more.

Yeah, it's a fightback against the "lead cloud" of depression. But I love it when I do manage to push back.

[Former-Member]

Pushing back against the lead cloud of depression = 🙌

[Former-Member]

A friend collected the louvre doors, drawers and some of the timber from the cupboards/built in furniture we had dismantled in the rooms we hope to renovate.