The extension walls are up and suddenly there is a sea of brickwork in our backyard. Which is good, because at one point I was about to go and do a bricklaying course as we could not find a bricklayer for love or money. Both of which I'm feeling a bit low on at the moment after the recent trials in our renovation experience. But find a team we did, and they have done rather a fine job I believe. They have also been OK with working around our Victorian steel windows from England, which have caused a bit of head scratching. Here are some pictures.
Our project is somewhat different to most of the building work that has been going on in this neck of the woods over the past years. Most brick buildings are constructed with midis (get me with my brickie speak) and then rendered to give a flat finish. We have built with quite a lot of face brick (or exposed brick) both inside and out. Once the second storey (not brick) is up the brickwork will hopefully be not quite so inyaface. Otherwise we run the risk of being referenced to the work of
Brian Clopper. who was a very successful architect in Perth in the 1970s through to the 1990s. No offence to Brian, I really like his buildings with their earthy tones and rustic materials, but when the modernist resurgence hit domestic design in the 1990s anything that looked like this immediately became a bit daggy and dated.
But I bet there will be more of Brian's buildings still standing in 100
years time than some of the stuff going up today, mark my words.
Anyway, they say fashion is cyclical and hopefully we are pioneers in relaunching a more rustic and earthy (meets victorian industrial colliding with 21st century utilitarian) feel. Reading that I realise we are sailing dangerously close to the seasick winds of design dog's breakfast, but I like to think passing by and through into the calm waters of contemporary classic.
Wow your windows are glorious and all the curves in that brickwork is wonderful. mel x
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