On the Monday before Easter, Country Boy announced that he thought that we should build an outdoor wood fired pizza oven over the long weekend. It’s something that we had been wanted make for several years now, but we just hadn’t got there yet. We already have a whole lot of kiln bricks, so how hard could it be? An hour on Google and YouTube, and we realised that the project was going to take a little longer than a long weekend.

Each winter since we came to the farm, we have tackled a big project. The first year we were here, it was all about the garden – extending it and putting in a larger vegetable patch, in the second year it was planting out the orchard, while in the third year it was netting the orchard, and extending the yard. Last year we were working more on the garden – putting in edges making it more permanent. The pizza oven is something we hope to do slowly over the winter months. Hopefully we will be able to have friends over for a pizza or two before the fire season starts next year.

The pizza oven is actually only a side project to our big project for the year; extending and renovating the farm house. After four and a half years of living on the farm, we’re planning on adding a new living/dining/kitchen, and walk in pantry to the existing house, and rearranging some of the internal walls so that we gain a fourth bedroom, a study area, a larger bathroom, and (most importantly) a second toilet. The whole house also needs rewiring, and the verandas (which are rotting) will finally be replaced. Did I mention that the current walls are made from asbestos sheeting?? While we’re at it, lets add a fresh coat of paint to the entire house. It’s going to be epic. We’ve put tonnes of thought into the design to make it suit our life. I imagine there will be meltdowns and stress as we work through the project, but boy am I ready to take it on.

We’ve got plans approved, and a builder lined up, so we’re just waiting for the builder to finish his current job. It’s so hard to be patient! In the meantime we’re investigating decking, cladding, lighting, kitchens, tiles, flooring and so many other things I’d never considered before. Oh so many decisions to be made. So many choices.

I’m already imagining clean, bright rooms, wooden floors and colourful furnishings, and did I mention cupboards??? Yep I’m imagining cupboards where I don’t need a PhD in civil engineering just to get the lasagna pan to fit. I’m dreaming of rooms where the paint isn’t flaking on the ceiling, and where the flooring isn’t held down with duct tape. Hannah is looking forward to having a room of her own – after sharing with her siblings for the past nine years, she is ready for her own space. All first world problems I know, but after four and a half years of making do, I’m reaching the end of my tether.

Excited much?? Just a bit. I really can see exactly what it will look like in my mind. The tricky bit will be realising the ideas and turning them into reality.

So tell me everything I need to know. It’s our first time doing something like this, so we are completely naive about the process. Have you done something similar? Tell me all the tricks!

Have you done a major renovation? What advice can you give me?