Home Improvements - Homestead Exterior & Property

‘Spring Waters’, Mt Direction, Tasmania
December 2018

Homestead Exterior & Property

I’m excited to share with you the home improvements we have made during the last five years. We arrived here in April 2014 and have gradually worked at making all the improvements you will see here.

We have absolutely loved this place and are so sad to leave it. I’m finding it particularly difficult to say goodbye. To me it was like a dream come true!

You see, I had always dreamed of owning a home with a little bit of land around it. I don’t like suburban living with houses crammed up hard against one another, so when we found this property contained two houses, I was in heaven.

Mind you, we had to look through visionary eyes as the whole place was pretty run down, but both of us could see the potential. I remember walking through the long grass saying ‘Wow, oh wow!” around each corning of the property.

It’s taken a lot of hard work but we’ve loved every moment of it. Now let me share it with you…

Aerial Views

Many of these are professional photos taken of our two houses and property in November, 2018 arranged by Roberts Real Estate in Launceston. They will give you a good idea of the improvements we have made over the time here.

Using a drone they were able to capture the entire property from above. The dam looks a lot blacker than it really is but other than that it’s what it looks like. Trent’s cottage is about 50 metres from the main homestead.

Another drone photo capturing one portion of the property. You can see a little of the neighbours next door. We didn’t ever hear too much coming from there.

Entrance to our Property

BEFORE…

NOW…

We wanted a name for our property and finally decided on ‘Spring Waters’ as an apt name. There is a spring that runs from up on Mt Direction (in front of the house) and makes its way underground, through our property to the dam. The entire property is on an ever so gentle slope, but all slopes to the dam. It’s easy to walk on and means the property doesn’t become boggy when it rains.

Our number is 49.

BEFORE…

NOW…

Looking to the left where a bit of a spruce up doesn’t make it look too bad! The flowers are not out in this photo but bloom well when the sun is on them.

Front

BEFORE…

NOW…

We were lucky that the roses came out just at the right time for the photos. Another view of the front of the homestead.

There used to be a large blackwood tree beside the path, right where this stump is. It fell over during some really high winds we experienced. We asked the neighbour when he was cutting it up for us to save this part of the trunk. We ended up finding this wonderful swan and her baby to be featured right there. It lights up at night.

This is what it can look like when the red hot pokers are in full bloom.

On our front lawn, hiding in the large hedge that lines the front of our property, is that stately statue. She’s only small but she looks really cute!

How delightful it is to peep under the pine tree and find a little Bambi sitting quietly by the stump!

BEFORE…

NOW…

A lovely pot of colour stands out against the green hues of the homestead, garage and the yard in general.

In this photo we are standing right at the front door looking back up the path towards the swans.

Back

BEFORE…

NOW…

Now we have gone down to the middle row of trees that divides our property into two halves at the back. Selwyn found this old wheelbarrow and with a bit of spray paint and a few plants, it really did look good.

Standing just by the garage looking back towards the homestead.

BEFORE…

NOW…

A well used area of our home… heaps of room on this deck that faces the north… the trees around protect it from the wind so it’s a wonderful warm place most of the time!

Our large deck has served us well over the time we have been here. We have this as a casual sitting area and the table, chairs and bar-b-q at the other end. We love it out there.

This is looking in the other direction on our back deck… stools to enjoy the back yard and to watch all the birds, dining table and barby.

On occasions, Roosty loves to jump up on the railing to survey the land and check what his girls are up to… and to have a good old crow!

Just behind the deck is this old apple tree. Wow, have we had some apples off this tree! It’s a favourite spot for my birds to congregate.

This is how the apple tree has looked like in all previous years. Unfortunately this year we got very little blossom.

Garage

BEFORE…

NOW…

Looking over at the shed. It did have two large doors on the front of it but we removed them as they were so heavy. We’ve still got them though so they could be put back on. We did intend to put some tilt-a-doors on there but didnt’ get around to it.

I wanted every place I looked around the property to look lovely. We decided that the front of the shed/garage looked quite boring. It wasn’t long before it was a delight to see and it certainly made me happy.

BEFORE…

NOW…

Here’s inside the garage. We didn’t do all that much to it but it parks our three cars easily with plenty more room to spare.

Veggie Garden patch

Behind the garage is the perfect spot for a veggie patch. I like it because it’s out of sight and also gains the warmth off the back of the garage which we deliberately didn’t paint for that reason. Another thing is that it is protected from any winds that might be blowing. The blackwood trees have managed to grow quite large though so it does tend to become a little shaded during the winter months. They need to be cut back, but still I can grow plants there quite well that don’t need a lot of sun.

This large old rustic shed divides our two back yards, together with a row of blackwood trees. It helps to create a real wind break from the wind coming from the north/northeast. We were going to paint it but people raved about our ‘rustic shed’ so we decided to leave it natural. We found that we’ve loved it that way.

Taken at night with the light shining on the girl and her little brother looking through the screen. Looks really effective.

This was a dead area at the end of the shed. We decided to bring it to life and now it’s called The Secret Garden! It’s a pleasant place to go and sit on a hot day.

A closeup of the little boy and girl who are sitting in the garden within the blue painted wheelbarrow. How lovely they look.

In the same area, we found these balls which we’ve placed on top of a nest of sticks. They are in front of a mirror reflecting back to the homestead.

The Meadow (back section)

As you walk from the front section of our back yard, you cross through some trees to come out in the back section. Sometimes in the summer it looks like a meadow. Just leave mowing it for a bit and it becomes covered in dandelion flowers. Pretty as! You can see the dam on the left at the back.

As you walk past the end of the shed, we have hanging baskets of flowers and herbs. It’s made good use of a wasted area and brings some life.

This lovely little group of trees was the perfect place for a fairy ring. Often we have enjoyed a nice snack or mid-day meal sitting on these stools and enjoying the breeze coming through from the northeast. It would be such a special place for a little girl.

We have always loved the outlook from our property across our neighbour Steen’s paddock. Quite a bit of breeze finds its way through at this point but we’ve always wanted to keep it so we can look across and enjoy the view. Usually the grass in these paddocks is kept short because of the cattle that come right up to the fence, but currently its been left to grow so he can harvest it for hay.

Here we are right down at the back fence. We’ve planted these trees and one day they are going to make a good show… another year or two I guess. This is looking across to the back of the dam.

Now we are looking straight back up towards the homestead. You can see some birds and the large bird house with the homestead in the distance.

The Dam

BEFORE…

NOW…

I love this dam! To me it was the crowning glory of the property when we purchased it. Back then you could hardly see it but we’ve worked on it to make it a beautiful place. We decided it needed a boat and were lucky enough to purchase a kayak in perfect condition. We love to let it float around the dam… much to the horror of the ducks when we first put it there!

I love the reflections and the old shed in the background. It’s all so perfect to me.

The flooded dam from the western side. My ducks love this place and spend many a happy hour playing and floating around. Can you see Rocky enjoying a dip?

The flooded dam from the eastern side.

During the winter season when we tend to get a lot of rain, the dam fills to overflowing. It’s a really exciting time really and makes us feel like we are living beside a lake. It can last up like that for quite a time if the rain keeps up. The dam is spring fed so it never runs dry. This has been a real plus for us.

We’ve screened off our neighbour at the back and it’s created a really loved spot to come and sit and watch the ducks float on by. Oh, how I love it.

Little snippets from around the yard

We don’t have any real peacocks although we did think of getting a couple some time back, but we do have this lovely metallic one that shows up beautifully in the sun. I made the mushrooms out of some dishes and painted them up. They have always looked good.

I’m standing not far from the bird house looking across what we call ‘The Glen’. This is another area we have always loved as you walk between the trees. To me, it would be the perfect place for a driveway to come through into the meadow area of the property. It was our plan to do this one day… but oh well! In the foreground you can see two guinea fowls… Gray and his current lady-love, Sally.

Oh I am so sad to say good-bye to this place where dreams are made! Leaving my birds is more than hard but I’m so fortunate that we have found a family who love birds the way I do and have promised to look after them for me.