I get a lot of compliments on the building. And to that, all I can say is…thanks! I did it myself!

That’s a lie, obviously. I might know my way around the handle of a saw, and MAYBE I could operate a concrete mixer if I tried hard enough, but to make the outside of the café look all…finished? And burgundy? That wasn’t me. You’d be surprised by how many services there are around Melbourne to get done pretty much whatever you want. I didn’t really think about double-glazing for a while, but when I was having it installed, there was a place that did it just around the corner! Guess it’s just something you don’t look at until you need it.

I didn’t even know that there were places that did house rendering in Melbourne until I was maybe half done on the place. I was looking for ways to make the whole café really stand out. Really…’pop’, as they say. I couldn’t stand the sight of those ones you find next to petrol stations with the big glass windows and flashing neon signs, so I based everything on whatever the opposite of that one. A friend on Visage-Tome suggested rendering, which sounded pretty good. It was a bit of a dip into the budget, particularly considering that it wasn’t really necessary as such, but I was SO determined to make this the best café around for miles, so I dipped into the savings. I don’t regret it; burgundy is my favourite colour, so here I am with a burgundy business. Feels good.

In fact, that was the same process for getting the beams varnished, or the whole nautical theme that you can find lightly scattered around the place. Not really necessary, but it was all for the sake of the grand opening so I was willing to make the sacrifice. Totally don’t regret the concrete rendering, Melbourne tradespeople can do things my puny DIY skills can’t dream of…

-Johnny