Getting ideas in the bedroom

Master Bedroom I’m running out of ideas in the bedroom. Having already done it in the living room, kitchen, daughter's bedroom, both bathrooms and the hall I’m worn out. Interior design is knackering. So very conveniently I’ve decided I want the master bedroom to look plain and barny rather than cosy bedroomy. This duvet cover? …

Never ending dust

But mostly The Saga of the Missing CatFirst of all a confession. Forgive me readers for I have sinned, it is over two months since my last blog post. I have good reason, well “a” reason anyway because there’s not been a great deal to show, what with us not yet having one single room …

Last minute? Us?

Less than a week to the big move in and we’ve still no sewage connection, no bathrooms, no heating. Yet. But it will all be sorted in time, or so we’re told. There's a plan. In the end, our water connection was delayed a week by snow emergencies, and the windows have been held up …

Concrete Proof

A slightly rubbish poem about a very rubbish polished concrete floor While browsing on the inter web One week last year in early Feb I Googled floors (I am that boring) And came across some stunning flooring It wasn’t granite, marble, slate Took no volcano to create Imagine my surprise and shock It wasn’t formed of …

Before and Durings or Then and Nows

  A few photos of Then and Now, beginning with week of purchase in February 2017, how things looked after collapse and before we re-started renovation in May, and where we are now. Front view of the barn taken from the stable yard next door.               The front from the …

Tom, you’ve been chucked

I’ve only gone and totally changed my mind about the kitchen. Ya don’t say. The story so far. I’ve hankered after a Tom Howley for ages. Specifically his timeless good looks and well built carcass. I wanted nothing more than to cup and handle his drawers..... errr I mean I love cup handle drawers. Meet …

You know you’re doing a renovation when…

Been waaay too busy for a proper blog post recently so I’ll just leave this here. Few update photos at the end. You know you’re doing a house renovation when... 1. Your current home has been a permanent mess from the moment it came Under Offer and you stopped taking viewings. The requirement for any …

Small cash flow issue

Let’s go back two years and imagine there was a person (OK, me) who was attempting to work out the staged payments for a self-build mortgage application. Just say a person with zero experience of such matters (me again) had to trawl though a 30 page Quantity Surveyor’s Report splitting it down into which costings applied …

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Outside: Despite Storm Ophelia’s best efforts a couple of weeks ago, we are now fully slated on the main building with just the part-finished extension and not-yet-in-existence garage to be roofed. It looks lush. Thanks, very efficient roofer guys. The beautifully rebuilt arch is freed from its plywood former and looks amazing again. It will …

Major sweary words

Guide to barn converting in what feels like week 985 1. Submit aluminium window sample already passed in a previous planning application. 2. Wait 5 weeks. Chase up, only be told the application has been wrongly ascribed to the barn next door and discarded - presumably in some secret council ceremony we were not permitted …