It's been a long time

I was determined to keep updating this blog on a regular basis but inevitably life has got in the way. I'm still living amidst house and kid chaos so that hasn't changed. However, the new windows do look rather nice and at least the Christmas tree is making our lounge look cosy and inviting for the first time. Anyway, I'm back now and I have a master plan which will take everyone by surprise. Watch this space.

Windows update

Having new windows was much more stressful than I had imagined. A toddler does not mix well with workmen, saws, drills, open doorways and open windows. I didn't want to leave the guys alone in the house so poor David was moved from one room to the next, desperate to be where the noise, dirt and danger was.

The day they did the downstairs bay was the worst. David was shut into the kitchen. It was closely followed by the day they did the landing window. No way of going upstairs, the side port door was wide open and there were ladders against the bedroom windows so David couldn't even go into the garden. Aghhhhhhhhhhh!

New Windows

The men from Vogue Windows arrived at 9ish and started ripping out the windows in David's room. I spent all day keeping David occupied as the noise of breaking wood, drills and hammers filled the air. He was desperate to get involved and spent most of the day staring longingly out of the lounge window. The pikies were out in force - they appeared as soon as the window frames were out.



It took all day to do the bay and it still needs finishing. I felt so sorry for David as we couldn't leave the house and he was only allowed in the lounge or the kitchen. Poor Chloe had to sleep in the tent in the playroom so didn't really get much kip at all. One day down, five to go - we are all going to go stir crazy.

The windows are happening on Wednesday

The windows are booked in for Wednesday. I'd assumed it would be the end of October so we've suddenly got a lot of work to do and only two days to do it in. The front door and side windows still need cleaning and releading, the door and window frame need sanding, priming and glossing and we also need to sand down the windowsills in Chloe's room, our room and the landing. We've also got to find rather a large amount of money to pay the balance.

Front door and window

Work began on restoring the front door and side window yesterday. The glazing company recommended we completely finish the door and window frame before the replacement secondary windows are screwed on so we never need to do it again.

I popped in to the local glaziers on the high street to ask for advice - they specialise in period windows. Apparently I need to rub down the glass with wire wool before I treat the lead with a special coating to bring it back to its original colour. Rubbing down the glass has something to do with oxidation but I'm not exactly sure what. They are coming to quote to restore the windows and put them into double glazing so I will ask again to make sure. If their price is reasonable, we might forgo the secondary glazing.

Apart from the glass and lead, I need to sand down the paintwork, fill the holes, prime and then gloss in white before the secondary is fitted. So much to do.

Green fingers

I joined the lovely Eastcote Horticultural Society today however, my first vist was not a great success. The society is based in a large shed full of gardening products and behind it are the local allotments. I arrived with David in the single pushchair and Chloe in the sling and all started out well. A lady took down my details whilst a lovely man called Alan gave me some advice about sourcing local manure. Apparently there is a stable called Jacks on Fore Street where they give away rotted manure for free - you just turn up and load up.

David was desperate to get out of his puschchair so I made the fatal mistake of letting him wander around. Just as I was paying my £2 sub, buying some garlic and chatting to a lady about transplanting my roses, a man appeared holding David's hands out in front of him. They were covered with a black gooey substance. Apparently he had undone the lid of a can of something potent and definitely poisonous and had managed to smear it all over his brand new Gap jacket - thank goodness he hadn't put any of the stuff in his mouth. By now several other people were milling around as I tried to sort out the mess with a protesting Chloe strapped to my front. Luckily everyone was very friendly. One old boy chuckled as he watched me attempting to clean David's hands with babywipes, "I hope this doesn't put you off bringing the young lad again - he's at the perfect age for this now".
Friendly, yes. Helpful, definitely not. I made a hasty exit with my garlic and newly acquired knowledge about local manure and roses.

The garden

We've decided on a basic plan for the garden and are trying to get as much work done as possible before the weather turns nasty.

Felling the tree

The ash tree is coming down - all 70 foot of it. I feel like I am murdering a tree but we will be keeping the wood to burn and using all the brushwood as mulch for the garden so at least we are recycling it. To prepare for its demise we need to create an area to store the logs and build something out of wood and chicken wire to hold the mulch.

Compost bins

The compost bins will be moved to the end of the garden - we are in the process of collecting pallets from around the area so Matt can make a structure containing three or four sections to rotate the compost as it goes through it's different stages.

Allotment

We've decided on a four bed crop rotation system at the end of the garden. I had mixed success with the veggies I planted in spring and I'm quite pleased they did so well considering I did absolutely nothing to prepare the soil. Our intention all along was to put as much goodness as possible back into the soil over the winter and start planting in the spring.

Two of the four beds have been dug and prepared already and I am conducting a little experiment suggested by my green-fingered friend Helen. One plot will be overwintered with green manure (mustard seed), the second will be overwintered with manure purchased from our local horticultural society. It will be interesting to see which method works the best. The third and fourth plots will be dug up next summer as we have run out of time this year. Ultimately, we will build four raised beds and create brick walkways between them.

Shed

The garage is freaking me out as it looks as if it is about to fall down. Bits of wood have started falling away from the lintel supporting the roof so it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses. Before we demolish it we need to buy a large shed to store all the garden stuff but before we buy a shed we need to prepare the ground for the shed to stand on. It's going in the allotment and I want a patio/seating area in front of it. The allotment will then be fenced off with a trellis and gate.

Roses

The roses are going to be moved to the front garden as soon as I have researched the best time of year to do it and the best way of doing it. I'm not sure what will replace them. I'm imagining a couple of fruit trees and a wild meadow with flowers to cut for the house during the summer.

Hopefully all of this will be completed by Christmas. Maybe I'm dreaming?

Major project number four: replacement windows

I signed on the dotted line today - most of the old windows are going and instead of the critttal windows and ugly secondary glazing we will have practical uPVCs instead. It would have been lovely to keep the original windows but the glass was practically falling out and the sills were beyond repair. As a friend of ours said, "You don't live in a museum" so as much as we will try to keep the original features of our home, some of them will just have to go.

We paid a 25% deposit which in itself was a huge amount and the work will take about a week to do. I have no idea what I am going to do with the kids whilst the wind whistles through our house and a team of men rip the windows out. Hopefully Grandma and Grandad will come to the rescue.

Where are we now?

At times our progress seems infuriatingly slow. A while ago we agreed to only spend one weekend day working on the house. The other day is always going to be a family day as the last think we want is to be worn down by the amount of work that needs doing and more importantly, the kids need us.

David's room

David's room is almost finished. I'm waiting for the curtains to arrive and then he can move to his big boys bed. It needs accessorising but i can worry about that over the next few months.

Chloe's room

A shelf needs putting up, along with Mum's wall hanging. I also need to find a bookcase.

Our room
The mirror has arrived and I'm about to order the main light and the mirror light. We still need curtains, side tables and a chest of drawers. I also need to restore the 1930s wardrobes but that will take quite some time. I'm still not sure whether or not to paint them white or keep them as they are and restore them.

Garden
Half of the allotment has been dug over ready for winter. The tree is coming down and we're going to buy a shed

Halls, stairs and landing
Undercoat is finished. We now need to finish sanding the woodwork so we can start glossing. The major work here revolves around the staircase so I will need to get a few carpenters in to quote for the work. trouble is, I'm not entirely sure what we want them to do so the only thing I can do is get them in and ask their advice.

From House and kid chaos

David helps Grandad with the painting

David's room is almost finished

I spent the weekend finishing the painting in David's room and enjoyed every minute of it. I shut the door, turned on Radio Four and painted away. I find it so relaxing and satisfying. Matt did all the "Mum" stuff - looking after the kids, feeding them etc. whilst also working in the garden.

I spied a small add in our local paper advertising a child's wardrobe, chest of drawers and low pine bed for £50. I reluctantly went to look at it as past experience has proved the small ads can be very unreliable. However, it worked out really well. The light coloured wardrobe and chest of drawers are from John Lewis and are not flatpacked so the quality is excellent. The low pine bed was absolutely perfect for Davis. We had to transport it all back in a six seater cab but the whole lot, including the cab, came to £80. We were about to spend £60 just on David's bed so it's a real bargain and looks great in his room.

On Sunday I went to the Curtain Factory Outlet in Finchley and ordered the curtains - red, white and blue stripe with blackout lining. They came to just under £300 and shouild be ready in four weeks. Now I just need to buy his mattress and bedding and he's all set to move in.

The Female Touch - a crazy idea?

I spent the weekend painting the final colour on the walls and ceiling in David's room. Matt hardly gets to spend time with the kids during the week so I decided to take control and assign parental responsibilities to him whilst I shut myself away in David's room with a pot of paint and Radio Four. I love decorating. There is something very therapeutic and satisfying about it and I find it really relaxing. It also meant I could escape from the routine of motherhood for a few hours.

I enjoyed the two days so much it started me thinking about something. I've been looking for a career change for several months now.. Something that would enable me to choose my working days and hours to fit in with the school run. How about I set myself up as a painter and decorator? I've always been envious of those small vans zipping around the neighbourhood - painters, plasterers, florists, handymen. Would a female painter and decorator be appealing to the Pinner market? Maybe it's not such a crazy idea.

Pinner Mums

The holidays are here and all the baby groups have finished for the summer. What do I do with a very active two year old? Luckliy, over the past two years I have made lots of yummy mummy Pinner friends and the invites have been pouring in thick and fast.

Yesterday a text message went round the group in the morning. Caroline and Claire had decided to meet in a local park and the word got out. David loved it and the only thing missing was the tea and cake.

This morning Gina invited everyone around to her beautiful house a short walk from West Lodge School. I had immediate house envy. It was immaculate and huge, with a great garden. I secretly salivated over the smart kitchen and tasteful decor.

There were a few new faces there and I met a girl called who has started a website about baby led weaning. I did a mixture of the trasitional puree and baby led weaning approach when David hit six months and it went really well. Chloe is loving her purees at the moment but it started me thinking bout baby led weaning again. I'm going to give Chloe some nectarine chunks this afternoon and see what happens.

Sudocrem

David has perfected the art of climbing in and out of his cot. For the past three days I have found him asleep on the floorboards during his lunchtime nap. Today, the pitter patter of little feet during his supposed nap time suddenly stopped to I went upstairs to check. I found David has smeared the entire contents of a pot of sudocrem over his clothes, his cot, the floor and his teddy bears.

I did the dutiful thing and told him, in a firm and controlled way, that he had been naughty. Inside, all I wanted to do was grin madly. Tinker. As my cousin said to me when I related the story, "Don't be too hard on the little man, he's got so many far bigger messes to deal with in life"

July 20th, 2010

I spent Sunday glossing the skirting board in David's room and scrubbing the plaster off the skirting in the hall. Progress remains slow but now the hard work in David's room is over we can start preparing the next phase - decorating the hall, stairs and landing. I don't know why I love glossing so much. Give me a piece of skirting to gloss and a Pink Floyd soundtrack and I'm in heaven.

Matt spent the afternoon digging up the veg plot in the garden. Unfortunately my onions and pumpkins appear to be rotting - probably due to the terrible drainage despite the constant sunshine at the moment. I was fairly certain the veggies would be poor but at least I've given it a go and I've learnt heaps already. We have managed to harvest potatoes and French beans so all is not lost. I've decided to try green manure in the unused veg plot and boarder. Matt is turning over the soil and I'll hoe it and then I'll plant the seeds. It grows and then rots back into the soil - hopefully replacing some of the nutrients for a better start newxt year.

David's room - progress report

Slowly, very slowly, we are getting there. Matt has spent a long time preparing all the surfaces which involved lots of sanding, scrubbing and more scrubbing. The priming of the skirting board is almost complete and then we will be ready to gloss and paint the walls. I've decided on the curtain material - a blue and red stripe. the bay is huge so it will cost a fair amount and I really don't want to get it wrong.

Back from France

We've just returned from two weeks of bliss. No house chaos to deal with. Instead, lazy mornings, French food, cheese, wine, pastries, swimming, reading, dozing and most importantly, spending time as a family. We had a fantastic time.

We arrived back on Sunday Matt wasn't due back to work until Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday we both felt strange and on Wednesday we realised why. We'd agreed not to talk about the house whilst we were away so when we came back, we were faced with the reality of the task ahead of us.

Matt opened one of the windows in David's room and it nearly fell off its hinge. He's finally agreed that the only real option for us is to replace the windows. I arranged for a local company to come round and give us a quote on Tuesday and will get a few more before we decide who to go with. As long as we can find the cash it will be the next big job. We've also decided to commission an architect to draw up plans and costs for a ground floor, and possible second floor extension. I have absolutely no idea what we can do so we need an expert to come up with some suggestions and costs. At least then we will know how much money we need. Baby steps.

So much to do, so little time

So much for my big plan to update this blog on a regular basis. Life seems to be very hectic at the moment and I barely have time to think, let alone write anything down. I used to love putting pen to paper and clearing my mind of thoughts and ideas. I must have started a hundred novels over the years but they never actually got anywhere. I genuinely thought motherhood would allow me the freedom to spend time writing down my thoughts, how little I knew.

So, back to the purpose of the blog. The house is progressing, slowly. It amazes me how we seem to spend every weekend rushing around doing things, yet nothing seems to change. It's taken Matt two days to put up two curtain poles. We finally have the bedroom poles up but now there is a problem with the fabric order. After agnonising over the fabric material for our room, the Mackintosh pattern I bought when I commissioned my mannequin is discontinued and it took the fabric shop three weeks to find this out. Now they are grovelling and are on the hunt for someone, somewhere, who might have 8 and a half metres of the stuff to sell me. I've been nervous enough since I made the order as it's an expensive error to make. I've still got the pressure of making the curtain order itself. Pinch pleats, pencil pleats, tab tops, linings, finials, tracks, poles, the decisions are neverending. Measure, measure and re-measure is all I can do. And don't get me started on David's huge bay window, not yet anyway.

The garden is also getting there, very slowly. I spent a few days digging the borders in the front garden so the house looks respectable. Again, slow progress as I can only do it when Matt looks after David. The back garden is a huge project in itself. I've almost dug over the entire length of one boarder up to the beginning of the allotment. The previous owner planted hundreds of daffs and although they looked lovely in spring, most of them had to go. She also clearly lied about looking after the garden. Nothing has ever been planted here (apart from the bulbs of course) so the soil is heavily compacted, full of clay and of poor quality so there's not much we can do this year. The plan is turn the soil and invest in some topsoil at some point. "Little and often" is the advice my Dad gave me and he is absolutely right. I had no idea gardening was such a physical activity. It will do wonders for my upper body strength.

Curtains

We made some real progress this weekend despite a hiccup on Saturday morning. Matt discovered a wet patch under the sink and his stress levels started to rise as he realised the leak was coming from one of the pipes Adam had plumbed in. Things like this seem to get to Matt much more than me but that's probably because I'm at home during the week whereas Matt can only turn his attention to it at the weekend.

Kate and the kids visited on Saturday and it was great to see them. David, Libby and BEn spent most of the day running barefoot round the garden, making mud pies. Matt investigated the soil quality in the garden by digging a knee high hole in the border. Clay, clay and more clay.

On Sunday we bought floating shelves for Chloe's room and a curtain pole for ours. I also finally ordered the material for the curtains in both Chloe's and our bedroom. I'm going for a shabby chic look in Chloe's room so ordered some Cath Kidtson style material - white with small roses. I've gone for the same Rennie Mackintosh style material I used on the mannuquin for our room. I just need to check the drop and I'll put in an order to get them made up.

David's room is now empty of boxes so we are all set to start decorating his room. I'm really keen for him to be sleeping in there by his second birthday - time for a big boy's bed!

The allotment begins

Despite the work that needs doing on the house we've decided to start work on the allotment this summer. I'm growing tomatoes, courgettes, french beans, salad leaves, potatoes, carrots and onions from seed and so far they are all growing well. The tomatoes have gone a bit leggy but apart from that, they all seem to be okay. I know it's early days yet and I fear the onslaught of slugs, bugs, pidgeons and rotten weather but despite this, my fingers are definitely turning green.

24/25 April - progress at last

We made lots of progress at the weekend although it doesn't look as if we have done anything. Matt decided to sacrifice watching a game of rugby with his Dad. Considering Cov rugger club are on the verge of relegation it was a sacrifice indeed. So, instead of watching Cov lose 13-0 to (?) we spent the day sorting out the garage. It's become a bit of a dumping ground sinced we moved in and was piled high with boxes and the clutter the previous owner left behind. I found some ancient looking but useful gardening tools, a petrol lawnmower, a couple of metal buckets that would probably cost twenty quid each in a junk store and several old garden chairs. I piled the unwanted things in the side port ready for a trip to the tip and then sorted out some of our boxes to create some space to move around.

The weather was glorious. David followed Matt around copying everything he did. This mostly involved making lots of noise hammering an old water tank we found in the garage. I've decided to use it as a planter for potatoes so Matt drilled some holes in the bottom and we relocated it to the end of the garden. I spent a good hour turning over the small patch of earth we've decided to use for our first attempt at growing vegetables. Below the surface the soil looks quite good. Lots of worms must be a good sign? I've also realised this gardening lark requires lots of upper body strength, something I am severely lacking.

Luckily we took Dad's advice to make the most of the sunny weather on Saturday as the weather took a turn for the worst on Sunday. Matt screwed down the floorboards in the hall and kitchen. The really annoying clanking board near the microwave has finally been silenced once and for all. We also moved the wardrobes into our bedroom and the old white chest of drawers into Chloe's room so we can start preparing David's room for decorating. There are still lots of boxes to be sorted. As soon as Matt finishes boarding the loft we can move quite a lot of stuff up there to create some space. We really want to avoid using the loft as a dumping ground so only the crucial things we want to keep will go up there. I have no idea what we are going to do with the rest of it.

St George's day

It's St George's day today and David is proudly wearing his England shirt. Matt is off to The George in Borough for a few pints with some of our friends after work. Alas, I will be at home watching TV.

Progress on the house has really slowed at the moment and we are both conscious of needing to keep the momentum going. The clanking floorboards in the kitchen and hall are really getting on my nerves. Everytime I use the microwave I step on the loose board and the sound reverberates around the house.

Mum is helping me choose curtains for Chloe's room. I can't decide between a classic pink gingham or a Cath Kidtson style number with tiny roses and candy coloured stripes. She's offered to make them but I am really conscious of the other quilting projects she is working on at the moment. We also need to buy a couple of floating shelves to display some of her bits and bobs and decide on a chest of drawers.

I really want Matt to finish boarding the loft. As soon as this happens we can move some of the boxes up there and make some space in David's room and the dining room. I pretty much know where to find everything now but it is still really frustrating rooting through boxes to find sellotape or a fountain pen.

April update

The sun is shining, Chloe is asleep and David is eating soil in the garden. I couldn't be happier.

Our bedroom and Chloe's have both been painted. Furniture is still a problem and there won't be carpets down for a long time yet but at least the hard part is finished. Chloe has a blackout blind in her room but there was an error on ours so we've had to reorder. We're still taping up the dust sheet to keep the light out which is a real pain, especially when it falls down in the middle of the night.

All the floorboards have been screwed down upstairs which was a major undertaking - it means access to pipes etc. will be much easier in the future. Jobs such as this take up so much time with no visual change but they are vital in the long term.

Progress on the house has definitely slowed down now that Matt is at work and we still both want a life at the weekend. Last Saturday Matt spent the day enjoying fabulous hospitality at the FA cup semi final so no work was done. This weekend I am joining part of a hen do during the day so Matt will be left on his own with the kids for the first time - another day without any work. We're also going to Coventry on Sunday so this only gives us Saturday morning to achieve anything. Still, we are determined not to become slaves to the house and still do the things we want to.

We're back online

We're finally back online after over two weeks without the internet. In some ways it was great to be disconnected with cyberspace as I am guilty of wasting too much time wilfing however, it also made me realise just how reliant I am on it, especially now it's much more difficult to go to the shops.

When I get a mo, I'll write a full update.

The weekend is here

It's Friday, Matt is on his way home and has the next 12 days off work. He's picking the van up first thing tomorrow morning and hopefully Kate, Heath, Ben, Libby, Pete, Steve, Lindsey, Alexander, Neil, Siobhan, Tom, Erin and Sam will all arrive at some point over the weekend to help with the move and a spot of decorating. Clearly the ladies will be sitting around gossiping and drinking tea while the babies gurgle, the kids cause havoc and the men do the heavy stuff. Bring it on.

Today is my birthday

Today is my birthday and possibly the dullest one I have ever had due to imminent house move, general flat chaos and two small children to prevent any kind of selfish indulgence. Packing is in full swing and proving interesting with a curious toddler to manage. Every time I turn my back he's emptying the contents of the box I've just packed. The whole flat is now a fantastic climbing frame for him with piles of boxes everywhere.

Adam, the plumber, is at the house hopefully finishing off his outstanding jobs. He needs to cap the old gas pipes in the lounge and dining room, remove the radiator pipes from David's room, install the sink in our bedroom, finish the flue, install the new bath and tile in the bathroom and replace the bent grill in the hallway. All we need to do now is move in.

All systems go

I can't believe we are moving at the weekend. It seemed such a long way away in January and now it is upon us and I've got the daunting task of packing everything into boxes this week.

Matt spent Saturday and Sunday at the house. He started undercoating our room on Saturday and also bought the bath and the tiles. On Sunday he spent the day screwing down the floorboards and generally tidying everything up in preparation for the weekend. We hired a van for the removals and I ordered a washing machine which will be delivered on Saturday.

The plumber is due back next week to fit the sink in our room, install the new bath and generally finish off all the outstanding bits. It's all systems go.

Time Out

I banned Matt from going to the house over the weekend. He came home from work on Thursday evening with a cracking headache and spent virtually the next 48 hours in bed. I took him to the doctors on Friday and he was diagnosed with sinisitus and given a course of penicillin to sort him out.

We've been piling the pressure on ourselves and I think Matt's illness made us both realise we had to slow things down and not get worked up about our situation. So what if we have to move in to a house with bare floorboards and no curtains. It's not the end of the world. Matt stayed off work on Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday and we both really needed the time to reassess our situation. As a result, everything feels so much better now.

We finally gave our notice on the flat which has also helped to focus us. We are going to do the big move during the weekend of the 20th and 21st March and have to hand back the keys to Meena and Deepak on the 24th which allows us two clear days to clean the flat. Finally, we are almost ready to move in to Abbotsdene.

Week Seven/Eight

The two polish plasterers have done a fantastic job. It's taken them eight days to plaster the three bedrooms, hall, stairs, landing and dining room. Very quiet and unassuming, both of them were absolutely lovely and professional. Unfortunately I failed to notice that had forgotten to plaster underneath the plug sockets in each of the rooms but, apart from that, I would definitely use them again. Hopefully they will enjoy the cans of Polish lager we gave them as a bonus - they were almost embarassed when I gave it to them. Or maybe it was cheap tasteless beer for all we know.

Mum and Dad spent two days working in the house with Matt and have done a fantastic job. Dad spent hours on his knees finishing the plastering beneath the sockets, not his favorite thing to do. He also attached all the sockets and light fittings to the walls and sorted out the kitched ceiling amongst other things. Mum cleaned, cleaned and cleaned a bit more as well as scrubbing down the skirting board in Chloe's room. Again, the plasterers didn't completely clean up the wet plaster when it fell on the coving and skirting throughout the house so it all needs scrubbing to get rid of it.

Meanwhile, Matt spent two days putting floorboards down in the loft so we can use it as storage space and start moving boxes over. As he's never boarded a loft before he's done a fantastic job. I'm a bit worried that he is spending way too much time working and not enough time resting but I suppose there is so much to do and he wants as much as possible to be done before we move in.

Original dark wood panels

We've uncovered stained panels on the stairs in the hallway and on the back of the front door. It's the original paint effect - most likely done in the 30s to make it look more expensive than it was. Although there is quite a bit of damage due to the panels used to cover it at a later stage, I think it could look fantastic if we give it a bit of TLC. It is very dark but if we keep the walls light it could look great.

Week Six - It's been a long time

The rewire is finished, the new plumbing system is almost complete and the plasterers finish on Wednesday. We've achieved a huge amount since we took possession of Abbotsdene on the 8 January and we managed to have a baby as well.

Friends and family have been a great help so far and will continue to be so. Guy, Sam, Elma and Neil have all helped out in various ways and made the job so much easier. Pete, Kate, Heath and the kids have been down twice now and even Ben and Libby helped out with wallpaper stripping and babysitting duties.

Jonathan (the sparky) and his team took just over a week to completely rewire the house and did a great job. No doubt we have made some bad decisions about the location of plug sockets and the like but it was so difficult to anticipate where we will need things to go. Jonathan is a lovely bloke and we made a good choice with him. He's recently renovated his own house and we've ended up using his plumber and plasterer as well, both of whom have been just as reliable and professional. I'm just waiting for something to go wrong.

Week Two

Saturday, 16th January

Another great weekend. Sam and Elma helped Matt with the wallpaper stripping and finished the dining room. I wasn't sorry to see the terrible 70s yellow wallpaper disappear. The room looks much bigger now.

Sparky

Jonathan, one of the possible electricians, came round to see the house. He'd only given us a quote based on our spec so I wanted him to see the house and to meet him as well as our decision will be partly based on prices and personality. I was impressed.

Plumber

Paul, one of the possible plumbers, also popped by to measure up for radiators. We've decided to replace all radiators apart from the huge one in the front bay so although this will add to the expense, at least we know there won;t be a prblem in a few months time.

Plasterer

We also had a visit from Jamie, a plasterer recommended by Ken the electrician. He'd called me about three times and insisisted on coming round to the house. I have to say, first impressions were not good. Like Ken, he was full of talk and reckons it will cost around £900 per room to completely go back to the brick work and replaster. Not a chance. Why is it plasterers are always so dodgy?

David was as good as gold. He had lots of fuss courtesy of Auntie Elma and Auntie Sam and tried his hand at clearing up with the dustpan and brush. Yet again he managed to sleep for over two hours despite the noise from the room next door.

Sunday, 17th January

It was just the two of us on Sunday and Matt managed to finish the dining room and half finish the front bedroom. Luckily the wallpaper has been relatively easy to take off so progress is quick. It was impossible for me to do anything as David needs full time supervision and I suppose I am less than two weeks away from giving birth.

Plumber

Adam, another possible plumber, came round to measure for radiators. I like both him and Paul so it will probably come down to cost. Adam does have the edge as he has recently worked on Jonathan the electrician's house so I'm classing that as a recommendation. Hopefully we will be in a position to make a decision on Monday.

Crazy January

I went to see the doctor yesterday. Baby number two looks set for an early arrival. It's already three fifths engaged and as David only took four hours to make his appearance the doctor warned me to be prepared. I was so excited at the news. I can't quite believe it's almost time.

I'm nervous about the logistics of getting to the birthing unit and sorting out someone to look after David. Thanks goodness I have some good friends close by but even so, I'm a bit worried. The weather is not making things easier and I'm project managing a house renovation. January is one crazy month already.

We went to the house this morning to meet a lady plumber - our third quotation. We've decided to replace all the radiators, apart from the huge one in the bay, which is going to increase the cost but we have a golden opportunity to go right back to basics. Hopefully we will make a decision on the sparky and the plumber by the weekend. The sooner the major work starts, the better.

Week One

Saturday, 9th January 2010

It was all systems go on Saturday. We arrived at the house at around 9am and Matt immediately started moving furniture. Kate, Heath and the kids arrived at around 11am and within 10 minutes Heath was tearing down the partition in the back room with his chain saw. I later found out both he and Matt had ripped down the partition minus goggles or any other type of safety equipment. Not good, but oh so typical and I'm glad I found out afterwards.

I stocked up on food and drink supplies; tea, biscuits, bread, cheese, ham, crisps and went back several times for buckets, sponges, wallpaper scrapers, face masks and other bits. Luckily the high street has everything we need, including a very cheap hardware store.

Guy arrived at around 11.30 and got stuck in to removing carpets, including the rather grim one in the toilet. I reminded him that two very old people had been living in the house and that only means one thing as far as carpets and toilets are concerned.

Ben and Libby were great babysitters. We left the thre of them in the front room with lots of toys and they amused themselves all day. David managed to sleep for over two hours despite the noise and chaos happening in the house.

Progress made
Back bedroom: carpet removed, partition removed, built in wardrobe removed, wallpaper stripped. We discovered the doors have been covered with plywood and underneath the original 30s oak door panels remain. Not a bad discovery.
Bathroom: carpet removed
Toilet: carpet removed
Front bedroom: carpet removed
Small bedroom: carpet removed
Hallway: carpet removed and stairs David proofed
Kitchen: false ceiling removed, space made for washing machine

David checks out the hallway


Living room towards the bay window


The dining room towards the french doors


The kitchen looking back towards the hall


The kitchen, looking towards the back door


View from the top of the stairs

We're in

It's been a busy few days in the Fearn household. The completion went through at 1pm on Friday and we picked the keys at the house at 3pm. It was lovely to take the keys from Jonie and Hilary - it's been an emotional time for them. Jonie has lived in the house for 50 years afterall.

After a few hugs we said our goodbyes and shut the door to our house. It felt so good. It's perfect despite the amount of work that needs to be done. We hugged each other in amazement and then wandered round in a bit of a daze. It looked so much bigger without all the furniture. David ran around exploring every room and we all felt completely at home.

Twenty minutes later and an electrician arrived to give us a quote. By the time he left it was dark so we decided to head back to the flat. We were mentally exhausted but at least we were finally houseowners once more.

Tomorrow is "C" day

It's all happening tomorrow and I am so excited. We are finally going to be home owners again. Forget the hassle of rewiring and new plumbing systems for a while. I just want to relish in the thought of owning our own family home. We have so many plans and thoughts in our heads.

Matt is reading up on boilers and plumbing systems and I'm learning about unvented systems verses vented systems and cold water tanks. Worryingly, I'm really enjoying it. We're meeting a third electrician tomorrow aftgernoon and a lady plumber, or should I say, gas engineer, is taking a look at the place on Tuesday afternoon. We should hopefully be in a good position to make a decision nesxt week so the work can start.

January is going to be an unforgettable month - a new nephew, a new house and a new baby unless the little one decides to stay nice and cosy until February. Matt is secretly hoping the baby arrives on his birthday. We shall see.

Skint

All the cash is with the solicitors so now we have absolutely no money to our name, well, virtually none. We're due to complete on Friday and I still can't get my head round it. Probably due to the fact that baby number two is just weeks away.

Lindsey had her baby this morning after quite a difficult birth - Alexander James. I was convinced she was going to have a girl. My five year old niece, Libby, cried when she heard the news, "Everyone is having boys and I want a girl". No pressure on me then. Craig called this evening - another baby on the way. Everyone's at it. Six of my friends are pregnant at the moment. Babies, houses, houses, babies. This is my life now.