Living next door to a giant oak tree
I asked the builder for their opinion on the build and the proximity to a very large oak tree in the garden that backs onto ours. The builder agreed with me that it looked like it would cause a problem for standard foundations and sought the advice of a building inspector. The building inspector confirmed […]
Plans, permission and choosing a builder
We first met with our architect, Anthony, less than a week after moving house. We had a good idea of what we wanted to do when we bought the house and as a lot of these ideas are to make a house that works well for life as a family with children it seemed sensible […]
New Year, new carpentry, bye bye garage
January saw the return of many of the different trades. The carpenters were back to build cupboards under the stairs, storage in the study and wardrobes in the bedroom. The electricians had a few bits and pieces to do. The plumbers had a couple of leaks to fix. The garage was knocked down and there […]
“I wish we’d never started”
There is a moment in almost any episode of Grand Designs where it seems like it’s never going to be finished, will cost far more than anticipated and is all going wrong. At which point they inevitably say, “I wish we’d never started”. I’ve been asked a few times over the last few months if […]
Bathroom floor, loft conversions and second fixes
Aha, the magic phrase that is “second fix”. It has begun! We now have some light fittings and sockets… oooohhh. We also have a bathroom floor and all bathroom components are ready to go in soon (well, as soon as the tiling is done anyway). I’ve spent a week or so getting to grips with […]
How many people can I meet in one day?
Lots! I can meet lots of people in one day. Making the most of the children’s last day at nursery (sob, sob), I managed to meet the builder (Steve), the electrician (Mark), the plumber (Elliot), the carpenters (Mike and Tang), the kitchen fitter (Richie), and also squeeze in a work meeting, a trip to the […]
Internal walls, electric decisions and tiles
The new house is now built. Okay, that’s overstating it just a little… but the roof and the external walls are all in place. We’re waiting for the windows and the doors until anything else changes on the outside which means that work has begun inside in earnest. The old bathroom walls have all come […]
2 months in… and pressure is on to choose everything!
The roof is pretty much finished, the windows and doors have been ordered, the internal work has begun… On Eloise’s insistence we drove past the house earlier on today. She wanted to see the roof. I was more interested in the fact that the bedroom windows were all wide open and momentarily doubted that I […]
Windows and doors
Who knew there were so many decisions to make about glass? I think my face must have been a picture when Steve asked me what sort of frosted glass we wanted for the downstairs toilet and en-suite. What sort of frosted glass? Is there more than one sort?? Apparently, yes, there is. He suggested oak […]
Seven weeks in: tiles and decisions
The build has been going for seven and a half weeks and that means that we’re over a third of the way through (not including the kitchen, flooring, decorating etc). The roof is ready for the tiles and we’ve had plenty more to think about. We’ve had another chat with the kitchen people as we’ve […]