Monday 18 January 2016

Renovation update: decisions, decisions, decisions...

Our beautiful home...
To say this weekend was a learning curve would be an understatement. I've learned to chisel out mortar, insert steel rods and then point cement back in. We've also plumbed in a new shower and ripped off doors to reveal the original oak doors from 1901. Good progress was made.

We also had our architect visit to help us with the phasing of our renovation. He's suggested building in a little entrance hall, helped us realise that we can remove the whole chimney breast to create a open plan living area, and he's also helping us design our dream kitchen extension opening out onto the garden. He will also help design the loft extension in the future. This means, by the end of it, we will have a much larger four bedroom family home.

Our next step is to decide whether we actually want to knock through the chimney or whether we knock down either side of the breast and keep a snug room at the front of the house with the dining room opening out into the kitchen. Then we need to agree on how the kitchen extension will work best, whether to do the entrance hall, and what to start first.

Lots of choices to be made. Lots of ideas to be discussed. Lots of budget to be earned.

On that point, I may have a little business adventure to make a little bit of extra money on the side. Think pearls...rose gold...and beautiful, pretty, delicate, jewels...watch this space!

ZP x




Monday 4 January 2016

The first day of renovation - patience is a virtue

All brown for the 70s Christmas house
Happy new year! Christmas has gone and the bloated bellies are all around. Gym memberships will go through the roof and then half cancelled by March. But let's be positive and make this the year to be an unforgettable one. It certainly will be at number 35.

The first day of renovating our house began on the 30th December 2015. Our future bedroom has been stripped back to it's bare plaster bones and we're now going to fix the crack from the old walls and then start to rebuild it back together again, making it our own.

Mess? What mess?!
It's a wonderful thing to be doing, re-designing and building our own house, being our own
project managers and designing your own time-frame. There's so much to do...strip wood-chip, strip wallpaper, carpets, board up polystyrene tiles, and much much more. A perfect project for when it's rainy, cold and dark - to cosy up inside and work hard on the house becoming home.

Onto a more foodie wavelength, a 4 course extravaganza was made yesterday evening by the gang. For a special birthday, we made seafood vol-au-vents, tarka dahl and haddock, then lamb - three ways, followed by a rum and raisin creme brulee. What a feast!

Rack of lamb | braised lamb shoulder | lamb bon-bon |
pea puree | rosti | roasted shallot | jus
My New Year's Resolution is to improve my patience. I've seen a lot of interesting posts but one I've seen that's great is here. Thanks for the inspiration, Henrik.

ZP x