Over the last few weeks life has changed beyond recognition for all of us. Because of Covid-19 we are working from home, home schooling our children, exercising at home, in fact everything we are now doing is centred around our homes. So, if, like us, you were right in the middle of a full home renovation (or any kind of building work for that matter) then I’m sure you will have had to press the pause button too. But what…
I’m not going to lie it was tricky to get this list down to just 10 because this whole experience has been a learning curve and as our renovation project is still ongoing we are constantly adding to this list. So, clipboard at the ready - here are my top ten renovator tips…
We had an idea of the look we wanted so we now needed to decide on which log burner, hearth and surround. Neither of us knew much about log burners so we visited a local retailer for some advice. There was a lot to take in and frankly we felt quite overwhelmed with efficiency ratings, hearth material, a whole range of price brackets…
We had at least eight weeks to wait for the decision on our planning permission. Time to settle into the house and mull over the decor. Then make some decisions on the new windows, maybe buy some samples and start some Pinterest boards. Or so we thought! But no one could have expected what came next…
Planning permission was first on the agenda, but where to start with a grade-2 listed property? Luckily I knew a friend who had some walls replaced in the garden of her listed town house. So I started by talking to her. “Join the Listed Property Owners’ Club (LPOC),” she said, which turned out to be great advice. The club offers support and advice to its members as well as insurance catered specifically for Grade-1 and 2 listed properties. So this…
With moving in day finally upon us it was safe to say that we didn’t know much about renovating before we took on the mammoth task of gutting and extending our little listed cottage in the country. But first things first, let’s get used to our new décor…
I love old houses. The one I grew up in was 500 years old. The heating creaked the floorboards at night, the walls were slightly warped and (to my sister’s terror) there were spiders in almost every nook and cranny but each wonderful imperfection has somehow rooted itself in my childhood memories…