Blog Archives

Bathroom renovation

Bathroom Renovation Diary – Stage one

We moved to this house eleven years ago, so for the first couple of years I shared the renovations (that we did mainly ourselves) on this blog back then. Then our mortgage deal ended and our kids needed car insurance, and we decided any spare money we had we’d spend on holidays together. So work on the house has been minimal for the last few years. However, it really is time we got the bathrooms done….

Plastering Rain’s bedroom

I never intended to plaster; it seemed well and truly a job for the professionals, but 20 months after the walls came down, and the money tree has failed to grow, I thought it was about time I tackled it myself.

Funky wallpaper

Don’t you just love the 60s and their psychedelic style? I wish there were some photos of our house from the era, but here are some snippets for our enjoyment.

Our Rayburn 345w is here!!!

Here is my beautiful, lovely, wonderful, gorgeous, fabulous new Rayburn.

Buying a Rayburn

It’s ordered! We’re getting it! I can’t believe it!!

Knocking down another wall

November 10, 2009

Two days after the plane landed in England, I’m to be found ignoring the suitcases in the middle of the living room floor (the weather was too wet to dry the washing anyway), sledge hammer in hand and bashing down a couple of walls at the top of the cellar stairs. I do have a good reason though…

Grouting the floor

November 7, 2009

After spending one afternoon making my first attempts at grouting the floor; leaving the gaps to gradually fill with dirt seemed like a very sensible option.

Rustic Kitchen renovation

Sealing the floor

November 6, 2009

After reading all about the different types of sealant on the internet and the best advice for terracotta tiles, I decided to go for the only kind they sell in the local Focus. This is Q EP Tile Sealer.

More floor tiling

November 4, 2009

An update on the floor.

September 5, 2009

Sorry I haven’t updated for so long. Summer holidays. Kids. You understand. Anyway, on checking my drafts, I found this post that I must have written just before the festival back in June. I know it”s out of date now, but I’ll put it up anyway so other renovators can empathise and would-be renovators can be warned!

The builders have left the building!

An update on the state of our kitchen

Living with builders

The progress so far, and how I’m coping.