Week 45 - We have moved into our dream house!

I can't believe I haven't done a post for ten weeks.  I was watching Building the Dream a few nights ago and they said that the last 10% of the build takes 90% of the effort - and this is so true.

The last ten weeks have been a whirlwind of decorating, finishing off the ballistrades, installing carpets, finishing off the bathrooms and kitchen - but we are delighted to announce that we have finished enough to move in!

Last night, we spent our first night in the house we designed ourselves - and our new bedroom is simply the largest room we have ever slept in!

This is good as there is room for a chair to sit and read and admire the view of the lake by Speedwell Drive.  It is so lovely to look out onto...

I'm not posting any more pictures until the house is finished.  The sale of the cottage goes through on Friday - hopefully.  It's now empty - and needs cleaning from top to bottom.  We then also need to buy more lights and curtains for the new house - as we haven't had time to do any of that.  So I'll add more photos when this is all complete.

Of course, work has still not finished.  The driveway for the cottage needs digging up, levelling and tarmac adding to the front - and then the gates need adding.  You can see the gateposts already installed waiting for them...

This all starts tomorrow - where chaos and mud will reign for a few more days of the build.  Simon. the landscape gardener, then starts on our garden which is very overgrown.  No more football for the boys this Summer unfortunately.

Mum and Dad move in on Wednesday - which we are looking forward too.  We are almost there - but most importantly, we have moved in.  What a massive achievement for our family - from buying the cottage, renovating it, applying for planning and starting the build to now living in our dream house. I hope the new owners of Fern Cottage appreciate it - it's a beautiful house that we would have been happy in.  However, now we have our forever house that we can keep on being proud of and enjoying forever.

Ann Marie, Dave, Dylan and Aidan

Week 35 - Bathroom tiles complete and paint goes on the walls

So latest news on our new house (so much less stressful than the fact that Spurs are beating Chelsea!). 

The plastering is really coming on.  The kitchen, dining room and lounge is all complete now.  We need to arrange the tiles to come so that they can be fitted before the kitchen starts on the 23rd May.

Not sure if I have put a picture of our stairs before - all those months of having a ladder is forgotten now.

Tiles are now all finished in the main bathroom and in the ensuite.  Love them both - but particularly our ensuite.  Can't wait to see the furniture go in now!  

Some of the rooms upstairs have had their first coat of paint.

This includes our bedroom which now has it's Juilette balcony installed.

The second coat of paint will be done this week so that the wardrobes can be fitted the week after.

Until next time - when hopefully the Premiership race will all be decided!

Week 33 - Service trenches dug and finally the cottage gets a new front wall

It's a little bit sad to see a sold sign outside the cottage.  It feels like we've been through a long journey together and it now feels like our family home.

One of the very last things to do on the renovation was the front garden wall.  We've relaid the path, extended the garden and rebuilt, extended and rendered the wall. 

Here's Dave and Dad working hard on it....

And the finished result - just awaiting a new gate and some stones.  We love it.

Although the front wall looks fantastic, the same cannot be said for the driveway.  It's been dug up to create service trenches for the gas, electric, water and phone.    Today, the gas pipe was laid under the road and tomorrow it's being connected.

Once this is all in place, we can level the driveway, lower the dropped kerb, finish off the surface with decorative stone and install the gates - just in time for the new owners to enjoy it!

Onto our new house, the scaffolding had to come down to dig the service trenches revealing in full the rendered front. 

The new front door with glazing above is now in place - and looks really impressive.

We have some stairs.  The house design has two sets of stairs.  These are the servant ones (or the ones up to the boys annex), the main ones are yet to be installed.

The annex bathroom is now fully tiled.

And tiles have now started to go on in the main bathroom.  Unfortunately, we ran out of the grey tiles on the statement wall - and there is a five week order delay!  

Our bedroom is now fully plastered.

And the ensuite is ready to go - in fact some tiles have gone on today.

We've also ordered some fitted wardrobes for us and the boys.  

These will be installed prior to the carpets going down - and it will be great to have somewhere to hang our clothes straight away.  No money for new ones yet though!

Look forward to updating you all next time.

Week 31/32 - Mum and Dad's House: Tiles and stairs!

Matt, the carpenter, has been busy this week constructing the staircase in Mum and Dad's house and the door framework to the study.

Matt has also installed pocket doors between the lounge and kitchen/diner.

Upstairs, both bathrooms have now been tiled.  They look fantastic.  We can't wait for the tiler to start in ours now!

Week 31/32 A front door and render starts...

First news is that we have sold Fern Cottage.  It was on the market for just two weeks and our buyers were our second viewers.  This is great news - firstly they are a lovely young family and secondly, we now know that we can finish things that would have been on hold due to cashflow such as our garden - plus a much needed holiday!

There's been a lot going on this week on site and as I have taken some leave from work, Aidan and I baked some brownies as a Friday treat today and shared them with our fantastic building team.  They were well received!

We got a front door on Monday - although we are changing it for a wider one.  The glass above and on the sides will go on next week.

The render started today on the front of the house.  They are back tomorrow morning to finish off the walls they started today - no lie in for us then!

When it's all done - next week apparently - the scaffolding will finally be dismantled.  At this point, the service trenches will be dug ready for the gas, electricity, water and most vitally, for Dylan and Aidan, the phone/broadband connection to all be turned on at the end of the month.

The roof is now complete - with installed solar panels to give us a ready supply of hot water.

And talking of hot water, all of the underfloor heating is now installed ready for the screed on Monday.  

Apparently there are six thermostatic valves controlled by the below pipework.  I am sure I will get used to it!  Underfloor heating needs to be left on all the time, which I am assured by the plumber, is cheaper than central heating.

Upstairs, many of the rooms have been plasterboarded and skimmed, which has allowed us to see the generous size of the rooms.  

The ensuite in bedroom 5 will have the tiles put on next week.

So all moving foward - which is good as we now have a deadline of 8-12 weeks before our buyers want to move into the cottage.  Always good to have a deadline to work to!