The old owners of my house would walk in and notice minimal changes. The colour scheme is the same. None of the major features have changed. It’s still got wooden plantation shutters. The light fittings are the same.

They might notice the new front door. They would definitely notice the new tiled floor in the hall. I doubt that they would notice the gates have been replaced or new outside lights. I have tried to only replace those things that were broken or missing. The kitchen now has blinds. The bedroom fitted wardrobes. But I went with the same general atheistic.

I suppose the biggest change is to the bathroom upstairs. It much bigger for starters as I moved the wall and everything been replaced. The study on the other hand is almost identical. It’s funny because the most impactful changes actually cost very little. Painting the staircase. Putting up a metal handrail. Changing the flooring in the hall.

I completed a lot of projects they started. The long wooden planter in the courtyard that they built is now full of plants. The boxes of new spot lights they left are now installed in the bathroom. The big stack of flooring tiles now grace the bathroom floor. The Fired Earth tiles they choose are now installed the fireplace in the spare room.

A lot of things haven’t been to my taste. I would have much preferred a stone floor to the kitchen. I hate the modern hollow doors they installed. How I wish they had kept the old solid wooden doors. I would love to replace the block pavers in the courtyard.

I think they would be a lot warmer. The ceiling in the hall extension is now insulated. The pipes in the loft are lagged. The chimneys are capped off. The thick rug with its thermal underlay has made the lounge more habitable as has the thick carpet upstairs. I have prioritised security and energy efficiency. All the lights are now low energy. The old broken security lights have been replaced. There are modern multipoint locking external doors. But basically the house looks the same on the surface.

I have done little details. Like plastering the under stairs cupboard. Fitting missing skirting boards. Repairing the broken door to the garage. Replacing the blown window in the bathroom. Replacing the leaking outside tap. The crumbling window sill. I suppose some people would say I lack inspiration or vision. But I liked the bones of what was here. I just wanted to execute it slightly better. I don’t really see the point of buying somewhere only to rip out things that don’t need changing.

But have I put my stamp on the house? Does it feel like my house? Or someone else’s house with my furniture in it? Well I have to admit it doesn’t really feel like my house. But I get a sense of satisfaction when I step on my new door step. Or walk over the cobbled path to the out house. I love the paneling in the spare room. I would love to get some new furniture suited to the scale of the house. I really want a hedge out the front. I would like to make major structural changes. Vault the ceiling in the kitchen to create that real wow factor. Install a metal veranda along the side return. Replace those awful hallow doors.

I feel at last I am making the house mine. The new radiators really make a statement. I wish I could have afforded new ones everywhere. But so much of the expenditure is hidden. The insulation under the floor. The ventilation in the soffits. The new shower door which cost over a thousand pounds. The new kitchen tap that was almost identical to the old one except it doesn’t leak.

I’ve tried to introduce pattern. The tiles in the hall. The new bathroom floor. The stripe up the stairs runner. It was very plain before. But basically I’ve let the exposed brickwork and built in carpentry do the talking. I think it’s more cohesive. I think it’s less tatty and more finished.

I’ve been busying myself taking rubbish to the dump and buying materials. The plumber has been putting in the new radiators. This entailed draining down the whole system. I did think that perhaps I was being extravagant replacing perfectly functional radiators. But they were scratched, with rust spots and full of cat hair. My elder daughter and I did clean them out soon after I moved in but the bush we were using wasn’t long enough to get to the bottom. As a result I have no hot water which is a challenge. I had my daily shower at the gym. I ache so much from carrying heavy bags of rubble I only do ten minutes on the rowing machine and then shower. I boil a kettle to wash up.

There’s one radiator I couldn’t replace, because I couldn’t find the right size and I have just changed the valves on this. I am trying to get rid of the shiny chrome from this room so the hardware is a consistent colour. I have filled, rubbed down and painted the walls behind them. Being column radiators the wall will show through. The black handles on the valves picks out the black elsewhere in the room.

We are going to need to plaster where the skirting boards have come off and the pipes have been adapted. I’m getting to the point where I need to get the rubbish removed otherwise I won’t be able to get in the house.

The new Oak flooring is coming on Monday and we are on schedule to complete the subfloor in time. I am very conscious it must be a complete nightmare for my neighbour. Today we started digging out the rubble and it turned out to be an old hearth they had removed. It was made of really cute mini bricks. We managed to save quite a number of these. I will try and sell them along with the old floor boards. I seemed to filled the garage again after spending months emptying it.

We still didn’t find anything really interesting under the floor. A ball from Subbuteo, an old cat toy, a guitar plectrum, more old bits of pipe. Interestingly the network of pipes from the old gas lighting system is still in place. The walls underneath the floors have holes in them for ventilation. We’ve been clearing these out and the side vents. I have been paranoid that we will damage the new hearth. Then just as we were clearing out the last bit we found a letter. It’s a love letter from Ernest to Ada. Still in its envelope. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a date. It’s been a bit chewed by mice. I searched the Census records but I couldn’t find any one of that name living at the house.

Unfortunately the bay window isn’t plumb. It must have dropped over the years. This made installing the radiator challenging. We ended up installing that slightly out of plumb as well so it didn’t draw attention to the drop too much. With that discovery my plan to put paneling underneath the window is out.

Whist the plumber was around I have been planning my next project. Not that I can face anymore refurbishing works for months. The gas supply to the boiler is an insufficient size for the boiler. So I am going to need to replace a large section of pipework. He reckons we can remove the old boilers without scaffolding by dismantling them in the loft. His preference is for a cheaper Ideal Standard boiler, with cheaper readily available parts rather than a more expensive boiler. I think I am going to leave the Velux as I want to move it to over the stairs so I can create a light well. This would mean creating a vaulted ceiling over the landing with a high level Velux to introduce some passive ventilation. All in all I am pleased with the progress although the mess and upheaval has been horrendous.

I’ve been planning this for ages. I’ve ordered the wood. Wide engineered planks, cross sawn and smoked. It was a long process. I even visited Havwood’s showroom in London. I needed to see the flooring over a larger area. To decide on your flooring with a small sample is impossible. The traditional column radiators are in the garage. The solid antique brass values have arrived.

I love brass. I have really leaned into solid brass in the renovation. Like the lock on the meter cupboard. Like the light fittings. The plumber is booked for Monday. As expected the pipes under the floor need lagging. This in itself will save energy. The old hearth was still under the floor. We smashed up and removed it. It was damp underneath. This is the only place so far we have found a rotten joist.

We have reinstalled the blocked up air vent. The old floor was engineered pine. In places it was worn right through to the plywood backing. It was at least fitted on a thin insulated underlay.

I wanted to put back the original floorboards but it’s much cheaper and more energy efficient to put back tongue and grove chipboard. We’re got for extra thick so it’s the same height as the original. None of the skirting boards were original either so they won’t be going back either. Unfortunately bits of the lime plaster came off with them. So that needs making good as well. I now have a massive pile of rubbish to get rid of, just as I finished clearing the old pile from the new door step. I might have to resort to a grab lorry this time. I am going to try and sell the floor boards. We have reinforced the rotten joist and dug out the rubble beneath it to create an air gap. The pipes to the radiators have been hammered flat so they fitted beneath the skirting boards.

It’s awful living in a house while major renovations are happening. There is dust everywhere. I should have done this project first. Then I could have used the reclaimed boards for repairs upstairs.

The sofa is being taken away on Wednesday to have the cushions recovered. It will be great to get some more furniture out of the house. We are doing the dinning room first and then the lounge.

I haven’t found anything interesting. Just some old abandoned pipework and taps. A one pence piece from 2002. That tallies with how old I thought the floor was. That type of flooring with lots of little random slates was very popular in the early 2000’s..

Seeing the room empty helps me really appreciate the space. I will set the room up slightly differently afterwards. I am really temped the panel under the bay window. Everyone keeps asking what colour I will paint it but I am tempted to keep it the same. I know it makes the room look dark but I really like the colour as it changes in the light. But that said I was unsuccessful in getting it scanned the right colour. It’s come out much darker.

That said, the existing colour may not look good against the new flooring.

I am still under decided in which direction to lay the floor. My builder says it would look better length ways. But in the meantime I am living on a building site and walking across floor joists and there’s a large pile of insulation. Of course Basil is having a whale of a time.

I was very conscious that it was really important to get it right. I did consider buying a bungalow but instead went for a semi detached house. Having come from a detached house I wanted somewhere where I didn’t have too many attached neighbours. But also I wanted to be in a town where I could walk everywhere. It was important that there was near a station and had good transport links. I didn’t want to be too far away from where my children are living but as that is London, houses are expensive. Ideally I wanted to buy in Chelmsford on the main railway line but I couldn’t find anything I liked.

I looked a quite a few houses but nothing seemed right. I needed storage and many smaller houses don’t have a garage or loft. One of the things that really attracted me to this house was the built in bookcases and under stairs storage. The access to the loft. And of course a separate out building.

I do have a private pension and will be entitled to a full state pension but nevertheless I am not expecting to be well off in retirement. So a property that was cheap to run was essential. This is a low council tax band because was banded before it was extended. But that said it’s not very energy efficient. I am hoping to improve the energy rating as part of the refurbishment. One of the first things I did was install a water meter to save money.

Moving is really daunting for older people. I had a lot of possessions which make it difficult and expensive to move. I am not intending to move again. It’s way too much upheaval. But since I moved here I have continued to sell things.

I would be lying if I said that I have adapted easily. I still miss having more space. Indeed I got rid of a large Welsh Dresser that took up too much room and made the Dining Room feel cramped. I am also got a smaller sofa. I want to put a vaulted roof in the Kitchen to make it feel more spacious.

Having a bathroom on the ground floor was essential. At some point I might not be able to manage the stairs. I am not sure my stair case is big enough for a stair lift. The garden is probably too big for me. That said it’s mainly hard standing and I have really enjoyed tending it since I moved in.

But the elephant on the room is why I picked a house that needed so much work? Well I guess the first thing to say is I did not appreciate how much worked it needed. But also I could see the potential and wanted a project. Something to give me a purpose now that I am on my own. I also wanted to make my mark and leave something really beautiful behind.

Once I moved in I did do a few things to the house to make it more assessable and suitable for someone in their sixties. I installed a handrail up the steep steps to the front door. I had this made for me so it was more decorative. I also put a handrail up the steep, narrow stair case. I suppose I should put grab rails in the bathroom. There is actually planning permission for a downstairs bedroom off the courtyard. In many ways this would make much better use of the space creating an aspect onto the garden from the new french doors on the bedroom. But it would mean demolishing the garage.

Interestingly this extension was never fully implemented with the bit in red never built. The ceiling is vaulted. I think it’s weird that bedroom doesn’t have patio doors onto the garden. But in many ways it would be the prefect layout for me.

On my original list of things to do when I moved in was replacing the fence. But actually it’s not that rotten. I still need to paint it. The previous owners had made a bit of a go at improving the curb appeal. They replaced the tired block paving with a new resin drive. This is a nightmare to keep looking good. I had it professionally cleaned but it cost a fortune. They also installed a low brick wall with railings and set of steps going up to the front door. The drive used to flood but I cleared out the drain. It was my least favourite job of the renovation. I also bought a new cast iron drain cover. The old plastic one used to float off, letting debris down the drain.

I had the gutters repaired and the assortment of cables and cable ties tidied up. I painted the wall below the damp proof course. And of course I had a hand rail installed. Overall I am not pleased with the steps. The top step is way too small. Making it difficult to lock the door without tripping. There were four screw holes in the wall where the old Ring doorbell was. I put in a new doorbell but only managed to cover up two of the holes. I repainted the faded house number.

I’ve had a new front door installed but the brickwork still looks awful. There are paint marks where it’s been overpainted. Missing bricks which the new windows were installed. The overall proportions of the bay window are wrong. With a curved Upvc window pillars rather than the original square. To get the whole front elevation repaired and repointed would cost a fortune. I have a quote to replace all the windows on the front and it’s nearly £12,000.

A picture from 1910 shows how the front bay should look. I also installed an outside light. I choose a neutral bulkhead light. Originally there would have been a light in the storm porch but this is now the internal light within the hall. I choose a reeded glass shade for here which I really like. I intend to install a lot more reeded glass. In particular in the transoms upstairs.

My friend Jez and I walked down the street critically evaluating the front of each house. I wish I had installed a wooden front door. Like the one in this picture. Look at the lovely detailing around the door. My house originally had that. But it’s all been lost when the ugly modern extension replaced the original storm porch. Luckily they did roof it in slate which shows some appreciation of the original materials. Presumably this was done when they covered the roof in ugly concrete tiles. As part of the hall extension the window over the front door was blocked in.

We even found it under a piece of plywood when I insulated the freezing cold hall. Ideally I would have liked to reinstall this and I still might. I think the traditional tiles I used to replace the laminate in the hall have made it much better. We put down self levelling compound before we installed the tiles but one has still cracked. I am glad I took my builders advice not to tile the bathroom upstairs. He tells me that tiled floors always crack eventually in older houses, no matter what you do. It’s annoying but luckily it’s hidden by the door mat.

Even though I had the ceiling lowered to install the insulation there still enough height for the light. I want to replace the modern internal door. It’s one of those awful hollow ones. I have had several quotes but it’s really expensive. I know exactly what I want.

The thing I most want to do is get some of the York Stone taken up so I can have a hedge in front of the low wall. This will give some much needed privacy and greenery. I planted wall flower seeds down the crack between the pavement and wall, which looked lovely when they first flowered but now look a real mess.

Wooden flooring

I have reserved the wood. It took a long time to research the flooring and included a visit to London but it’s done. The floor is ordered. I will get it delivered in the week the work begins. I will have to take a few days off work. The garage is clearer but there’s still more work to do. I’ve sold a couple of items and done a dump run but I still want to make sure I have plenty of space to store materials. There’s not only the wood, but underlay and insulation as well. But I am worried about what they might find when they take the floor up. Rotting rafters? Damp walls? The void full of rumble? I could be in for some unexpected expenses. But most of all I am dreading the mess.

I need to move as much as I can out of the lounge. Once again the Out House comes to my rescue providing a safe place to store my possessions. I was hoping that I could hang out in there whist I don’t have a lounge but I think it’s going to be too full with stuff.

Radiators

I have booked the plumber to come whilst the floor is open to install new radiators. If the pipes are unlagged, like they were in the loft, they will need lagging. One of the prime motivations is making the house more energy efficient. I struggled to find the right sizes. While I could go for slighly wider or slightly smaller I want to keep them roughly the same and centred under the Window. Traditional column style radiators are essential for the look I am trying to achieve. That said I am only replacing two. There no point in ripping out the ones that were installed within the last five years.

The other issue is that you can see the wall behind column radiators which is still painted cream. So I took one of the doors of the built in cupboard to get the colour matched. But as is usual, I find, the matched paint looks much darker. I will rub down and paint the wall behind each radiator. I am just hoping that it won’t show that it is slightly darker.

I am struggling with the colour in the lounge. I really like it but it’s too dark. I want something more neutral. I might arrange for a colour consultation. I know it’s a waste of money but I just can’t decide. If I can’t much the colour I am going to have to repaint the lounge and dinning room anyway. I think I would still keep the original colour for the built in cabinetry.

Patio and new step

The patio started sinking soon after I moved in. I guess it’s the hot Summers but sometimes I think it’s the house complaining. I am having a new step. The old step appeared to be made of stone covered in concrete. It was also quite small. I am also getting a drain to go in front of the garage which floods. I also want to try and prevent the garage doors from rotting further. This is a boring and expensive job I wish didn’t need doing. I also need to try and buy some sort of product to clean the block pavers. I would have liked to replace them but my budget didn’t allow.

Garage Drainage

I had the new drain fitted in front of the garage. The flooding actually been a lot better since I started cleaning out the gutters. I also put leaf traps in the top of the down pipes. We are going to cut the bottom inch off the garage doors. Then I will get them repaired.

General Maintenance

Summer is traditionally the time I get the chimney swept. It’s an annual job that has to be done. After all this work I can’t risk a chimney fire. I also get the boiler serviced annually. Again it’s all about energy efficiency. It’s never ending. On Thursday the gas boiler had its service but was condemned. Apparently the flue had got hot and cracked, allowing exhaust fumes to vent into the case. Also the case had cracked as well due to the hot fumes. £270 worth of parts later, it was fixed. Luckily I have a service plan so only had to pay the £60 excess. While has was repairing it I got his views on the best boiler replacements. Replacing my boiler is on my five year plan, I will use the opportunity to get rid of the other old boiler, replace the Velux and take off the ugly roof vent from the old boiler. I am concerned that the external vent to the existing boiler looks pretty gnarly. Interestingly he said the only other time he has seen a loft tent was when he was when he worked on a house with a Cannabis farm in the loft!

Sofa

Just when things couldn’t get any busier, my friend Jez decides to get a new sofa. Oh how I wish I was at that stage! I never dreamt over three years after I moved in I would still be tackling major refurbishment projects. I would have thought I would be doing the nice interior design bit by now. But I have always liked his old sofa. A classic Chesterfield in Ox blood red so it makes sense to get it while it’s available. More expense and more organising to get it picked up. The cushions are cracked and worn and need replacing so I got a quote to replace them. I am going to use the old leather for the piping around them to tie them in with the original. I chose a velvet fabric which my daughter says looks like Velour. She said it was very “Essex” the ultimate insult. I am having the chrome feet replaced with more traditional wooden bun feet. I also intend to get the chair recovered. Perhaps in the same fabric as the cushions for the sofa? I’ll have to see what they look like.

I don’t think I can sell my old sofa. It’s been scratched by Basil. And I am doubtful the old floor can be salvaged. Recycling and buying second hand was one of my goals for this project, one I must admit hadn’t always been achieved. How cool would an old gym floor have been?

I now just need to shop for the finishing touches. A new metal door mat. Sticky pads to go under the chairs so they don’t scratch the new floor. Block paver cleaner. A set of fire tools.

As is often the way, the year started off with measures aimed at battling the cold. I had a new triple glazed window in the bathroom. I had wanted to keep the new thermal blind I had installed the previous year but it wouldn’t fit. The new window has made a huge difference the comfort in the bathroom. It does make me wish I could do the whole house. I also changed the door furniture to silver to match the kitchen handles.

The big project was doing the upstairs toilet. This involved moving the study wall and installing an electric towel rail. I also got a wireless toothbrush charger installed. I had the walls panelled instead of tiling. The cistern is hidden in a false wall, which I packed full of insulation. There is now a separate basin instead of the combined toilet and basin that was there before. I am really pleased with the vinyl floor tiles, which are really unusual and lifted the whole project. Whist the wall was reinstated in the study I replaced the missing skirting board and changed the power points to chrome so they are now consistent throughout the study and hall. I need to repeat this process throughout the house.

But I also achieved lots of little wins. I refurbished the meter cupboard doors. I had wanted to buy reclaimed ones but they were so expensive that just decided to use some of the left over paneling from the bathroom to tart them up a bit. I also used a beautiful cupboard lock that I originally bought for the under stairs cupboard.

During the bathroom refurbishment I also replaced the Kitchen tap that was leaking. I think that why there was so much maintenance to be done in the house, is the previous owners were too preoccupied with new projects and just neglected the basic stuff. I also had the resin drive cleaned. And the kitchen chimney capped off. I also finally got round to replacing the broken fence panels. I also replaced a crumbling window sill.

The other big project was removing the paint from the outside walls around the courtyard. I actually started doing this last year but it wasn’t finished until fairly recently. The exposed brickwork was in a bad state of repair so I had to replace quite a few bricks. The courtyard is finally shaping up before the veranda is installed.

I did a couple of little jobs in the garden, like putting up a trellis to support the Jasmine and replacing the rusty hanging baskets brackets. I also planted three pleached hornbeams to match the five in the other side. They have required a lot of watering to keep them alive. Just when I thought the house had no more secrets to reveal, I found a rusty piglet made out of recycled oil drums.

But the all in all I felt downhearted with the lack of progress until I wrote this. There is still so much to do and progress seems at a snail’s pace. But actually when you look back I had achieved quite a bit.

The next six months will be just as hectic. Refurbishing the patio and building a new step. Installing a drain in front of the garage. But the biggest job is the new engineered floor in the lounge. I also want to replace two of the radiators. I recently got an old sofa off a friend that I want to replace the cushions on. And then there are lots of little jobs, like replacing the metal no parking sign and repairing the spare room door architrave.

They put in a new kitchen, rewired and plastered it, put back in period fireplaces and landscaped the garden. This included a new resin drive and York Stone paved area out the front with a new garden wall. I was told by the builder that did it, that this alone cost £10,000. They also moved and replaced some of the radiators as well as installing shutters. They had the chimney lined and put in a log burner. My builder estimates the kitchen cost at least £20,000. It has new Neff appliances including two multifunction ovens, an induction hob, dishwasher, fridge freezer and wine fridge. It has Quartz worktops. In all probability it cost nearer £30,000.

I recently bought three pleached Hornbeams and they cost £399 each. They put in five and a new York Stone patio, railway sleeper beds and lush underplanting and new fences. The garden would in the region of £12,000 and had only just been completed. They spent as least £50,000 on the house and probably a lot more. There was bespoke carpentry in the lounge and study, expensive Buster and Punch light switches and sockets and fantastic light fittings from John Lewis. I owe them an amazing debt of gratitude.

Also house prices have traditionally gone up over time. Over that five year period they owned the house, the price of the house would have increased in value. So overall they only made a small profit for all that work they put in. Take out stamp duty and fees and they made a substantial loss.

Building materials have gone up significantly since lock down. They are at least 30% more expensive than they were. Timber has gone up even more. It’s now very difficult to make money on houses. They also left a lot of building materials that I have subsequently used or sold. Loads of tiles including the ones I used for my bathroom and fireplace hearth. Recessed spot lights I used for the bathroom. Numerous light switches and sockets I used in the study. I’ve used a lot of their unopened tins of paint, builders sand and kiln dried wood.

A lot of their work I just completed. Painting the unfinished joinery in the study. Putting back missing skirting boards. Varnishing the stripped back floorboard in the study. Nurturing the plants they planted.

Of course not recouping what you spend doesn’t matters if it’s your forever home. Investing in your house can make good financial sense. Capital gains on your main residence is ignored. Houses up to £500,000 can be passed on with incurring inheritance tax. Old houses are better built than modern ones. They tend to have bigger rooms and higher ceilings. And of course so much more character than a new house.

Energy efficiency measures also have a payback. The triple glazed window I put in the bathroom will save me a bit of money. Lagging the pipes in the loft has probably already paid for itself. A new boiler will be much more efficient than an older one. The new front door and insulation in the hall ceiling has made a noticeable difference.

But I need to make sure I don’t get carried away. You could easily spend £100,000 on this house if you got carried away. New windows and doors cost a fortune. At least £20,000. And then there are the bigger projects I am considering. Like the veranda and making the ceiling vaulted in the kitchen.

Of course it’s different if you can do it yourself. I can’t but I can save money getting rid of rubbish and decorating afterwards. But I can’t save substantial amounts. Projects which will add no value include replacing the glass in the transoms. Redesigning the front garden to make room for a hedge. Insulating the Out House. The only real way to add value is to add space. A loft conversion or an extension. But there’s a ceiling price for the road. About £400k in my case.

I think the days where you could flip a house to make money are well and truly over. And perhaps that’s a good thing.

I suppose it started with the dripping tap. When I first moved in the list of jobs was about repairs things that weren’t working. I couldn’t resist peeling off some of the flaking paint.

I tried removing the paint myself but eventually succumbed to getting it removed professionally.

Along the way I also had rather crumbling window still repaired.

I’d already removed the collection of rusty cable ties and had the down pipe painted.

So I decided to have the damaged and missing bricks replaced. It turned out to be a much bigger job than I expected.

The old privy door hadn’t been bricked up very well. Indeed part of the wall consisted of screwed up newspaper covered in covered in cement. I began to regret my decision. But now it’s all done and hopefully will hold up for another one hundred years.

The mess and the cost make me realise how lucky I am that the fireplaces in the house have been done so well.

I now face the epic job of replacing the wooden floors down stairs. I have been sourcing air bricks to reinstall where the originals have been blocked up. This has proved impossible because my bricks aren’t a standard size. Imperial bricks were standardised in 1903 but mine are thinner. Even though I think the house was built in 1905. Modern metric bricks were standardised in the 1960’s and all the reproduction air bricks are metric. I also need new column style radiators to replace the old rusty and dented moderns ones. I will also get traditional wooden radiator valves.

It all makes we wonder whether I should have been braver. Should I have put back the transom window over the front door? I am constantly torn between wanting things clean and neat looking and putting back the original character.

I am still debating whether to get new internal doors or source period ones.

I gave up trying to source vintage cupboard doors for the meter cupboard settling on using some of the left over tounge and grove from the bathroom.

But for a truly amazing house you have to brave. And that means adding light and height. A vaulted ceiling in the kitchen which will make the most of the oversized arch.

A metal Victorian veranda over the back door would really add that wow factor. But am I brave enough?

Firstly my house has the unique ability to be freezing in the Winter and boiling hot in the Summer. It was hotter in my house than it was outside. I got the chimneys capped off in the first Summer in preparation for the bad weather and it had a noticeable impact on the temperature in the house. I got it done in August and even that first day the temperature increased.

Of course the fact it had solid walls doesn’t help. They soak up the heat and so make the whole house feel like a sauna. Not that’s there’s anything I can do about that. I’ve already ruled out internal and external wall insulation. It would be too costly and disruptive. The suspended floor is another source of heat loss/gain so when the underfloor insulation is installed hopefully that will improve things a bit.

I have been grateful for the shutters. At least they let me control the solar gain by filtering out the light. However, hot sunlight still directly comes in via the front door And the back door, both of which are glazed. I am reviewing my decision to install a glass hall door. The hall is a later addition, with walls just one brick wide, so it’s noticeably hotter than the rest of the house. I am so glad I insulated the ceiling in here. There is definitely a benefit having a solid door in this weather. But then the lounge is very dark so I am not sure I will abandon the idea. And whist I love the colour of the walls in the lounge, I feel it makes the room look dark. They will need repainting anyway once the new floor is in.

The lounge also had two South facing side windows. These were clearly added later. They have no shutters so let light flood in. I didn’t install shutters over these as I felt it would make the room too busy. Perhaps I need to revisit this decision. I want to change these anyway, as the frames are too heavy.

I installed blinds in the kitchen which have been very useful. The windows in that room are South facing as well. I definitely need to do something about the back door. Putting a porch over it would solve the problem. I am not sure the glass veranda I have planned will make much difference. That said some outside space that had some measure of shade would be very welcome.

I think I need to install some sort of pergola in the dry garden. There is literally no shade which makes it pretty unusable. There is no real connection with the house and the garden. The only downstairs window that overlooks the garden is the bathroom. And that window is obscured. That said the new triple glazed window I installed has been good at keeping the heat out as well as in. My original plan was to swap over the study and the bathroom and put french doors in the new downstairs study. But I abandoned this idea. And having installed a new toilet upstairs I am not prepared to go back on this decision.

My big plan for the kitchen is the vaulted ceiling. This will have a skylight. Again the unseasonably hot weather had made me reevaluate this. I am longing for a sense of more space without creating more square footage. The main benefit of this would be I could insulate the extension roof. Improving the heat lost and indeed the heat gain in the summer. Surely higher ceilings would help with the heat as heat rises? But I definitely would need a blind. I think triple glazing is a must for the Velux as well. Indeed triple glazing the whole house is becoming more attractive. One only thinks of the heat loss but solar gain is a big consideration as well.

I have a door on my stairs which has been very useful as upstairs is much hotter than downstairs. I had been thinking of removing the wall to make an open stair case but I definitely won’t be doing this now. Although if I ever do a loft conversion, the stairs will need turning round anyway. Having a really lovely bannisters and a mahogany handrail would really elevate the space.

In the hot weather, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube refurbishment channels. For the first time, I have been watching a U.S. channel which has been great but frustrating because the building techniques are so different. But also, as it’s based in Philadelphia, it considers hot weather as well as cold. But the main reason I watch is for inspiration. It quietens that nagging voice in my head that questions why I am doing this and why I am wasting money on expensive finishes. But the joy of living somewhere beautiful and unique, is difficult to put a price on.

Retiring is one of life’s big decisions. Like getting married. Or having children. It’s impossible to know how long you will live. My Dad died at 66 when he was still working, my Grandad at 68.

But what would I do? Well there’s still loads to do on the house. And some major work that will cause quite a bit of upheaval. I don’t have any Grandchildren which is a shame but I guess it’s possible that they would come along.

I think working during the Summer, especially when it’s hot, makes you yearn to leave work. I’d much rather be in the garden. Or down the gym. Of course it would be nice to spend more time on my blog and indeed playing board games. I can’t really see myself playing a lot of games solo. I would also take the opportunity to do a big cull of my collection. I never seem to have all the time to do what I want. Work gets in the way of living my life.

I should say I only work four days a week anyway. Perhaps It would better to cut it down to three days a week? I know in my head I have enough money if I am sensible. But I am not sensible. I tend to make the odd impulsive purchases like my Audi TT and recently I bought a piece of typewriter art. That said I am normally pretty sensible. I always and I don’t go on expensive holidays or spend loads eating out. The house has cost a lot more than I thought it would.

I had a quote to fix the garage roof and guttering. It was over £10,000. And I know I have other costs coming up. Like replacing the Velux in the roof. That will require scaffolding. I’ll do it when I replace the boiler. Plus I’ll remove the old one and the ugly flue that protrudes from the roof.

There are other more elaborate plans. A veranda out side the back door. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been tidying up the court yard and removed all the paint from the walls. I also want to make the ceiling vaulted in the Kitchen extension. Both of these projects will cost a lot of money.

The main reason for doing the roof is to improve the insulation in the roof. I am still seeking out ways to reducing the energy costs of running this house. I might invest in an air fryer. New double glazed windows. The new window in the bathroom has made a big difference. I’ve ruled out solar panels. I don’t have a south facing roof.

Other potential expenses include a new car, replacing the flooring, new windows. The list goes on. I’ve written a five year plan which I have already shared. But what about unexpected expenses?

And that the thing. Retirement is risky. It’s really a question as to if I can get to now until 67 before my state pension kicks in. I am also worried that the government might increase it to 68. I’ve already seen it rise from 60 to 67. But surely they wouldn’t raise it again with such little notice?

A lot of our self esteem comes from work. Plus it provides a sense of purpose as well as social opportunities and friends and colleagues. Last Summer we went on an awesome sailing trip on a thames barge down the Blackwater.

I’ve was jealous reading about Jamey Stegmairer’s trip on the BGG cruise. I must admit it’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while. I just need to persuade Jez or one of my daughters to look after Basil. Which won’t be easy. He really didn’t like it when I went to Italy.

So there’s a lot to think about.

Like everything to do with the house it wasn’t easy. It was obvious why the panels I had done, hadn’t been replaced like the rest of the fencing. The old and broken panels were in inaccessible place. The end panel by the garage and the panel behind the extension. They couldn’t be easily lifted out and replaced like the others because if over hanging roofs. I’d also forgotten when I had the joint replaced on the armoured cable to the Out House and that they had screwed the junction box to the fence.

The problem with refurbishing an old house is that you live with all the bodged jobs of the previous occupants. I couldn’t work out where the supply to this cable comes from. I tried switching off the consumer unit in the garage. But that didn’t work. Neither did the junction box in the spare bedroom. Even though I know that controls the outside lights. Finally I gave up and switched off the main switch to the whole house. I didn’t want to risk frying the fencing contractor.

As it was we had a power cut on Wednesday so all the clocks on the ovens and heating are wrong anyway. Interestingly the video doorbell rings when the power comes back. This happened on Wednesday as well. I went racing downstairs, even though it was 11pm in the evening. I was worried about Basil who had been missing for ages. I opened the front door in my pyjamas to find Basil sitting on the front doorstep. I had wondered who had rung the bell for him and now I know.

I am getting to the stage now where nearly every job is impacted by previous jobs. Why hadn’t I got the fence done earlier? Before I had the cable repaired? Before we built the log store? Anyway with a great deal of difficulty he replaced all the broken fence panels. I must try and plan ahead better.

A big part of any refurbishment is sorting out the money. Recently I’ve spent a lot of time moving money around into higher rate savings accounts. Making sure I still have some money in instant access. This is the part no one tells you about. All the researching and admin. Registering guarantees. Getting quotes. I try to buy when materials are on offer.

Sometimes I get dejected. Wishing I had bought, what I have always bought before, a new house. But I keep reminded myself of how far I have come. And it’s all be done properly.

On another development Jez has decided to replace his sofa. It’s a vintage Chesterfield in Ox blood red. I might buy this from him. It needs the cushions recovering but I think it would fit the aesthetic of my house quite well. And it’s slightly smaller than my old one. Besides Basil has ruined mine scratching the leather. And I can’t afford to take the risk that Basil would ruin a new sofa.

After the set back of the wooden floors, I have emailed Havwoods to ask if they will still do the trade discount. It will be weeks before my daughter is back as an architect at another practice. And I really don’t want to do such a mammoth job in the Winter. I am still working on clearing out the garage. I am going to need the space to store everything during the job.

I’ve out loads of stuff on Facebook sales. That’s the other thing no one tells you about. All the dump runs. Selling stuff. Taking things back that don’t fit. I’ve decided to sell my blackboard. I had thought I might put it up in my board game den. To write down scores. But it doesn’t really fit with the aesthetic of that room. That’s another big job that needs doing.

I discovered the smell is the deteriorating underlay under the laminate floor. Apparently it’s a known problem with laminate flooring that was fitted in the 1990’s. And there I was blaming the previous owners for not wiping the sweaty floor whilst they used the Out House as a gym. But I am thinking if I am going to replace the floor, I might as well insulate the walls. But right now I am just concentrating on the main house.

My next job is to source traditional column style radiators and wooden topped radiator valves. If replacing the floor goes ahead, then I will get the radiators replaced then. The pipes come up from under the floor. I suspect they won’t be insulated like the pipes in the loft. No wonder my energy bills were so high. I have nearly halved them but they are still too high. I am going to get beautiful bee radiator stays. After all they work I want in indulge in some frippery.

I’ve been chasing up the tradesmen that haven’t come back to me. I’ve decovered the builder who quoted for the bricklaying is on holiday. Good trades people are invariably busy. You have to wait ages.

I had booked to have the downstairs floor replaced but I had to cancel it. This would have been my biggest job to date and the most expensive one. Quotes were coming in at around £10,000. I was struggling to find the engineered Oak planks I wanted. I involved my daughter, who’s an architect and we went to the HavWoods showroom in Clerkenwell. With their helpful advice I finally found the planks I was looking for. Wide, light coloured, slightly distressed and with saw marks on them. Plus as I was ordering them through her firm I got a 30% discount. Then she was made redundant, so I could no longer get the discount. Which made the job over £1500 more expensive. I decided to abandon the idea. The only thing is, I am not sure I can live with the yellowing varnish on my original floor.

I had got quote for the fencing but again this hasn’t happened as the company hadn’t come back to me. It’s the same story with the block paving. I want it cleaned, relaid and a drain put in. I got a quote to do the brickwork but again they haven’t come back to me. The refurbishment project feels jinxed. But that said, it had gone surprisingly well up to this point.

On a more positive front I did manage to source some imperial bricks to replace the damaged and missing ones. The builder who came to quote from the repointing said the house has been repointed in cement although they had put some line in it to look more original. He wasn’t impressed by the motley collection of different bricks and mortar in my walls. Looking closely you can see where various bricks have been replaced by ill fitting metric bricks. I am not replacing them, it’s part of the history of the building. I am happy to live with it like that.

The only positive thing is that at least my new trees are alive and not showing signs of stress. I worked hard to keep my new pleached Hornbeams watered during the heatwave. Often watering them late in the evening when I got home. I also used the opportunity to reseed the lawn and keep that watered as well. I’ve bought a long hedge trimmer to keep them in shape. I can’t afford to get someone in each year to trim the tops. But it is going to be a mammoth job to prune them, now I have eight.

I fed the roses for the first time in the spring and they have gone mad. I’ve been deadheading them. But they need some harsh pruning in the Autumn. I am trying to get better at looking after my amazing garden. I also managed to find time to paint the peeling slates on the bench I had repaired and the meter cupboard I had made last year. Keeping things well maintained is crucial as I won’t have the money to do them again. Really the metal ends of the bench need sandblasting and power coating like the patio furniture.

I haven’t even managed to sell anything. The items on my list of junk to get rid of remain stubbornly unsold. I really want to try and get the garage a bit clearer before Winter comes. I like to out the patio furniture away. It being made worse by the delivery of two more new wheelie bins from the council. I now have a collection of five and they take up a lot of room. I am going to get rid of some of my hoard of boxes, that I keep to sell stuff.

All in all it’s been a very frustrating month.

The courtyard was the most dilapidated part of the house. The gates were rotten. The security lighting broken. The join between the new extension and the old house highlighted by the half painted wall which finished where the extension began.

The wall was peppered with cable clips and rusty hanging basket brackets. The drain pipe was badly painted. The door on the meter cupboard was hanging off and the window sill disintegrating.

This is probably the part of the house I have worked the hardest on. I started by buying new wooden gates. I kept the handforged hinges. Then I got new security lights and planted out my collection of Victorian chimney pots. I had the patio furniture sandblasted and powder coated. But the courtyard still looked tatty.

Next up I removed dozens of cable clips. The drain pipe was painted. The fence painted. The rotting trellis replaced. The huge tree that cast the court yard in shade was cut back. The wooden trough planted.

But still it looked shabby. A new back door followed. The old one was so drafty. A new wooden meter box was commissioned. Holes were repaired. I tried to cheer up the area by putting up festoon lights on the garage.

Finally this week I had the window sill repaired. It was in even worse condition than I fears with big chunks falling off. My plaster Andy had to put shuttering around it to build it back up. It was then rendered.

I had for the longest time wanted to get rid of the white plastic paint covering the lower walls. I had a go with PeelAway but this didn’t shift it although it took off the first layer.

So in the end I decided to call in a sandblasting professional. He actually recommended another chemical removal system using steam. And I am really pleased with the result. It hasn’t changed the colour and it blends in much better. But it has exposed all the broken bricks and concrete patches.

Of course I still need to source some reclaimed soft red bricks to fill in the missing ones. There also some repointing that needs doing. I want to use lime if I can find a bricklayer that uses it. Next up I am having the block paving relaid and a new door step. I am going to paint the white drain pipes black although ideally I would like to replace the lot with something more sympathetic. I must treat myself to a nice wrought iron door mat as well.

Unfortunately the man who did the paint removal spilled some petrol in the courtyard. I didn’t notice until the next day. So as I had half a bag of sand, I poured it over the stain to try and soak it up a bit. Basil then rolled in the sand and he now stinks of petrol. I had to lock him downstairs as I don’t want my bed smelling of petrol. I don’t know what it is about Basil. He seems to have no common sense. Dandelion would have smelt it a mile off and gone no where near it.

The Outhouse

I had the bashed up corner of the Outhouse repaired. I am waiting for it to dry completely before I paint it. I also had the gable end of the Outhouse repainted. The previous owners left a giant tub of white Sandtex in the Garage. I have also had the thin rusty hanging basket brackets removed and replaced with some more robust ones that came from my parent’s house. Things are so thin these days!

The most time consuming project has been putting up a trellis. Sounds easy? But I managed to choose one with no form of fixings. I went into an old fashioned hardware store and they suggested using rubber door stops to fix it to the wall so there was room to tie the ancient Jasmine to it. I am worried that the plant will be too woody to tie to it but it smells so nice that I am not giving up on it until I have tried. Whilst I was clearing out the leaves underneath I found a metal pig made out of old oil drums. It’s by Eeieeio and quite collectible. Another item in the long list of items the previous owners left behind.

The garage

I am stilling clearing out the garage. The biggest project coming up is the insulation on the floor in the main house so it’s crucial the garage is clear. As this is where I am going to store the furniture while it is being done. There was so much stuff left behind by the previous owners that I have made numerous dump runs trying it get rid of things. Many things have gone, including just this week a large roll of foil insulation but there’s a lot more to do. I think the next step is selling the surplus plastic crates. Using the heavy metal hanging baskets will help with this as well as continuing to get rid of the paint. My gut feel now is that now all the paint tins need to go. There were literally dozens of paint tins and I have used a few and I think most of the remaining ones are probably past their best. I’ve got several items up for sale.

Garden

But the majority of work has been outside in the garden. After the mammoth bathroom refurbishment, I can’t face any more dust or upheaval inside. I had the drive cleaned. Apparently the resin drive and York Stone paving cost over £12,000 to install so it made sense to have it cleaned. Perhaps I should have had it sealed as well? I’ve also planted two standard Bay trees in the dragon pots in either corner of the patio.

With the better weather I have been doing a lot of gardening. Feeding the roses, the lawn and the Azaleas. Weeding. Scraping out moss. Sweeping and pruning. I haven’t planted out my pots because I am going away and don’t want them to die. But that will be the top priority when I get back. I also want to repaint the bench. There’s so much to do.

I’ve got a quote for the sandblasting the wall in the courtyard which I am happy with. He wants to take the black paint off that on the bottom of the walls as well. I will make a decision about that when I get the floors taken up and we see can see the condition of the walls. Someone came to look at the patio but has finally come back to me. I am reusing the old block paving but getting it relaid so it’s flat with a slight drop away from the house. I am also having a drain fitted so it doesn’t flood the garage and a new back door step. I finally got round to requesting a quote for the new fencing.

The next project is to repair the cracking render on the window sill. in paces it’s completely disintegrated. Apparently they used this special plaster during Victorian times to imitate stone. It’s difficult to know what to do.

The new hedge I planted last year is thriving. I am continuing to water it. I am loosening the ties in the existing pleached Hornbeams. I had always thought they were Beech until I went to order the other trees. I’ve ordered three more. They were £399 each! I want to try and make the two boarders more symmetrical. So I am going to mirror some of the planting. It makes sense to this now while next door is empty. Same with the fences. I’ve always been worried about who will move in and whether they will make lots of noise. Planting them now should mean they become well established before someone else moves in. I am aware that it’s the south facing elevation, which is why I only choose three. I don’t want to cast their garden into shade. But as it’s over two hundred feet long, so I don’t see it as much of a problem. I have the same issue with the large Laurel hedge from next door that shades my court yard.

The Wall flowers I planted from seed last year are doing well a long the garage wall and the garden wall at the front of the house.

I’ve bought some decorative stakes to try and stop the roses flopping all over the path.

That’s going to it for the garden. I will use the summer to prune the Hornbeams. Really the fences could not with painting. But that’s a huge job. It’s next on the list but I might put it off for next year.

I’ve had someone round to look at the patio but they didn’t come back to me. It houses my large dragon pots, one of which has in it the most expensive plant I have ever bought. A large Olive tree. I’ve just taken off the fleece that was protecting it.

This whole area was looking a bit rough before I moved in with a broken meter box, rotten trellis and gates and lots of weeds and moss. Because it’s sheltered it is hard to keep moss free. The fence I painted is already cover in verdigris again. I want to replace the hanging basket brackets and garage door. My favourite bit is the festoon lights.

The next bit is the garage. This has seen better days. There’s a narrow path besides it that goes up to the steps up to the patio. Either side has another path. It was along the low wall here I panted the new hedge. And it’s still be alive which is more than I can say for the Clematis I planted last year. I’ve bought a new one but I want to put some time in improving the soil before I plant it. The new log store is here and overlooking this part of the garden is my new weather vane. I planted wall flower seeds down the gap between the path and the garage and plants have come up and they do have buds.

The patio is York stone. Some of the slabs are loose. It has boarders all round. This is where I have planted a lot of plants but there’s still plenty of gaps. I have planted some bulbs but I need to plant a lot more. There are two smaller pots with Agapanthus in them. The two bigger dragon pots still need planting. I still haven’t taken out the wooden table and chairs for here out of the garage. There’s a line of pleached beeches that go along the left hand fence. I’d like to plant some on the right hand side too but they are really expensive.

So far this year most of my effort gone into the lawn. I aerated it and scarified it to pull out the moss. Today after cutting it, I applied a feed. After the lawn is the rose garden. I fed these earlier this week as well. There’s a small cobbled area I installed leading to the dry garden. I’d like to put an arch over this, to train climbing roses over. I’ve seen one I like. I might get my carpenter to make one if I can’t find one the right size.

I recently planted out my old toilet in the dry garden. The dry garden was my big project last year and all the plants are thriving. I was a little unsure how well they would do, as I have no idea what the soils like under the weed membrane. The box plant in the planter is drying but it was only a cheap plant from B&M. Plants never do well in that planter. It’s too small. I’ve bought lots of pebbles for this area. I also keep picking them up places and bringing them home. I want some large ones. Ideally I’d like festoon lights for here as well. There’s some gorgeous scented Jasmine by the door into the Out House which needs a trellis. I also planted a large Wisteria. There another seating area here. There’s a large clump of bluebells which have escaped from next door which I am trying to encourage and lots of wild violas.

Behind the Out House there is only my new water butt, which the newly installed gutters drain into. I want to get a compost bin. I need to plant out the pots and hanging baskets over the next month or so. Another job on my list is to paint the planks on my bench. This was repaired for me so after I moved in but the paint on the new planks is coming off. I haven’t had this resprayed yet like the rest of the patio furniture. There an old fence panel I need to rid of. Basil likes sharpening his claws on it. The pallet from the bathroom sanitary ware is still littering the courtyard. Again this is being used as a scratching post. I have a large pot of Cat Nip on the window sill that I grow for Basil. He just tends to sit on it, like a loaf in a baking tin.

I think my next project is going to be replacing the damaged fencing. At the moment I am topping up the bark on the boarders. I also need to get some feed for the two Azelas. They didn’t do very well last year because the soil is mainly clay.

I don’t really know what I am doing but I’m just trying to preserve what was here.

It expensive to get rid of rubbish. I paid a skip hire company to take away my rubbish when I was refurbishing my bathroom. And it cost £280. But it was too much for me to dispose of. And the bath and toilet wouldn’t have fitted in my car. During the first year I was going to the dump twice a week. It didn’t help that the previous owners left lots of stuff behind. I try to get rid of what I can in the wheelie bin but it takes a lot of planning.

When I refurbished my recent upstairs toilet I decided to takeaway all the rubish myself to save money. This necessitated numerous dump runs. I couldn’t fit the toilet in my Caroline so I turned it into a planter.

I am so lucky I have the garage to store stuff in. Mind you that’s been the main place the rubbish was left by the previous owners. It took months to clear out the stuff they left and there’s still quite a bit to do. Just this week I took the final pieces of wood from the loft down the tip. It’s hard work and my two seater sport car not really suited to dump runs. Afterwards I have to hoover that out to keep it clean and tidy.

Often there’s loads of cardboard and packaging to get rid of when you order things. Bigger items come on pallets. I always try to keep rubbish in the garage or the Out house. It’s more work to move it there but I don’t like putting wet rubbish in my car.

I stored spare furniture and items for sale in the Out House. I stored my clothes in there when the fitted wardrobes were being built and afterwards when I was painting them. If you are refurbishing a home it’s really useful to have a space to store materials until you need them. It will also come into its own when I have the wooden floor replaced in the main house. Not only by providing storage space for furniture but a useful space to hang out in the evening.

Moving the wall in the study to creat a bigger bathroom made a hell of a mess. There was dust everywhere. Luckily it coincided with my flea infestation. Yes Basil’s new girlfriend has fleas! I had to completely hoover every inch of the house four times and spray to get rid of them. I was really worried that they would make a home in the builders dust sheets.

Now the builders have gone, I’m trying to get rid of the dust and do all the little jobs like touching up wood work. Of course every time you do something it makes the surrounding areas look worse. Also the black staircase always gets knocked when I do jobs upstairs. I did rub it down and undercoat it before I painted it black. But it always chips back to the white.

I think I am going to completely paint the cupboard in the Hall. At the moment only the doors are painted. I am really pleased with this. I went for a dead flat paint finish.

My new candle sticks have arrived and I think they look great. Much more dramatic than the old smaller brass ones. It’s coming together but it takes so much time.

Houses cost a lot of money so I try not to changes things that are perfectly functional but not to my taste. There are loads of things I would change of money were no object. I am going to change the wooden floor on the lounge and Dinning room. This will cost quite a lot but I need to take it up anyway to install insulation.

I think to make a property really special, you have to change and adapt things. I had to sell my beloved Welsh Dresser with my collection of vintage china. It was a hard thing to do. But I had to. So that the Dining Room was more spacious and I could access the storage under the stairs.

I think replacing the light over the table was probably a mistake. I sold it because it was so wobbly but I should have got it rehung. As it is, it has split the ceiling rose which needs repairing. I am not sure whether these are original or not. I suspect not.

A You-tuber I watch a lot Ash Mazzina recently ripped out half his newly installed kitchen wall cupboards and installed a brass rail. Whilst I do like it when You-tubers admit mistakes, I am not sure it was a sensible decision. It doesn’t make sense to spend thousands on a property as you won’t recoup it when you sell.

I did replace the mirror in the bathroom. The original mirror was too small for the new expanded room. The mirror I wanted was over £160. It was a hardwood mirror in black and would have matched the new toilet seat but in the end I bought a much cheaper modern metal framed mirror. It was the right decision.

Indeed the my newly refurbished toilet has its issues. The toilet seat is very wobbly. It was £70 but I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy the seat that matched the toilet. Even though it’s £240. And a secondhand toilet seat is not the sort of thing you can sell!

You-tubers like to “dress” spaces. I really struggle with this. I don’t just like buying things, that I won’t use and have no special meaning to dress a space. I’ve never really like lots of cushions and soft furnishings. I struggled to find the right cushions for the lounge and did actually replace my original choice. But I have utilised these in the Out House.

I’ve recently been thinking about this. I do need to dress the lounge better. I’ve decided to replace my old antique brass candlesticks. I’ve gone for bigger, dark wood ones. The scale of the original ones, which was lovely in my old house are just too small for the higher ceilings in this house.

I’ve also swapped over the silver wooden mirror in my bedroom and the black metal one that was in the spare room. Actually I would have liked to replaced my silver wooden mirror as the metal one did look good in the space room. But I think the black works better than the silver in my room as it coordinates with the black metal fireplace, light and iron bedstead.

I’d also like to get a black metal vintage looking bed for the spare room. There too much wood. But it’s so much harder to move things around when you have carpet. I know I need more pictures, especially on the landing. I’ve never managed to pull off that interior designer’s trick of grouping pictures together. They always look too contrived when I do it. And pictures are expensive. Unless you get them from junk shops.

I restyled the shelves in the lounge. These were left by the previous owner. Originally I was going to get rid of them. But I struggled to think what I could replace them with. I placed a picture on them to get it off the floor when I first moved in. I liked the way it looked so much I have actually had an old map framed to make a picture the same size. There’s really fine balance between layered and cluttered. You have to know when to stop.

I think my kitchen is too plain. But I don’t like clutter on work surfaces. I think buying the chopping board from Ikea was a stroke of genius, even if I do say so myself. It breaks up the long expanse of white work surface. But I am reluctant to buy a thing else unless I really find something I like. I do want to replace the microwave with a combined air fryer and microwave. As it often the way, my old microwave refuses to die. And I just can’t bring myself to replace it.

The previous occupants left over twenty new power points and I have used two of these making the powerpoints consistent in the study and the hall. This is expensive work. Electrical work doesn’t come cheap.

I am more forgiving of these blemishes in the older parts of the house. I kept the paint splattered floorboard in the study but the chipped floor tile in the bathroom had to go. The broken meter cupboard in the courtyard was awful. I had a new one made of wood constructed by a carpenter. The disintegrating window ledge needs repairing. I dislike the ugly broken quarry tiles.

The cupboard that housed the Consumer Unit was also refurbished. I had bought a cupboard lock for the cupboard under the stairs when I refurbished it, but I didn’t use it. So I had the boring plain mdf doors titivated with some spare paneling from the new bathroom. I painted it the same colour as the bathroom and the bedroom paneling. Using a very restricted pallet of colours is one of the ways I am trying to make the house more unified.

This house is small. Really small. So every single item has to work hard. I’ve spend a lot of time and money on the lighting. Every light, although mostly new lights, looks period and is made of metal or glass. I’ve spent hours trawling eBay for vintage hooks for the doors. Next up is replacing the nasty door handles.

I’ve already made a start on the ones in the bathroom. Everything in the Kitchen is chrome. I appreciate that the previous owner changed the window handles to white. But the door handle on the bathroom was brass. So I’ve changed this to chrome and taken the opportunity to paint it.

Refurbishing the understairs cupboard was a lot of work. It was really manky with old chipboard cupboard doors used as shelves. There weren’t even screwed in. The coat hooks were awful. It took my hours stripping the layers of wall paper and I had to get it replastered to cover up all the holes from where it had previously housed a boiler. It now boasts original Atomic Sputnik hooks, which I just love. But I didn’t bother getting all the pipe work taken out, just painting it black.

The airing cupboard was in a similar state. I again stripped off the layers of wallpaper and filled hundreds of holes. I even had the missing skirting board replaced. Indeed I have reinstated missing skirting boards in several rooms.

I want to make the handles of the windows chrome like the rest of the house but I am wondering if this is an expense worth making. In the longer term I will replace the windows anyway.

I have removed several rusty hanging basket brackets. I have the ones from my old house, which are much more robust ready to replace them. I have removed hundreds of old cable clips. I’d love to replace the myriad of different plastic drain pipes with new ones although I might just paint them all black, so at least they are the same colour.

One of the little details I love is the thumb turn on the understairs cupboard. This was born out of necessity. Living on my own, I needed a handle you could open from the inside. Therefore the original one I chose, wasn’t practical. But I am so glad I eventually found a use for it.

Really I’d like to change the glass in the windows above the doors. I have always liked readed glass. But at the moment I am concentrating on things that are old or broken and trying not to replace things that are perfectly functional and just a matter of taste.

The survey threw up some other expenses like the need to insulate the pipes in the loft and the lack of gutters on the Out House. I spotted a couple of extra things I wanted to change, like the back door and the Out House door. I knew I was going to have to use the Out House for storage and I was worried about security. As it houses my extensive Lego and board games collections I was was worried about damp but although it’s unheated, it’s dry.

Even on the day I moved in my job list started expending. The meter door fell off when I read the meter. It turned out it was just resting again the frame. It was ugly any way so I had a nice new one made out of timber. Also it became apparent that the upstairs floors had lots of holes and rotted boards. The whole house had been skimmed so while the walls were nice and smooth, there were no door stops. Indeed the skirting board were missing in places. There were several keys missing and the previously owners had left a lot of stuff in the garage.

As the months went by more and more jobs presented themselves. The kitchen was overlooked and had no blinds at the windows. The bathroom sink was chipped and there was a fag burn on the plastic bath.

Overall I liked the decor chosen by the previous owners. I have done very little painting other than painting the new skirting, the stair treads, desk and the wooden floor in the study. It’s been more a matter of tidying up what they started. Removing paint from the glazing on the door to the stairs, filling in missing bricks in the chimney breasts, removing cable clips, stray wires and rusty hanging basket brackets. Whilst the walls has been skimmed in the main rooms on the house, their airing cupboard and under stairs cupboard sported 1930’s wallpaper and a large collection of holes where water tanks and boilers had previously been housed.

The biggest issue has been how cold it is. And I expected this. It is an EPC E after all. I’ve capped off the chimneys, installed more loft insulation and put in the a false ceiling with insulation in the hall. During this process we found the original window above the front door, with its war glass, which had been covered over by a sheet of plywood. I have replaced all the ancient lights with low energy lighting. I replaced the external doors with super energy efficient composite doors and the window in the bathroom with a triple glazed one.

There are been various maintenance issues that have come up. I always try and address these straightaway otherwise they tend to get worse. The gutters hadn’t been cleaned out for decades and still sported the broken slate from when the roof was replaced twenty years earlier. One of the perspex windows blew out in the Out House so they had to replaced by wooden panels. The mains water stop cock was leaking. The outside tap also had to be replaced. But at least the boiler has held on.

I have really enjoyed having a log burner. I must get myself a nice set of tools to go with it. I have erected a log store outside. The kitchen is lovely. I made the beautiful vintage fireplace in my bedroom look even better by blacking it to pick out the details. I like the study so much, with its built in bookcase, that I decided not to move the bathroom upstairs like I originally planned. I refurbished the bathroom but didn’t completed re-do it. Just replacing the sanitary ware, taps, radiator and floor. Of course in recent weeks I have made the upstairs toilet bigger and completely replaced this. I finally added the mirror this week. But really most of the work has not been that extensive.

At the beginning it didn’t feel like my house. It felt like I was living in someone else’s house but with my furniture. It feels more like my house now. Especially the bedroom with its new fitted wardrobes and the spare bedroom with its new panelling. I have had two of my daughters stay for prolonged periods that was nice. I regularly host board game evenings. I have had a couple of BBQ’s.

Outside very little has changed. I installed a handrail up the steep steps to the front door. A big expenses was replacing the rotting gates. There’s a new front door and I painted the peeling bricks under the damp proof course. I’ve tried my very best to look after the gorgeous garden and replanted a dead hedge. The most annoying aspect is people parking over my drive but I like being able to walk into town. It’s quieter than I expected. The double glazing may be really ancient and could do with replacing but it’s nice and thick.

I thought I was going to slowly put back the original Victorian features. I haven’t. I have mainly put back new materials. I simply haven’t had the time or money to source original Victorian materials. I haven’t bought any new furniture for the main house. I’ve made do with what I had. I did buy a really expensive rug for the lounge. I sold my Welsh Dresser to utilise the built in storage under the stairs. Triumphs include the Victorian inspired tiles in the hall and the stair runner. I’ve made a couple of mistakes. I got ripped off in the first week with the new ariel. The thermal blinds in the bathroom were a waste of money as I ended up replaced the window anyway. I should have put a bigger towel rail in the bathroom.

I’d intended to replace the sofa with a smaller one but as Basil has scratched the old sofa to pieces so it was probably best I didn’t. I still want to replace the rusty and bent radiator in the front room with a traditional column one. I would like to get rid of the modern hallow doors. There are some big jobs that need tackling. The downstairs suspended floor needs insulating. I would love to put in a vaulted ceiling in the Kitchen as per the original design for the extension. I want to add my stamp by putting a Victorian style, metal veranda outside. I think I’ve decided against a loft conversion but the old flue for the boiler needs removing and Velux needs replacing. I would love to replace the double glazing to restore the original proportions of the bay window. But this fraught with difficulties due to fire regulations. There’s also a rotting concrete window ledge that needs replacing.

I’ve discovered so much about the house on way. It’s been completely remodelled over the decades, with walls removed and new window openings created. The fireplaces have been bricked up and then revealed again. The dinning room one still bares the scars where the bricks were chipped out to make it into a cupboard. The old gas mantle pipes are now evident. Obviously the central heating was put in a long time after the house was built. There are boxed in pipes in almost every room meaning the rooms have lost their symmetry. There’s also lots of exposed pipework. I wish the previous owner had chased them into the walls before they skimmed them.

Of course the biggest thing was that Dandelion died eight months after I moved in. He had been in my life for nineteen years. But I am so proud of him that he settled in so well, even learning to use the cat flap. I was worried his paws would get splinters from the rough wooden floors. Blind towards the end, he still found his way around. In many ways I think he was happier, preferring the smaller house. In the old house he used to cry if he couldn’t find me, too lazy to search all the rooms. He particularly liked the fire and would come up and nudge me asking me to light it for him.