Carnhill - Buying & Renovating

The House That Jackie Built

2011-04-09T17:23:00.001+01:00

I still haven't opened the Champagne - mainly because I keep looking at the accounts spreadsheet and spend too much time scratching the head pondering when we get our financial lives back into a fit state. Building a house is an expensive operation and banks don't make it easy.

We've been living in our dream home for a week now and bits are continually being added. The kitchen is wicked (although the boiler tap and the wine cooler take the wickedness to a new level).

Lighting-wise, we have uplighters, downlighters, sidelighters, floodlighters and all other sorts of lighting shenanigans. The latest lighting to be installed is the rope lighting:

You need to excuse the clothes horse and the patio furniture - we still haven't decided on a sofa for this room!

Our fabulous hall light has also had bulbs inserted - finally. It's tricky taking photos of lights when your technical ability doesn't stretch to working the camera properly, but here's what I managed to capture:

And for a full frontal - with digger and workmen performing the finishing touches:

Of course, it's been quiet for the past week as we haven't had an internet connection in the house. That all changed today courtesy of Virginmedia. We are online once more and have the HD experience to finally look forward to. We just don't have a decent television right now! The house was CAT6 enabled and this is the performance we are getting from the LAN:

Now... that's gotta be pleasing! They promised me a 50mb broadband package and I'm getting 49.95 at the far end of my house through the LAN.

And finally... it really is about time that this blog was "archived". There really won't be any more to say as we have now moved in. It has been hard work, expensive, stressful but worth it. It really wouldn't have happened without the dedication/devotion shown by Jackie - after all, I spend 5/7ths of my time away from home and in a state which renders me useless at making decisions. It's the house that Jackie built and I won't ever be able to thank her enough for what she has done over the last 20 months.

Until the next adventure folks...

Time To Celebrate

2011-04-06T08:42:00.000+01:00

It seems odd that the weekend we moved in has been and gone with little comment on the blog. But there's a good reason for that. In fact, there are two good reasons for it. And maybe even a third!

First Good Reason
We were too busy moving stuff from one house to another. By 6pm on Saturday, I had NEVER felt fatigue the way I felt at that time. In fact, that fatigue is still with me and it is Wednesday! I am covered in bruises from the lifting and hauling and can feel twinges of pain in almost every part of my body. So tired was I on Saturday, that I wasn't fit to properly celebrate my birthday on Sunday. How many people celebrate their 40th birthday without opening a bottle of something nice?

Second Good Reason
We have no internet access in the new house just yet. That will be switched on this coming Saturday by Virginmedia. It almost feels like I'm missing an arm not having access to the internet at home. I'm only writing this now because I'm back at work in Birmingham and am in the land of civilisation once more!

Third Good Reason
I do have 3G dongles and a smartphone, but the reception at my new house is rubbish. I cannot get a 3G signal on any of the networks I should have access to: Vodafone, O2 and Orange. GPRS is intermittent and even phone calls are very patchy.

So there has been no update until now but the move has happened and the house is better than we could have hoped. There are, however, a few outstanding issues. The kitchen was still being fitted yesterday as the kitchen suppliers failed to meet our deadlines; the electricians will be onsite today finalising the last few items; the driveway needs sorting and we need some new furniture that will be in keeping with the rest of the house.

And, of course, we need to organise a "house warming" party at some point.

No photos today I'm afraid. I've left them all behind on my camera at home. The final photos will be uploaded this weekend and then serious consideration will be given to calling an end to the blog. The "Thank You" blog entry will be the final one!

A sign

2011-03-31T21:16:00.005+01:00

We've run out of oil at our old house - I'm taking it as a sign that it's time to go! Our new house is lovely and we can't wait to get in. Our builder is even lending us his van to move some of our stuff. How decent is that? I haven't mentioned Adrian very much, I'm not sure why when everyone else has had a mention. Maybe I was trying to keep him on his toes :0) At the start of this project I was dreading having a builder that I couldn't work with but thankfully my fears were unfounded. Adrian's "can do" attitude is a breath of fresh air, especially when you have ideas like mine! He makes it easy to ask for what you really want, knowing that he won't laugh (well mostly). He is genuinely interested in new ideas and always gives good advice. Thank goodness he is patient and has been more than generous with his time helping us to get to where we are today. That sounds like a reference! Not a bad one either :0) Right that's enough being nice, off to bed now, busy day tomorrow.

OMG! We're moving...

2011-03-30T17:15:00.005+01:00

You wouldn't think it would be a surprise to me but it has come as a bit of a bolt out of the blue that we are moving this weekend! Until today we weren't totally sure it was going to happen because the carpets hadn't come in. However, I got the call at midday today to say they had arrived, so they are being fitted on Friday. McAuleys kitchen people are delivering the electrical appliances as well, so its all go. Gerry the tiler has been doing a lovely job on the ground floor. I am going up tomorrow am. to just confirm that the grout (which has been changed!) is to my liking. We are short a box of tiles to do around the bath panel but they will be available on Monday, so there's a wee bit of work there after we get in. The horrible plastic has been removed from the window frames and they look fantastic (make for boring pictures though). Joe has been working away on the patio, it was half completed today so hopefully almost done by now. The guys were working away on leveling the back "lawn" area and the granite kerbs have been put in place. A replacement loo has been delivered for the family bathroom at last, but we have had a wee problem with the shower enclosures, quite bad scratches on them so they need to be returned, but I'm assured they will be replaced tomorrow. A lady is coming on Monday to measure for blinds. I'm scared I will forget she is coming with everything thats going on. Kitchen worktop is being fitted on Monday as well, at least hubby will be there to supervise. Outstanding issues - I still haven't got a post box or a door bell, nor shelving for the larder. Sounds minor but not having a post box is a bit of an issue, we've already had mail returned. Not sure how I have fitted it all in in the last 3 months, mostly on my own. I have had the kids, homeworks (including 11+ stuff), school runs, swimming lessons, housework and food shopping, builders queries, suppliers deliveries and various decisions to make. On top of that I have had viewings for this place and I dare not forget that the hubbys fortieth birthday is looming. Is there any wonder I've been in bed at 8:30 a lot of the time? On the whole it's a bit of an emotional time for me and the wee girls (hubby seems to be immune to it all). Kids were crying this week cos they don't want to go. We have been very happy in this house and we have a lot of good memories, but it is time to go. Time to make new memories in our beautiful new house :0)

An update for the distant husband

2011-03-29T16:21:00.004+01:00

Good progress is being made. I have to choose grout tomorrow and go and pick up more tiles. I really need to get a letter box sorted as well as we are having mail returned.

The lights in the hall, they will light up and down when all the bulbs are in!

Sink has been installed in family bathroom:

Garage has a window now!

Interesting light fitting above garage door!

Kitchen diner tiles well underway:

No. 34 update

2011-03-29T16:07:00.002+01:00

I've had 3 more viewers in the last week but unfortunately although they love the house, they are not in a position to make an offer as they cannot get their own houses sold. First time buyers appear to be few and far between and the help for first time buyers announced in the budget wont help much either because it applies only to new builds. Personally I think that is very limiting with regard to the choices available to a first time buyer.

One Week To Go

2011-03-27T09:46:00.000+01:00

Next weekend will see me celebrate my 40th birthday. Imagine, 40 years of age!

I'd always hoped that we would have moved in to our new house in time for my birthday and we would've loved for friends to come along to a party in the new house. However, the kitchen won't be ready in time and the upstairs carpets will miss the deadline by 24 hours.

The idea of taking this coming Friday as a day off from work in order to perform the lift and shift of all our worldly possessions just can't happen. At least, not entirely.

Moving over the course of the weekend still might be possible, though that would mean moving on my birthday - some birthday celebration, eh?

That said, no fault can be assigned to our builder who has been brilliant. Internally, we merely have the floor tiles to be laid, wooden floors to be laid and some minor electrical tests. Externally, we have a bit of paving to do and a driveway to be laid. All of these tasks are still on target - apparently.

The paving and steps around the house look terrific so far:

Obviously there is a lot of dust around, but it should give you an idea of how it is coming along. The path at the back looks like this:

And internally, our wood burning stove has turned up and has been installed. Try to forget the cement mixer sitting in front of it:

So this day next week - I'll be 40 and we may be in our new house!

Progress

2011-03-24T21:56:00.003+00:00

The view from the kitchen into the hall.

The sink in the ensuite.

The wood burning fire in the kitchen diner.

We have handrails on the stairs now.

Front steps. Aren't they looking good?

It is Saturday, isn't it?

2011-03-19T16:34:00.004+00:00

Stephen and I went up today and there was Joe working away! He is doing a great job on the paths and steps around the house. Backbreaking work but what a lovely result.

The family bathroom has been grouted now and it looks beautiful. My father-in-law and his wife were up with us and were impressed with the work that has been done.

My lovely fire has been installed and I can imagine sitting there on a winter evening with it lit. Just needs finished off around the edges and it will look great.

The kitchen has to be measured for the Corian worktops but nearly there.

The utility room.

Next week we have yet more tiles being delivered on Monday - to that end, the heat has been running all weekend in an attempt to get the floor completely dried out.

On Tuesday, the rest of the bathroom suites are being delivered - so hopefully they will be installed next week as well.

I had the upstairs measured for carpet on Friday afternoon and have various carpet samples lying around. I have a very good idea what I want but the samples look different when you get them in the rooms. I also need to start thinking about some blinds and curtains.

Wow!

2011-03-16T15:46:00.002+00:00

In three days this week, the progress has been fantastic! I have been trying to stay away because there is so much going on and I don't want to get in the way!

It has been pointed out that I haven't mentioned Bertie much in this blog and he is feeling left out! Well, that won't do now will it? I think I would be right in saying that if it wasn't for Bertie, we wouldn't be where we are today. He has kept everything going along smoothly and I'm sure he has dealt with more issues than I have got to hear about. I have appreciated his straight forward advice, even if I didn't always take it :0)

Here are the beginnings of a lovely set of steps that are being built at the front and there's Bertie examining them!

The garage has been rendered.

The kitchen has been painted and most of the carcasses have been built.

Our Master ensuite shower has been tiled and is looking so good. I just love the black tiles and the tilers have done a really brilliant job - it wasnt easy cutting around the shelves and there's a curved bit too above the shower. And not a bit of tile trim in sight.

The family bathroom (blurry photo-oops). This is so lovely and bright and clean looking, it's a shame to allow the kids in here, but we'll probably have to. I think this turned out very well, were the sleepless nights worth it? Yes probably, I can sleep some other time :0)

It's all systems go

2011-03-14T15:38:00.002+00:00

There is so much going on it's hard to know where to start!

The tiling has started in the family bathroom and our ensuite. This is not a very good photo, but I think the black tiles look fantastic. I love it!

The painter has started in Rachels bedroom and it looks brighter.

And best of all, when I arrived this morning at 10:30, the lights and the heat were on. And Trevor and Roger our electricians were there too, so we did a tour and double checked everything. The light I have picked for the outside above the patio is too small - so I need to have another go at it. Anyway, here is a blurry photo of our kitchen lights. It probably seems silly to get excited about it, but we've been waiting for so long and we are delighted.

The wood buring fire comes tomorrow as does the kitchen, although it's not being fitted til Wednesday. In addition to all of that there are joiners putting on doors and men outside building paths and steps. Hope there are no more hail storms on the way and that the sunny weather is here to stay.

The Big Switch On

2011-03-13T14:47:00.000+00:00

Monday 14th March... That's the day that the electric finally gets switched on and the house will light up.

Tuesday 15th March... That's the day that the kitchen gets delivered and the fireplaces turn up.

Wednesday 16th March... That's the day that the kitchen will be fitted.

In and around all of this, the interior will be painted, doors will be hung (albeit all the upstairs doors are now in place). Patios will be laid and front door steps will be constructed. The garage will be rendered and the roofing completed.

In short - this is going to be a big week. There will hardly be room to move on site. (Thankfully, I'll be nowhere to be seen!). It still seems like there is a lot to do and a very short period of time to do it, but I guess the professionals are involved rather than a DIY amateur like me - if I were to hang a door, I'm quite sure it would take me hours!!!

As with every blog entry, it is appropriate to show some imagery - people like photos because some people can't read. So here you go:

A boiler:

The electrical consumer unit:

The view from the top of the stairs:

I wonder should we start to think about packing up and getting ready to move in?

The Doors

2011-03-09T18:23:00.005+00:00

No, not a reference to the late Jim Morrisons band (which might have made more exciting reading than the rest of this post), but we have doors on site! Here are some just sitting there..

And here's one which has been hung in Rachel's room! I think the hinges are great, all down to ball bearings apparently.

And we have an almost finished garage.

Another not very exciting photo but it charts our progress - sockets have been done and most of our downlights are in as well.

Outside, most of the raised beds have been plastered and several big piles of pavers are waiting to be put down.

I went down to Randalstown on Tuesday and ordered the tiles and today I picked the door handles. I need to get the wooden floor nailed down (ha ha!)

As far as the near future is concerned, the upstairs tiling will be started on Monday. The kitchen is delivered on Tuesday and will be installed on Wed - Fri. So in a week and a half from now, we will have an almost habitable house. It is really starting to come together and everything I have thought about for hours and planned in detail for months will become a reality.

Artichokes or Pinecones?

2011-03-09T15:32:00.004+00:00

I think I have chosen the light for the hall.

http://www.dwell.com/articles/ph-artichoke-50th-anniversary-edition.html

it is a snip at only £50k. For goodness sake - it is 24 carat gold!

Ok, ok, ok - I'm only joking. I am gonna take the advice of our architect who (like ourselves) has very good taste, and I'm going for a reproduction of the same light. I can hear the bank account breathe a sigh of relief.

Lights

2011-03-06T19:22:00.004+00:00

I had a 2 hour meeting with Trevor, our electrician, on Friday, to discuss the lights. We had a lot to get through but it's nearly nailed! We're having mostly downlights, but in the hall, we're having these:

Outside on the raised beds we're having these:

We have still to sort out the ones on the front steps and by the front door.

For the hall I love the PH Artichoke light:

But I think I will be having the Norm 69 instead as it comes in a bigger size:

Buying Tiles

2011-03-06T13:30:00.011+00:00

I knew I would struggle with the tiles as there are so many options available, just when I think I've got it sorted, I see something else. However I knew that I always wanted a black ensuite. Something like these would be good. However I am not sure whether to tile some or all of it. I am absolutely delighted with the chunky shelves that the joiner has put in to utilise a bit of space behind the shower. It is exactly what I wanted and I love it! Now should I go with the black grout or not?

I (at the moment!) have chosen this grey colour for the other bathrooms. There is a 30x60 that goes with this mosiac. Also I am thinking of having a white tile for the family bathroom to brighten it up a bit. But what to put where? The floors are easy - they will be the 30x60 grey one, but the walls? Aargh.

Some ideas:

These are fairly simple looking - easier said than done I think.

Stairway To Heaven

2011-03-05T17:02:00.000+00:00

The builders have been busying themselves with the landscaping over the past week but that hasn't stopped some work continuing indoors.

The stairs have been installed but have also been "built-in" now. The hallway no longer has dodgy ladders or precarious scaffolding:

Of course, the stairs are currently protected , but the effect is still quite something when you have been used to a blank void!

Indoors, there isn't too much left to do. Install the kitchen; install the bathrooms; install the electrical fittings; do some tiling and install the fires. Actually, now that the list has been written out, there's still plenty to do. However, we are into the final four weeks apparently and it won't be long before we can open the bubbly and celebrate moving in to our new home.

Now - time mto draw up an invite list for the house-warming party!

Number 34

2011-03-01T19:33:00.002+00:00

Two last minute viewers squeezed in today. Very positive vibes, one works for a builder so he was very interested in the plans for the extension we had planned. Fingers crossed again.

Number 34

2011-02-24T19:36:00.002+00:00

Another viewer booked in for next Wednesday nite (can't fit them in any sooner due to our hectic lives!).

The garden was too big for the previous ones who were down sizing. I kind of thought that when they were here, they were a lovely couple too...never mind. At least we are getting viewers which is more than some people at the moment.

Still, we might be here for the long haul....

More pics

2011-02-24T16:05:00.004+00:00

I have been the first person (of those who will be living there!) to go up the new stairs. They are covered in black plastic to protect them, so not looking their best yet! Here is the view from our landing, front door looking better today :0)

A view of the front:

Pity about the Phoenix gas "decor". They were supposed to be finished in 2 days, arrived on Tuesday, so should be gone by now...

I can't get the height of the raised beds sorted out in my mind. The Bricklayer is a very patient man... ..he would need to be with me involved! As a matter of fact all of the men on site have been more than helpful to me as I'm trying to make all these decisions on my own. So far, I feel so very lucky to have had such good people involved in this build. And such characters too.... I'll not mention any names :0)

On what level?

2011-02-23T20:37:00.004+00:00

It's been a very busy week. It started off on Tuesday with a site visit to discuss the positioning of steps, patio and planters! It sounds fairly simple until you realise that our site slopes, in more than one direction. And also, that the ground you are standing on is not at it's final height. Everything needs to be built a wee bit higher than you would imagine, and trying to figure out what steps will look like where the ground runs off in 2 directions is (for me) a bit hard on the brain.

I went up today cos I heard that the external doors and the stairs have arrived. I'm not sure what I imagined with regard to the doors, but I am not sure that they are what I expected. I am not a huge fan of the colour but as I look at the photo, it is starting to look better. I think when the windows are uncovered it will be better too. The stairs are all covered in a protective plastic so I haven't seen them yet. I do find this a bit scary as I have put in so much effort to get everything right. The size we decided on for the stairs looks to be perfect although the side walls haven't been built yet. It's a pity we have to have them at all, but it's for my own safety as I have fallen down the stairs more than anyone else (that might explain a few things!)

Anyhoo, I have a sore head again tonight trying to imagine the size of our raised beds in the final scheme of things, more slopes and steps to contend with, round the front this time! Hopefully a good nights sleep will help and I will be able to make the decisions I need to when I go up again to tomorrow.

On top of all that (moan, moan, moan) I had a house viewing at no. 34 last night as well. It's a good job we are getting a weekend away in Edinburgh so that I can wind down a bit. Hope I can ditch the OCD on all matters house related so that our friends aren't bored rigid! Perhaps a bit of ogling at some International rugby players might help :0)

Right, Neil Oliver is on the telly now and I'm off to find out about Ancient Britain and cosmology.

A Lot Less Muck

2011-02-19T17:48:00.000+00:00

The mess and muck around our house is in the process of being removed and what a difference it has made already. The outline of a patio can be seen, the garden is starting to look a bit more flat again. In fact, the property is starting to get back to some semblance of normality.

Inside, the screed is in, Virginmedia have installed stuff and we have a hot water tank, a bath, shower trays and all the radiators installed by the plumber.

The back doors are fantastic and we sat today with them opened wide in the glorious sunshine (which has disappeared for now I see!). And the warmth in the house was really tangible today even though there is no heating on - Phoenix come this Tuesday to connect their pipes.

The most exciting photo I took this weekend, however, isn't very exciting. But here goes anyway:

Tiles

2011-02-16T19:44:00.002+00:00

Spent the day yesterday down in Randalstown visiting my mum and dad and I took the opportunity to go round McCartneys tiles (again).

I am hoping I have hit lucky and found floor tiles at a very reasonable price. Not sure what colour yet but it is Atlas Concorde Pulse range: http://www.atlasconcordesolution.it/collezioni.php?idseriec=70&idp=390&col=1

For the walls in the family bathroom and the guest ensuite I have found a soft light grey tile and a black slate type one for our ensuite. It sounds simple but it has taken a bit of effort on my part to get to here. So when hubby gets home at the weekend he can look over the choices!

My first letter on Valentines!

2011-02-16T19:14:00.005+00:00

On February 14th I got my first piece of mail at our new home. Not a Valentine but a boring letter from Phoenix gas to let me know that they were coming next week to install the gas line. At least I will have a utility bill in my name for identification purposes later on!

Today was very exciting as the first parts of our bathroom fittings have arrived! The plumber Mark and his mate had to move the ladder so that I could get upstairs. How many people does it take to get Jackie down a ladder? Three (not including me!) The radiators and towel rails have been fitted upstairs and the water tank has been installed. The bath is in as well - it is looking good!

Frankie and Jim were outside sorting out the patio and groundworks!

And the sun was shining! You can see how nice its gonna be.

Virgin Hooked Up

2011-02-16T12:33:00.000+00:00

The race to the finish line is well and truly underway and yesterday it was the turn of Virginmedia to hook up their services to the house. They are a little early, but I certainly didn't want them turning up at the end of the project only to make a mess of our newly landscaped front garden and newly laid driveway. So yesterday, they laid their cable from the road up to the house.

Staggeringly, though, they insisted on leaving behind a set-top box. There is no television in the house! There is no front door yet! The house is not habitable! And Virginmedia were told of this situation - we shan't be in a position to move in until the end of March at the earliest.

But rules are rules! The STB was left. Even though I will be sending it back as soon as I move in to be replaced by a V+ box.

Yet again, my dealings with Virginmedia have not lived up to the expectations I would have of a professional organisation. Unfortunately, those same dealings have lived up to the expectations I have of Virginmedia.