The attic has what I believe was the housemaid's bedroom and a sitting room for her. They are going to be our guest bedrooms -- but to enable that they need to be a bit more livable. At some point in the previous century, the landing had a small single bedroom with a very miserable … Continue reading Getting the Velux Window in →

I really am astonished at how incredibly reluctant woodchip wallpaper is when it comes to being removed from walls. It has taken dozens of manhours just to strip two rooms -- the sitting room and the box room, soon to be master suite. And that's with four steamers running at once at points. Remarkable. We've … Continue reading It’s official, I hate woodchip wallpaper →

This story begins with the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, in which a few brave stragglers including Mr C, Miss R, and Mr J joined us for a smashing good time. To my enormous amazement Mr C enjoyed himself so much he booked annual leave right away and, on and off, has been staying with us … Continue reading Big update →

The excitement of work and baby has left me with precious little time to write of late, but there has still been plenty done. We've had some extra help, which has been helpful, and in some areas we've seen real progress.In others, there has been frustratingly little.The utility room was screeded, and digging out in … Continue reading No updates for a few weeks … →

The engine room of the house, with its pipes and ducts and boilers and distribution boards etc, is starting to go together. Mr H and his brother A got the ducts and insulation down during the week, which left us today the laying of underfloor heating and a little slab on top. I'm not much … Continue reading Putting the utility room back together →

I've been back at work most of the time since the last post but Mr H has been working diligently to in the weeks to keep things moving. The building inspector came and signed off the drains so we've been able to get those down in the utility room which will serve the bathroom above, … Continue reading Catching up on another working weekend →

A frustratingly slow day. Had the benefit of the full family helping out, but a very slow start -- everyone having breakfast their own way and then so much mucking about packing the van up. When we finally got to the house the time available was further restricted by the rugby, which brother and sister … Continue reading Another working weekend day one →

A very late update for the previous weekends work at Milby. Mr H & Mr G had been at the house all week while I was at the desk job, building walls and God knows what else. When I joined them at the weekend I was mainly labouring for Mr G, and then digging out … Continue reading Working weekend in two parts →

A light day as befits a Sunday -- sort of light, anyway. I was only around for the afternoon but I finished moving the building materials from the front garden to the back. No mean feat humping those bricks in a wheelbarrow up an ice covered slope! Work further slowed by the bricks being so … Continue reading Demi day →

Burning the candle at both ends -- newborn in the house, doing a full week in the office, and then going directly to the building site on Saturday and Sunday for extra honest toil.Can't be accused of not working hard for my family, at least...The snows have come -- albeit it earlier in the week, … Continue reading Working weekend day the first →