We're getting closer.....

So the good news is that we have a builder, and a quote, and minimal stuff we have to put in for planning permission, and are still on good relations with our architect (this always seems to go wrong on Grand Designs - but we've even had dinner at ours!).

The bad news is that the quote is more than we really wanted to spend - but I think we have come to the conclusion that we should go for it (I have the job of talking to the mortgage company next week). We are still deciding about the downstairs flooring - should we go for a recycled glass in resin poured floor, or should we have unfinished concrete for a few years and a slightly smaller bill? I suspect we will go for the whole hog, as it seems daft to completely gut the place, and not actually finish all the structural stuff, but this will mean plaster walls, minimal storage, and racks for clothes for a while.

We are meeting the builder and architect again in 2 weeks - and if we have decided, and the final, final quote hasn't got even higher we will probably say yes, and then the building should get underway beginning of February, dependant on lead time for windows etc. Currently the thought is it will take 5 months - so we might be in for the summer.

Any volunteers to come and help us strip the inside over the next month ready for the builders???

Coachhouse in the snow

I was sent to take pics of the house in the snow after dropping C at the station for a course - nearly froze my fingers off taking them, so blame that for the quality!


The house you can see in the upper right corner is the 'Big House' for which this was the coachhouse and next door was the gatehouse. It's a beautiful, elaborate lateish 19th century house bult by an architect called Sully, very well known in Nottingham at the time. We'll put up a pic sometime.

Looking up the garden in the snow. C's Dad calls that 'Shed 1' of our many sheds - he's calling us the seven shed sheilas. We don't really have quite that many! This one is going to go sometime, as it would be a good spot to sit (we think) and we'll replace it with a small storage shed in the dank dark corner of the garden, and some cold frames where you see that snowy wall right now.


Spot the missing coping stone! Doesn't this show the beautiful lines of this massive retaining wall rather well? Don't think the line would be thought of so naturally if a similar wall would be built these days, do you? (Let's face it, it'd be knocked up fast out of breeze blocks or something, or just poured concrete with a sloped top).

Anyway - progress is now being made... more in a mo from Clare!

Structural Engineer

I met him at the house this morning. Overall, he seems to think we'll be able to do what we want (he had various interesting questions, such as why dig down, couldn't Gil put insulation on top of the current concrete floor. But I suspect it's a no-go as we'll need to damp proof too, and also won't want to lose that much head height from the rooms or the front door.

Saw some interesting things with his direction - will take some pics soon. Anyway, encouraging overall, looks as if we can go ahead, though he wants to think a bit more about stiffening the walls and roof upstairs before we knock down the stud walling there - apparently there's a theoretical risk that high winds could cause twisting.

Garden work

 Looking down the garden at the gable end with our future bedroom windows just visible.






Looking back at that same window, and the across the view from it - weeded by Mum so now the lavenders are visible.

We had a few days of fun in the garden with my parents - they provided the knowledge and the stick-to-it-iveness, and Clare and I did the running round and some of the work. The garden is made up of lots of separate beds and we've cleared a couple out, so we can start some planting - garlic is in line for the first planting (we love it, and now's the time, I gather).We plan the ones near the to-be-expanded balcony to have most of the veg and herbs, but we'll bung some raspberry canes in a bit further down. all very exciting!


Mum was able to name lots of plants, and drew us a plan of the garden with labelled areas and so on. We seem to have lots of repeats - can't remember all the names, but several Cotoneasters, Euonymous (?sp?) and other stuff, including some possible little Leylandii (ssssssssss....) which need to come out asap.

Dad dug out several shrubs that were right in our way (and rather moth-eaten, too). This is one of his major fields of expertise - and he started training C! She and I cut lots out of an overgrown Fatsia japonica which left more light on the situation, much needed.


We created a massive pile of stuff-to-be-composted - way more than we can handle right now, so it'll be a gradual drip feed into the garden waste bin.


And lots of bits of wood to dry for next winter when we'll be living here!

We're lucky enough to have a shed that will work as a greenhouse in the future, we hope.

We met our neighbour show seems lovely and is a fount of knowledge about the area and the people who live here. He's been here since about 1970. We'll have to show him the paperwork that came form our solicitor yesterday - goes back to 1876 and the details of ownership of the big house, Malvern House, to which our house (the coach house and stables) and his (the Lodge - shown as having a vinery and plant houses in what is now his beautiful garden) belonged.

On another note, Gil (the architect) came round and was pleased with how we've started on the destruction of the decorative beauties. We'll try to get the rest of it done over the next few weeks.

And, excitingly for us, the structural engineer is coming on Tuesday - so we should soon know what we can and cannot just knock down. Gil's sent the proposals to the planning office to get their views on our plans re windows, balcony etc.

(Don't think we showed the glories of the electrics in our last post, did we? Rather scary!)

Few Days off!

So we haven't done anything in the house, other than a bit of a clear-up since Wednesday. This is mostly due to me working, Emily visiting Birmingham, and then me busy paddling at the Dragon Boat National Finals this weekend. We (notts anaconda) didn't win anything, but we had a great time and a really good club atmosphere and ethos.
I have also just started a 10 month training plan for an ironman triathlon next August. I have decided to get a proper plan worked out from the coach at the triathlon club I have joined. Last week was OK but this week looks a bit more full on, so fitting training, work, and the coach-house refurb is going to keep me fit!
We will get some more done, and some more photos on in this coming week. We have Emily's parents visiting, and hopefully will use their expertise to get started on some garden stuff - for the first time ever we are hoping to grow some produce, as part of our general green plans.

Clear Up!

Just a short post today - after work and before dragon boat training today I will be mostly clearing rubble into a Rhino Bag - a 1 tonne bag that you buy for 5 quid, and then gets collected like a skip. Our hope is that the structural engineer can come this Thursday, and that we also get the damp and timber stuff done soon, so that we can get going on proper plans, cost and a timescale.
No pictures today, but will be back on soon - maybe with some plans.........

Ready for the structural engineer

We've spent the last three days slogging away at the coal face. Great fun, specially when C's sister and boyf came up to assist (he's very tall; that helps! She's got spatial awareness - that does too!)

The wall against the bank (the south wall of what will be our bedroom) had the strange cardboard pseudo-stone walling; behind the fibreboard behind that was a brick wall - but these bricks were cream and ceramicized,
like tiles - perhaps olde worlde damp roofing? Anyway, very little damp - just a bit at each corner where there were joints with the ordinary bricks above.

Turns out the joists of the floor above this room run south-north, and do rest on the solid internal wall of this room; a shame, but the rest of the 1st floor rests on east-west joists, much more convenient for our plans.

The marie-antoinette room (re-christened by Kate as the Sindy room) is no more; the wardrobe, the cupboard off and the bedhead have been shredded. The walls behind the battened plasterboard have tar-paper over a layer of plaster (on the wall with the garage this is painted with bitumenised paint). On the west wall there's a window which was battened and tar-papered over, with wardrobes in front of it - now it's open to the room, it's a great improvement! (Neither of us can see out of this window, too high, but Ed could).

The cupboard with the fuses etc in is an exciting find - there are about 8 switches to turn off all the electric power to the house, and three boxes are old painted cast-iron ones, look pretty industrial (and rather scary). They are ancient, and have big handles to turn off the leccy.
Gulp!

Hardly anything left to do before Gil brings round the structural engineer to see if we can do what we want - so far an obvious problem is the joists in the bedroom resting on a wall we want to remove (which anyway may be tying the east and west walls together, who knows? Well, the engineer, we hope!)

A lovely end to the day with Humph and Kate and two bottles of lovely fizzy white in the courtyard. Mmmm, I could get used to this!
(This pic is C with her sis and boyf, though).