I haven't included all of the photos I'd like to because I really don't have the time it takes to do so. Between work, packing up our house, managing 4 cats & keeping up with basic housework I am exhausted at the end of each day. Unfortunately I only manage to get to the new house twice or three times a week, whereas Antonio goes everyday. I work on the west side of London and Antonio is centrally located so the travel time involved to get to the new house is also an issue. These days it seems Antonio and I only have one or two hours in the evening to actually see each other before we go to bed at night. The house and renovation project is definitely consuming our lives. I will keep posting as much as I can. I don't know if anyone even looks at this beyond ourselves and a few family members, but it has been fun to create a diary of memories for this project! It is certainly a good way to log our progress.
Update:
Thanks to the builders, Antonio, our architect & engineers we have a 50% green light to move on things.
- Our planning application for the extension has been officially filed with the borough council. We have to wait up to 8 weeks for word on that. We don't think it will be a problem because our neighbors have been given the green light for their extension and ours is far less complex and roughly the same size externally.
- The raising of the joists will begin mid-week this coming week (July 7th-12th).
- The decades of accumulated nails in the original wood floors have been removed 100%.
- The copper piping and plastic piping throughout the house is in the midst of being removed.
- Once the joists are raised (which should take between 7-10 days) the plumbers, electrician and carpenters can all come in and begin their jobs.
- The windows have been measured and ordered. We've put a rush on the 5 windows on the top floor so that they arrive before September. We can not plaster the bedrooms upstairs until the new windows have been installed.
- The chimney sweeper will be coming in soon to clean and line all of the chimneys. This should take up to 14 days. We have 9 fireplaces, 4 of which we have decided to open for complete use during winter months. The remaining 5 fireplaces will be sealed so we do not lose heat from them during the winter months.
I'm preparing another post with photos taken recently (July 3rd). I know I am writing this retrospectively, but it comes down to time. It seems the weekends are the only days I have time to do this properly.
Enjoy!
Main staircase from mezzanine raised ground floor level (M-RGL) leading up to top floor
looking into master bedroom
Bedroom 2 (water damaged ceiling)
Bedroom 2, to left of landing - Water damaged ceiling & partially poorly constructed
partition wall between bed 2 & master bed)
Landing in background - This photo was taken from inside the master bedroom. The chair is located within bedroom 2
Landing of top floor (home to top floor bathroom & bedrooms 2, 3 & Master)
Master bedroom (bedroom 2 in background left)
The view from the window in bedroom 2 out into the gardens. The lean-to below will be demolished in a couple of weeks time to make room for the extension out back.
Looking from entrance of bedroom 2 into old entrance into master bedroom
Top floor landing & bedroom 2 window to the right in the background (photo taken from inside master bedroom)
hallway to top floor mezzanine bathroom & bedroom 4
Far left: hallway to bedroom 4 & bathroom 3; Right: Stairs leading down to M-RGL
The little platform over the staircase was once a closet for a water tank for the house's heating system. We have opened it to leave empty because if/when we decide to extend up into the attic to add a bathroom and bedroom, we will need to add onto our staircase. That platform would serve as the landing for the staircase leading up to the loft. We haven't decided what to do with that little area for the immediate future though. We've thought about making a temporary cupboard with simply plasterboards or putting a piece of furniture there, but we're still not sure.
entrance to bedroom 4
entrance to bedroom 4
Apologies for the quality of the photos. The guys had just taken down the ceiling plaster boards and the dust and plaster was in the air, thus the particles that have disturbed the camera lense.
Above: Top Floor --> Bedroom 4 - on Saturday, June 26th the ceiling was removed. The ceiling is now 4m in height. We would like to keep the ceiling open as much as possible, but it will depend upon a few factors.
Bedroom 4 - view from landing on top floor & stairs leading down to M-RGL
Inside bedroom 4, looking towards the entrance doorway
Photo take from inside bedroom 4 looking at chimney & window that overlooks the gardens at back
Photo taken inside bedroom 4 looking at the original beams (dating back to 1860s ca.) and ceiling of house. The largest beam is the main supporting beam of that angled roof. The chimney breast & column will be sandblasted to expose the brick work and then lime white washed to create a clean look & feel to the room.
The view outside bedroom 4 window
Bedroom 4 --> Note the white plaster on the walls and specifically the line where it finishes on the wall. That line designates where the ceiling used to be. The amount of space we've gained by taking down the ceiling and raising it will be dramatic, when finished.
Another noteworthy piece of information, is the large top main beam running the length of the room. That is the original beam and surprisingly in really good shape. We'll be installing the new ceiling directly up to that beam (following the angle of the roof) and then taking it across horizontally from that beam to the chimney breast.
Ok, that's all I've got for now. I'll begin working on my next post. Make sure you check back soon because the transformations from this week of photos to the photos of July 3rd are simply shocking! The work has been moving along so quickly! FYI, demolition is just about over too, which is what you'll see in the next post!
Have a good weekend!
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