About the house

The house is a bit like an ageing super model - the bones are good but it doesn't do to look to closely! The previous owners had lived here for 28 years and although left it immaculate and newly decorated there's a lot of work to be done. The house was originally  four room square, two rooms at the front & two at the back. A hall & staircase in the middle with a small bathroom between the two back bedrooms. Alterations have been made in the past which include a front & a back reception room being knocked into one with a very 70's arch. Upstairs the bathroom has been moved into one of the bedrooms and the original knocked into a bedroom. Sadly not a full en-suite just a lonely basin at one end of the room.

 So today I'll take you through the downstairs.

Now when we bought the house the hall, sitting room and dining room ( now the office) were carpeted. We'd owned the house for 36 hours when these all came up so that the new damp proof course could be injected. And because we didn't want to get too cosy they didn't go back down except in the office.

Original tiles & missing border

Under the hall carpet was the original tiled floor but it's all a little strange. The pattern includes a border but not all the way round, it disappears into the under stairs cupboard, but we can't see any evidence that the stairs have been moved. At the bottom of the stairs there is a very unattractive internal window which was once the doorway to the front parlour. This will have to go. The front door is fairly new, double glazed and nice & secure. Unfortunately it opens the wrong way, if you want to open it and let someone in, you have to reverse up the stairs!

Internal window as seen from sitting room

We have wall lights to match!

Didn't take us long - day 2

So wrong! Artex ceiling & mean skirting boards

 The sitting room floor is solid concrete and so we sealed it to stop the dust and installed some furniture to have somewhere to sit. The house is single brick so one of our first jobs is to add insulation to the walls. There are only two radiators in this space, which is approximately 7.5m x 4m, and an electric fire. So plans are to increase & improve the radiators and put in a wood burning stove.


The office will also need insulation, something doing with the open fire and updating the radiator. The problem with this room is that we both have to work here and so there will be huge disruption when work starts.

Office fireplace

Next, at the back of the house is the kitchen diner. Originally there was a pantry here but this was removed to give more space. It's a reasonable size and currently has fitted cupboards. But. Big but. The cupboards are dark and falling apart, the new work surface (put on to help the sale no doubt) is a wood effect laminate which doesn't look good at all &  the floor is dark. I have no oven, no hob, no fridge but a freezer and a very nasty smell from under the sink! So we went out and bought a cheap microwave but I think the next few weeks are going to be hard for a couple who love to cook.

Dark

Missing oven

Shiny new microwave

Now the last 'room' we have great plans for! This is the lobby that links the kitchen with the original outhouse, now a loo and a small utility space. Henceforth this is to be known as 'The Orangery', not at all pretentious!

Loo & utility

The Orangery!

Hate that brown paint!

I can dream! Source: Art et Deco

Next time I'll show you upstairs.

Sharon