Carpet versus floorboards, again

[Penners]

I spent 7 years tarting

So that's how you managed to afford such a gorgeous house.



(The English language can be a fickle servant :wink: )

 

[Becka]

Having been on the SPAB weekend where one of the things they tell you is not to get pregnant

On that subject.. Has anyone else noticed the extrordinary fecundity of house restorers on telly? It seems that almost invariably when Kevin Mcloud or Sarah Beeny (extremely fertile herself!) come back 6 months into the project the female party is sporting a baby bump! It seems unlikely that many people would be deliberatly trying to concieve when they have no roof etc so you have to wonder what it is about restoration projects that make people so very fertile... :?

 

[JoceAndChris]

I spent 7 years tarting

So that's how you managed to afford such a gorgeous house.



(The English language can be a fickle servant :wink: )

:lol:

I can't deny it, unfortunately.

 

[ilona73]

There is a saying that goes something like

New house
New job
New baby

I have to admit to this happening to me too everytime we have moved in the past..Luckily i took steps to ensure it wont happen again 4 kids is more than enough to cope with espeically with a 6 yr old husband, a cat and dog lol! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
I couldn't tart myself... no one would pay me lol!

 

[AMc]

It seems unlikely that many people would be deliberatly trying to concieve when they have no roof etc so you have to wonder what it is about restoration projects that make people so very fertile...

My guess is it's cold and boring in those caravans and you can't believe it will be more than 40 weeks before it's all over.
My house is split in two - so far we've been working on the back part and had comparitively easy time in the front with power, heat etc. When we open up and lift an insulate the floors I'm sure it will be a whole lot less comfy.

 

[Feltwell]

On that subject.. Has anyone else noticed the extrordinary fecundity of house restorers on telly? It seems that almost invariably when Kevin Mcloud or Sarah Beeny (extremely fertile herself!) come back 6 months into the project the female party is sporting a baby bump! It seems unlikely that many people would be deliberatly trying to concieve when they have no roof etc so you have to wonder what it is about restoration projects that make people so very fertile... :?

That's easy - no telly to watch! :lol:

 

[Penners]

It seems that almost invariably when Kevin Mcloud ...come back 6 months into the project the female party is sporting a baby bump!

Hmmm - there must be a connection there, but I just can't think what it could be... :|

 

[Schoolmarm]

:shock: the women do all seem rather taken with him.

 

[Penners]

But perhaps not as much as he is himself....

 

[Schoolmarm]

Oh no I love him

 

[Penners]

What? Despite that damn silly hairstyle??

 

[Schoolmarm]

I think I would make him wear a cap for in bed.

 

[Schoolmarm]

Changed my mind as I have just remembered that he can't keep his eyes off laydees chests while they are filming :evil:

 

[Penners]

I think I would make him wear a cap for in bed.

A wise precaution. A girl doesn't want accidents, does she?

:shock:

 

[Schoolmarm]

:lol: :lol:

 

[Moo]

4 kids is more than enough to cope with espeically with a 6 yr old husband

The mind (well - mine, at least) boggles.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Having been on the SPAB weekend where one of the things they tell you is not to get pregnant

Society for the Prevention of Accidental Births?

When I was 11 we moved into a largely derelict Victorian country house in December. No heating (portable gas stoves), 2 electric sockets in the entrance hall and one cold water tap in the cellar; no drains. The whole family lived in the dining room for months. Made us quite a team, and determined to vest the same horrors on our own children...

History repeats itself - and we did our recent works without moving into a caravan. Whilst we/builder ripped the guts out of the house, we lived in a couple of upstsairs rooms and the kitchen, no heating save an electric fan heater that jostled for space with the hideously overloaded extension lead/multi-way adapter, and for long periods no water whilst I took ages to do the plumbing, etc. Miserable year, and I can attest that dust and grit gets everywhere (and I mean everywhere). Our stairs went through various hair-raising versions, although the kids were far more adept at scaling them than us.



View attachment 1

Well worth it though - not only for the finished rooms, but because the kids seem to appreciatie period property more than Barrat boxes and modern stuff and recognise "old" as "good".

 

[Penners]

the kids seem to appreciatie period property more than Barrat boxes and modern stuff and recognise "old" as "good".

When I started work on our first period property project (living in a caravan) our kids were aged (son) 5, and (daughter) 3. They used to come into the house in the evening, before bed, while I was working in there, and ask me to tell them stories about the kind of people who lived there when the house was new (15th century). This went on for the four years of the project.

They're now both married adults, and neither of them lives in a modern house. My son has a Victorian house in London, which he has extensively renovated, and my daughter a Tudor famhouse in Norfolk - ditto.

Daughter in particular says that her whole life has been shaped by our love of that first old house. She was so fascinated by it, and by the stories of the people who would must have lived there, that she did her degree in history and is now an author and publisher of historical non-fiction.

Period properties really can be life-changing.

 

[JoceAndChris]

What lovely stories! A real treat to read.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Indeed Joce - thanks for sharing Penners. You must be a proud dad - I remember the pics of your daughter's house you posted once - with the extension.

As boys of 6 and 9, mine seem most interested in who may have died here and whether they buried any treasure in the gardens first! If only DHL would hurry up and deliver the eBay metal detector I've bought them...

BTW - you'll notice from my first pic above that I learned that if the dust-sheet into the kitchen finishes 18 inches above the floor, it is much harder to keep the dust out of the kitchen. Must remember to put that on the Graham's Top Tips thread!