It lives.

[robgil]

Looks like we will be going ahead with clipper cottage after all guys. we have done a lot of thinking and have come to the conclusion that selling it now would be a bad decision , well perhaps just the wrong decision. we are going to end up borrowing way more than we can afford and it is going to take a much longer time to complete than we have to spare and its probably going to be no where near worth what we spend on it but we are going to be playing by ear for now and hopefully we will be able to see it through , what the hell eh?

 

[Penners]

Well done, Rob. Your description of your situation, and the dilemma it has given you, is probably familiar territory to the great majority of us.

Mrs P and I certainly went through that mill a few times, and by way of encouragement I can only tell you that it was always worthwhile in the end.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, Rob. It will be your little kingdom, your pride and joy.

We could all go and live in a well-presented little modern house in a cul-de-sac and save ourselves a ton of effort, cost and arguments (not to mention uncomfortable living). We're all bonkers - but the houses really do say thank you, and reward you, and fill your life with something wonderful. You don't seem like the kind of person to be sat round not doing much. Period properties are for busybodies, dreamers, history-lovers and craftsmen- leave the easy, modern houses for those who can be content with coming home from work and vegging in front of the telly.

I wish you all the very very best with Clipper Cottage, and, we're out of recession apparently - hang on in there for a good number of years and it may well not end up being such a financial disaster.

 

[Schoolmarm]

Anyway, who needs visitors? I banned them to take the pressure off living in a dump.


Glad to see you back Rob.

 

[Penners]

Anyway, who needs visitors?

It's my experience that you have a single window of opportunity with visitors. When you start a PP project they'll all want to come and see - but they'll always arrive wearing white linen, or similar.

So you soon learn to ignore their carefully chosen pristine apparel, and ask them to muck in anyway. I remember one friend turning up in a pale yellow Pringle sweater on a day when I needed several strong blokes to help me lift an empty oil tank off its piers.

His Pringle was never the same, and nowadays he always insists that we visit them.

So you can normally get people to visit once. :wink:

 

[Flyfisher]

Now you mention it, although we usually have sufficient spare boots and wellies for visitors to borrow when walking around the place, I've not considered other apparel. Perhaps I should invest in few spare boiler-suits in anticipation of feeble excuses regarding spoiled clothing?

But welcome back Rob and best of luck!

 

[Feltwell]

I remember one friend turning up in a pale yellow Pringle sweater

Frankly Penners, it sounds like you did the chap a favour!

Good to hear you've decided to plough on Robgil. Friends of ours commented after we moved to a larger, more expensive house and the property market then dived, saying that "I bet you wished you'd waited" - absolute rot, we found a house that we loved that was in the right area, it's a home far more than it is an investment and we intend to stay here for hopefully 20 years+ - until the 3 junior Feltwell's (No.3 arrived on Tuesday! ) have gone their own way and it becomes too big for us.

You'll get a huge amount of satisfaction once you've got it to a liveable state and are living there I reckon.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Robgil, put it down to this ghastly weather. Very good decision and tons and tons of luck.

 

[Flyfisher]

until the 3 junior Feltwell's (No.3 arrived on Tuesday! ) have gone their own way and it becomes too big for us.

Apologies for the digression, but I think that news is worthy of congratulations, not to mention adding some perspective to the more-immediate issues of the day.

Boy? Girl? - or do you now have one of each? :wink:

 

[Schoolmarm]

Oh yes! Missed that completely. Congratulations!
Now stop at three because they are hellishly expensive as teenagers and twenty-somethings

 

[Inspector John]

It's when you speak on the phone to them and mention "I'd bring your boots...It's a bit muddy here"
and they turn up in... High heels and brogues

 

[Jill]

Congratulations Feltwell.

Great decision Robgil, i'm sure you will not regret it. Just think of the satisfaction, it doesn't matter how long it takes.

And as for visitors - the amount of times I have heard people at work say - we'll have to come and see it when its finished! If they couldn't be bothered to come in the first place or whilst we've been doing the major works and living on a building site then do you think the door will be thrown open. They haven't a clue what hard work has/is being put in. One guy comes to see us when he is feeling a bit low - it makes him feel better knowing that we are living in a worse condition than he is.

 

[Feltwell]

Thank you thank you!

We now have a girl of 5 (going on 25), a boy of 4 and a newborn baby boy, who arrived on Tuesday weighing it at a not inconsiderable 9lbs 6ozs. Mrs F and our new baby (Billy, by the way) are both doing just fine. He is a "binary baby" - he exists in 2 states, "asleep" and "awake demanding food". I am typing this one-handed as he also doesn't like being put down and demands cuddles!

 

[skier-hughes]

Excellent news all round

 

[LadyArowana]

We now have a girl of 5 (going on 25), a boy of 4 and a newborn baby boy, who arrived on Tuesday weighing it at a not inconsiderable 9lbs 6ozs. Mrs F and our new baby (Billy, by the way) are both doing just fine.

Congratulations on the new arrival. Have you been letting the family know what sort of power tools he wants as a Christening ( or one month, or other celebration, to be totally PC ) present ?

Looks like we will be going ahead with clipper cottage after all guys. we have done a lot of thinking and have come to the conclusion that selling it now would be a bad decision , well perhaps just the wrong decision. we are going to end up borrowing way more than we can afford and it is going to take a much longer time to complete than we have to spare and its probably going to be no where near worth what we spend on it but we are going to be playing by ear for now and hopefully we will be able to see it through , what the hell eh?

I am sure that one day you will look back and be very proud of what you have accomplished. A project like that is as much about the enjoyment of doing it as about what the thing is worth at the end. Most hobbies and entertainments yield nothing in actual monetary value, so spending time and effort on a property you love isn't that different to many other things people do in their non working hours. I would mention golf as an example but recent events leave me highly suspicious of the golfing fraternity and the money allegedly spent on playing it .............. or not.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Lots of nice good news stories here. Congrats all round!

For a number of years we had great problems with getting new credit cards delivered to the house. The couriers would turn up, take one look at the place, and conclude that as it must be uninhabited and semi-derelict there was some scam going on.

 

[Ushy M]

Good luck and best wishes to Rob and to Feltwell. Your news has one thing in comon - children and old houses are both moneypits, but for some people, hugely rewarding, satisfying and absolutely worth doing!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Excellent news all round - Welcome back Rob and congratuations to Mr & Mrs Feltwell!

Rob-= have you considered that Feltwell may have the solution to your problem - a significant source of free slave labour. We use ours (boys 7 & 9) like Romans (except for the gladiatorial spectacles bit).

"...and a newborn baby boy, who arrived on Tuesday weighing it at a not inconsiderable 9lbs 6ozs". Wow - I bet that smarted a little!

 

[Carol]

Lovely! Good news for the New Year.

Glad you are able to stick with the cottage, Rob, you already seem to be in tune with it so well, very glad you can see it through, we all know how hard it is at times.

Another PPUK baby, Congratulations and sympathy to your poor wife for the hard work she must have had, even for number three, what a big boy! He'll be a strapping lad carrying your sandbags before you know it. Enjoy!

 

[Nigel Watts]

He'll be a strapping lad carrying your sandbags before you know it.

Or sewing your curtains. We have to be open minded these days you know.