Today we bought this house

[MatthewC]

I have mentioned "our" house a few times since joining; I usually tried to make clear that we were still in the process of buying it. Well, today we bought it - at last it's ours (and we also completed on our sale in London).

Ours is the left hand half. Compare the above with this one, which is how it looked when we first saw it in August:

Rather than detail my progress on this forum, I have started a blog: http://houseintheenchantedforest.blogspot.com. Tomorrow I'll post some more pictures on the blog, and start asking detailed questions here!

 

[philpjuk100]

Well done!great project! phil.

 

[Flyfisher]

Congratulations on what sounds like quite a big change in your lives.

Good luck with everything - especially the 2011 project completion date mentioned in your blog** :wink:



**(there's a recurring joke along the lines of people being 3 years into a 6 month project - you'll soon get used to the warped sense of humour here, but it keeps us sane. Well, mostly.)

 

[R King]

Congratulations!!

We completed on our new house in August. Lots to do but more a case of some gentle repair and undoing the previous occupants 'improvements' which include painting over beautiful old stone fireplaces and as we just found out from a neighbour, digging up original flagstones to put in a horrible ceramic floor :evil: etc

Will also post some pictures when I have found the camera.

Your beautiful house looks in the same state of repair like our old house did when we bought it 8 years ago......still unfinished when we moved out!

Have fun and enjoy

 

[Jill]

Lots of exciting times and hard work ahead. Good Luck.

When we started work on ours I joked that if it took us 10 years it did. I don't think I actually meant it at the time, but after 5 and a half I think the 10 years is definetly a realistic timescale - at the rate we work anyhow.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

It's looking better already. Some of the vegetation seems to have died just to oblige the new owners

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Oh wow, what a super project, best of luck!

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I've now read the blog so far, and can only wish that you had posted a lot of that here, a long time ago (though that wouldn't have been possible owing to the slow pace of conveyancing solicitors). You seem to be going about things in entirely the right way, taking it slowly and doing all (and more) of the right background stuff. I look forward to reading more.
Though 2011 does seem a bit optimistic...

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Great news and an interesting blog. Look forward to following your progress... we're an insatiable lot on here for PPUK porn - have you got any internal photos to share?



Before Penners pops up, I mean internal to the house! :roll:

 

[MatthewC]

Clearly I need to clarify the "2011" target mentioned on the blog. That is when I hope we will move in, not finish it. I haven't got a clue when we would ever call it finished, especially as my wife has said that she intends never to move again!

Since I am retired and have the funds (thanks to higher London prices and selling at the small peak earlier this year!), I hope to just be able to do what is required in the right order without too much stress. So, now I'm off for my first working day at my new house...

 

[MatthewC]

It's looking better already. Some of the vegetation seems to have died just to oblige the new owners

The vendor cut the ivy at the base with a chain saw - you can just see the gap in the overgrown photo.

 

[CatherineB]

Congratulations, Matthew and Jane!

I've added your blog to my Favourites - it's facinating reading.

 

[Penners]

Before Penners pops up, I mean internal to the house!

Poor Matthew. He was longing to use that shiny new endoscope.

Many congratulations, Matthew. You won't confine all of your progress reports to your blog, will you? I already visit far too many websites* on most days, so I'm reluctant to add another one to the list.


*Don't say it, FW. Just don't...!

 

[MatthewC]

To satisfy the insatiable, and to save Penners having to click on another website, here are some photos which also appear on my blog.

This will be our kitchen - I'm doubtful about restoring the floor tiles...

Two of the bedrooms, with one of four holes in bedroom ceilings (roof will be started next week...)

Looking down from the stairs to the hall arch, and down from the landing showing the entrance to the second bedroom with its own couple of stairs

The lounge, and an odd corner feature where they have used a visible rounded bit of wood to protect the plaster. There will be more to come, plus lots of questions!

 

[philpjuk100]

Wonderful project!and don`t forget -to stave off decay by daily care, to prop a perilous wall or mend a leaky roof by such means as are obviously meant for support or covering, ... and otherwise to resist all tampering with either the fabric or ornament of the building as it stands;

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Wonderful project!and don`t forget -to stave off decay by daily care, to prop a perilous wall or mend a leaky roof by such means as are obviously meant for support or covering, ... and otherwise to resist all tampering with either the fabric or ornament of the building as it stands;

Yeah, and don't forget to misread the totality of what I've posted, or forget to think about it - selective quotation is just fine. The end result of this project will not be a gutted shell.

 

[philpjuk100]

Good to see that you have given prority to the removal of the ivy,it can be very destructive and can penetrate lime mortar quite easily.Our previous house was damaged by heavy ivy growth(the ivy can be responsible for setlement due to it removing moisture from under the house) and I was very suprised when the insurance paid for the repairs,I also thought your blog very informative and will visit again,phil.

 

[JoceAndChris]

What a pretty house! The very best of luck with your project, and you really do come across as an excellent guardian for this nice old property.

Your hall arch is identical to mine! If you enter "making a Georgian style print room " into the search bar here you'll see what they look like painted up, with the pretty plaster edging on them picked out in white.

It looks like you've got some super old floors there, so , an early plea that you restore them as they are. For those kitchen tiles, I'd recommend a hard brush ( I use small steel brushes on mine to get the efflorescence off), and then a good clean, followed by 3 coats of Liberon stone floor sealer ( a linseed oil mixed with a carrier) and 3 coats of Liberon stone floor wax - it's great for quarry tiles, flagstones, pamments, and it's easy to use. I think they'll come up a treat.
Buut you have a billon things to do before you get to that point... Good luck with it all, and please keep us posted.

 

[Moo]

You lot are making me feel really guilty about my floors, especially the pamments in my breakfast room. I long ago gave up trying to make them look glossy and cared-for, so for years (and years, and years...) they've had to make do with an occasional mopping.
But your post has inspired me, Joce, and I'm tempted to make one last effort. One question, though: does that Liberon stuff make the floor slippery?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Dark and undying is nice too though, Moo, as I'm starting to feel about brass...

On a smooth, polished surface - like my hall flagstones, the wax makes it like a skating rink. On the rough, more gritty surface, it stays that way and I never slip.

I'd do a test patch with any old wax just to see.

You could miss the final wax stage - just using the Liberon stone floor cleaner, which is excellent, and then the stone floor sealer - that would be a lot less slippery.

Or just linseed oil?