Our New House–Carpet, Garage and Airing Cupboard

Delay in uploading due to the DNS server being down for a couple of days.

The first of two posts today. Plenty going on at the new house. Paul has put the finishing plaster on the arch from the utility room into the back passageway, and Ashley was here today as well, painting – he has made a start on the utility room, and I love the way he has done the two-tone green to match the kitchen, so there’s continuity.

Here’s the arch from the other side.

Looking through the arch to the back passageway, now that all the plastering is done around the new boiler, you would never imagine that there had ever been a door there.

Today Paul made a start on the airing cupboard door. This is where the little sliding glass window was, which I was sorry to lose as it was an original feature of the house, but it wasn’t practical. There will be a bi-fold door across this opening to save space.

Paul says he’s going to box in the cables and electricity meter, with a door to give access. What was there before was awful – a panel, which when you pulled the handle, fell right out!

Paul has put a panel into the gap over the door. This will be plastered and painted.

Just inside the airing cupboard is a switch and a timer, to control the heater which runs along the bottom of the wall the width of the cupboard (not visible here because of all the stuff in the way).

The airing cupboard will be divided in two, with the heater serving both sides – one for us and the other for Mum. She will have the rest of the space for storage

Here is Paul working on the tiling in the annexe kitchen. He is using the same tiles as the ones in the main kitchen – again, these look white in the photo, but they are actually a beautiful neutral marble effect.

Here’s a general view of the main kitchen, with the plastering finished, and the tiling almost finished – just the grouting to be done. Ashley has started painting in there.

The pale green, together with the light oak finish of the units and the almost-white worktops, is a huge improvement on the dark appearance before. I love the light, airy feel of the new kitchen. Once Ashley has finished with the painting, the extractor hood can be installed, which will be the finishing touch to the kitchen.

These two boxes contain the water filter and a spare cartridge. This is going in the loft void above the utility room. The cartridge will need changing only once a year, and we have asked Jamie to do this when he returns each September to service the boiler.

Here is Ashley painting the plasterwork around the new window and door in the annexe sitting room.

The bottom cupboard in the annexe sitting room contained a built-in wooden wine rack, and my hubby removed this today – with some difficulty as some of the screws were rusted in. It will provide extra storage.

In the afternoon the carpet men arrived. Here, they have laid the underfelt (lovely and thick and springy, and insulating too) and they are about to unroll the new carpet.

Unrolling the new carpet. We have chosen one that will be neutral, hard-wearing and not show every mark, and a nice background for Mum’s rugs.

Fitting the carpet.

Working around the edges, making a lovely neat job.

The finished carpet.

This is the new vinyl floor covering in the annexe bathroom. It is lovely with the tiles, and makes the room a lot lighter than the dark floorboards. It has a slightly gritty, rough surface so it will be non-slip.

As promised, Andy has fitted a spotlight in the box covering the pipes in the ceiling of the annexe kitchen. A nice little touch to give some extra light over the worktop. It will come on with the main light – adding a separate circuit for it seemed unnecessary.

When the carpet fitters were here, they moved Mum’s new wardrobes into the annexe. This one is in the space created by the wall of the en-suite bathroom, and fits perfectly.

Outside, great excitement! the old garage has been demolished. Andy is either celebrating this fact, or doing a rain dance. Not sure which.

Here is Chris drilling out the foundation of the old garage.

To get rid of the old garage, they are using it as hardcore for the foundation of the new one! I said this was archaeology in the making – in the ancient Middle East it was common practice to build cities on the ruins of their predecessors, forming a tell which when excavated, takes you down through the centuries of the city’s history.

Finally, some more artwork, this time by my hubby. Remember the banana trees on the balcony where we used to have lunch when the scaffolding was still up at the front? Andy is extremely upset with my hubby because my hubby has thrown all those banana skins away… Note the banana skins in the picture, the knee pads (especially Chris’s) and the fact that they are all called “Boss.”

It’s amazing any work gets done at all!!

Tomorrow we’ve got to be back early because the removal men are bringing Mum’s stuff out of storage, and will be with us around 9 a.m. I have to make sure the carpets are clean before everything comes in, and afterwards my work will be cut out, sorting it all out. We’ve got a bit of time, thankfully. I’m already shattered after today… Still masses to do at home too.

Update 24th August: Mum’s stuff arrived safely yesterday, and all the furniture is now in situ, and I have made a start on unpacking and organising her stuff. We are leaving her pictures till she arrives and decides for herself where she would like them. I can’t start on the kitchen until the work in there is finished.