We worked like maniacs this weekend – the Cowboy told us he needed the room we’d been using as our Piece of Shit Temporary Kitchen. The place was barely functional, but it was the only kitchen we had. That space is about to become a utility room and a wet room (I think wet rooms are usually only found over here in Europe. It’s a bathroom with a shower, but the shower isn’t enclosed – the floor is lowered where the drain is, but basically the room is one open bathroom.)
To do this, we had to work like crazy to get our new kitchen ready.
Our new kitchen is what used to be our living room. You might remember it as the room where we had to rip the ceiling out twice and where we had to flay the hell out of the fireplace. The room was stripped, wired, emptied, and then plastered by a professional. While the plaster was drying, Angus and I laid slate tiles.
It was a family affair.
Ever laid slate tiles? No? Let me tell you – they are a mother fucker. They’re natural tiles so the thickness varies from tile to tile, meaning you have to constantly work to keep them level otherwise you wind up with a drunk floor.
We got the floor grouting done on Sunday and then started to move in bits, including the dishwasher, which had been lounging about lazily in the storage container. Angus hooked it up. I masturbated heaped affection on it. I then put every dish through it just to try to feel clean again. Moving the dishwasher gave us our first injury, too – while Angus and I were carrying it, I slipped and got my leg pinned beneath the dishwasher and a rubbish pile of bricks.
Sympathy will be accepted.
While Angus worked to get the dishwasher, washing machine, and sink working I had to empty our Piece of Shit Temporary Kitchen.
I wasn’t enjoying it. I definitely didn’t enjoy it when I found that that small leak on the floor you see? The one that was under a cabinet? Yes, it was hosting a small family of maggots. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to just burn the floor and throw away all of our kitchen possessions. Instead I hit the Piece of Shit Temporary Kitchen with antibacterials and cleaned it hard, even though the place is about to be hit by half-naked sweaty men bearing crowbars.
I think the maggots were the lowest point of the build so far for me. We’ve had ant attacks, raining nurseries, dust, cuts, scrapes, tears, discomfort, the inability to actually find a pair of socks in this goddamn disaster of a house, but nothing made me feel that disgusted.
Once I emptied the Piece of Shit Temporary Kitchen, I left a note for it.
We are now fully moved into our new kitchen. The electrics work, the vent works, and Steve gets hooked up today, so our first make-out cooking session is set for this evening. The kitchen is far, far from done. The cabinets need doors, the tiles need sealing, we need to order a granite work surface (last thing for us to do), and the fridge is actually going in a hole cut in the wall. But it’s usable now, and that’s all that matters.
Far from done. But it’s working, so there’s something to celebrate. Of course getting to the kitchen means you have to duck under a hole cut into the cupboard under the stairs. We’re worried people will think we’ve taken Harry Potter a little too seriously.
The rest of the house is getting hit hard. The nursery, which has been stripped of the wallpaper (leaving me to feel horrible and guilty and like we’re subjecting the babies to a room like an Austrian cellar) disappears this week. The babies are getting moved into the guest room, which will be their new nursery. The guest room is currently our temporary living room, so the living room will get moved to our bedroom, which is basically the dumping ground for anything and everything. I’d show you a picture of our bedroom today, but it’s kind of a disgrace. You have to navigate the obstacle course to get to the bed. Bedrooms are supposed to be relaxing, not a Marine training ground.
At least it’s temporary. Once we get the real living room waterproofed and floored, we can move into it. It’s temporary.
I keep repeating that to make myself feel better.
The good news is it can no longer rain in the babies’ room. The roof is done. No really. It is.
And yesterday, in a move that shocked the nation (or at least this house), the builders, stripped to the waist in our 80 degree weather, took down the scaffolding. They started putting windows in. Doors go in today.
You might remember what the back of the house used to look like:
It was a bit of a mess, as that was in the middle of winter and everything was overgrown, horrible, and dead.
The house has changed. Huge changes. It’s far from done – doors need to go in (one set of French doors and two sets of these fantastic bifold doors), special glass needs installing (the living room has a huge glass wall panel to the far right of it where you can see a big gaping hole, as well as a partial glass roof) and the inside is nowhere near done. But it’s a massive change.
Ready?
What do you think?
-H.
It is going to be so beautiful.
Amazing.
YOWZA!!!
Firstly, OUCH at your leg. I bet that hurt like a mo’fo.
It looks hectic and busy and exhausting and it is going to be so amazing when it is finished.
OMG. That’s AMAZING!
Wow, no I seriously, WOW! That is stunning, are you sure the old house is actually still under there?
Have ‘fun’ with Steve tonight? (Is that his real name or is he too refered to under a psuedonym and really called Simon? – sorry about spelling, couldnt be bothered to look that up, I will never be a writer.
Sorry about your leg, looks like it hurts like hell!
Happy Tuesday!
Oh wow. It looks absolutely gorgeous! And it also looks like it’s about twice as big… :) (love-love-love the folding doors as well)
WOW!! Looks fantastic!! Looks like it is all coming together now. Your leg looks sore…glad it wasn’t worse.
It looks great!
What will the space between the new addition and the old garage be? (Right now it looks open)
I have friends who had the bifold doors – they were fantastic. I wanted them with a passion although I’d have had to have had a wall taken down to have had anywhere to put them. Minor point.
I think I’ll paint our kitchen that lovely sunny yellow next time around, don;t tell me that it’s only the undercoat and it will be aqua because I don’t want to know.
Don’t be shy about showing us the bruise becauase it’s going to be a cracker. Ouch.
And I thought I was hardcore for helping to fit our new bathroom sink this weekend! Bad luck on the injury, way to go on the house, looks fantastic!
Angela – that’s where a half-wall of glass and a slanted glass ceiling is going, where the grey block bricks are. The grey bricks will be plastered over.
Oh my GOD it looks amazing! Seriously, that’s incredible. How exciting!
Looking good! I am fantasising abut building over our side return and having folded glass doors the width of the house on to the garden however I will be moving out if we do it!
Holy shit on a stick! Is that the same house?!? It looks amazing! I am totally jealous even if you did have to use the Piece of Shit Temporary Kitchen, because you know what? Your new kitchen/house is going to rock. I mean it is really looking beautiful.
Wow!
The house looks awesome!
Looks wonderful!
First – OW!
Then – WOW!!! It’s gorgeous. Seriously.
It is so going to be worth it when you are do – just beautiful!
Thank you for NOT including a picture of the maggots!
The house? It is GORgeous, darling!
It looks more authentically English cottage than it did before, m’dear.
And as for your injury, I can’t help but remember that scraping a foot down the shin is supposed to be a very painful defensive technique. Sympathy much extended.
Holy crap, the house looks so different already! It’s gorgeous, I love it. I’m loving all these in-progress photos and I’m dying to see the finished project. :)
omg, Helen, it’s beautiful! I love it!
Where’s my room?
GORGEOUS! I’m having remodel envy.
*thud*
That was my jaw hitting the desk.
Wow-seriously beautiful. It is beyond amazing, even without the doors.
You two are the cat’s ass(es). If you don’t know that expression–know that it means “exceptional,” “excellent,” and “rockin’”–and all other manner of superlatives.
Impressive!
Not the same house! FABULOUS!!
Hope you put ice on that leg. Looks like it hurts!
That is super—-califragilistic. Mary and her umbrella will glide in with true amazement. Your hard work and injuries will be memories of your triumphs. All the accolades before this post are doubled. Thank you for the update.
Amazing! Maybe you can tell me this… Why is it that in the UK washing machines are in the kitchen? Mine is here on the otherside of the pond but that is only because of a screw up by whoever built the place were I currently reside.
It looks terrific so far. You have made me want never to remodel – I’ll just sell and buy something new. I couldn’t handle all that – especially with babies! I don’t know how you do it.
Was it worth all of the swearing?
It looks good. All shiny and new.
It is looking amazing and gorgeous! Damn!
And – loads of sympathy given. That looks like it stung.
Honestly — not what I expected. You’ve changed the whole charaacter of the house from charming English countryside to generic McMansion. I don’t really mean that in a derogatory way, I just thought you had something more like this renovation in mind:
http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/2008/06/tia-zoldan-says-hi.html
All that really matters is that you and A like it though, of course.
Wow, wow, wow! All the description you’d been giving just never added up to all that in my mind. The light at the end of the tunnel is now showing – congratulations! :)
And I loved how you broke up with the kitchen. :-P
SK – we hate the washing machine in the kitchen. It’s just there temporarily while our utility room is being built, but then it’s moving out.
Laura GF – Ouch. It isn’t a McMansion. It’s far from done – there is still rendering to be done to the front and sides of the house, painting, and the front of the house is vastly different from the back of the house – it will be painted with white trim and foliage and so on. Only the back is in brick facade, as we want to respect the fact that it’s a new build while trying to tie together modern and older. We are nowhere near McMansion. At the same time, this is not and never was a country cottage – we may be out in the country but what you can’t see in the photos is the sheer run-down state the house had been in thanks to decades of neglect and bad building work – close up it isn’t charming at all, it was crumbling. This house was built in 1914 by a working man for a working man’s family. We designed the renovations based on the way it fits with our neighbors, on our expectations, on our budget, and on what we think and hope will last. Country cottages have their place and I wouldn’t mind owning one someday, but we won’t turn a place into one if it was never built that way to begin with.
First, ouchie to your poor leg. As my niece said when she broke her femur at age 2 – you have a po’ po’ weg.
As for the rest of it – it looks AMAZING. Not a McMansion at all. You guys should be so proud of it and all the work you’ve done yourselves is so impressive. I can’t even get my husband to take out the trash. How do you get Angus to tear out ceilings and lay tile floors?
Simply beautiful. I hope Steve forgives you for piling stuff on top of him!
Holy COW! That’s beautiful! and not at all what I expected although I’m not sure WHAT I expected but…WOW! That’s gorgeous. (quirks an eyebrow at the McMansion comment…don’t get that feel at ALL, especially since our house is a McMansion-type and so are all the neighbors, so I’m well aware of how they look, but whatever…)
Oh and I love it that you told off your kitchen about your faked orgasms!
That’s tellin’ ‘im. *grins*
Holy CRAP!! What a difference!! I almost fell out of my chair. Are you sure it’s the same house? It looks beautiful!!
Helen, I have three girls three and under and am having a tough morning with them. My comment definitely came out the wrong way and I’m laying the blame for that on my irritatable mood today. Thanks for taking a minute to clarify in such a kind way :)
Oh my god, that doesn’t even look like the same house! It’s beautiful!
I had a huge bruise on my leg when I fell through a chair and got stuck (long story). But I heard about this stuff called arnica montana. It’s some homeopathic stuff that make the bruises and pain go away faster. I got it over here in the states, but this looks like what I have http://www.arnicare.co.uk/. It actually helps, so give it a try. I bet you and Angus are pretty beat up.
the place is going to be so fabulous. worth all the work.
Wow! It looks amazing!
Sorry about th war wound…..that looks painful.
I love it. It will be so worth it in a few weeks! I wish Cowboy and friends worked in California as well, because everything looks WONDERFUL.
I’m terribly sorry about your poor leg. But it looks like some aloe and ice should do the trick. I’m sending big hugs in your direction to feel better.
Ouch it looks like that leg must have hurt. I hope you can walk on it okay today. Secondly, wow, it’s going to be such a gorgeous house. I love how you will have so much light coming on the back well. I’m sure you’ll just love it.
Christopher
Well, wet rooms do exist over here…just not as you’d think.
My freshman year at UF, I was placed in a dorm room outfitted for all manner of disabled students (such as myself, le deaf man). There was an attached bathroom with an open shower (such that you could roll in if needed), but sadly, the decline to the drain wasn’t enough to keep water from traversing the entire floor during a decent shower.
It looks beautiful, and those bi-fold doors are going to be gorgeous! Open, light and airy- even during the dreary winter months.
Congratulations on your progress!
Is Angus a leftie?!
Good thing the kids are still so little they can’t read the naughty things that Mommy wrote on the old cabinets. At least the oven can’t answer back, “Yeah, well I faked MINE….too…” a la Steve Martin.
The new house looks like it’ll be great. And hopefully you don’t have the hot weather there like it is here in Georgia, I’d die right now with a house opened up like that.
And, regarding your comment at my place, Montana? Sure, no problem. My wife & I wouldn’t mind being nannies to your little ones while you & Angus work. If you could find jobs out there, that is. Mind being cattle ranchers?