The land this house was built on was bought in 1912 for a princely sum of £40. It’s staggering to think that the land alone today would probably go for about 10,000 times that amount.
The land, this house, and the one next door we bought by two brothers, who built the homes together. They were working men and what kills us is that this house was built by materials that were brought in by horse and cart.
Today our house has been built by copper fibres and wifi – the internet built our home, really. We found everything from our builders to our decor to our white goods on the net. How times change, yes?
Over the years the house hasn’t been loved. It was extended in the early 80′s as an investment – the job that was done was rotten. Walls were built that were unsupported. Doorways stayed up by the skin of their teeth. The wiring in the kitchen was so bad that our electrician, Angus, and our builders don’t quite understand how it is that the house hasn’t burned down. The exterior was covered in pebble dash to deal with the crumbling bricks – the working brothers used some pretty crappy bricks and, when they ran out, simply used brick mortar on the house.
We hadn’t really realized the extent of the house’s suffering when we bought it until one of our builders nearly went through the roof, where we found out the entire roof was rotting and riddled with woodworm. Barge boards on the side that looked like wood weren’t – they had crumbled at some point and some clever bastard had put up styrofoam, made it look like wood, and left it.
The work on this house has been endless. The money we set aside for the house is gone, and courtesy of a rotting roof we went over budget, which is why I plead for clicking on ads – I can’t take money from individuals (you’re a sweetie, Lauren) I’m happy to get income from companies.
I’m not joking when I say that everyday works thus:
Get babies up.
Feed/play with babies.
Babies go to nursery.
Work.
Get babies from nursery.
Feed/play/bathe babies.
Put babies to bed.
Work on the house until collapsing into a near coma and tucking into a simple dinner at 10pm, then going to bed, feeling not unlike Goldie Hawn sitting there going “Buh buh buh buh buh”.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s absolutely exhausting.
And yet I think it’s good.
It’s a new start.
The downstairs toilet that I miscarried in is gone. The upstairs toilet that I not only found out about the existence of Nick and Nora in but spent many a night screaming over the toilet while pregnant is, as I type this, being ripped out. It’s a new beginning to try again with good memories, and to make this house our own.
I know our style isn’t for everyone. We’re both minimalists, we don’t like things and clutter being about. We’re trying to do this house in a way that we both love, that is sympathetic to the age of the home, and that will hold a good re-sell value. We both love art deco an the look of the 20′s, but this house is a very, very simple house. We can’t make it into something it’s not.
We wanted to preserve as much as we could, but it hasn’t been easy. Most of the windows were rotted and, as single paned, couldn’t be salvaged. We kept two of the windows which we converted into mirrors.
We can’t keep some of the things that we loved about the house as their condition wasn’t good. We can, however, try to do things right.
You maybe remember our yelllow kitchen.
We decided that the yellow was too much, and instead the utility room – which will house the washing machine and boiler once it’s done – will be yellow. The kitchen is now dove grey.
I like it. The babies and I are off shortly to get the rest of the bits for the kitchen, which isn’t finished yet but is at least useable.
The living room is liveable but far from comfortable – the floor is concrete and has to remain just concrete for some time, as the screed under the concrete needs a long time to dry before we can put in floorboards. I hate the concrete. There’s not much I can do about it.
In our typical style, Angus got his hands on an old working rotary phone, which we’re both in love with.
It actually works, and will reside permanently in our new kitchen.
We haven’t been able to keep the bricks on the outside of the house – they were in too terrible a shape. We racked our brains with our builders, but the only way to have an exposed brick house would be to re-brick parts and, well, the roof took care of that for us. So the house has been plastered and once the plaster is dry, it will be painted.
I know this house and our decorating isn’t for all tastes, but this house is a home for us. I love it. And even though I’m exhausted and sick of home renovations and see months and months of work spreading ahead of us, I can’t help but feel that I know each and every inch of this home finally.
And that’s worth keeping.
-H.
That last picture from the front – it suddenly is beginning to look amazing. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Congratulations. :)
I love the window/mirror idea, by the way – now I have to find some window frames to do that with, too. :-P
Your minimal design taste is excellent, it is good to calm down and relax in rooms like that.
I fell in love with your bathroom design, that’s exactly the combinations of coulours and materials we are planning, too. So next spring we’re going to have a new bathroom, in white, turquoise blue and black elements.
Good, that you fill your house with completely new images and memories.
Paula
What’s important is that you’ve made it your own. And it’s just lovely. The last picture? I think your home is smiling, Helen. It feels loved at last.
Its looking good! I prefer the new kitchen colour. I had a yellow room we spent a lot of time in once – it got wearing pretty quickly. Not that we did anything much about it except grouse that we didn’t like it so much anymore.
Is it sad that I immediately thought about throwing grapes at your head when I read that movie quote?
Can I throw grapes at your head?
I agree w/Pam, the house smiles at you. It seems to be utterly happy with it’s inhabitants, with all the life and love coming with you, Angus and the babies. And I’m curious- did you already choose a color for painting the plaster?
Happy friday!
Lily
Looking good, Helen, and you will appreciate it so much more when it is all done, and look back over the bad days as being fun (maybe).
Strangely, I think the dove grey is a lot more calming. hrm.
I think you are doing a great job at not only making it a great house – but a real home – for ALL of you. Not just you and Angus and the babies, but Melissa and Jeff too – and that’s priceless.
Man – think of how boring life will be when it’s done!!! :-)
I love the changes that you’ve made, and I like your style. I LOVE that mirror! What a great idea!
I think it’s all amazing.
It is looking just lovely!
I love it!
I am try to color our house up a bit but the resale thing scares me…people are so picky about colorful walls here in TX.
Your dove grey has inspired me! Thank you. I think it looks lovely.
It’s beautiful inside and out, and don’t you be apolgizing for your decorating taste – it’s YOUR home. Be glad that your taste is similar – we go round and round about all things design-related and rarely agree. (And always end up at mission style – you’d think we’d take the hint eventually.)
I really like the gray much better… you’ll spend alot of time there, so it should be a peaceful colour.. glad to see the renovations coming along so well..
May I suggest a brick veneer sometime down the road? It will give the appearance of the brick without the cost.
As you know, I completely understand the difficulties you’ve been through. You’re experience has been harder than most, but I’ve seen worse. The end result will be one that you can fill with love and make your own.
When you’re that intimate with a house, there’s nothing it can do but feel like home.
…just a heads-up: Some IE users are finding blogs are giving them an error (‘cannot open site’ or something to that effect) and the problems seems to stem from SiteMeter. If you remove the SiteMeter code from your blog, it’ll fix the problem.
I liked the yellow in the kitchen but then I don’t have to work in it. I hanker after a red kitchen but the reality is parchment white.
When we moved here we lived six weeks with a bare concrete floor downstairs. I’d forgotten all about that until now.
I like it. Love the mirror.
And I too know every inch of my house. It is a good feeling.
Catching up with blogs is an enhanced experience as soon as Overboard is referenced.
The house looks amazing. I love the windows-as-mirors idea. Clever, clever kids, you.