Creating our dream home, 7 years in
I love our house and I find it hard to believe we’ve been here just 7 years. I still revel in the extra space we have inside and out compared to our previous house. And we continue making …
Family home – 6th anniversary (dones and not dones)
We’ve had another year of turning our house in to our family home. My husband has fitted ceiling spotlights and internal doors and we've both chopped lots and lots of wood.
Family home – 5th anniversary (dones and not dones)
Since February, we’ve been in our house for five years, and the last year has been a busy one with noticeable changes. Done The biggest change has been in the area where my husband (and kids) …
How to develop a lighting plan
Room lighting is more complicated than it used to be with different options including uplights, downlights, acsent lights and mood lights. We’re in the process of planning the lights throughout …
Creating our study space
One of the changes I’m particularly looking forward to with our house renovation is our new study space. Our current study is a strange shape and not big enough for more than one person to use …
Family home – 4th anniversary (dones and not dones)
Looking back on the last year in our house it has been another quiet one, but we have started knocking down the walls. Only non-structural ones, but it is a start. So here is a list of the things …
Having the right tool for the job
I’m frequently told it is important to have the right tool for the job because it makes the job easier and quicker. As we’re doing a full house renovation it means there is often a …
Thinking about a bathroom makeover
Every now and then I love a bath. A long relaxing bath with a Lush bath bomb and a book. Unfortunately, our bathroom is not appealing as a relaxing space. Our house was originally a care home so all …
We’ve finally given our children a laundry basket
You may wonder what we think is so dangerous about laundry baskets that we’ve kept them away from our children for seven years. Obviously, we don’t actually have anything against them, in …
Family home – 3rd anniversary (dones and not dones)
Looking back on the third year in our house it has been quieter than the second year, but we’ve continued to make progress in a number of areas. However, I’m hoping we’ll take bigger …
Panasonic SmartHome Home monitoring & control kit review
Panasonic SmartHome is a wireless control system for your home managed on your mobile phone. The system is made up from a number of devices including window / door sensors, internal and external …
Should we keep our dining room?
It’s over two years since I asked for your thoughts on what we should do with our dining room; should we create a lounge dining room or a kitchen dining room? And now I’m wondering whether …
Landing windows
I have a thing about landing windows; basically I think a landing should have a window. This is possibly because I grew up in a house with a large window that I loved sitting by watching the road …
My NOT perfect bedroom environment
I have to admit I was amused when Hillary’s Blinds asked for my opinion on the perfect bedroom environment because our bedroom is a long way from perfect. We have done very little to the room …
How to deal with your neighbour’s trees
Trees add interest to gardens by adding height, providing shade and encouraging birds into the garden, but they can also cause problems including blocking light, damage caused by the roots, leaves …
The number of bedrooms does matter
Being an old care home we know our house is a bit different to most family homes, but one of the differences we didn’t expect was being classed out-of-the-ordinary when it comes to house …
Family home – 2nd anniversary (dones and not dones)
During our second year in our house it felt like we didn’t make much progress, but looking back I’m surprised and pleased at how many things we’ve achieved. Done The …
How to make a floaty wall nightlight using LED fairy lights
I love fairy lights as there is something about lots of small lights that make me think of magic. I’ve been collecting ideas on how I might use them in the house and it is great there are …
Kitchen location in the front or back of the house
What is the best kitchen location in a house? Is it better to have it at the front or back of the house? Our kitchen is currently at the front of the house and having decided to create a kitchen …
Adding an internal window to lighten the hall
Adding an internal window can be a great way to ensure natural light reaches dark areas of a home. Our original plan to lighten our dark hallway was to add a skylight when we removed the lift. …
House renovation activity plan – first draft
A successful house renovation project needs a plan to ensure all tasks are completed and done in the correct order. The details of the plan will depend on the size of your renovation and your building …
Family home – 1st anniversary (dones and not dones)
In general you get more for your money if you are willing to do work on a property. It is certainly true for us. We bought a larger house than we were looking for because the house needs significant …
Children painting party – house renovation style
Knowing we will be redecorating the whole house meant we could allow our children to do something we wouldn’t normally allow, painting on the walls. Our children’s birthdays are the same …
Planning our Christmas decorations
This is our first Christmas in this house so we’ve had to rethink our Christmas decorations. I’ve developed a plan to implement over a few years as we get a feel for the house and start …