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 biggest thing we’ve done is to change all the windows and doors which required several changes to the house:
- window in the lift control room was unbricked so the room can be converted into a downstairs WC
- bricked up the door in the current downstairs WC that will be converted in to a laundry room
- removed and bricked up the fire exit; interestingly, the fire door was screwed shut from the outside!
- replace a window with a pair of French doors
We’ve also done a few other things:
- discovered part of the house smelt mouldy because tap had leaked for years inside the washstand
- hung the ladders on the garage wall
- got rid of the safe left on the drive by the previous owners
- filled in two dips in the garden (no idea what they were)
- got a second wood store
- removed the sink in the children’s bedroom so M could move out of his cot into a proper bed
Not dones
However, there are still many things we haven’t done; and if you look back on my 1st anniversary post you’ll recognise several of them. We haven’t:
- sorted the mess of electrics in the dining room which was previously a sensory rooms and has switches for bubble tubes and mirror balls but very few plug sockets
- fixed the hole above the ensuite door
- removed the automatic door closures from the walls
- removed the door that opens with a push button
- fitted a proper laundry door
- got hot (or even warm) water in the downstairs WC
- reduced the deadleg in the ensuite and kitchen so we get hot water without running taps for five minutes
- removed the thermastatic mixing valve in the bathroom so there is more than a dribble from the shower
- sorted the plumbing between the two sinks in the kitchen so we can run the taps at the same time
- removed the sinks in the other bedroom
- sorted the gradient of the ensuite floor so the water drains properly
- fixed the leak from the shower into the lounge
- removed the fire safety sighs
- removed the fire alarm break glass points
- removed the emergency lights (although we are thinking of looking for some nicer looker ones to install as they have proved very useful during power cuts)
- removed the lift (this will be a major structural change as some of the roof joists were cut to install it, so when it comes out we need to support the roof with several steel bars)
Plans for year 3
We don’t have any big plans for the house over the next year, but will continue to make small steps forward. The main plans involve improving the garden boundary by planting a hedge and chopping down some trees. We are also thinking of knocking down some walls to combine rooms; the wall with the children’s mural to start creating the space for our study, and the utility and kitchen to start creating our new L-shaped kitchen.
Do you have plans for your house this year? Do you have recommendations for what we should include in our renovation?