Northfield House Renovation

Brickie was back today and made some progress on the garage. Photo 1 Photo 2 Previous Next

Our brickie had an appointment today so wasn't on site. Good opportunity to take the old copper pipes and electric cables to the scrap metal yard. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 The metal is first placed into these bags and then put on a weighing scale. Photo 5 73 KG of copper pipes and there is still more to come. Previous Next

Our brickie was finally back on site today and started on the garage. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Very pleased with the look of the salvaged bricks and plinth at the front. Previous Next

Having removed the wallpaper from the last remaining room, I've been trying to remove all the old wiring and pipework (as much as possible) before first fix can commence. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 It just seems like never-ending cables and pipes. Removing them requires lifting floorboards which is impossible without damaging them to some extent. Previous Next

We were away for the half-term break so there was no progress to report on the house. As the scale of the work can be quite overwhelming, its good to have a short break occasionally just to get the motivation back. We did however manage to make a trip to the DIY Kitchens showroom. We had seen all the displays at Wickes, Wren and others but not only did we not find something that we were 100% happy with, the price was also beyond our budget. I guess its quite difficult to select a kitchen from the aforementioned suppliers once you've been to the likes of Tom Howleys and Neptune. DIY Kitchens has been getting a lot of mention on social media and the customer reviews were very encouraging so we thought we should at least give it a try. Due to the distance involved and weekend commitments there hadn't been an opportunity to visit their only showroom until now. It was a long drive but if we didn't go now, then we wouldn't have another opportunity till the Easter break

The wallpaper has all been removed now bar the one front room on the ground floor. I've now started to remove the electrical cables and pipes from under the floors. This requires lifting the carpet, underlay and also the floorboards that were previously cut and lifted. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 There is just a maze of cabling under the floorboards. Photo 5 There is also a lot of what seems like the original electrical wiring present under the boards. Photo 6 Photo 7 Previous Next

As our bricklayer is off for a few days, there isn't any construction work happening but I've been trying to get the inside prepared for first fix. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Removing the green paneling that can be seen in photo 2, is proving very challenging and requires removing a thin layer of plaster with it. Photo 3 shows the patches of plaster once the paneling has been removed, with photo 4 showing how the wall looks once the patches of plaster have been chiseled off. Its become a very time consuming task and as photo 5 shows there is still a fair bit to remove. Photo 6 Photo 7 Spent some time cleaning the extension and adjoining living room. I'm hoping I can use the living room to store the insulation boards required for insulating the walls, ceilings and floor/ Previous Next

Spent the weekend doing a bit of tidy up in the extension and also removing the T&G wood paneling in the attic store room as the plan is to create a new bathroom there. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Velux roof windows have been fitted now. Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 Photos 5 to 7 show the attic store room. Previous Next