Plaster Master Class

Finally the progress is tangible, the “worse before it gets better” phase is over and we can actually start to see what our home will look like. Gladly, we have had a few weekends away from DIY whilst the plasterer is in and have the joy of just popping in to take pictures. And to rub our faces up against the walls. Seriously, how can a wall be so beautiful, so smooth.

I’ll be quiet now and show you the pictures.

Starting with what has always been my favourite area of the house, the entrance hall. I mean, I didn’t think I could love it more until I saw how awesome it looks plastered. That smoothness does wonders for my OCD.

We’re making sure to keep as many of the original features as possible, including the shaped corners.

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Change is Gonna Come

Finally (FINALLY) we are making progress. It isn’t a lie when people tell you it’ll get worse before it gets better, but now the plumber, electrician and plasterer are in and underway, it does feel like the end is in sight.

I’ve made some rough changes to the floorplan to give an idea of the small structural changes we are making at this stage (bigger plans afoot when we’ve earned some more money).

In red are doors we’ve blocked up and in green where we have moved doors to or knocked through. Not much has changed, but we’ve created our ensuite, moved the downstairs WC door out of the kitchen and made an opening between the Sitting Room and Family Room.

The knock-through downstairs has made such a difference

Meet the Neighbours

If you could choose a way to meet the neighbours at your new house, it might be housewarming drinks? Asking for some milk or sugar? Taking cakes round to introduce yourself? Okay, that one was from an American sitcom.

Don’t be silly.  The absolute best way to introduce yourself is to go and ask them to move their car as you will be digging up the street to put in a new gas connection. Obviously.

Don’t worry though, it’ll only be like it for a week………

Strip (the) Joint

The whole gutting and stripping process is into it’s 9th week (see before pics here), what with us both trying to fit any work on the house in around our other full-time jobs. A theme you’ll notice is the slow waning of the smiles in pictures and the pain setting into our eyes as blisters appear on hands and more clothes are added to the “DIY” pile.

But don’t let that put you off.

We’re lucky enough not to have to move in straight away, so can completely gut the house whilst the work is done thanks to the lease on our London flat only running out next week and the generosity of my parents. Stage one was to remove any furniture left by the previous owner, fixed or otherwise (not the primrose bathroom suite, I hear you cry).

Out comes the kitchen, with Greg looking very proud at his plumbing handy work (?).

Greg looking proud

The Big Before

No renovation story would be complete without a raft of “Before” pictures, so we won’t disappoint.

To recap, we’ve recently picked up the keys to a five bedroom Edwardian terrace in the Hampshire market town of Petersfield where the previous owner had lived since he moved in with his parents some 60 years ago. I mean, I’ll let you be the judge but I don’t think much has been modernised over the years…

Firstly, here’s the floor plan to put the pictures into context. Our medium/long-term aim is to do a side return extension (think that is a London-ism) from the back of the Family Room to the end of the current Kitchen and open it across.

Apologies for the quality of the pictures, they are stolen from RightMove as I wanted to show you the house before it was empty and the gutting process had begun.