This was intended to be a blog starting on 24 September to chronicle progress on our building project to completely renovate and extend a mid-Victorian terraced house.  We had lived in the house for nearly thirty years and it badly needed some building works to preserve the fabric.  The builders started on 24 September 2007 and we just haven’t had the time to write the blog to go with the regular pictures we have put up on our web site.

We were faced with three choices:

1.  Do some work to prevent further deterioration and stay in the house with builders working around us.

2. Move out temporarily and do the major scheme.

3. Sell and move.

After a number of years planning and agonising we decided to do the major scheme.  This involves demolishing a kitchen extension, extending the kitchen and bringing the garden into the kitchen by installing wide folding glass doors, slicing bits off two bedrooms to extend one bathroom and to make an existing toilet into a proper shower room, and converting the loft into a study/ensuite bedroom.  At the same time we are totally rewiring, reheating and replumbing. 

Throughout the design of this project we have had very much in the forefront of our minds a wish to do our bit to conserve energy and to prevent C02 emissions.  Our scheme therefore incorporates solar panels to supply part of our hot water needs, huge amounts of insulation to prevent heat loss, replacement of windows which are single glazed by double glazed, a sedum roof to slow rainwater run-off, a rainwater collection system for garden watering, and the most efficient gas boiler we could find.

Our builders started on 24 September 2007 and the works are planned to last until Easter 2008.

We are now half way through the building period.  The steelwork for the loft conversion is in place, and the basic structure of the new study bedroom is complete.  The chimneybreasts in our two small bedrooms have been removed and the basic structure of the new bathroom and shower rooms is in place.  Plaster has been hacked off most walls and the timber framing to carry the insulation is in place.  Plasterboard has been fixed to some new walls and some floors have been lifted to enable insulation to be installed below them.  The existing kitchen has been totally gutted and the side of the house propped whilst new steelwork to enable the kitchen to be extended was put in place.  The kitchen floor has been excavated to enable the new floor to be laid.  Part of the back garden has been excavated, creating a World War 1 landscape, so that new sewage pipes and an Inspection Chamber can be put in place. (Remember Peter Sellars singing “They’re removing grandpa’s grave ‘cus some society gink wants a manhole for her sink they won’t let poor old grandpa rest in peace.  Oh mate, don’t excavate, don’t desecrate poor grandpa’s dugout…” )

The plumbing first fix is nearly in.  Shiny new copper pipe work running in parallel straight lines under the floorboards, and as the pipe work turns changes direction, turning and still running parallel, like formation fliers,.

There have been no major disasters so far, a rear wall cracked and is being repaired, and a large section of plaster fell from the lounge ceiling.  Hopefully that can be repaired so we can retain the beautiful Victorian moulding.

Today, 21 December 2007, we have chosen and ordered the sanitary fittings.  We have nearly chosen the light fittings.  We are a bit stuck on the water softener (four manufacturers say theirs is the best since sliced bread - there is no Which report so do we just stick a pin? ).  We have quotes for the very necessary burglar alarm and we await quotes for the new windows we need (do we go for PVC, Aluminium or wood? ) 

We need to make a number of big decisions very quickly so as not to hold up the building team.

All this is taking place in a road which the Times Bricks and Mortar supplement recently described as one of the most sought after roads in our area.  It is also a road in which a number of houses have been renovated in the past two years.  Five have very recently been refurbished and another five have their fronts scaffolded and skips parked in front of them.  Should we rename the road ‘Skips R Us’?

These skips are some comfort to us.  We agonised over the cost of our building works.  Others obviously had the same thoughts but still went ahead.  “100 million Lemmings can’t be wrong.”  Or can they?

Thankfully there is only one Chelsea Tractor in the road and this is cancelled out by one Toyota Prius and five cycle sheds in front gardens.