Ninety-five per cent

It's done. Well, almost. Still a couple of doors to hang and the walls are a little bare in places but we're most definitely on the downward stretch.

Husband started digging the footings in July 2010, we got planning permission in September (oops) and the roof was on by the end of October. Apart from some weekend help from my stepfather - a man who is highly qualified in many fields but none of which include laying bricks - he built it all himself and I could not be more proud. Oh, and he did it all with a still-to-be-operated-upon hernia.

So, here is the end result with before and after photos, which really do not reflect the incredibly painful process which nearly saw the collapse of our mental health, marriage and bank account.

The 'before' photos were taken on the day we moved in, which excuses the mess but not the vile decor for which I can place the blame quite firmly on the previous owners.

Here's the kitchen. Check out the paper towel dispenser on the wall! The end area (from dispenser onward) was partitioned off and is now a utility room and downstairs loo. It's too cosy to photograph so you'll have to take my word for the fact that it looks pretty darned good.

See the mould against the wall where the dishwasher/washing machine used to be? We had slugs too. Nice. The old back door was bricked up.

This is what the old kitchen looks like now, which is a storage area for toys and our day to day stuff. The tall dark cupboards house all the clutter that we need to have close to hand but drives me mad when it's lying around, such as my two main handbags for work and non-work days, the stuff that is constantly being shifted between the two, baby change bags, boys' nursery bags, sunglasses, umbrellas and all the husband's detritus like piles of loose change, bills and brochures. The doorway on the left leads to loo/utility and to the right is the hall. Just this side of the doors was the wall which separated the kitchen from the back room.

The back room, which they used as a living room. Fireplace courtesy of Fred Flintstone. Carpets from the 70s.



 

And five minutes later when the removal men dumped our stuff in:

The building to the left outside was a badly built strange sort of office and outdoor toilet. Husband could not WAIT to knock it down. Where this once stood and the patio area in front/to the right is now the NEW KITCHEN. Woo hoo!

But first, more on the old back room. It's now the family sitting area, which means that the front room is now a child free haven. Bliss. The Flintstone fireplace was swiftly demolished, walls were stripped, the window was removed and the rest of the window-wall and wall to kitchen were taken out. The new fireplace is
Chinese tumbled slate, and will one day house a multi-fuel stove. The mirror was from ebay, as was the grey and white enamel ceiling lamp which was reclaimed from a French factory. We painted both sides of the old window reveals with blackboard paint and I use it as a menu planner and shopping list. Very occasionally I let the boys loose with some chalk.

I need to find something to go either side of the chimney breast so currently browsing etsy for some fabulous artwork.



Everyone who visits  just gets lost in the map, I could honestly stare at it for hours thinking "I never knew that was there". Not only does it look great and fill the space beautifully but it helps me finish crosswords with geographical questions and I hope it will be a great educational tool for the boys as they get older and inspire in them the urge to see the world.



The furniture was all a complete bargain. My uncle deals in second hand furniture/antiques and found us the leather sofa at auction for £130. We roughed it up a bit with sandpaper, polished it and now it looks perfectly beaten up. The leather recliner chair, matching footstool and side table were found sitting on the lawn outside my mum's neighbours house with a sign saying "For sale - £50". We got all three for £30. Get in. The anglepoise and trunk were some of the few things of the husband's that I didn't 'rehome' when we moved...


And now for the piece de resistance. The area housing the kitchen is all new extension. Again, we got some great bargains by making use of Ikea promotions - £200 back in vouchers on the kitchen itself and 3 for 2 on the appliances. The French doors were free, they were only two years old and about to be put in a skip by a friend who was also extending.

The flooring is Blonde Oak parquet effect vinyl flooring by Karndean. Because we bought such a huge quantity (40m2) we were able to get it at trade price via a local supplier at 35% off  the retail price. We were recommended an excellent floor layer by our (also excellent) plasterer who did it as a weekend job for cash at a third of what the supplier had quoted.

Here are the vintage cookery books framed up and finally on the wall. The white chairs are Urban Junior from Ikea and the perfect height for the boys. The black/brown chairs are also Ikea and new (£20 each) but we managed to pick up another four on ebay for use when we have guests for the bargain price of £8 for the set.

 The tambour unit to the left in the above photo houses kettle, toaster, mugs and tea/coffee. It's great to shut it all away at the end of the day and keeps my worktops clutter free.

The extension from outside and new patio - and the utility and hall doors still waiting to be hung! Hoping to paint the garage to the left (aka husband's gym) soon as it is painted in a drab and ugly shade of grey. 

 

And finally, here's a little something the husband knocked up in the three days the floor layer was in when he got "bored", using some left over decking and fence posts. There was previously a greenhouse in this corner of the garden but it was just an accident waiting to happen so we took it down and were going to turf the space. But I think this looks MUCH better and unsurprisingly, the boys agree!

Just the hall, stairs, landing and driveway to do now...