henry

couldn't have done it without him.

life without grant, aaron, piers and co

i thought i'd miss them.  I really did.  i even got abit emotional when i said goodbye.  they've been here since the end of june.  but it is so nice.  now when it get's to 8.15am i know there'll be no van  revving up the drive and at 8.30 there'll be no need for any cheery hello's or pleasantries.  i can just pad around in my grungey nightie and shout at the kids in peace.  bliss.  then after i come back from dropping them off i don't even have to pretend to do anything important.  i can just sit down and have a cup of coffee and listen to chris evans whittering on and maybe even stroke the cat.  heaven.

there is however a rather alarming patch of damp on the freshly painted ceiling.  please god don't let me have to get them back in.

eh voila

the new kitchen!

the good news is that pumpkin survived the extension (his tail is in shot) and sad news is I think the old kitchen units are being banished back to the basement.
right,  just got to get sink, cooker, taps, worktop, splashback, blinds, and a life.

no more the caravan ...

yup we're in the house.  with running water and electricity and heating.  it's amazing.  i can't tell you how nice it feels to have my own bath again.  obviously there are hitches - for example the bath tap is broken and the french door doesn't open and nobody really knows how the thermostat works but we're really nearly there.  on sunday we even ate our lunch in the new kitchen.  i took some photos to prove it.

so what of the dark month?  october 2011.  it was so bleak i couldn't face posting any updates.  not that there were any really.   my builder crush disappeared onto another job - the two timer - and then when he came back for a day i burst into tears.  meanwhile the whole family developed whooping cough in the caravan - coco's still coughing - and my pelvic floor hasn't been the same since . . .

in out

The bathroom was supposed to be up and running by the weekend.  It wasn't of course.  But we'd got the bit between our teeth so decided to move back in anyway.  I even hoovered.  Needless to say it's Monday and we're back in the caravan.  No loo, no sink, no electricity and tons of dust - what were we thinking?  anyway it's going to be a heatwave this week.   

Never again.  

for sarah

here he is mr tiggywinkle caught in the act

two and a half weeks

And the bathroom will be operational.  In theory.

mr tiggywinkle

i thought hedgehogs belonged to the 70's but i've been proved wrong.  there's one living under the caravan.    he's surprisingly noisy.  pumpkin and him have been fighting it out for the expensive lams catfood.

meanwhile my favourite builder is holidaying in scotland.  i miss him.

awning's up

It's already blown down once.   Now got guy ropes.  Hoping it'll survive the september storms.  According to country file they're heading this way ....

big hands

i think i might have a crush on our builder.  it's not appropriate.  

have been instructed to find a bathroom suite asap.   i'm dutifully visiting bath showrooms and and nodding approvingly at trad white sinks and steel baths though if i had any balls i'd get a dusty-pink suite with gold taps.

agasaga

we decided against an aga and not just because someone said 'they're for old people'.   but we're housesitting and they've got an aga and having found the oven gloves i'm really enjoying it.  it's like they say ... so much more than a cooker.

i'll probably break it now.

new residence

bought a sofa last week.  it's the one thing people keep telling me is really important in a kitchen which is good because i haven't bought anything useful like a sink or a cooker yet.  it's black and white dog tooth check.  simon said it made his eyes go funny.  

we're house-sitting in brownshill.  it's totally idyllic and they are going to have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming.  the cat is in the caravan.  he's grounded.  I can't face having to pick him up from yet another disapproving vet after he's been brought in as a stray.   

green bidet

anyone want a green bidet and matching sink with brass fittings?   i think they're about to become very fashionable again - if not already.  

the bathroom tiles are staying though.

outside the annexe

flirty but firm

that's the advice of a friend who's project managed alot of jobs.  i think she's right,  though it's hard to be flirty at 8am when you're heading to the portaloo. . .

beer and cakes was another tip - so i gave the builders the second tea cake (baked by Shirley from across the road) and produced three cold beers on friday afternoon.

we're still behind schedule.

that's when good neighbours become good friends

Someone has left two loafs of tea bread in a bag outside the caravan.   On the bag they've written "will freeze".  I have no idea who they're from.  I don't think it's sheila butt from next door because she's got my sheets in her washing machine and would have mentioned it.   Anyway the Swift Challenger fridge doesn't stretch to a freezer compartment so will have to eat them this week.

vin rouge and comments

Kids had a bath in the vicarage and trooped back across the road to the caravan where they watched me eat my supper washed down with half a bottle of red wine.  i've now got a warm fuzzy glow which means i'm one glass away from being drunk.

here we are in the 'van - it's nearly a live link.

talking of which i think i've sorted out the comments setting so you can leave comments now if you feel so inclined.

i notice i haven't mentioned much about the building work that's because there doesn't seem to be much building work going on.  The slab is down but the spoil heap is still there, the AI's have been revised and the structural engineer is coming again (at £450 a time let's hope it's the last).   But at least the architect and builders are now on speaking terms.

i just hope it doesn't rain again.

sarah weal

a brilliant photographer with an eye for all things beautiful and the woman who taught me how to do a blog!

here's some of her pics of pool cottage last year including pumpkin who looks ridiculously young!

tales through a lens

and if that link works then i've come along way  . . .

the great unclean

in one week we've had 3 baths in 3 different houses, sat in the paddling pool a couple of times and made good use of the washing up tub foot bath.   plus rain showers.

meanwhile the old school architect and the wide-boy builder are having a character clash.  it's not good for general morale.  

also have completely forgotten what mike who sold us the 'van said about the pink and the blue liquid for the cassette toilet.  except they're very important.  no info on line. 

off camping this weekend in sunny kent.

run rabbit run

sinks

ceramic butlers sink or stainless steel sink?  double or big single?

the good news is that the cat is back.    

life on the drive

Our second night in the caravan.  I might even clean my teeth.   

We're on the drive right by the road so it's very much suburban camping with cars speeding by and half the school walking past as I clear up breakfast.   

It's a far cry from where we've been living for the past three weeks ...

Seriously!

caravan

as of today we are the proud owners of a Swift challenger 1990 5 berth caravan.  there's nothing i don't know about second hand caravans now.   needless to say the kids are very excited about it.  i was until i tried to open the window and the whole frame came off in my hand.

here it is in situ.  we move in on wednesday.

the rabbit

reappeared today.  he'd spent the night in the cellar with the poggenpohl units.

kitchen bugbears

A lovely friend sent a round robin email asking for everyone's do's and dont's when she was planning her new kitchen and collated them.  The result is practical and hilarious in equal measure so i've reproduced it in it's entirety.  Hope that's OK with all the (anonymous) contributors.

What annoys you/ pleases you about your kitchen?

Get soft close doors and drawers. The banging will drive you mad.

the fact that i put the microwave ABOVe my washing machine and drier

thinking i would never really want to use it again. now i have to use

a ladder/chair to reach it to the NEVER ENDING hilarity of my father

in law i do realise this is a mistake no one else would EVER make

love my extra wide drawers tho

ALWAYS HAVE DISHWASHER V CLOSE TO SINK! Obvious, I know, but didn’t think about it last time we had a kitchen done and it bothered me greatly.

Other people being in my kitchen annoys me.

Get a sous-vide, all the cool people are

get powerpoints everywhere and make a feature of them so you can move appliances about.

Agas are for losers and old people and are shit

ice machine on fridge

usual view thing from sink and triangle between hob, sink,fridge

get 2 dishwashers so no washing up ever to do.

My recycling has no where to go. It hangs in a bag on my kitchen cupboard and annoys me every day until I get annoyed enough to take it outside. 

I also wish I had more cupboard space (but that's a kitchen size issue).

Would have also liked to put my washing machine somewhere else other than the kitchen. 

My only gripe in my new kitchen (designed by the last owners) is that the cooker is too far away from the sink which means I have to negotiate small boys practising their football skills as I try and carry a saucepan of boiling water and pasta to the sink to drain....

Cooking triangle. V important.

My wife frequently annoys me in the kitchen if that helps.

my ENORMOUS recommendation is to employ Kate Beard to sort out your lighting. She's an old friend but every one who's used her has said it has been money really really well spent. she's also quite addictive. 

Lou R will recommend her too. And Careen. 

http://www.katebeardlighting.com/

On Kitchens, controversially we've just got rid of our big fridge and gone built in normal size 180cm fridge freezer.  It's dull I know but hass been revalatory, have to shop a little more often but am no longer throwing food away that got lost in the cavernous space.

ha ha!!  looking at my kitchen it's hard to know where to begin!

I would like cupboards at head height - bending down all the time is a pain and open shelves just invite clutter

2 ovens at body height (Aga's are lovely but again bending down all the time)

A double sink

a pull out larder cupboard thing for all that crap stuff - like pasta, rice packets, tins, spices etc etc

Deep drawers to put pots and pans in

A wide cutlery draw to accommodate the full range of cutlery from family heirlooom silver through practical everday stuff to the kids Ikea stuff!

NOT a wooden work surface - looks nice for about 5 minutes and then it's a pain - go for a stone one or look in Habitat - they are doing kitchens now and there was one in there with a fabulous glittery orange glass work surface!  Maybe a bit over the top??

Enormous fridge

Sofa for magazine and tea breaks

or I could just employ a full-time cook!

Kitchen – only thing... Try to position your dishwasher so that you can empty it without having to trek across your kitchen so ideally plates, knives and forks, glasses & every day stuff etc all live in a cupboard/draw an arms length away.  

Smelly Bins, piles of recycling – drives me mad – let me know if someone comes up with a solution.

All I can say is don't cut any corners or skimp on quality.  We have an Ikea shell with bespoke sprayed doors, it all now feels very flimsy.  Go for two sinks, Aston Mathews make lovely taps!

Nicest work surfaces I've seen are in Kate and Barney's house.  We have one of those integrated fridges that looks like a cupboard - waste of time!  Go for nice big, wide Miele type number.

Anything too modern feels a bit bleak after a while.

LIGHTING is paramount (I got someone in to teach me, and can easily tell you the basics which is all you need ... I love love love the lighting in my kitchen, hate it in the sitting room)  Really important to suss this first as all wiring needs to be put in place v early.

Separate WORKSTATION area ... Tamala's idea in my kitchen and bloody brilliant.  Means you can keep the rest of the kitchen work surfaces clear and use this area to charge phones, have letter rack/paperwork, files of kids' school work and all the other chaos on modern life.

OVEN - Gavin hates our 60cm double oven and says it's too small.

Bi-folding French windows that open up whole side wall  ... wooden and really heavy, annoying/difficult to close.  Don't use them unless it's really hot. Wish I'd gone for frameless sliding glass doors instead.  (There is a company that makes beautiful ones if you need can get name ... but minimum order of 7K(!!)

from me:  you can't have too much storage or workspace, in case you didn't know that already!

Uninterrupted work surface.  Sink big enough to fit oven dish in – if you need to rinse in another sink use a plastic/rubber one and then put it away.

Hello...

1. food storage cupboards get warm if lights are fixed underneath, halogens are particularly bad. Cupboards above fridges also suffer from same problem

2. if you’re having an extractor fan hood make sure it’s t shaped not triangular so you can store bottles on top of it.

3. magnetic knife racks are way better than keeping them in drawers, but you’ll need 2.

4. drawers are great for saucepans

5. food storage cupboards good if 2/3 depth

6. artisans/kenwoods etc need to live at counter height.

7. glasses and plates can be decorative

8. storage for books, tea towels, candles, napkins, tea trays, vases, ipod dock...

9. have you got somewhere to sit with a cup of tea/ glass of pink gin?

interiors

i loved the old kitchen - it was a piece of 1970's heaven.  From the ubiquitous green and brown patterned tiles to the the state of the art lime green poggenpohl kitchen circa 1975.  I even liked the weird german electric hob which thought it was an aga and never really turned itself off.  But with three kids it wasn't practical - even with a tiny table and stools it was very hard to get around the room.   And it was dark.  And damp.  And what everyone wants is a kitchen diner, right?

so here it is in all it's glory before

and this is my mood board for the new improved version

i tried saving some of the tiles but without much success, whilst the poggenpohl units are in the cellar waiting to hear if we can reinstate them.

before and after

so here it is before -

and this is what it looks like now

WHAT HAVE WE DONE??!!

the thought process

It's such a cliche really -

1. move to the country for a simpler life where the kids can run free
2. find an old house full of charm and character and a lovely garden for the kids to do the aforementioned running around
3. decide to do a kitchen extension and turn it into building site where no one can do any running around unless they're wearing a hard hat.

Anyway that's what we've done.  It's three weeks in and they've already demolished the kitchen and trashed the lawn.  Meanwhile the cat's disappeared and the rabbit's done a runner.  It's only the chickens left now.  And us of course.  At the moment we're squatting in a palatial flat in a stately home.   Next week we're moving into the caravan I bought on ebay.

So I've started a blog about it.  It's for anyone who's ever done (or thinking of doing) a kitchen extension.    All comments gratefully received.