Home & Life Update! A LOT Has Happened!!

Home & Life Update! A LOT Has Happened!!

Hello friends!! Today I thought I would share a little life update, I don’t do these very often these posts as not much happens in my life and I don’t think you need a big ‘Life Update’ post about how I ate some cake and had an enlightened thoughts, y’know?! Anyway, recently my life has been pretty full on and I thought I would share a little of what’s been going on!

Watch The Video!!

Renovation Update

When we moved into our house we KNEW it was a project, but we are big believers in stripping things FULLY back and doing the job properly. So we quickly enlisted an architect, went to work replacing the old rotted windows, doing a reroof and generally getting things back to where they should be. However, as we started peeling back the layers we realises the house had been really poorly maintained and it is a bigger project than we realised. Maybe we could have waited a while, but honestly, who wants to unpack, decorate and then repack and then do the work?! Like they say, there’s no time like the present. We are so excited for how it’s going to be, but it is a bigger project than we expected, which is a little frustrating, but anyone with an old house knows these places are stunning, but also a can of worms. I explained more in my videos, but there was some structural damage to the fireplaces, so we have made the difficult decision to remove all the fireplaces, chimney breasts and chimney stacks, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but I promise it is. We have two chimney stacks, three chimney breasts and three fireplaces to remove in total. One fireplace has already gone and we have rebuilt that. Thankfully we can still have a log burner – or two, but we will have external flues. It’s been a lot! Anyway!!! Fingers crossed there are no set backs and if you want to see a house tour of how it’s looking right now, check the video below!

Budget Update

I don’t want to talk about budget too much, as it’s a little private and it can seem crass. However, I know there might be people following me who want to renovate or are considering it for the future, so I want to be transparent about these things. But honestly, the age old saying about renovations costing double the money and double the time is 100% true. We have done major renovations now and honestly, both have cost an eye watering amount and taken a long ol’ time. And I’m not talking about the cute finishes like pretty kitchens, smeg fridges and brass taps, I’m talking about the bare bones, structural stuff. Non-glamourous ways to spend your money like windows, ceiling joists, stud walls, plastering, repointing etc. The stuff you wouldn’t even think about or notice but HAVE to be done. It’s a LOT and honestly, the price of materials have gone up a LOT even from 12 months ago. We are lucky we set aside a pretty hefty renovation budget, and honestly, it’s a big number which is kind of eye watering. I try to share costs on my stories and if anyone is doing a renovation and considering a house which needs a lot of work and wants to ask questions about costs, please feel free. But please remember renovating truly does cost, it’s not the cheap option when it comes to house buying AND it will always come in over-budget and not under budget and I don’t want anyone to go in blind. Finally, please remember you don’t have to do it all at once and the MOST important thing to spend on is ALWAYS the bare bones and fabric of the house, the wallpapers and cute sofas are the icing on the cake. Not the cake!

We Moved Out!!

Yes, it’s true!! We have temporarily moved out of the house, so we are away from the dust and rubble and everything has gone back into storage. It’s SO nice to be away from the mess and noise and hopefully the works can progress quicker with us not there. We are living in the countryside – I swear, our road doesn’t even have a name! Lol! And we are surrounded by fields so loving taking Gordon on walks at every spare minute! Last renovation we lived there the whole time, even when we didn’t have a kitchen or bathroom, so it feels like such a treat this time to move out and I’m loving where we are living! So it’s a real joy!

Finally… I’m Pregnant!!

I know! It’s wild!!! Like I said, there is a LOT going on right now and honestly, sometimes the world throws you a lot of blessing all at once, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming!!! I swear in the last 6 months we have relocated, moved in, moved out, started a major renovation AND got pregnant! I’m a Grand Designs cliche!!! We are praying the house is habitable by the time the baby arrives, but if not, I’m planning on moving to my parents, which will mean switching hospitals at the last minute, but honestly, at this point, I just need to keep my stress levels down and try to plan for different eventualities! Crazy right?! But I’m so grateful to be in this position and hopefully in not too long the house will be ready, the baby will be here and it will all be wonderful, just a lot squished into a short period of time. Also, I know fertility is a difficult subject for so many, so if this part of the post is triggering to you, I’m sending lots of love.

♥

And there we have it! My life update! Feel free to drop any advice below!! I need it!!