Remember the kitchen?

This was all we had for a kitchen for a week!

24 October - catch up

Well we have been here 6 months now. Still lots to do. Remember the huge conifer in the front garden? This pic also shows the front bay window - repaired twice, continued to leak in two places - so replacement now ordered and due installation any day now. But the conifer is no more!

Extension again - had a doorway bricked up as plan to change the window on this wall to French Doors. Made good use of the door though - better quality than the back door in the kitchen so we swapped it. The back door was better quality than the garage door - so we swapped it!

This picture shows the cracks in the extension - there were over 40 of them! The roof trusses have been stabilised, braced and reinforced and there should be no further movement (we hope!)

Main Bedroom - front window - we found it is fitted badly and has been leaking! Nicely repaired and insulated now!

Work in progress - clever trestle system - I'll remember this when painting ceilings in future!

New ceiling in the main bedroom - builders did a good job!

Main bedroom - wardrobes now removed (good storage for the garage!)

Monday 26 April

It's been a hectic 2 weeks! Spent the 13 and 14th cleaning here, and then went back to the rental property and moved out and cleaned there. We moved in here on Tuesday 20th. The removal was painful - the removal men chipped the base of my precious Terracotta warrior. However we are settling in here - the location is lovely and the neighbours are nice too. The weather has been excellent - lots of sunshine, which does make a difference to the way you feel about a place. When we moved to Devon it rained non stop for the first month - that may be one of the reasons why we didn't settle!

We are starting to plan the renovations and get quotes as well as taking time out to explore the area and enjoy visits from our daughter :-)

Completed today!

Well I hope we still like it when we walk through the door tomorrow! We will be camping in the bungalow and 2 days of cleaning follows - moving in next week!

Side path

Needs lowering - just one brick below the damp proof course

Extension - dining room with hatch to kitchen

Windows on all sides - the patio doors go into the sitting room!

Bathroom

The wall to the right separates this bathroom from another loo - the plan is to remove this wall and fit in a separate shower enclosure when we replace the bathroom suite

Interesting fireplace!

Sitting room and extension.

Main bedroom with fitted furniture. Two large windows to curtain! Fitted wardrobes.

Sitting room - from the extension. Interesting original fireplace. Flawless condition - but not to our taste. Reclamation yard maybe?

2 pictures of the kitchen - one from the back door and the other from the entrance

Main bungalow plus extension

Lots of conifers to cut down! We would also like to put folding patio doors where the back window is at present.

More about us

We are moving! Into a 2 bedroom bungalow in Broadstairs. Having lived in 10 various and assorted properties over the last almost 36 years of marriage - this will be our FINAL ONE. We hope......unless something else comes up.

It is a lovely bungalow, built in the early 1960s, just 10 minutes (I'll check when we move in) walk from the sea. It's in a pleasant cul de sac and has a 60 foot south east facing garden.

However it needs lots of work - and I hope to record here just how we get on.

We have worked on properties before, but we are definitely amateurs. John is a gardener by training, and I worked at a fairly senior level in Human Resources until 2006. Since then I have had various roles - my favourite was working in a Library - just working to live instead of living to work. We have lived in Derbyshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Devon and now Kent.

As we prepare to move the list of work required from the survey is

New flashing for the chimney
Collars in extension to prevent further movement
Treat Woodworm - active in garage, preventative elsewhere
Repair cracks in extension
Lower path to below damp course
Damp proofing - cavity wall may be blocked with debris
Repair garage roof lining
Improve drive
Repaint exterior

General improvements required are

Loft conversion to make a master bedroom and en suite upstairs (no need for a stair-lift yet!)
New boiler and pipes to replace micro-bore
Rewire in main house
New Kitchen, perhaps incorporating an utility room
New Bathroom to replace current bathroom (with lavatory) and separate adjacent lavatory
Remove fireplace and replace ancient coal effect gas fire
Remove/replace sliding doors dividing sitting room from extension dining room
New French Doors (maybe those nice new folding ones) to outside
Painting and decorating everywhere
New Flooring, keeping the parquet in the hall if it is in a decent state under the current carpet

I wonder if we can manage all that?