The Big Reveal

At Last!

Ok so we haven't finished the whole project, but lets face it , this was always mainly about the kitchen for me anyway!

So, here we have it ( minus curtains, pictures etc, but you get the idea!)

The main kitchen area

Pearl

Washing up and tea and coffee!

My mantle with a few of my charity finds

The decadence of a second sink!

The view from the side entrance

Central Island Lights!

With a Pretty Middle!

The other end of the kitchen - new table yet to be purchased! 

Larder cupboards and fridge

Pictures waiting! Old Sofa for now.

Loving Cooking on Pearl :)

The colour on the walls is " Yes Your Honour" from Fired Earth

The units are a pale French Grey.
The dark grey on the chimney breast is "Antimony" from Fired Earth
I got the central Island lights through a company called Dusk
The floor is a brushed limestone in mid grey called "Chapel Stone".

The kitchen designer was Kevin Partridge and I cannot recommend him highly enough. An absolute gentleman who took pride in every inch of his work. Brilliant. His website can be found here
The units look paler here than they are, but they are a very pale grey.

I am so enjoying getting all my bits and pieces back out and arranging the cupboards again! I am in my element here. I have never had so much space to play with. 

And the OCD with the organising has begun...

I also have redone our hallway as we ended up getting the floor replaced in here. In the interest of cost I decorated this myself. I shall post my efforts soon. I think enough photos for today!

Hope it was worth the wait ! X

Almost There......

after months of mess....

The last few weeks have been exhausting. Both mentally and physically. I think the toll of having constant people working in my home for months on end is finally getting to me. Don't get me wrong they are respectful and pleasant , but there is no space and endless mess and noise. We had a couple of very late nights recitifying a problem that the tiler created to rescue our lovely floor tiles. Thankfully it all turned out ok, but it is not an experience I want to repeat. 

I keep thinking we must be coming to the end and then I write a list of all the jobs yet to be done and I can see it lasting another 6 weeks yet! The finish on the job is not quite what we want it to be yet.

BUT......

the kitchen is in

and it is everything I hoped it would be and more.

However, we are now resolving a few issues and getting doors put in, skirting fixed, sills painted etc. So it still looks a little like a building site. 

Pearl is in and working and we have had our first Aga breakfast this weekend. A real treat after 7 months of cooking on one ring!

We have also got our TV signal back as we have been without that since the scaffolding went up 4 months ago. I've not really missed it and the kids have watched the odd DVD if they have wanted some down time. We lost our internet for a while too ( hence the lack of posts) - this stressed me out more than no tv!

Despite feeling exhausted and like we have a mountain to climb to finish this job off properly I remind myself daily how lucky we are really and how lovely this is going to be. There are so many in this world who live with nothing so I try not to complain too often.

There will be kitchen pictures very soon - I am just waiting on the finishing jobs to be completed!

Design ©2012 Another New Day

www.takingachanceinlife.blogspot.uk 2012 - 2013

All personal images are owned by Another New Day

unless stated otherwise.

Images may not be downloaded,manipulated or reproduced without prior written permission. All rights are reserved.

Commercial or Private use without explicit written consent is prohibited and action will be taken through UK and worldwide copyright laws.

Extension Update

A House!

There have been changes, but I will admit I am finding it hard going with the kids off and living amongst the mess and work.

We have had yet more set backs. Something to do with existing lintels, or lack of them above the windows. This has delayed us further and cost yet more, but hey ho I am keeping my eyes fixed on the end result! The kitchen is due to go in mid September - is it too soon to start counting the days?

On a positive note we do have:

Windows

A door or two

Rendered walls

BUT ......   we also have a lot of this

and this

and lots of this -  coming off the house every day!

 And we don't have a roof...yet.

But I will have a kitchen in this room.

Looking from back to front

We are really pleased with the way the builders work and the quality of what they have done. It is just with the kids off and space being limited it is a bit of a tricky time. I think I can say , weather dependent  I am looking forward to a bit of camping and getting away this year! 

Design ©2012 Another New Day

www.takingachanceinlife.blogspot.uk 2012 - 2013

All personal images are owned by Another New Day

unless stated otherwise.

Images may not be downloaded,manipulated or reproduced without prior written permission. All rights are reserved.

Commercial or Private use without explicit written consent is prohibited and action will be taken through UK and worldwide copyright laws.

It's beginning to take shape

 Update #2

It's been an interesting few weeks on our building project. At the end of the first week we discovered (as we thought we would) that there was a problem with our existing foundations and we had to have some underpining work done. Huge holes were dug and lorry loads of concrete pumped in to secure the existing building and prepare for the new extension. It was a frantic day which was not helped by the fact that the concrete company delivered the wrong consistency of concrete that started going "off" too quickly. The builders had to work at an amazing speed to get the concrete down. I am really impressed with the way they work so far. They have achieved so much in a couple of weeks.

You can now see the outline of the new build taking shape. By the end of today the floors will be down and the wall at the side of the drive will be up. We will then have a template of what will be here at the end of 6 months. They have yet to knock through into the house to join the old with the new. That will come further down the line. I know that will be a messy time. At the moment the inside of the house is pretty much protected from the mess - as long as we keep the windows closed. I must say that they are the tidiest builders I have ever known!

 There is a long way to go I know, but it is exciting to see progress.

Design ©2012 Another New Day

www.takingachanceinlife.blogspot.uk 2012 - 2013

All personal images are owned by Another New Day

unless stated otherwise.

Images may not be downloaded,manipulated or reproduced without prior written permission. All rights are reserved.

Commercial or Private use without explicit written consent is prohibited and action will be taken through UK and worldwide copyright laws.

Project Bash it Down

Update #1

The kids went back to school on Monday and the builders arrived. 

I have a mixture of feelings - relief it has started and disbelief that we will be dealing with this for the next 6 months.

Oh well - tis all good.

Once there were two garages - now there are none........

The door to nowhere!

Organisation - De-Clutter your Life

A room at a time.

Although I didn't set out to write a series of posts on organisation it appears that is where I have been heading the last few weeks so here's another one! It must be the stage we are in preparing for the building works that is making me focus on this aspect of life.

We have a seemingly insurmountable task of de cluttering our house and living in it whilst a pretty major , 6 month building project goes on. Then and only then will the new kitchen  go in. I received the first draft plan of it today......

Beyond excited!

During this time we will have rooms out of action, services cut off and at some point the whole roof will be removed and replaced - please, please not another wet summer...please.

We have to empty two very full garages completely, move an office whilst working, clear out a utility room entirely - I have still not worked out where, oh where can I plumb in a temporary washing machine . Having cold sweats about that. 

We have to brick up half of our existing kitchen so the table, sideboard, fish tank and hamster have to be re homed - oh I could go on and on and on.

The lesson I have learnt is....

WHY DO WE HAVE ALL THIS STUFF?

We don't need most of it. 

I don't want most of it.

We don't use half of it.

It just seems to get collected over the years and clogs up our house.

Now I am a constant de clutterer. I thought I didn't hoard. 

Think again Mrs A. 

I am on a mission.

Ruthless doesn't come into it.

Fear has struck in the heart of my hubby. He has seen the crazed look in my eye and knows STUFF is going.

I am going through each room bit by bit making quick decisions. I have four piles:

KEEP

SELL

CHUCK

DONATE

I am chanting these words in my sleep . 

I am singing them to my kids. 

I have turned into the crazy, singing bag lady I was probably always destined to be, BUT

Slowly ......

There is space.

I can open drawers and find only things in there that I NEED.

I look at a shelf and only see things that PLEASE me.

I can fit my children's clothes in their drawers AND shut them ALL the way .

The food in my larder is all IN DATE

I have shelves that are EMPTY in my cupboards

IT IS HAPPENING. I FEEL I AM WAKING UP FROM THE FOG OF HAVING YOUNG CHILDREN AND FINDING A LIFE AGAIN.

BRING IT ON!

Design ©2012 Another New Day

www.takingachanceinlife.blogspot.uk 2012 - 2013

All personal images are owned by Another New Day

unless stated otherwise.

Images may not be downloaded,manipulated or reproduced without prior written permission. All rights are reserved.

Commercial or Private use without explicit written consent is prohibited and action will be taken through UK and worldwide copyright laws.