Renovation Progress Update

Week in review at No 421930s house renovation

30 Oct

Lots of updates to the house this week. Perhaps the most impactful is...

Radiators have finally been installed

The house is pre-war (i.e notorious for having very little insulation) and Neil and I have been shivering every evening after work.

We had the central heating installation done 2 months ago but had to wait for plasterers and painting to finish behind the radiators before we could fix them to the walls.

It feels like a different place now that our brand new Worcester Greenstar beauty of a boiler is fired up and we can play with our new Worcester Wave Smart control (more about that later).

Skirting boards & underlay have arrived

We chose an Art Deco skirting board from the Skirting Board shop which will tie in well with the 30s features of the house. I'm planning to paint these at the weekend before they are fixed ready for our floorer to sort in a few weeks – thankfully they arrived primed so just one coat should be needed. Delighted with them though! Skirting Board Shop made it such an easy decision for us.

Underlay was a harder decision. I've been told getting underlay right can make or break your laminate flooring, so after extensive research we ended up getting Quick Step Basic Plus to match our Quick Step laminate flooring (I'll reveal the one we've chosen really soon).

The living room floors will be done before the rest of the house and I really can't wait. This is when real progress can be seen.

Painting may have ended up in a photo shoot...

Painting has commenced!

We've gone for a mix of Valspar paint and Farrow & Ball paint in various rooms. Both my first choice of paint brands.

I've gotta say, spending a whole 2 days and 3 evenings after work painting a house has broken me. I painted a ceiling in 90 minutes flat and nearly fainted with the tiredness after it.

It's not glamorous renovating a house, that's for sure.

But it does feel amazing seeing the place dramatically transformed.

I've been hooked on Young House Love's podcasts

My bus ride into work is boring no longer people.

I did a bit of research on great interior design podcasts to listen to and found out about Young House Love's podcast (John & Sherry) and now I'm addicted.

They chat about their DIY fails and revelations in the 3 houses they've renovated, and often bring in some superstar interior minds to anchor the themes of the shows.

I love it! Download it here.

I took a trip to Magazine Brighton when I felt uninspired by life

You know when you get those unmotivated days? Well that's what my whole week has felt like.

For whatever reason (aherm... painting late into the night) I just lost my creative mojo. Experts always say to escape your routine and creativity will find you again, so I went on a wander/walk to get some fresh air on my break from work and found myself in Magazine Brighton.

It's the most inspiring shop, housing a collection of international design magazines. I picked up the Home Edition of Kinfolk where I discovered the term "Hemmablind".

Anyway enough ramblings... back to painting!

F x