8. Some demolition

Some of the old garage is taken down and fencing temporarily installed to give the neighbours some privacy.

Demolition of the existing extension begins by removing the roof tiles (which can be reused). Lots of the lath was rotten so it would have needed replacing anyway. That's my dad up the ladder trying to look busy.

Next the roof members are removed. Hopefully we can reuse these elsewhere on the project.

Then the sledgehammer comes out and the old kitchen extension begins to disappear.

Only half way through and skip number 6 is filled.

Hey presto and the old kitchen extension is no more. Anyone available to help me into the skip with the 7"x7" reinforced concrete lintel?

7. First update

My new workshop now has some shiny new shelves. You can never have too many shelves...

I've also fitted (and painted) the new door to the workshop. Every workshop needs a door.

The other part of the old garage has now become a log store. So obviously some racking (for the logs) was required.

And of course some logs. That's about a day's worth of chopping. Very satisfying.

And of course the log store needed a door too.

Now that the workshop and log store are complete, I get to demolish some more of the house. Nice.

6. What's happened so far?

The existing plaster was in a poor state, so the decision was made to strip the whole house. 4 skips later...

Downstairs...

...and upstairs

Next job was to get rid of the asbestos cement roof on the garage at the rear of the house, and convert it into a workshop suitable for storing building materials. And making cups of tea…

Existing garage roof.

Roofing sheets removed and disposed of safely.

Old roof completely removed.

Brickwork toothed-out ready for the new end wall.

Brickwork completed.

Completed flat roof structure.

18mm OSB roofdeck installed in readiness for the EPDM membrane.

Completed roof with guttering (obscured slightly by a dusting of snow).

Lighting installed along with a new concrete floor.

That brings us pretty much up to date. Watch this spot over the next few months as the story unfolds. Quite slowly I expect...

5. Some bits we won't be keeping

The awful steel balustrade on the staircase

Fungus on the bedroom wall

Strange steel framed windows in the existing extension

Green curtains and sky blue walls in the bedroom

Orange walls, turquoise curtains and brass chandeliers in the bedroom

The wallpaper on the ceiling of the bathroom

4. Some bits we'll be keeping

Original leaded light bay windows

Original stairwell window

3. How it looked when we bought it

Bathroom

Bedroom 4

Bedroom 3 (The house had been split into 2 flats)

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 1

Downstairs bathroom

Dining Room

Lounge

Kitchen

2. The Plan

On the ground floor, an old single storey extension will be demolished to make way for a larger open plan layout with full width folding sliding doors to the garden. The existing garage is in a poor state and will be replaced, with the addition of a utility room off the kitchen. The existing garaging at the rear will be converted to a workshop.

Upstairs, bedrooms 3 & 4 will increase in size and bedroom 3 will gain an ensuite. A new roof terrace will be created over the lounge extension and will be accessed from patio doors in bedroom 2.

1. In the beginning…

Back in November 2007, Ruth (the wife) and I decided to buy a project house to renovate together. The deposit ate up more of our savings than originally anticipated (the lot, in fact), so we put the project on the backburner while we saved some cash. This gave us plenty of time to apply for planning permission. Then re-apply. Then go through a lengthy appeals process to get what we finally wanted.

Two years on we have saved enough for me to take some time off work to pursue my own little Grand Design. However, without Kevin McCloud and a camera crew to record the various highs and lows of the project, I thought I would start my own blog. Just so those who know me can poke fun at the lack of progress. So here goes…