We’ve had another year of turning our house in to our family home. My husband has fitted ceiling spotlights and internal doors and we’ve both chopped lots and lots of wood.
Family home – 5th anniversary (dones and not dones)
Since February, we’ve been in our house for five years, and the last year has been a busy one with noticeable changes. Done The biggest change has been in the area where my husband (and kids) knocked down the walls last year. My father in law and husband built new walls to create a study, utility room and shower room. They have also tiled the hall, shower room and utility room and fitted the shower toilet and Continue Reading …
How to develop a lighting plan
Room lighting is more complicated than it used to be with different options including uplights, downlights, acsent lights and mood lights. We’re in the process of planning the lights throughout our house because we have either just one bulb, like in our bedroom or because we have rearranged walls so have no lights, such as our study. Here is our step by step guide to developing a lighting plan. Draw out your room Draw the shape Continue Reading …
Creating our study space
One of the changes I’m particularly looking forward to with our house renovation is our new study space. Our current study is a strange shape and not big enough for more than one person to use at the same time. The new study will be in the area of the house we’ve been using as storage area as we can’t use the loft while we have the lift. The children are very excited about the current study becoming their playroom. Continue Reading …
Family home – 4th anniversary (dones and not dones)
Looking back on the last year in our house it has been another quiet one, but we have started knocking down the walls. Only non-structural ones, but it is a start. So here is a list of the things we’ve done and still need to do. Done The biggest thing we’ve done is knock down some downstairs walls, including the one the children and their friends painted, yes it was sad, but we let them paint Continue Reading …
Having the right tool for the job
I’m frequently told it is important to have the right tool for the job because it makes the job easier and quicker. As we’re doing a full house renovation it means there is often a reason for my husband to get a new tool. Looking in our garage I think he must have all the tools we could ever need for our house including a tile cutter, pillar drill, belt sander, orbital sander, mitre saw. He’s Continue Reading …
Thinking about a bathroom makeover
Every now and then I love a bath. A long relaxing bath with a Lush bath bomb and a book. Unfortunately, our bathroom is not appealing as a relaxing space. Our house was originally a care home so all the features are functional and well worn, with little thought for aesthetics. Key features include: wet room floor that is coming away from the wall chemical stains on the wall around the sink marks where the Continue Reading …
We’ve finally given our children a laundry basket
You may wonder what we think is so dangerous about laundry baskets that we’ve kept them away from our children for seven years. Obviously, we don’t actually have anything against them, in fact we’ve had a very practical one in our bedroom from before having the children. Being able to separate clothes in the bedroom means I won’t discolour my husband’s shirts in the white wash and he won’t shrink or misshapen my handwash items, Continue Reading …
Family home – 3rd anniversary (dones and not dones)
Looking back on the third year in our house it has been quieter than the second year, but we’ve continued to make progress in a number of areas. However, I’m hoping we’ll take bigger actions in the fourth year, including finally knocking down some walls. Done The best thing we’ve achieved is to cut down trees in our neighbours’ gardens. All the trees were overhanging the boundary and were either significantly blocking light or there Continue Reading …
Panasonic SmartHome Home monitoring & control kit review
Panasonic SmartHome is a wireless control system for your home managed on your mobile phone. The system is made up from a number of devices including window / door sensors, internal and external cameras and plug controllers. Earlier this year my husband and I’d discussed installing a security system so I felt more secure while he was working overseas for six months. In the end, his business trip didn’t happen so we didn’t get a system, Continue Reading …
