eBay to the recue, recyle, upcycling or plain donate??!!

I had some local ladies come over to cast their eyes over the things we need to shift. Recycle, donate, "one man's junk is another man's treasure"...

Anyway these ladies were more interested in admiring my garden [very chuffed] and finding out what arty occupation I have. I wish I had taken a picture pure dismay when I said media sales. I want to be an arty type honestly!

Right we are getting rid of original Victorian stripped french doors, shabby chic dinning table and 6 chairs, computer table, fridge, freezer, kitchen units, sofa, washing machine, gosh amazing how much one accumulates in such a short time!

I have listed all on eBay and I hope someone relieves me of the contents!

Doorama

Cripes it's a ton of work getting these quotes in. And it's me doing ALL the donkey work here grrrrrrr

I have a range of prices from the frankly downright ridiculous to the ok-ish and what I had in mind. Coupled with the fact they all want you to go to their trade shows. Why?? I live in London I am not schlepping up to Birmingham to look at aluminium frames and glass.

Anyway the peeps we have looked at are as follows for bi-fold and sliding glass doors with tons of RAL colours which may make it easier for you to short list the millions out there!
http://www.i-d-systems.co.uk/
can't give a quote as they were understaffed, website looks

http://www.sunparadise.co.uk/
very expensive because it is Swiss German made. But how do you explain three times the Price of the competition?

http://www.expressdoors.co.uk/
bog standard no frills no service

http://www.barnglass.co.uk/
great but really slow to get back to you but once they realise you are interested they do call you back!

So we have made our decision when I post the final pics I will tell you who our suppliers were!

Floor Plans

Well as I am nattering away telling you I thought it would be easier to understand using visuals what we are trying to achieve! It's like a Grand Designs on a common linked terrace!

Here is are the current floor plans, at the moment the Front lounge is amazing but we never use it! We are always in the back as it's near the garden and the TV and computer are in there.

The Dining room is used when we have guests over and for all the special occasions most of the time it has my interiors magazines on top of it!

The kitchen is tiny and with 2 people in there a nightmare!

Then the room at the back is cosy, access to the garden and we spend the most down time in there.

Here is the view from the new Kitchen into the Garden which will have a glass roof in the old side return and bifold doors to the garden.


And here is the glass roof;

De-Junking

It's great getting new stuff but where do you push the old stuff to?

I was given some great suggestions and I feel very charitable now and not too guilty.

We have an entire cellar to clear out which is full of usable stuff!

Chest Freezer, Hotpoint Washing Machine, PC Table, Wool Rugs, Gross Medical Books, Clothes, Crockery, Microwave, we even have entire kitchen units to get rid of!

So I have writen to all the lovely people below and they will contact me to relieve me of all this treasure!

http://www.furniture-aid.co.uk/

http://www.trinityhomelessprojects.org.uk/donate.htm

http://www.bhf.org.uk/surveys/BigDonationFE.html

I am sure it will help anyone who needs to get rid of tons!

Worktop Chosen!

After a good barny in the morning over hair straightening - yes I know! We managed to get to the Kitchen company.

We are so worried about the dimension, but they are wonderful, even though we have ordered, once the shell is up they will come and template to ensure everything fits perfectly!

We then went over to Stone House Tiles off the Old Kent Road in London. AMAZING!
What a great showroom! I fell in love with the walk in shower and the highly polished marble tiles - divine.

So skulking around we head to the kitchen worktops, we were swiftly directed to the Granite and marble was dismissed as too high maintenance. Think I had a sign on my head say "Great cook" messy worker!

Anyway we have now chosen the work top, we both BH and I went "This is it" before we even had a quote!!! Result!!!

How fab is that? It is the most expensive one there I hankered for side panels but that was really pricey.

This is a picture of the stone though you don't get the full impact till you see it.

So floor and Worktops done. Now just need Roof and doors!

Edward Sissorhands

I feel like I have been on the receiving end after wittering on to Badger [Older Sister] that Pyracanthus is the best hedging plant ever I have fallen victim to it thorns. Not talking little nicks I am talking mutiple lacerations on my hands and arms which cause people to stare at you.

I have now purchased "Badger Balm" Concenbtrated goodness for hardworking hands. I am tempted to now get another pot for the said sister who is digging holes all over Northern Italy. And re-enating Edward Sissor hands pruning away, she has been a busy beaver - whoops Busy Badger.

Quartz vs Granite

The argument continues, BH wants granite I want Quartz.

I do all of the cooking so argument over.

Samples and quotes come in we need 4.23 sq metres just for the work surfaces.
Go from quartz to granite, I don't like this! I am imagining chocolate work surfaces in dense quartz over the high gloss cream units.

OK so many samples I think we can glue them all together and be done with getting a propper work surface!

Loving Labrador Antique its got pretty blue flecks in it! Still want quartz with its antibacterial properties, dense colour smooth lines, gosh I should go an flog the stuff!

We also need 77sq metres for the floor which we have agreed on! Will be cappacino marble. We will visit a friends friend who runs stone house off the old kent road.

Insentive for hubby is that we can order some Niga food on the way home!

Starting to get the quotes in...

OK its Feb 2010 this dream started in December 2008 so we are almost there!

Architect comes round with "Chris the EDF Builder" he seems "noice" as my 2 year old niece would say.

His blinding idea;
Fill in the cellar at the back, seal it up, BH is so excited I think he may wet himself! No more draughts and it will be so cosy in here! We are going with that, under floor heating blah blah.

BH is finally getting excited, this is cool, heis looking at home mags, even cooler, he is talking about floor finishes - what a geek! haha! All of a sudden he is an interior design guru, I won't knock it, looks dapper every morning!

Next builder is grumbling about not having enough rubble to fill in the cellar, I tell him not to worry I will get him rubble, now he is wittering on about ordering and delivering and how many work hours it will take.

My Blinding idea;
Take all the neighbours front walls in the dead of the night! Strewth give it a break!

Now Hubby is wondering why NZ neighbour hasn't turned up. I provide some insight.
"He is a neighbour and we told him, we have planning so he doesn't want to be seen to be pressuring us into using him! Call him" SO BH does and NZ dude comes round.

Two weeks and still waiting for all these quotes.

The interim

Ok how hard can it be? We did our research got "architect your home" round drew up some plans.
as pretty gobsmacked at the £600 bill we received for "sketches" not even to scale!!

BH muttered" she may as well have sat their naked and doddle for £600!!!"

Fed 2009
Anyway we got the plans after forking out another HUGE sum, and were on our way to submitting for "Permitted Development" Essentially we are just filling in the side return dead space.

Gone and bought the kitchen!!! It's High Gloss Cream and there are 36 units!!! So excited, got al the appliances too apart from the Wine cooler - essential for the Pouilly Fume and Sancerre you understand?

And the fridge freezer - I am waiting for the one that does your shopping for you!

All we need are the floor, the worktops and two appliances. We are good to rock and roll!!

March 2009
REJECTED - apparently we need full planning permission?? Are the council off their rockers completely? MC [Monique Cow Council Person] comes round when we submit for full planning and tells me not to bother extending at the side as it will never be approved.

Tons of research and cases found where it has been approved - not happy.

Called kitchen company and asked them to hold delivery for another 6 months hopefully before the end of the year.


August 2009
OK Sister + Swede and the 4 Gruffalos are here staying with us for one month. Imagine in my mind I had a swishy new kitchen with glass bifold doors to the garden, a utility room, double reception room. Ok I am hyperventilating now.

Rejected again??!!! Due to lack of light and neighbour doesn'twant this structure. THis is after going round and seeing the sour faced bint and showing her how she could benefit and increase property value. Sod trimming her hedge I am going to trim her hedge!

OK sod it going to appeal, National Planning Inspectorate come round BH says "better leave them with me, they probably won't like a highly stung cow like you" thanks darling love you too.

December 2009 CHRISTMAS PRESENT
APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Beginning

Let me introduce you, we [BH-better half and I] live in southeast london in a typical large linked terrace.

We moved here 1st June 2006. Went to Bermuda for Christamas 2008 and had a lightbulb moment over a few bottles of Pouilly Fume. We were chilling on our huge balcony of Newstead Belmont Hills yakking away and the conversation turned to the house.

So far we had;
Ripped up carpets
Sanded floors
Painted entire house from top to bottom.
Installed new kitchen Amtico floor -vinyl was vile!
Ordered all the furniture
Managed to get rid of goth Purple walls & turquoise woodwork bathroom now a lovely cream with roll top bath.

So pretty inebriatted I drew up plans on hotel stationary of what I will now fondly call "a backside return extension". BH was suitably impressed especially as it meant he will now have his own study away from nagging ninny -me.