AD | Sponsored Post
It has been just over 6 years since we moved in to our house. When we bought it we always knew it was going to be a big project, and even now it is “finished” we are finding other things we would like to do. The major works have been carried out but we still have a snagging list of jobs we want to complete which will make it how we want.
Choosing A Project House
When it came to choosing our family home we had to decide between a house that was already fit for purpose, or one where we could make big changes. We had to figure out our payments to see what we could afford. It was important that we didn’t take on a project that already had a high monthly mortgage payment otherwise we wouldn’t have had enough to money to save for the work we wanted to complete.
For many people choosing a new build home rather than a project is more appealing, especially in the current market. But we wanted to be able to have a larger home – so that meant a few years of work!
Smart Central Heating
The very first job we carried out in the house, aside from a bit of painting, was to replace the old boiler and install smart central heating. The existing boiler was 24 years old so although it was working fine we didn’t have much faith for it long term.
I was a bit worried as I had heard boiler installations can be a bit tough to work around and I had been a bit apprehensive, especially as it was being carried out in late January when I may have needed the heating. I shouldn’t have worried though, the boiler was replaced, radiators flushed and smart thermostat installed all within 2 days.
Being able to control the heating from my phone was a total game changer and I now couldn’t imagine living in a house without it.
Open Plan Living
We knocked through a few walls (or rather – a builder did) to give ourselves a larger kitchen/dining/living space. With young children in the house it just made sense for me to be able to have them playing in the living room and be able to see them from the kitchen at the same time.
This was the biggest job we had done, and we moved out while the work was completed. Load bearing walls were removed and supporting beams put in their place. It was worth it though!
Landscape the gardens
We had big plans for our gardens and completed them a few years ago. Both front and and back gardens were completely ripped out and redone. We created a space on the driveway to park both our cars, and a safe area out the back for the children to play. Sorting the garden has been top of our list after we sorted the kitchen and so completing it in 2019 meant we could have a lot more fun in the garden as the kids grew.
Replace the windows
We have lovely big bay windows in 3 of the rooms, and we want to replace them with triple glazed windows. Once we have landscaped the front of the house then new upvc windows will not only help our home be more energy efficient, but also change the look of the house and make it a little more modern. At the moment we quite like the idea of getting them in an anthracite grey colour to match our new garage door.
With the current window prices and the size of the windows we need to replace, windows are having to wait a little while – but we’ll get there!
New doors
As part of our internal renovations we replaced all the internal doors on the ground floor of the house. I now have my eye on new front and back doors. At the front I want something in anthracite grey and much more modern. Our current door is from the 1980s and although it is very sturdy, it is extremely dated and doesn’t match the rest of the house at all.
During the first lockdown JHogg gave it a lick of paint and replaced the brass fittings with chrome. It has been a great way to update the door in an affordable way and means it will last a couple more years while we get the windows sorted.
We’re not sure what kind of back door we want to get yet. We have talked about the barn door style, which would give us the option of having part of the door open for fresh air while still preventing the children from escaping out in to the garden when we’re not looking!
Replace the garage
One of the first thing that many people say when they see our house is “do you realise your garage is leaning?”. It’s becoming a bit of a running joke, but is a quirk of the house that we’ve learned to embrace. We’ve been informed that it’s sturdy enough for now, but one of our long term goals is to knock it down and rebuild it with better foundations.
I’m sure by the time we manage to do all of these things it will be time to redecorate inside again. The work never seems to end – but at least it’s fun doing it all!
Looking For More Home Tips?
