Firestarter

The current phase chez house is all about preparation. The builders make their long awaited return in a couple of weeks for the next (and hopefully last, whoop whoop) building phase. Having learned from previous encounters the plan is to get all our ducks in a row in preparation for the onslaught.

Today's mission, coving. This took us back to my favourite DIY store in archway, I honestly love that place. The sheer variety of paints, varnishes, tools and tiles, the hundreds of staff (mostly called Dave) who really do know what they are talking about, the way they give you 10% off everything to make you think you have scored a bargain, it truly is a renovators paradise! Coving ordered - check.

Meanwhile the door work continues. Stripping was completed thanks to purchase of a blow torch, a genius little tool which has now leapt straight to the top of my 'what's hot' in DIY tools list. Sorry nitramors you have been way surpassed, this bad boy achieves in minutes what would take you hours - Fact! Undercoat applied, door furniture purchased, just the wood filling, more sanding, glass fitting and final paint job to go. Yup definitely worth buying a second hand door then, thousands spent in man hours alone on that bad boy! Colour has been discussed, black has been considered, I even paid it lip service for a while there, yes it's classic, yup timeless, yup goes with any other colours. But, let's be honest here, it just isn't grey.

Debate has also ensued on the colour of the exterior plasterwork. Although a fan of the classic white, it won't shock you to hear that I am inexplicably drawn to houses who have painted their exteriors a dark shade of grey. See photos, I am torn, this is clearly a trend which will date relatively fast and may soon look tacky? We have done the exterior window as an experiment. Opinions welcome....