Appetite For Destruction

And so we began...

The keys were barely in my hand before the kitchen was whipped out, followed by the bathroom, next came the floor and in the mere wink of an eye most of the walls and ceilings were gone. A veritable festival of destruction was accompanied by the usual diet of nescafe, sugar and dust all set to our favourite soundtrack of Polish radio.

Excepting the odd near death experience due to low flying plank accessorised with rusty nails being hurled from the bedroom above to the kitchen below, by way of none existing ceiling/ floor , narrowly missing head of unsuspecting surveyor below ("erm HELLO, I'm down here!" ....'Oh... Sorry Sara..." ???!!!) all went rather smoothly. Within mere days we were left with a shell of a building, a shell of a building and not a clue what to do with it...

JOKES, joke jokes, obviously! Of course we had a plan, we had many, many plans, more plans than we could  shake a stick at. The challenge was determining which plan to go with, but, after much deliberation, consultation and ALOT of coffee, fags and Polish love songs (the builders, not me) we got there.

Once Upon A Time

Where to begin….? The beginning seems like naught but a hazy dust filled memory. The end? Well we’re not quite there yet…

My prolonged absence has not been due to lack of subject matter, indeed, I have been overwhelmed with the stuff,  it has been the lack of time that has prevented me putting finger to keyboard. Needless to say I have been a busy little bee, working on two renovation beauties simultaneously.

Thus far we’ve avoided blood (it ain’t over yet..) but there’s been plenty of sweat (pity the poor souls who had to lift 13 cast iron radiators into and out of various houses and vans whilst I looked on, quietly muttering… “are you ok?”,  “Can I help?”. “You aren’t actually having a heart attack are you?’ whilst taking reportage style photos of their physical pain), and tears (mine, obviously, all mine, on more occasions and for more reasons than I can begin to convey, but not least joy and relief when it all came together).

Many hilarious anecdotes have unfurled along with a veritable anthropological study in the habits of the lesser spotted English versus Eastern European builder. For now though folks, I will tell this story in the most succinct way I can, through the medium of pictures ( clearly I would prefer dance but I don’t know how to do that on a blog!). 

And so the story begins. 

Once upon a time, there was a house... a nice house that just needed a bit of love

To Be Continued...

The Stalker Song (Never Lettin' Go)

Just call me Nell (Mangel), I am a nosey neighbour. Fact! Now, let's  be clear, I'm not your average curtain twitching, "did you see who she was galavanting about with last week" type. No, my snooping, is of an altogether different nature. I am a renovation stalker. When, I am not knee deep in my personal share plaster dust, I am nose to window salivating over other peoples.

One of the joys of living in an 'up and coming' area (aka. a dump with a couple of organic cafes and Breton top clad beardy's), is that there is an endless supply of renovations to behold. Sometimes though, it can be tricky to get a good look, lord knows I try. So, imagine, my utter delight when the mother of all renovations commenced right over my garden fence. I kid you not, I have a clear line of vision from my back bedroom into their kitchen.. ohh happy day!

So, it is that, I have spent the last few months monitoring their progress (daily, sometimes hourly, ok occasionally I don't get much else done.. just, you know, sometimes). The house in questions started life as something of a wreck- ahhh such fond memories- and has through a long, arduous slog begun to take shape as something of a beauty.

Step one: All rotten PVC windows replaced with wooden sash's.

Step two: Said windows painted a colour that, one could only assume is... wait for it..... you guessed it... downpipe. TICK. (Never mind new restaurant openings, the real sign of  neighbourhood gentrification is a healthy layer of downpipe)

Step three: Large hole knocked into back wall for insertion of bi-folding doors, this bit seemed to take a long time and me and my own builder were dumbfounded as to what they could be doing.

Step four: Bi-folding doors proceed to be painted ....downpipe. Whoop! By now, I'm thinking i like these people, we should certainly be making acquaintance.

Step five: New kitchen installed, cleverly planned use to maximise small space and incorporate table adjacent to bi-folds. They are stylish, they get design.. oh yes, we are going to get on so well.

Step six: Well, despite use of binoculars,  it's all a bit of a blur and I can't actually see what is going on in the rest of the house, but by this point I am convinced I like it.

Step seven: Kitchen, complete, socialising commences, small, candle-lit dinner parties progress into full on parties. It MIGHT have been cordial to invite the oh so supportive neighbours, hmmm? I mean, I thought we had something special going on here?

Step eight: Just when I think the work is complete, all my wishes are answered and they start work on the loft conversion. I don't even need to strain my neck to get a clear few of this beauty.

Now, let's not get carried away, my new 'friends' are not without fault. Having painted all the windows delightfully moody downpipe, they proceed to commit an almost unfathomable error and leave the ledges white... This upsets me to the point that a (real) friend suggests I paint a grey line on all of my windows at the same levels so I need never assault my eyes with the offending articles again.
Similarly the dormer windows, installed in the last week, appear to be, it pains me to say it, turn away now if you are squeamish ..... white PVC... I know, I know... I can only hope I am short-sighted and await the outcome with bated breath.

It's taken hours of thought, consideration and effort to get to the point 'we' are at but, of course, we all agree its been worth it. These are my kind of people (window ledge excepted). I literally can't wait until we are perusing our interiors mags whilst sharing a pot of tea.... any day now, I tell you, any day. Oh, and when me and my fence buddies are very good friends,  we'll just keep this early stage of the relationship between ourselves, if that's ok with you.

Metal Mickey

It's been a while....  you could reasonable assume thatt I am stuck in some kind of parallel renovation world where you never see the light of day... only dust.. endless dust.

I'm not, I am simply tardy with my posting! Project Loft Space is well and truly finished, much to the satisfaction of all and it has worked our rather well.

As I believe I have mentioned, simplicity was key here, the space is a beaut in its own right. Double height ceiling, open plan an abundance of natural light. In this country with our dank Northern light it is tricky to do white well but here the light bounces off the walls and emphasises the magnitude of space.

The floor, was, initially a bit of a conundrum. A wood laminate (of sorts), a pale orange shade (of sorts), it wasn't ideal and because there was so much of it the impact was immense. We toyed with various solutions - rubber flooring, new wood, natural wood, tiles even at one point (not a personal favourite). But with budget in mind we opted for painting... a risky choice with such a thin wood, not designed for sanding. Still we like to live life on the edge and by 'ec it worked a treat. The paint of choice, a commercial grade floor paint was comparable to laying a sheet of rubber, so thick and durable. It really looks fantastic and creates a brilliant canvass for the rest of the space.

Once again though it is the smaller details that really make the difference to my eyes. In this case the radiators, it took some persuasion convincing our client that this not insubstantial investment would be worth it. But their natural gun metal patina they stand out  an jewel in this urban crown. A thing of beauty to behold. The client, on the other hand, was in most raptures about his new commercial kitchen tap.

As a man who works in commercial kitchens, it was all about the stainless steel, ALL about stainless steel, if we had let him apply it to the walls to live in a stainless steel box he would. But evidence, once again, that when re-inventing an interior, it really is important to be true to the building you are in. In a city centre loft space like this, stainless steel works a treat.

The photos here unfortunately do it no justice but it is amazing what a difference a spot of painting, some wall construction a new kitchen and alot of steel can do to a place.

Cowboy Song

Today’s state the obvious pearl of wisdom I have to share is the overwhelming importance of working with tradesmen, sorry trades people, you trust. This, I realize, is not a groundbreaking revelation but it was a lesson that was hit home to me this week, when I say hit, I mean literally smacked square on the jaw.

I shall spare you the, somewhat dull, details but needless to say, the making or breaking or a project (and your sanity) can live or die through working with skilled, experienced, trustworthy and most importantly RELIABLE builders, plumbers, electricians etc. These people will basically live in your home for lengthy periods of time. Not only will they help themselves to your milk (all your milk) and use your loo (best not to think about that one too much), they literally hold the project, your baby, in the palm of their hands. Now you wouldn’t let just any old fool near your baby now do you?

So ask for recommendations, do your research well, if in doubt do not, I repeat do NOT take a gamble, it isn’t worth the pain of ‘ When good builders go bad’. Because they can, they do, and God forbid you find yourself wanting to be on that TV show with that irritating bald presenter. When you do find that special someone, the one that ticks all the boxes - you know, turns up when they say they will, doesn’t rip you off, knows how to use a hammer; hang on to them, treat them well, cherish them. These, my friends, are the people that hold the key to your renovation happiness and they are worth their weight in coffee.

In other news, all is progressing well with project loft space. Destruction phase complete we are now moving into build with the stud walling going up to create the new bedroom and the old kitchen space being patched up and plastered.

This project offers a fantastic example of how good interior design must by sympathetic to the building in which it is housed. The scheme for this space was all about minimal, simple, industrial. I can’t lie, even I, a big fan of industrial, had my reservations, about the level of austerity, but I was wrong.

The simple act of applying a coat of paint is really bringing the place to life, that paint is white, pure, brilliant white, you can’t get much more simple than that. But oh how it works, and the reason it works? The light. With double height ceilings and huge windows, even on a grey autumn day, there is an abundance of natural light flooding the space and bouncing off the walls. For white to really work, this is what it needs, light… lots of beautiful natural light. If you live in a dark space, no amount of white paint is going to change that fact; the white will simply look full and washed out. If you live in a bright, open space… the whiteness will shine.

There is nothing more satisfying than watching a project start to take shape, the old space being injected with a new lease of life and emerging as it’s new improved self. As we move from first fit into kitchen installation phase we can really start to see what the loft is going to become and by jingo it’s exciting (well it is to me!). 

Appetite For Destruction

And so it is, I find myself back in my true spiritual home… where we speak mainly Polish and we eat mainly dust. Yes, indeed folks, I am back on a building site.

This job, Project Loft Space, as it shall now be known, is on behalf of a client. The challenges may vary to some degree and whilst I don’t get to make the final decisions on every last detail, the joy and delight I feel from knocking a place a part and piecing it back together and as you know, there’s nothing I love more that spot of building site chic.

Blessed with having a truly stunning shell to work with, this site offers a wonderful example of less is more. Whilst my personal taste is not minimal, I am a firm believer in working to suit the needs of the space (and client obviously!!). Here very little is required in terms of decoration to maximize the natural beauty.

The creative brief – minimal, industrial and definitely not appearing designed is highly achievable. Light floods in through the huge ornate windows, it bounces around the huge space and up to the high ceilings. The naturally industrial features are easily accented to created beautiful features in their own right.

But I am moving ahead of myself… what comes before renovation? Operation destruction…..

Renovation Song

We've got damp. Fact.

Yes we did a full damp course, yes we added in air bricks, there is so much ventilation in this house you can literally feel the breeze blow through it (not sure that's a good thing?!) and yet the damp just keeps on coming back.

Hello, by the way, it's been a while and you must have missed me terribly. I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again.

I will now summarise the last few months in renovation world the only way I know how..... through the medium of rhyme.

The new rental squat became project number one
In a mad, dash, rush to get the work done
Walls were removed, ceilings were too
A kitchen re-built as was a loo

All outfits accompanied by a handy tape-measure
The Internet scoured, the trash of others became my treasure
We travelled the country in a large hired van
Nothing like removals to get the best out of a man (?!)

The finish was added - carpets, tables and seats
By the time it was done it looked rather neat
The search for tenants was set underway
Not so intrepid, we had them signed in 1 day

The homestead was littered, I'd perhaps been too keen?
Radiators, fridges, the odd washing machine
It's the new thing, I declared, scrap yard style chic
Every living room needs a washer with a leak

Spring became summer and the rain came with power
The garden thrived with rhubarb and passion flower
Touches were added to the original bowl of dust
When a heatwave descends, carpet's a must!

As time passes the house starts to wear
After the work we put in, God knows how it dare
But walls become marked and gutters they do leak
Skirting gets scuffed and doors, start to creak

Still, no need for despair, no time for fear
The team of Polish builders are here
Set to return with their special kind of charm
And remove any semblance of order and calm

And so we go on with phase number four

If miracles abound we might get a handle on the door
One thing you discover, through time spent, just living
Renovation really is, the gift that keeps on giving