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A DIARY OF A RENOVATION: Part 3

A DIARY OF A RENOVATION: Part 3

Pammy Kaur, of the hugely popular ‘gram @mama_of all​_ _things, continues her regular column in which she reveals how she is transforming her two bedroom end of terrace into the five bedroom home of her dreams…

Nearly at the end of month three!

From the constant rain to the heatwave, we are still in action and still on time! Supply issues, such as windows, haven’t stopped the progress on other things being done and we are still looking to get to the December finish line. It feels so far away but so much has happened since my last blog and things are really ramping up now. The structure of the new roof has been built, we have broken through into the current loft space and also knocked down the wall into the open-plan area on the ground floor! We’ve also had to move out which has been hard work with kids. But sometimes living in a build can slow it down. We’re doing everything we can to get this built on time.

As much as the build is a huge project, both in time and money, I am reassured as Matt @thefamilybuilder knows what he’s doing.

My learnings this month;

  • You could have the most creative drawings passed for planning but once the build starts the actual practicalities aren’t always easy. I.e. having a toilet against a party wall won’t happen because of drainage. I mean that rooftop pool was such a good idea at the time, haha. My Pinterest boards have been tested to new heights.
  • The measurements. Where do I start, it’s best to sensor check and measure yourself, we’ve had issues with internal space and have to decide whether we want a smaller bathroom or hallway. A very frustrating situation to be in. It’s still not the worst issue as the build is a good size but it’s something I wish had been given more consideration. A lot changes from those initial plans. Be open to not having a Buckingham Palace sized room within a Victorian end-of-terrace! Plans always make spaces look bigger on paper. There are free tools such as the IKEA planner that you can add dimensions of rooms in and place furniture accordingly. This helps to visualise the room proportions.
  • Kitchen – one of the last things to go in but actually one of the first things to think of. You need to have an idea of where your drains will go early on, so a kitchen plan is essential at this stage. Go to a few places for a free consultation to get an idea what will work in your space. We’ve started to look at bespoke kitchens vs trade and high street. So far, the lead times on bespoke are longer than I thought. I will keep you updated on who we choose and why.
  • Party wall – we finally have both awards! Hurray!! Always remember there are costs to be saved here. Writing your own letter of intent will help save money and using the council websites will have all the details for you to do this. Also, make sure you know what is included and watch out for extra fees such as chimney arrangements.
  • Don’t do your garden before your build. Ever! It’s a building site and it will get trashed.
  • Ask your builder’s advice as much as possible, really don’t by shy about this. I feel like we’ve saved some time and avoided mistakes here. Never take advice from someone that’s not done what you are doing!
  • Don’t let the weather determine your build schedule. We have had majority rain throughout the build but we are not behind schedule as we are using builders that are fully prepared for our crazy British weather, i.e. scaffolding that is roofed to ensure bricklayers can work etc.
  • Lead times. Know your lead times on those chosen Pinterest boards. You would be surprised how unpredictable your chosen brand can be. I,e a bespoke kitchen company we liked had a six month lead time and a bathroom basin had an eight month lead time. Take note of the lead times from point of order.

@mama_of all​_ _things

Read Pammy’s first diary entry here!

 

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