All is well with Maple Barn I'm happy to report. We are definitely not on schedule BUT through no fault of ours. We have found that in order to meet schedules it would take miracles! Hanging around for the building society and all the red tape that goes along with it, is where the time gets swallowed up - I would certainly say that if we did it again (never by the way!!) we'd need a lot more of a cash flow. We are 'paid' by the building society in arrears so have to find the money to pay/buy things up front than it all gets paid off when the lump sum arrives - very tricky to say the least!
We aren't starving yet though and had a thoroughly nice Christmas spent with my parents and our children. I must say rather selfishly that its nice to be able to concentrate again and not be distracted by all the Christmas paraphernalia. I did have a ceremonial burning of all the Christmas cards! But next year will be spectacular.....
Back to the house; we are well underway with all the plaster-boarding. Upstairs is nearly finished (probably today) and the plasterers are in tomorrow! That means in real terms that in a weeks time I could potentially start painting upstairs and bathrooms will get tiled and fitted out (oh god I am sooooo excited!!!!) Downstairs all the first fix plumbing is done and lighting plans underway: This is the tricky bit for me, I know exactly what I want but the cost is humungous so I'm working really hard to find cheaper equivalents; it's possible, just time consuming. For example I quite fancied a Moooi light for one of the bedrooms (really I didn't know they had changed the picture to a naked man holding the light..;-)click on the link!!) so its around £350.00 and I just looked on ebay and found a much cheaper version (and granted it isn't exactly the same) for £26.99!! bargain!
We have also been very inspired by our friends house who have been doing a Georgian house renovation in Alcester. They are furniture designers and have impeccable unattainable taste but they have been very clever with some of the things they've put in their house. Flooring from B&Q that looks every bit as good as Karndean/Amtico but is less than half the price! Guess what we'll be putting in the bathrooms? We spent New Year's eve and day with them and as we'd both moved out of our homes at the same time (Dec 2012 we lived opposite one another) it was a poignant New year! They had most certainly achieved their goal and it was nice to see familiar things like pictures and plates etc - sounds weird but I miss that stuff - I am looking forward to unpacking my belongings that I haven't seen now for over a year..
Anyway we have a new deadline (only moved it twice!) and we think realistically we will be in proper by Easter - we have to have a goal!
Heres another gorgeous Moooi chandelier, for the hall perhaps?...
I always say I'll blog again soon but life's so hectic so this time I'll try (honestly!) back soon!
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