Two exciting steps forward, but no planning yet

This feels a bit like cheating, seeing as though this week’s blog is mostly about renovation that we paid experts to do… But I guess we’ll have to get used to that when we start the main build! Our farmhouse has a beautiful wooden conservatory with a fabulous Madagascan jasmine growing inside, across the roof bars. We knew the glass panes had blown before we moved in, then we realised the blinds were pretty mouldy and quickly became aware of the leaks after winter storms. So work started at the beginning of February… 

As the wooden aspect fits well with the fact our farmhouse is curtilage listed, we wanted to keep it rather than replacing with a new PVC frame, which meant going with a restoration approach rather than a rip-down-and-replace option. And the team we employed have been so conscientious – what we thought would take a week has only just finished 7 weeks later (a result of unanticipated design flaws in the original structure, horrendous rain and snow that delayed outside painting, and accidentally-shattered window panes.

But now – it’s done! They’ve cleaned and painted the brickwork, replaced the damaged panes, and replaced the roof structure. We’ve chosen blue tinted roof panes, to give more protection from the sun in the summer, and keep it warmer in the winter (hence why someone’s decided to move in there…!). We also added fairy lights to make the room usable at night, all we need is the furniture to arrive! 

Our other exciting progress this week was when our window seat cushions arrived – another step forward in completing our front rooms!! A friend of ours is setting up her own business handmaking soft furnishings and curtains, and agreed to make us curtains (which came a few weeks ago) and window seat cushions for the lounge and dining room. She couldn’t have done a better job with them – they’re exactly what we wanted, creating a focal point along what was just a plain white expanse, and it’s lovely to perch there and look out at the hills across the valley.  

We mentioned a few weeks ago that the Conservation Officer had some concerns about our plans, and we’ve now also an initial ‘feeling’ from the planning Officer that means we’ve decided to make a few changes now, rather than waste our application pursuing something that’s going to be rejected. Our architects are working on another iteration of the designs – hopefully we can get these finished and resubmitted soon. All this waiting is frustrating as we just want to get started – at least we have enough to do to keep us busy!