Getting inspiration

This week we got another (very small) taste of what’s to come. We’d already seen a finished build as part of the process to check our preferred builder, and this week we went to one of his live build sites. It was quite hard to look past the incredible design of the house (a new build looking very much like a grand design!), but when we did, we were impressed by the quality of the workmanship and the cleanliness of the site. It was also useful to see the temporary cabins and storage containers needed, as we’d not really considered what was required and where we could locate them on site. 

We also had the opportunity to visit a completed build with an air source heat pump installed by one of the companies we’re considering using. Having had two people round to quote, we’ve abandoned any ideas of a ground source heat pump (way too expensive!) and are now trying to work out how many air source heat pumps we need for the cottages, and where we’d locate them. The couple whose house we visited were so lovely and gave us plenty of tips about what to watch out for. Their project was a new build on land that had historically been used for gardens of various properties, and they’d chosen some really neat, clean interior design features that definitely inspired us! 

One of the things we’ve been really struck by throughout this process is just how supportive people are. We were warmly welcomed at both houses we went to see and given lots of time and advice, and even the people working on the building site were made us feel welcome, even though I’m sure we were getting in their way! 

The weekend has been a bit of a wash-out. We’d hoped to make progress both finishing the new vegetable bed that we started back in January, and digging more of the bank we’re now turning into a proper raised bed – but we still haven’t finished upcycling the windows for the cold frame, and the wet weather means the ground is too waterlogged to stand on let alone dig a clay bank! So instead we cut up the sleepers ready for the second bed, and busied ourselves with various other garden jobs (sawing up wood, planting seeds etc). One thing we’re not lacking is jobs to be done!!