Living Room - Project Underway

We started renovating the living room yesterday with stripping the wallpaper off. It has made the room look a lot larger which is great news. At the same time we knocked out all the tiles that made up the fireplace. The next step will ne to paint the walls white. Then the work really starts we need to: patch up some of the plaster, redo the ceilings, block in a doorway, knock out and square off the faux brick archway, rebuild the existing chimney breast, build from scratch another one, level the floor up, replace the radiators, fit the log burner, paint the final colour and get the carpet fitted, put back the furniture and relax!

Middle Loo - Finished

Emma finished the wallpapering and the floor last weekend. Just a couple of pictures to put up and its finished.

Roof Insulation

Most of the roof is now insulated. Just the area around the shylight and the two alcoves to go. The skylight is being replaced next week for a velux by the roofers when they come a do a repair to stop a small leak we've had with the heavy rain. Once all the insulation is in the whole ceiling will be platerboarded, filled and painted white. Before the floor is ripped up and more insulation goes in!

Windows and Doors

Emma has been working away painting the window frames and front door. They're all primed so now the colour - a very light green. We have door furniture going on soon.

Roof Insulation - Week 2

We fitted the insulation into the frame and covered it in a thin menbrane, the next step will be to clad the ceiling in plasterboard beofre finishing off.

The wall into the landing isn't full height so we've filled the gap with insulation and we'll plasterboard the wall to give the impression it does go full height!

The other option is to rip out the ceiling in the landing so it goes right to the roof - we've decided this can wait until we do the whole roof........ we can then have a sky light letting natural light into the top of the house.

Roof Insulation - Week 1

Last weekend we stripped off the cladding and 1cm (!) of insulation on one side of the loft so you could see the underside of the tile before building a frame for the British Gas insulation to sit in.

The big pile of cladding and other off cuts of timber will be sawn up into wood burner sized bits so we have fuel for the stove that will hopefully go in the sitting room by Christmas.

Middle Loo

Not the most glamourous post but I spent yesterday plasterboarding the middle loo.... much easier then plastering over the ridiculous artex! Please note the special access to the service valve which will eventually be covered over by a picture.

Facade and Windows

Emma has been sanding stone work and window frames this and last weekend - the painted stone work is a vast improvment, and now we've got the paint the windows will be as well soon.

Gardening

Emma ripped all the old tomato plants out and replaced them with some new ones after our trip to Gare du Midi this morning.

After some slightly more hardcore gardening I wrecked the spade - bent the wrong way and a split that shouldn't be there at the bottom of the handle.... we'll be havign an arguement with the man in brico one night this week then tryign to get a new one.... one the plus side most of the retro edging has been removed.

1st Floor Bathroom

Hopefully the first video worked........ there is another, this time of the first floor bathroom.

Top Bathroom

A first for BeeckmanTowers - a video - I think its the best way to see all the elements of the bathrooms we finished a couple of months ago. Basin, Mirror, Bath, Shower. Just need to build in the cupboard.

Rue Beeckman Street Party

Last Sunday was "Dimanche sans Voitures" so the residents of rue Beeckman organsied a steet party, as ever we were the guests of honour! They were all very pleased to meet the new foreign neighbours.

Wallpapering underway

Emma got the wallpapering started in the top loo started at the weekend. We also replaced part of the mechanism in the loo so now the water stops filling when it should rather than overflowing!

Kitchen - almost there......

We got the wall units up at the weekend. The units have come from eBay and the green shed at Timberhonger (but formerly from Ali and Jo's house in London!) We just need to buy a couple of doors, fit them, grout the tiles and fit the kick board and its there. Fully fitted by us.

The 'White' House - now in daylight

Even better in daylight.

Back of the 'White' House

Thanks to Benjie we had the whole of the back of the house painted yesterday - makes the house look even bigger and will shock the neighbours when they get back from their holidays!

I'll take a picture in daylight and post it soon.

Kitchen

Sink at the far end, oven in place and the rest of the lower units are in with the work top on and secured - all finished before Mum got here last weekend. the wall units are going up this weekend - quite a change from the table for a worktop and a few plastic boxes for storage last week!

The day before The second floor bathroom shower was finished - a picture will go on tomorrow.

Kitchen - Plumbing

The sink and units went in and here the hot and cold supply are being connected to the taps

Put a new cold water supply in - this is Emma's plumbing - from the old steel pipe down on copper with a stop gate and then onto flexible plastic pipe.

We had to remove the old cold water plumbing

2nd Floor Bathroom

The Bath is in, in full working order and is very comfortable. The Basin is waiting for the bolts to hang it from the wall and the shower is yet to be tiled.

1st Floor Bathroom

The Shower is in and we're just waiting for the silicone etc to go off so we'll be able to have a shower on Saturday!

The basin is in full working order. the final jobs in here are a little bit of plastering for instance on the wall where the radiator used to be, then painting and finishing touches like skirting boards.

Garden - All cleaned up

It looks so much bigger now its all been cleared - bottom left is fire wood, then a bbq area and the table and chairs newly stained by Emma.

Hopefully the lawn will improve over time!

Ed

Gardening - Bank Holiday Weekend

All our garden waste - 19 Bags - after the major cull in the garden.

Ed and Phil having demolished the 15ft conifer.

Emma mid flow on Bank Holiday Friday.

Ed

Bathroom Floor

The first floor bathroom floor is down, the same tiles, just a bit smaller are going on the wall for the shower enclosure. Then its just a case of bolting in the shower screen and basin and this bathroom is done.

The second floor is just behind, all the tiling, floor and shower should be done today.

The plumber should finish on Saturday then we just have to wait a coupel of days before we can use it......

Ed

Shower

Here you can see the controls and the valve to which the shower head will be attached. The wall will be aquapanelled and tiled this week. the shower will be all finished with the rest of the second fix before next weekend.

Ed

Bathroom Ceiling

The ceiling is finished and the lights work! The plumber has done the first fix in here, the walls and floor are about to be tiled and the second fix will be done before next weekend.

Ed

1st Floor Bathroom

So far - basin out, floor up and pipework removed

The picture is a bit blury but the shower tray is in with some new pipework.

Ed

2nd Floor Bathroom - so far!

So far - Bath out, bidet out, radiator out, lots of pipework out.

All to be replaced in the coming week with a roll top bath, shower, basin & pedastal and heated towel rail.

Emma's Basin

Finishing the walls

Emma has been sanding down her plastering - a great finish, ready to be painted now!

Ted

Postman Pat came to help aswell!

Bathroom Ceilings - Easter Weekend

I spent most fo the weekend finishing off the two bathroom ceilings - here's me after putting the first piece of board up, and the finished effort.

Ed

This weekend

We'll spend this week finishing the other ceiling!

Last Weekend - False Ceiling and Sanded Bannister

Last weekend we made another push forward to getting things ready for the plumber to come and fit the bathrooms - three weeks today he starts. First things is to sort the ceilings and get the spot lights fitted. This ceiling needs the wiring/lights sorted and the plasterboard putting up.

We also got on with sandy the red gloss paint off the bannister - the plain wood is a vast improvement, eventually it'll be varnished.

Bathroom - Tiles

At Belgium's ideal home show we ordered some tiles for one of the bathrooms.

The Mini didn't really appreciate it, at 35Kg a box!

Fireplace

Just after Christmas we bought this marble fireplace off eBay, eventually i will be pride of place in the living room, complete with a log burner.

Loos - now without a view!

While Emma was plastering I got on with blocking the windows - previously there was a perfect view into the loo as you came down the stairs!

Ed