Housely Renovations - 5

[panik]

Serious progress!

I actually managed to peel myself off the sofa before eleven today and, flinging open all doors and windows despite the never-ending rain and donning a mask, managed to get through the painting in the spare room without dropping off my perch - though I later managed to fall off a chair dismantling the book case so I could paint behind it. I have the bruises to prove it - rather a lot of them. (o:

Mark finished tarting the bedroom shelves, door, coving and skirting with trusty Dulux one-coat white silk, later I washed the walls down with sugar soap and it's all looking quite transformed. Tomorrow we shop for a new door to replace the rather hideous and incongruous thing on the spare room and yet more paint, and re-paint the bedroom walls.

I'm coming around to the grim acceptance that the back door is a gonner. I love that back door - a proper stable door in two halves so you can fling the top half open in the summer, let the air in and watch the garden. It's bright blue, characterful and quirky - but it's rotten through and through; the frame is soft as balsa wood and I can see daylight round the bottom. It's clearly past saving. A new and doubtless drearily mundane new one must be bought, but I shall miss it so. ::sigh::

Comments

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised that you're tired. I've been tired just reading about all your activity. :-)

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty shagged but it's worth it - it's needed doing for so long but there's just never the time. (o:

Aww, I'm sorry about your Dutch door...

[belladonnaf66.livejournal.com]

you should get a solid door and a carpenter to make it into a Dutch door and paint it blue again!

Sounds like you're moving along. And hey, I thought you were sending the rain here!

Hope your bruises go away fast.

Re: Dutch door?

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Is that what you call them? I assure you this door is 100% English and proud of it. *g*

I thought about replacing it with another wooden one but it's probably more sensible to get a new double-glazed one. They do stable doors too but - O:! Pricey. We're still weighing the options.

I thought you were sending the rain here!
Oh. I wish. ::she sighed wearily::

Re: Dutch door?

[belladonnaf66.livejournal.com]

Lol-the first house I remember clearly had a similar door between the dining room and kitchen. My dad always called it a dutch door, I don't know why...(I need an entymology lesson...lol)

I know you hate the rain, but I'd love to live in England...my cousins still live there and I adored visiting. Not that I mind South Carolina, it's just it's not England. :>)

Re: it's just it's not England

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

...And glad of it, I should think. *g* I don't hate the rain in normal circs but this has been a dreadfully wet summer with constant driving wind and rain and hardly any sunny days at all.

I'd love to live in England.
It has it's ups - and its downs. I like it, but then I liked NC too (never been to SC alas).

Re: it's just it's not England

[belladonnaf66.livejournal.com]

I've probably romanticized it in my head, lol. I mean, I remember I was standing on a street corner, ready to cross because I was heading to do some laundry when an older Indian gentleman in London asking me how much I was...I was so mortified...

Re:LMAO!!!

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

It wasn't in King's Cross by any chance? *g*

I've been propositioned twice, once from a rather strung-out looking Irishman and once, collectively, by a dozen Chinese sailors in Mao suits, both times on the Dock Road in Liverpool and I was in my High Goth period so I suppose it was only to be expected. *g*

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Steady woman! A nose-dive off a chair onto shelving is probably not the best way to dismantle a bookcase... for goodness sake be gentle with yourself sweetie. ::passes over the embrocation::

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

It's kind of par for the course for me, really. ::smiles sheepishly::

I'm tired, but in a good way. Slept like a Sleepy Hibernating Thing on Valium last night.

And gosh, it's almost ten o'clock and nothing done yet. I should move myself. ::Goes to kitchen. Makes toast::

[chriselora55.livejournal.com]

..."though I later managed to fall off a chair dismantling the book case so I could paint behind it."

Careful there! No fancy acrobatics please. Glad you're feeling better and the decorating is progressing nicely. Well done.

A pity about the door. It sounds really lovely. Well,you never know, you might find something you really like to replace it.

*Sending busy vibes to help*

you might find something you really like to replace it.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

I think, things being as they are, we're just going for the bog standard double glazed job. You can't really afford to be quirky and sentimental when doing the place up to sell, alas.

Argh! ::wards off vibes with ping pong bat:: No more busy, please! Enough with the busy already!

[bumpkin-is.livejournal.com]

Don't you have secondhand building supply places over that side of the pond too? It's the first place I go when I have to do renovations because there are just too many quirky and irreplaceable bits of atmosphere that I would absolutely hate to lose with my Victorian house. I know there are a couple who are on the web... don't know where they are located though.

Try to take care of yourself too - you aren't going to enjoy the facelift your house is undergoing if you end up bedridden!

Marns
~pN

secondhand building supply places

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

There are lots of them but it's not that easy, unfortunately. The doors in an older place like this aren't standard size and it's really tough trying to get things that fit. We had the last door custom made by a local guy. If we were staying here, I'd have another made but we're selling, so really just going for the cheapest, most practical option which is double glazing, unfortunately. They do a stable door too (one in two halves), tho it's quite pricey. We're trying to decide if it's worth the extra £££ or not. (o:

Thanks for the good wishes, I'm fine really and in all honesty, falling off chairs is kinda par for the course for me in normal circumstances. In a decorating situation, I've got off pretty lightly. So far... *g*

[hermitsoul]

Now I'm exhausted! ;) Sounds like it's coming along nicely!

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

It is. I am quite [pleased, and very tired, but in a good way. (o: