Leg Day

A Renovation Journal

Well, I think it’s about time for an update. I’m currently recovering from a leg injury and I’ve got to keep it elevated as much as I can so there’s plenty of time to look back over the last few months and reminisce.

So where were we? The last time I did one of these updates was back in April. We were just finishing off a few areas and about to have the plastering done in the Old Estate Office.

First up was the gym which is now finished. I say finished, I’m starting to understand that nothing is ever really completely ‘done’ to perfection. There’s always a bit more to add or something that isn’t quite right. But it’s just little fixes now that we can do as we go along. The gym is great to use and before I hurt my leg I was in there more or less every day. It’s lovely to start the day with some yoga or a quick strength workout. Meanwhile, Toby uses it nearly every night and loves it. He’s getting super strong which is great because he can help us with any heavy work!

James is currently making a little cabinet to house the fridge and provide a bit of storage then there is just the radiators to fit and some draft excluders to add to the door before the winter. There’s also still some work to do to the outside of this building. Some painting to finish off and some fascia boards to fix. I really wanted to get to that while the weather is good so hopefully I’ll get to it before too long.

The pool area is very nearly complete. I’m just adding things now like plant pots, cushions and trellis. There is still some tiling to do around the top of the pool but the quotes we’ve had for that have been huge so it’ll either have to wait for me to get to it or we’ll have to save up somehow. The pool itself is lovely now though and has been a real treat when the weather gets hot. I often wonder whether we’ve done the right thing spending money on it before the house is finished but then a heatwave comes along and I’m beyond thankful!

The Old Estate Office is coming along nicely. In fact my daughter and her girlfriend are staying over there at the moment while they’re home from university. The bedroom is more or less complete. Again a bit more furniture to add and I still need to put some shelf liners inside the cupboards but I’m super pleased with how it’s looking.

I’m onto the stairs now. I finished the ceiling and all the tricky bits that were hard to reach. I had everything else sanded, primed and ready to paint when I hurt my leg. I’m looking forward to getting back to it! I still haven’t 100% decided what to do with the stairs. I was going to paint the risers but looking at the rough wood I think it might be better with just a clear oil. I’ll paint the skirtings and bannisters and then decide.

James has been making a unit to fit in the alcove in the sitting room. He’s got some skirting to fit and some repairs to the shutters to make. I’ll be decorating in here soon. I still need to decide what to do with the safe in the wall. I think maybe it just needs some trim around it as it sticks out from the wall a bit. We’ll try a few things and see how it goes.

Meanwhile, We’ve been working in the kitchen garden. We’ve dug out the new paths which has made a bit of a mess but when it’s done we’ll have a sitting area in the middle as well. I’m also adding some raised beds which I’m super excited about. It was in the process of moving the earth that I hurt my leg though. I managed to tip the dumper over and get my leg trapped. Luckily it’s not broken and it could have been so much worse so I have to be thankful and try to be patient while it heals. I’m hoping one more week and I should be able to at least do some light work.

So that’s it for the update. Take care and don’t get complacent like I did! Accidents happen but it’s frustrating when it could’ve been avoided with a little more care and attention. Stay tuned. While I’m stuck here I might as well write some more blog posts! Speak soon x