Reshuffling the Rooms

A Renovation Journal

Monday

I’m still finishing the painting at the top of the ladder on the awkward bits of the ceiling and walls in the annexe hallway. Standing on the rounded ladder rungs is uncomfortable, and I’ll be glad when this is finished.

After lots of email discussions with the structural engineer, we think we’ve decided that the dividing wall in what was going to be the games room has to stay. This means a bit of a room shuffle. The two rooms up here will now become my office and a bedroom. The room behind the kitchen on the ground floor will now be a games room, which may make more sense anyway. Although it might be a nuisance having my office at the top of the house, it means it will get done much sooner, which is exciting. I’ve been pinning decoration ideas!

Tuesday

While I battle on with the hallway ceiling, James is still ripping apart the top floor in the main house. Today, he had to lift some floorboards, and we found more remnants of the old mechanical bell system. The wires ran all over the house, and these metal fixtures were where the wires had to turn a corner. Surprisingly, they still move quite easily. Sadly, the bells are long gone, replaced by an electrical system around 1910.

Wednesday

A busy day. While Toby did his theory driving test in Shrewsbury, I popped into the abbey for a look around. I enjoyed reading the history of how it was founded in 1083 on the site of a pre-existing Saxon church, although most of the building as it is now was restored in the 19th century. I still always think these buildings are impressive, and I marvel at the people who worked all their lives to build them. (Toby failed the test, btw, but that means I have longer to prepare for him being out on the road!)

James has handyman Ian here to help him today, so they’ve been cracking on with more ripping out of lime plaster ceilings. Once Toby and I returned from Shrewsbury, we had to get the plasterboard delivery up to the top floor. It fit up the main stairs to the first landing with no trouble, but there was no way it was going up the second flight, either on the main stairs or the back ones. The only way to do it was to cut a large letterbox-type hole in the ceiling of the landing and pass the boards up to the top floor that way. With Ian and Toby passing them up and James and me lifting and stacking them at the top, we got it done.

Thursday

Today is my baby sister’s 50th birthday. Obviously, that makes me ancient, but nevermind. She has all sorts of trips and festivities planned, but wasn’t doing anything for her actual birthday, so we went for afternoon tea at a Cheshire hotel. It was a very nice change from the painting.

Friday

I’m on to sanding the walls, but I’m off the ladder, which is much more comfortable. These old walls are a mess, and I’m going to have to skim quite a lot.

I took Toby to Telford for a quick shopping trip, which was actually quite fun. It was nice to spend a bit of time with him before he heads off to Dubai tomorrow. Lucky thing!

Saturday

It’s sunny! I abandoned my painting and ran out into the garden with a huge list of jobs. First, I had to fix the wheelbarrow, which took forever and did not go well. Not a good start. Then I replaced the broken pane of glass in the greenhouse. Again, it took ages, but I got it done. Then, I got to planting. Finally got the garlic in, too late really, but they might be alright. I started all the onion sets, sowed onion seeds, beetroot, coriander, radish and peas in the greenhouse. I’ll have to get some more sweetpea seeds to replace all the ones the mice have had. The ranunculus are at least looking promising.

Sunday

I’ve realised some of the walls that we’ve uncovered on the top floor have wallpaper. It must be quite old because it was obviously here before the house was extended and the top floor added. I’m pretty sure that was around 1850, but it could have been before that. I really need to find records of what was done to this house and when. They must have recorded it in the Raby Estate files, but I can’t find anything in the local archives. I think at some point I will have to take a trip to Raby Castle in Durham and see if I can access the archives there.

Another week has flown by. After January, which goes on forever, February seems to pass in the blink of an eye. But there are signs of spring and some hope in the air. The crocuses have joined the snowdrops, and the birds seem to be singing more often. Spring won’t be long now!