Wallpaper and Dead Salmon

A Renovation Journal

Dec 04, 2023

Well, it’s been two weeks since the last catchup journal. I’ve been so busy that my feet have hardly touched the ground. We’re mostly working on projects I can’t share yet as they will be ‘revealed’ on Instagram so it’s all a bit boring. I can assure you some exciting things are coming though! Here’s a catch-up on the last two weeks anyway!

“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish” - J.R.R Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings

Monday

I started clearing out the gutters on the newly scaffolded front elevation. There are some tricky roof joins here and lots of random skylight-type windows. I managed to clear most of the muck away but I broke a few tiles in the process. More mending to do!

Emma is getting on well with the painting of the panelling in the new bathroom. It’s starting to look really good!

Tuesday

Today I spent all day bricking up holes while lying on a ladder. It was super hard work and I did not enjoy it! It was one of those awkward jobs though that we needed to do before the roofers arrive. The good news is that the new lime mortar is a good colour match. It mixed up easily too and was nice to work with. It will be fine for pointing which I don’t mind. It’s much less work than bricking up holes!

Wednesday

I had a bit of an easier day today after yesterday’s hard work. I’ve been working on the fireplace surround which is a nice indoor job. Lots of scrubbing and scraping but it’s coming together.

Thursday

I’ve been playing with my new Dremel multitool. It’s this super little pen-sized thing that has all these different attachments for sanding, cutting etc. Of course, the exact one I wanted didn’t come with the kit so I’ve had to order some more sanding heads. It’s going to be great on the fireplace though.

Friday

Friday is my gardening morning. Kate the gardener set to work finishing the rose bed while I tackled the wild-looking rose on the bank. We found these cute stone rabbits.

This afternoon I was mainly a taxi driver although Emma passed her theory driving test which is a step in the right direction!

Saturday

A day off from the house! Took my daughter to Teeside Uni where she has a place for next year. She just wanted another look around to be sure she was making the right choice. It all went well and although the drive was tiring it was nice to sit down for a bit!

Sunday

A slow morning followed by painting in the bathroom. I also put a coat of wallpaper paste on the wall to help it key a bit better. I’m ready to start the wallpapering tomorrow now. Very exciting!

THIS WEEK:

Monday

Wallpapering like a maniac in time for the plumber who comes on Wednesday. I’ve decided wallpapering is quite stressful. Here’s a sneak peek!

Tuesday

I finished the wallpaper! Annoyingly I didn’t think carefully enough about where I started and I could’ve avoided having the last corner where the pattern doesn’t match up. But still, it looks pretty good and I’m quite pleased with it for my first attempt.

The roofers were also here today which means the boiler room is now watertight. Phew! They also think they can fix the damp in the Estate Office bedroom. Exciting!

Wednesday

The plumbers are here and I’ve been quite nervous all day hoping that everything will fit. It did! A few minor hiccups with things we hadn’t thought through but it’s turned out well and the layout works, which is the main thing. There are just a few snags to attend to and then we can dress it and it’s all done!

Thursday

I’m all about finishing the fireplace today. I’m still sanding all the details with the Dremel. It’s nearly done though and now I need to decide what to put on it to finish it. I’ve been trying a few waxes and I think I have a winner. I also got a mist coat on the chimney breast so it’s ready to paint. Still not sure what colour we’re going with though.

Friday

I finished sanding and then we went to Travis to pick up skirting boards, the butcher for essential weekend supplies (by that I mean pies!) and then to Brewers for paint. I’ve gone with ‘dead salmon’ which may have been a horrible mistake. I got a first coat on this evening and I don’t really like it.

Saturday

Another coat of ‘dead salmon’ on the chimney breast and I finished waxing the fire surround. It actually looks pretty good and surprisingly the colour is growing on us. I think I can live with it for at least a few months and then we’ll see.

It snowed tonight and we were hugely glad of the new boiler and the wood burner.

Sunday

The fireplace is in and I actually love it. Of course, the rest of the room now looks completely dire but if you just look at the fire and mantel it’s pretty good!

It will be ‘revealed’ on Instagram very soon and I can’t wait to show you!

It feels as though we have so many projects on the brink of completion. Sort of like buses, they are all coming in together. Not long now!