Oh I wrote this in Feb but never finished it. I'm going to press publish now or it will never get finished and suddenly it will be 2024. Pretend it's still February, because if I was writing this now I'd be saying different things....
I can see that updating this blog is becoming an annual thing. 2022's achievements were small in number but big in progress - we have windows!
12 sliding sash and 3 flush casements in all their beautiful glory went in during the super cold snap just before Christmas - one day was minus 9°c, we felt a bit sorry for the poor fitters who went to warm up in their van one lunch time because it was only slightly warmer inside than outside the house.
After months (years?) of going round and round in circles looking at cheaper options we eventually decided that sliding sash was the only way forward. We assume this is would have been what the house would have originally been built with and they are the ones we consistently admire on other peoples' houses. We went for agate grey and they are 👌
I am so glad this decision has now been made as I can now stop looking at the windows of every single house I ever go past.
We were meant to be getting the back door done as well as it's desperate but at the last minute we got cold feet about the plan so took it off the order and went back to the drawing board. There basically isn't any possible configuration that can go into the existing hole that we really like. It's a door next to a window - the door needs glass as the kitchen is really dark with the current solid door. But glass upvc doors are a bit ugly, the opening isn't tall enough for a flush door and not wide enough for french doors. Also the window can't be sliding sash so won't match the others. Headache.
Eventually in slight despair we've gone outside the box, decided to bash a big hole in the whole lot and put in french doors anyway. This does not fit with the current kitchen layout but we no longer care, it will look super lovely, and one day the kitchen can be changed to fit in. Hopefully. So that's the next job.
What else did we do last year? Oh the office. We are now fancy people with an office. This room has been many things since we moved in, including a playroom, dining room, general room full of crap. We just didn't know what to do with it. Seriously considered bashing through to make it part of the kitchen but the downstairs toilet is in the way and we didn't know where else we'd put it. Eventually we decided an office would be a good shout as we both work at home fairly regularly.
This room got treated to full wall insulation - and it now gets soo much warmer than the rest of the house! We also covered up the exposed wall (sorry house, but we just weren't loving it), the horrible red stained floorboards and the big yellow gas pipe that merrily stuck out of one wall along with a load of other central heating pipes that were on display.
Now it just needs a bit of interior design flair to finish it off but we can't commit to putting the pictures back on the wall or where to put the bookcase that we really need. Same old story.
There might be some other bits and bobs for this update, but it's got a bit long now. Maybe I'll do another one at some point.