Living out my Grand Design dreams...

[gzoom]

We have some keys, a proper roof, all the glazing, and most of the 1st fix electric and gas. Still needs floor, actual electrics and heating, plastering, render. But there are now far less jobs left than before, and the biggest 'risk' stuff is all done

 

[Buck]

Excellent - it’s really taking shape now

 

[gzoom]

Let there be light, under floor heating pipes are in, and a reminder of one of the reasons why we are bothering to do the project. Things are progressing nicely now

 

[AndyRM]

That's really looking lovely. I'm ever so vaguely jealous!

 

[gzoom]

Its being 12 months exactly since we started the project. At times especially during the complex steel install, we did wonder, WTF have we done.....But we are 100% now heading towards the home straight. The plaster boards are going on next week, and it'll be 2nd fix/kitchen install. Most of the interior space is going to be unrecognisable compared to before despite no change in the footprint of the house, and adding only a limited amount of elevation.

 

[gzoom]

We now have something that's starting to resemble rooms and even plaster on the walls . I would guess by the end of next week boarding will be done everywhere, and than probably another week for skimming.

Leveling of the ground floor and start of 2nd fix hopefully will start in April, than it'll be tilling followed by kitchen and stairs install May/June......Cannot wait to be back in

 

[avsd]

Looks good. I admire your determination to takes something like this on. Looks like you have a decent builder, the key component in a successful build.

 

[gzoom]

Looks good. I admire your determination to takes something like this on. Looks like you have a decent builder, the key component in a successful build.

We 100% do, I recommend him to anyone remotely interested in building works I speak too!!

It's now coming up to 14 months since starting, though the end is in sight, kitchen install date now booked for April, 2nd fix starts next week. It's still a long haul, and I'm certainly feeling some fatigue.

So to lighten the mood we have something fun coming in a few weeks, but it has meant more demolition outside....

 

[AndyRM]

That's gonna look seriously amazing. Get Kevin round when you're done.

 

[T4tomo]

That's gonna look seriously amazing. Get Kevin round when you're done.

At 14 months and counting it's worthy of GD episode 😂

 

[Jameshow]

That's gonna look seriously amazing. Get Kevin round when you're done.

Too smooth a build, not enough drama!

No babies born, budgets blown, waterlogged floors!

 

[gzoom]

Too smooth a build, not enough drama!

No babies born, budgets blown, waterlogged floors!

Over the last 18 months I’ve worked my self through the entire 25 seasons of Grand Design, and any other property program I can find. Tinie Tempah’s 2020s take on Grand Design has been the best find for me, but the last episode had me waking up at 5am with palpitations about our build even though we are nearly there….

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/extraordinary-extensions/on-demand/73938-006

The kitchen fitters are coming in April, have they talked to the sparky and plumber? Tiler is coming to site on Monday to give a quote but the floor isn’t totally level yet, my wife keeps on asking about random cupboards here and there but the chippi is still busy putting in door frame, let not even mention the extra wiring sticking out of the bedroom ceiling……and breath .

Having to be organisational lead for the larger industrial action the industry has ever seen, dealing with endless question from the regulators, constantly pestered by our corporate legal team have actually kept me so busy at work I’ve not really had time to reflect on the massive amounts of jeopardy that could have sunk essentially our family home 🫣.

The money is the money, but when your family home looks like and the builder calls out of work meeting with ‘urgent’ questions about what to do, if I had stopped to really think about the potential consequences I suspect we wouldn’t have started this madness.

I can fully understand why most normal/sane people don’t ever contemplate doing what we have done, but luckily (and I mean luckily) "The end is nigh", keeping everything crossed in 4 weeks time we might just be ready to pencil in a completion date!!

 

[gzoom]

Stead progress last few weeks, plastering is now 90% done, kitchen floor was finished at the weekend (tilers came in during the bank holiday), and today fitting of the kitchen units have started, I hadn’t realised just how much kitchen we had specced till today when it all arrived!

Aiming for 2nd fix electrics/lights to be done in the next fortnight, stairs are coming as soon as the final floor levelling is done in the atrium post kitchen install and than it’ll be painting/decorating…..and whispering of a ‘completion date’ is now starting to enter conversations 👏

 

[gzoom]

Kitchen is now done, it's all finally starting to come together!

 

[gzoom]

We managed to move back in just before the new school term. It's hard to believe the house is on paper sitting on a SMALLER footprint than before!!!

I cannot give enough credit to all the trades who have worked on the house, there is still work to be done but we are pretty much there.

My favourite spaces in the house is the mezzanine study, which is saying something when we have such an amazing kitchen and media room.

One of my surprising other favourite bits of the house is the attic space and network cabinet.......don't know why, but when I finally tidy up the network cabinet suddenly the house felt 'done' .

We feel really lucky and privileged to have pulled off the project, with all the S*** going on it world, to have been able to do what we've done is just insane.....



.......Having said that, just watched the latest episode of Grand Design......a 4 meter centerliver to gain additional living space over a small footprint......intriguing, I think I know what my retirement 'project' will be .