Turning a House into a Home…
Are you ready for the house tour? Or rather, a brain dump of all the ideas that I have for the renovation plans for my first home. If you are a follower of my YouTube channel, you may already be aware of these plans, thanks to my renovation tour webisode.
However, these renovation plans have somewhat changed. And whilst the heart is still there, reality and budgets have set in and given me a realistic understanding of what is achievable and what’s not. I’m glad I dreamed big. Even if the final picture is going to look a little different.
Since this webisode, I decided it would be a great opportunity to speak to you about the plans for each room in my home. As I mentioned at the begging, brain dumping my ideas onto virtual paper to really get a clear sense of the plans. I’m gutted that several books that I would love to reference to are coming out later this year, after works have started. However, I simply cannot wait. I want to pick up some tools and get on with these plans. I’m sure these books will inform me later on down the road, particularly with design and final details.
For those who’ll want to follow the journey later along the line, you’ll be able to refer to my renovation journal section of my website to see the progress. I’ll also be updating my portfolio, as and when each room is built.
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Downstairs Renovation Plans.
Our house is less than 100 sq ft, so when we speak about downstairs, I’m talking about two rooms. The living room and kitchen. Our living room is currently a building site, we are waiting on an electrician and a Gas Safe Register engineer to start their work. We have discovered that a rewire is in the books for the entire house (the joys), which once this is done, I can start on my custom joinery work.
I think we all knew that I was going to do as much as the work as possible on my own, and has carpentry literally runs in my blood (my grandfather and my father), I have to have something incredible in the living room. The plan is custom alcove cupboards that go all the way up to the ceiling (we have 2.5 metres of them so might as well use them). I’m going to do all the work myself, as soon as plugs have been moved.
Along with this I want to take the gas fireplace out and open up the space. The gas fire is a money looser if we use it, and whilst I don’t want a stove right now, I want the opportunity in the future.
The final thing of big work in the renovation plans will be the sanding of the floors. We have gorgeous original wooden floors and I can’t simply cover them again. Once this has all been completed, then it will be time for decor. Recently, I’ve chosen the white/ cream that will be going across all the walls in our home. I’m already sourcing lighting, etc. Anything to keep the dream of my design plans alive whilst we’re as little stuck.
Kitchen Plans.
Now for our kitchen, I have big plans. Well, my husband does. We need to completely change the layout, moving the oven from the middle of the room to the back wall. I want to incorporate the oven into the original chimney, adding character to the space. Mostly, I do want to have a wooden kitchen. Which I know you’re all seeing £££. However, I have a plan to do a design hack. A £10,000 kitchen for only £4,000. You’ll have to stay tune to find out.
As a more immediate fix, I’m going to look to do some temporary changes to give the kitchen a refresh. The old vinyl paper countertop is peeling, and we could do with adding better storage. Most likely, it would end up costing the same as a small renovation, but we need to give the space a new lease of life.
Upstairs Renovation Plans.
Now for the upstairs, we’ve got big plans. This is where I want to split our current bedroom into two, creating a three bed home. This is immediately going to add equity to the house. We’ll move upstairs into the attic, currently my home office, and one of the new bedrooms will be my dream home office.
Of course, we’ll always want to change the bathroom. Though I had big plans for the space, budget realities have hit. So whilst the layout will stay the same, I’m wanting a new suite, a custom build and American style vanity (constructed by myself of course). I also love the idea of having ‘bookselves’ at one end of the bath, a space purely for unpractical decor choices.
Major Renovations.
Now, there are a few things that we are going to have to cost into our renovation budgets. The first being a rewire, unavoidable, but worth it in the end. I keep telling myself it will add value to the property and will be worth it when we sell.
The other thing is windows and doors. We absolutely need a new front door and I would like new windows, especially for the third bedroom we are creating. Now, whilst I’d love wooden sash windows, I was quoted £2,000 PER WINDOW. Now whilst I will continue to reinstate sash windows, I might have to settle. But I’ll keep dreaming.
Other than inside the house, I do want to make some changes to the garden. I’ve always been honest with wanting to make our house the best looking on the street. Making my neighbours jealous of our home. The courtyard needs a makeover, and I want roses to climb up the front of the house. However for the moment, I think until the major works inside are done, it’s not worth spending the money outside.
Getting Started.
Whilst the work seems daunting, I truly cannot wait to get started. We’ve lived in this house for so long and dreamed of its potential. Now that we can make these changes, I truly cannot wait to see my ideas become reality.
