SHADES OF GREY

'Shades of grey', which I took whilst on a walk today...

homage to the hotly anticipated film adaptation of 'Fifty Shade of Grey' 

which is released today at UK cinemas!!

KITCHEN AND UTILITY RENOVATIONS (PART 4)

DECISIONS

After the 'strip out' of both kitchen and utility rooms, decisions from us were necessary.

Our builders helped with the planning for the internal walls.  We were adamant that these rooms wouldn't be cold or drafty.  

The builders offered us with a great source of information and after much discussion, 
it was decided that insulated plaster board was the way forward.

Insulated plaster board has become an important material used in new housing or 
to renovate and refurbish older houses like ours.

There is a layer of plaster board which on the reverse side has an insulating foam.  

The boards are designed for cold weather conditions, reducing the amount of heat passing through them, ensuring a warm environment to live in, reducing energy costs and carbon foot print.  All this was good for us and most importantly for the house as well.

Before the insulated board was attached, most of the positioning for wiring and plumbing had to be made instantly 
- which was a little stressful.  
The pressure was on to get it right!!
Confident with our choice of plumber and electrician, we were guided by their expertise, we listened and decisions were finalized.  

The boards were installed, plastering began on top of the boards and then over night the rooms were transformed... 

(above) Plumbing and first fit electrics installed in the kitchen.

 

(above) utility room showing toilet (right hand-side door)
and cupboard (left hand-side door).

(above) detail of toilet room with first fit plumbing.

(above) walls plastered and doors hung to toilet and cupboard.
Both doors open into the utility room.

(above) First fit utility room plumbing for sink and washing machine.
Also, this is the wonderful new window that has been added on the south side of the house.
It is one of the best decisions we made.

KITCHEN AND UTILITY RENOVATIONS (part 3)

The building work continues....

(above) Electric first fit

 (above) Boarding fitted around the new utility room window and existing wall of cupboard prepped for plastering.

 

 (above) Toilet room window and walls

We're getting somewhere at last....
day by day, new and exciting things happen to make a change. 

The end of the tunnel is in sight!!

KITCHEN AND UTILITY RENOVATIONS (part 2)

I digressed for a little while from the kitchen and utility renovations, 

so these are the next photos of the stripping out stage.

More or less everything had to go, from worktops, cupboards, to the ceiling to the floor and wall tiles to some of the windows. 

Not all of them because we'd replaced two in the sitting area previously. 

Above is looking west towards the utility room.

Above is facing west towards the utility room before we started the changes.

You will see that the door is in the centre of the room.  

We decided that blocking the original door up and adding a new entrance on the 

right-hand side into the utility room, would be far more beneficial to us. 

This giving us, two L-shaped work spaces in each room.

Standing at the new utility door, looking the other way towards the end of the kitchen, 

to the 'sitting area'.

(above) Inside the utility room looking at the new (and very exciting) window on the south side of the house.  Adding this window was such a good idea.  

The advantages of the extra light are immense.

(above) Still standing in the utility room, looking west at the large walk-in cupboard on the left and through to toilet on the right.

(above) What the cupboard and toilet originally looked like.  We've decided to keep the barn doors and paint them.

Looking inside the small room where the original toilet and sink have been removed. 

New toilet, sink and radiator will be added .

This shows two new wooden windows in the utility room and toilet (left-hand side).

Lastly, looking back into the kitchen, from the utility room through the new door way. 

The stud frames on the walls have been put up, floor tiles gone and ceiling with mock beams removed. The room is bare for all its exciting new changes to begin.

WALKING IN FIELDS

A walk in the fields near our house.

A VISIT TO AMSTERDAM

Taking time off from house renovations, 

I managed a trip to the beautiful city of Amsterdam.  

Wow! what a treat for the senses that was.......such a cool and interesting place. 

Lots of bikes....

a bit of culture...... 

inspirational images at the exhibitions of photographer Vivian Maier 

and painter Marlene Dumas. 

then onto an emotive visit to Anne Frank's house.

House shopping at Weldadd, Raw Materials and Sissy Boy. 

 

 Seasonal vegetables and herbs at the local market.

stopping to look at the graffiti...

and more on the pavements.... (translated means 'dogs must poo in the gutter')

This probably accounts for the reason Amsterdam is clean and not smelly!!!

and finally, 

stunning food at De Kas restaurant located in the impressive renovated 1926 greenhouse. 

Here they grow their own Mediterranean vegetables, herbs and edible flowers,

along with seasonal vegetables they harvest on their farmland in the Beemster area. 
Simply healthy, gorgeous food.

PUMPKINS

Stopping for a breather from kitchen renovations, 

it gives us a chance to realize that it is Halloween today.....

baked miniature pumpkins for tea.

 and if you look closely, 

there is a sneak peek at the concrete worktop in the newly restored kitchen!!!