It’s been a week of small jobs. The guys are still on site everyday - finishing the painting and finishing all the small jobs. I reckon one more week and we’ll be very close to finished. The small jobs take forever - toilet roll holders, shelves, towel rails, light fittings. And they’re being very good and doing what is effectively scope creep for nothing or at least very little. Of course we still have to settle up the final bill. I like that the place smells softly of new carpets and fresh paint. At least the top floor feels clean - the other two are a bit gritty and dusty still. The whole place will need a few weeks of thorough cleaning to get rid of all that dust. The last remaining big job is the decking (an extra we’ve added) which will finish the garden off nicely. Photos of the various achievements, coming shortly.

It’s fathers day and I want to pay tribute to my dad.

Here he is, after spending 7 days last week down in London helping us move house. From supervising the builders, fetching us materials, mending things, and making things just right, nothing is too much trouble and he works like a trooper. He made a very stressful thing, more relaxing and brought a calm influence to proceedings by removing the pressure from us. All this for love. And I love him. Thanks Dad - you’re amazing and I wouldn’t be here without you (in the less than obvious sense). T x

Sorry about the gap there. Had no broadband for a few days until we moved in and got set up. So bumper update tonight.

And so to the culmination of a plan we made 15 months ago to make an offer on a crazy wreck of a house in Sheen, sell my flat, move in together in S’s, do a complete renovation on the place and finally move in to our beautiful house.

The builders are still with us - every day pushing us that bit closer to living here on our own - but we are, to all intents and purposes installed in the finished article.

Who would have thought a 20 minute viewing of a dirty, infested, unloved property would be enough to inspire us both to take on this massive project which has changed us and our lives forever? Now we have a base, a foundation, a community of great neighbours and a place we can genuinely call our own - to our design - in this world.

And so I turn to unpacking the many boxes - most of which I’ve been without for 9 months. I have had a sort of allergic reaction to my own possessions. Some are nice to get back - and remember fondly. Others seem so out of place - from another time and no longer appropriate, I throw them out with disgust. Perspective changed. Yet more bring a tinge of sadness from a life forgotten, dim and distant already despite my (relative) youth - glimpses of the odd past dream. New ones replace them. And a new future beckons.

And to more pressing concerns, like the various new snags we’ve uncovered as we’ve actually lived in the place - rather than just walked around it, looking.

Anyway, some photos:

The patio doors finally arrive, 4 weeks late:

Bringing them in:

Boys get to work:

Pretty happy?

Finishing touches:

And the moment S pulls a proper “you’ve missed a bit” moment - when she points out that the stickers on the K-glass which say “Sticker must be on the interior” are actually on the outside…

Cue much head scratching:

Until it is finally understood that the K-glass is on both sides and the stickers were wrong… how can you tell? Will we have a permanently cold or hot kitchen?

And the garden, clear at last:

As the moving weekend looms, today saw the house once again full of people - carpenters building shelves, kitchen fitters fitting kitchen, cleaners doing a “deep clean”, removal men delivering furniture and me and me dad in the middle of it all, trying to make the house ready.

Mind you it was the first time the place smelt clean - of bleach and cleaning products.

Final move in is Monday next week and this weekend is about crossing the finish line.

Here’s a few select photos from the day:

Shed gets a new roof:

Garden gets a bit of a makeover, courtesy of S:

Windows open:

Hob ready to go in?

Ovens etcL

Plumbing for the sink - which is now with the Corian (worktop men):

Touch latches fitted to the cupboards:

And closed:

Open:

Underfloor heating:

DB, working hard in the utility room:

Shelves:

And clean bathrooms:

Room with a view:

Balcony:

Something about exhausting the boiler?

Dressing room:

Fireplace and bed in the right place:

Cupboard:

MDF worktop? For now at least:

DB proud:

Fridge etc:

Kitchen:

Plans:

Utility room gets cleaned and polished:

Tap:

Dining room cleaned up:

Sofa and piano:

Sink:

Clean bog, for once:

And clean windows:

Bath

Cleaning woman, works on windows:

Exhaust:

Finished windows with curtain poles:

We inch ever closer to our move in date.

Here’s a few highlights as the kitchen nears completion:

Shed - now with 4 new panels to replace the rotten ones:

And from the outside:

And painted, one coat:

Hopefully a bit more waterproof:

TV amplifier - the cupboard’s looking a little bit of a tangle right now:

Desk on the study:

Skirting boards getting cleaned and finished in the hall:

Door receiving some attention (and paint):

Getting there:

Front room is still full of stuff:

And the dining room too:

Island units, now with handles and sink  - it’s also been measured for Corian worktop - which comes in three weeks:

Oven and microwave and fridge freezer on the right:

And the full unit:

Cooker run: (missing the hob right now):

And the under-cupboard lights prepped:

Telescopic hood:

And under:

In-built socket (in the cupboard wall to allow for glass splashback to come later on the back wall):

And the neat back of the socket:

Dishwasher, ready:

Freezer:

Fridge freezer under:

Big fridge - should be room for enough vegetables in there:

The full effect?

And side on:

Spanners in the works?

And the grouting on the floor in the loft bathroom is finished finally: