All is Calm on The West Front

Today I am calm...the stress of last week did not continue, which made for a pleasant few days. No major issues, no sending things back and no problems.

Hmmmmm. Saying that we haven't really had a lot of people on site this week. Mostly it's been me and 'Derek' who is a very nice man, conversation is a bit stilted as his English isn't the best, but we were attempting to select paint colours together!?

No doubt you've been anxiously waiting for news on the doors (God.. this blog is edge of your seat stuff!)... and I am pleased to report they are back! Woo hoo! They have been delivered, but our hopes of having them in place for the weekend were firmly dashed as the fitter can't come back until Monday. Damn!

This coming week, however we are 'thinking' progress will be plentiful. The Saviour that is 'Kris the builder' who is a multi-tasking genius will be back! He has been in Poland for the last three weeks and we are awaiting his return with baited breath.

But still we have progress - we now have a shell of the downstairs loo and utility room complete with floor.

The kitchen had an initial white wash and is starting to take shape until I started trying out paint colours!  The first colour is not good! I hate mushrooms but I wanted a mushroom colour for the wall (work that out!?). Having painted over the plaster, Paul (boss man builder) then got his roller out to try the colour for size, and the result...it looks like it's just been plastered again! Back to the drawing board and to Brewers we go.

We are now opting for a pale grey for two of the kitchen walls, mainly to break up the white mass of cupboards and tiles. Then for the utility room we're thinking bright but not quite sure what and how yet. We've spent most of the week trying to work out how we can get a washing machine, tumble drier and sink into the weirdly shaped room.

Then for the toilet we are going muted, having seen the space we need to go lighter to make it look like the walls aren't closing in on you! So instead will be adding interest using dogs or deer...samples are en route from wallpaperdirect.






Flooring in utility and toilet is coming courtesy of the lovely Forbo flooring company and the even lovelier Madge who is back from illness and probably wishing she was still tucked up in bed able to avoid Mrs Doyle's requests!

ETA for end of build is now end of April, so marathon soiree will take place in a house of publicness instead. But we are hoping this week we might have the plasterer back, a sink and washing machine plumbed into the utility room, the final electrics fix and the doors will be on. We're also going to have a couple of coats of paint before the kitchen arrives which is now next Saturday.

As this week is quite nicely quiet on the work front I have time to continue my search for either a chaise longue or two Louis XV chairs for the 'vestibule'. Ebay here we come!

Mrs Dx

A Week On The Tiles...

Hello blog fans! So more progress to report - we have the makings of a roof - woo hoo! Every day it is starting  to look a little less like a Hawaiian hut and more like a full fledged extension. We also have a rather attractive render design on the outside of the building - a sort of 70s swirl - beautiful!!! Mr Doyle made me take pictures in the rain so there is a distinct lack of blue sky in the below...

Skylights are in as well as you can see below, and the roof tiles are starting to go on, windows and doors go in next week and it will be almost like a proper house! I am rather scared about the knocking through part but this is a while off I think...

The big job this week was blocking up what were our lovely hallway windows. Once upon a time The Doyles had a light and bright hallway from where we could stand and see out across the land... now we have a mass of grey bricks blocking any view - but this extension game is about making sacrifices - so we donate some light and we get a whole new wing - it's about give and take. The hallway is obviously the first thing people see on entry to the Doyle dwelling and this is what they are faced with...

So it's interior time. Madge arranged for the gorgeous crocodile white tiles from Topps tiles to be delivered which are rather lovely and just sitting there waiting to be installed

Underfloor heating and bi fold doors ordered - check.

Floor tiles we are pondering over. Topps sent some rather lovely samples but we had neglected to work out the price and for 40 square metres of floor it was around £4.5k - needless to say we're going to have another think on those!! But I am loving a bit of sparkle. Favourites so far are Lux or Stardust ...





MK Electric have kindly provided electrical accessories - we have more lightswitches than we could ever dream off!!


Having spent a week with Lady Di and the hairy one on a photo shoot in glamorous locations the inevitable house envy kicked in, but I got over the fact I don't live in a £3 million house and instead focused on the wallpaper. So this week it's all about the walls!


Today a certain lady called Louise innocently revealed how she had selected a purple floral wallpaper after visiting a number of DIY sheds. She wasn't quite prepared for my reaction which was to unleash my anger that she hadn't visited wallpaperdirect OK, so maybe it is a shameless plug but the site has over 7000 wallpapers so why oh why buy wallpaper from anywhere else!! (You can get free samples delivered to your door!)


So as it is my last week in PR agency land I pay homage to the wonders of wallpaper direct and my most coveted item this week is.... a wallpaper. It is NEO by Brewers and I love it!! Backdrop for the loo oh yes I think so!! There will be a big stag in my downstairs cloakroom...





But then I also LOVE the Mr Perswall Secret Destinations wallpaper and you can actually hide names in it - so The Doyles could appear!




My Brewers team are planning a trends extravaganza to launch the lovely new wallpaper trends (it's not twisted citrus this year!?!) and oh how I will miss them in their own unique ways: Jen for her countertop catastrophes; the gorgeous Baby Brewer AKA Sal  'are scones made in Jersey?' ; Bonnie Brewer who is struggling to see beyond interiors from the Victorian era and Estelle who despite me begging her to behave and wear more clothes continually ignores my requests. Farewell my wallpaper friends I will keep my eyes peeled for wall to wall coverage of highland flings!!

Until next week, where I will mostly be masquerading as self employed and project managing the extension!!! God help us all

Mrs D x