Another Blustery, Wet Day...

Garett and I spent three hours at the house this morning with Charlotte and Goni.  There was a lot of progress over the past week and we had several things to review for the next phase.  It's exciting to see the house starting to come together.  I especially like how the back of the house will be modern in contrast with the front of the house.

Below is the back elevation of the house.  You can see where there will be 3 floor-to-ceiling windows (9 feet tall). The right and center windows slide open into the left window .  There is a fourth window that wraps around the corner from these on the right side (out of view). The drawing also shows the glass doors that open out.

 

A happy builder (Goni) and a happy client

The floor-to-ceiling glass windows will wrap around the corner and there will be tall glass doors where Goni is standing

 

Charlotte is standing where the windows will slide open

The builders have framed the skylight in the kitchen - the dining table will be placed along this wall

 View from the top - we wanted a flat, modern glass skylight. A plastic sheet is keeping out the rain for now.

 

The builders filled in two oddly-placed windows in Ryan's room.  He will get plenty of light from a large window and two skylights.  Eventually the exterior wall will be painted dark gray.

 

View from the TV room into the hallway  - we're still working on a solution for the stairs

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago - Garett is measuring the stair treads

Blustery, Wet Day

The weather this week was windy and rainy, but the temperatures were mild. Below are a couple of quick pictures from the house.  These were taken about 4:30 pm and it was already starting to get dark.

 

Future powder room

 

Back patio - a small lake at the moment

 

Looking back into the house where the glazed windows will be - the exact style of window is still under discussion

Garett's pantry will be located where the ladder is standing - note the ceiling height!

Late October / Early November House Update

After weeks (months?) of research and showroom visits, we finalized our plans for the bathrooms and the kitchen. By happenstance, we discovered a newly installed kitchen for sale.  It turns out there is a big market for secondhand and ex-display kitchens in London.  In this situation, a foreign bank had purchased and developed a large London property and then placed it on the market.  After it sold, the new owners decided they didn't like the fixtures and fittings (including a high-end kitchen).  We submitted an offer on the kitchen and we're keeping our fingers crossed for an acceptance today. We think it will work beautifully in our new space.

In the  meantime, our builders have continued digging out the outdoor terrace.  They have also been clearing the overgrown plants in the back garden. Garett was thrilled to find out the fig tree has been sent to the graveyard.  On the downside, the removal of the fig exposed a brick wall that is falling apart.

The new kitchen!

Garett's dream - four ovens (did I mention two refrigerators?)

 Garett measuring the island - it's big!

 We also want to buy the pantry

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Ryan is checking out the newly poured concrete.  You can almost imagine the new kitchen.

 Ryan - don't step in the concrete! Doh!

 I don't even want to think about the weight these 6 poles are supporting! Just kidding - there is a steel beam above and to the right.

View towards the front of the house - we enjoy walking the gang plank!

This space won't always be so open, but it's nice to see the house front-to-back

Kitchen Update

What a difference one week makes!  Today Ryan and I stopped by the house to meet with Charlotte and the builders.  The kitchen and back terrace are almost completely dug out.  It was a drizzly day, but the weather didn't stop any work from happening.

Originally there was supposed to be one very large window 2.8 meters tall at the back of the kitchen (facing the yard).  But the builders say it won't fit through the front door.  There is no access from the back and a crane would be ridiculously expensive. So it's time to get creative.

Garett has been working a lot lately, but we found time to celebrate his birthday this week.  Ryan made the cake and it was delicious.

Happy Birthday Garett!

View of the kitchen and the back of the house - they've started pouring the concrete

October House Update

As of last week, the party wall agreements are in place!  This means we can officially get going on the extension. We are about 6 months into the project and winter isn't far away.  The builders are racing to dig down in the back of the house.

Last weekend we looked at fireplaces - both new and reproduction.  Today we took a road trip to Adderbury, Oxfordshire to visit a bath and tile outlet.  We bought a sink for the powder room and a few other miscellaneous items.

Here are a few recent pictures from the build.

 

Front entry to the house

 

Garett and Ryan in the kitchen - all of the digging is being done by hand

Someday this will be a kitchen!

 

Future TV room

 

View from my hotel window on a recent business trip

 

Danesfield House Hotel in Marlow

 

Marble fireplace surround - Renaissance Fireplaces, London

 

Lots of stock to explore

 

Beautiful Victorian reproduction

Old pub sign

 

Meanwhile, back at the house...the ground floor looks like a bomb site

 

The digging continues...

End of September House Update

Today was a beautiful, crisp autumn day in London. Ryan and I walked up to Hampstead village this morning. In the afternoon we went over to the house expecting to see new windows...but they were nowhere to be found.  However, the builders have finally found a way to clean the exterior  brick.  They have also started installing the plumbing and the drywall.  The kitchen is at a complete standstill pending the party wall agreements.

Beautiful morning in Hampstead - Church Row

Under wraps - the brick cleaning has commenced

Our neighbors had their bricks cleaned - hopefully ours will look this nice

Ground floor window - the bricks already look better!

Back to School and House Update

Ryan is back in school and there is definitely a chill in the air.  The vines on the front of our flat have turned red.  The days are also a lot shorter...

We still don't have a party wall agreement on either side of the house (agreements with our neighbors about the proposed extension).  So nothing can happen at the back.  The delay is mainly due to the ongoing reviews by the structural engineer and surveyor.  Work is happening in the main house, but not always according to our instructions.

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks.

First day of school (Year 7 / 6th grade)

Weekend outing on the London Eye

Shopping for lighting at a London furniture store

We asked the builders not to frame the floor in Ryan's room...(grr)

The reason is that we don't yet have approval to dig down and get more ceiling height in the kitchen

We also also asked them not to begin any electrical work...

As you can see, they complied with our request

Master bath...behind the partially framed wall there will be a walk-in shower on the left and a toilet area on the right.  A double set of sinks will be centered on the wall.

This is a section of wallpaper that we uncovered above the fireplace in the TV room

 Charlotte (our architect) and the builder discussing what to do with the back exterior

This area will become the kitchen and there will be a glass door on the left leading to the back garden