Monday 14 November 2011

the mantel and the shower

We finally found a mantel shelf we liked! With the help of our friendly lodger (more about that later) it was fitted yesterday!



And there it is. I'm hoping to get my sewing machine set up so that I can make some pretty things to adorn the front with. I also have a few photos I'd like to place on it and will probably have several candles up there too.

We've also had a new shower fitted. The shower is fitted into the porch space where one of the old doors used to be (still is!) on the front of the house. It's an interesting use of the space. The existing shower had seen much better days, and as it's one thing in the house we do use everyday we decided to spend some of the renovation money on having a shiny new one fitted.



The back of the old front door!
When we ripped the old shower out we discovered in the cavity in the apex of the porch a light fitting! An electrician popped round and thankfully told us it was not connected, but imagine our horror at thought of two years showering inches from what may have been live electrics. Oh the joys you discover when renovating an old property.



The finished shower!
This was also done by our lodger, with the plumbing done by a friend of his. I can tell you that working to a space that isn't uniform created lots of creative and colourful language in the process. And not just from the man doing the work!

And so to the man who did all of this. I was at college with him many moons ago. We lost touch but recently contacted each other again. He's primarily a friend, but also a dab hand with building work and has done a lot of work on the house for us. He's been living with us the last couple of weeks so he can save rent and sort out his belongings, as a week today we'll be waving him off. I'll be sad to see him go, but happy that after a long and frustrating 3 years he's finally got his Visa to move to the USA to be with his beautiful fiancee out there. Her gain is most definitely our loss.......and no not just because we'll need to find another builder!

So, more things are starting to come together at the Old School House. We've made big changes in the garden which I'll blog about another time.