What a great property... I love how it's coming together!

So we had to make decisions on colour: and this is why you need to speak to your spouse! I had visions of dark, strong, tones everywhere and my wife had sort-of agreed…until she didn’t! Turns out that she felt that more industrial stuff, and, which I am not a fan of. We decided on a compromise style which is very different - a delicate, New England tone in some bits of the house. and some industrial touches in some of the rooms like the kitchen (lampshades etc) So there will be some mixes of style around the place (which is fairly normal for us).

So we have redesigned the house colour scheme and compromised, and I hope it all hangs together! The house will progressively lighten and visibly change mood as you go up floors. Ground floor has that dark green kitchen, dark stone tiles and oiled wood floors. The first floor has some darker tones, like that green bedroom and our dressing room, but also some pastels: F&B Light Blue blue guest bedroom and our period peach tone master. You will also start seeing light painted wood floors in bathrooms, which is more in line with that American look.

The top of the house and things really lighten up for the smallest rooms – Farrow & Ball’s Pale Powder, white painted wood floors throughout, greys and whites with pale pink tiling in the top bathroom, for a very feminine look. It sounds (and looks on the mood board) lovely and calming actually, and is a real contrast from that dark green and gold kitchen at the bottom of the house. Together, with our slightly different tastes, I hope that we succeed in making the house not only hang together but feel like a bit of a journey from rich and bold to light and airy as you ascend.

We’ll see!

Also, can't wait to start hanging art and pictures on those walls. I'm getting a bit impatient now. One month in, one month to go (at least)...

And to add to the craziness, I'm trying to arrange to see some cocker spaniel pups this weekend: this house needs a hound.

Oh well, if life isn't busy enough, create chaos, eh?

I have had lots of requests for my spreadsheets, so I really hope you guys are finding them useful. Good way of tracking and managing costs, but please excuse my really basic Excel spreadsheet formula skills. That kind of thing is really my wife's forte, not mine...so if you adapt it, be sure to check the running totals etc are still tallying to the correct cells etc.

Please don't get a nasty shock because my sheet didn't add everything up properly for you...there are enough surprises in renovation projects without adding to the stress!

Kitchen going in. There's a lot of it and it still looks a total dusty mess. I know from experience that these come together at the end once trims etc are done. It's a really good space at 9m x 4m, divided into two distinct areas by an archway, which leads from the original house to the extension.

It looks more imposing in photos than it is in the flesh - when standing in it, you get the benefit of the 3 metre ceilings. It has a cooking/island area, and a dining area where people can get cutlery, drinks from fridge, wine and stuff from larder without having to encroach into the cooking area and bother me when I'm burning stuff :)

Island. It will house double belfast sink with waste disposal, dishwasher and cook's fridge, and seating for four on the other side. It's 3m long by 1m wide.

Views from garden end and dining area end

Big storage larders surrounding the fridge and freezer space, and view from garden end along island.

Double oven cabinet, plus cabinet housing toaster, kettle etc. All the
spurs/switches for ovens etc are hidden in the tall cabinet. Wine fridge
will go under the counter next to the cutlery drawers, space between
the wall cabs will house a wine rack.

One of the cabinet runs in the cooking area. No wall cabinets, to keep this area, which gets much better light, airy, counterbalancing those big, heavy-looking larders.

Some colours. Master bedroom is a peach-pink-grey colour. To avoid tweeness, things like lamps will be black, with some brass accents to glam things up. In winter, cosy with layered and textured fabrics, in summer light with paler linens etc. One of the very few rooms that will have a fitted carpet.

Small guest bed in that F&B Light Blue. I love this room with its little fireplace - and it has a lovely en-suite bathroom too...lucky guests!

The peach/pink is definitely a bit of an experiment, but having seen some beautiful pink rooms on Houzz, we thought we'd give it a go. It's very calming in the bedroom. What will be more interesting is the rose pink-grey living room...let's see how that goes!

Unusually for a bloke, I like the colour pink as a heritage colour (as did the Georgians and Victorians - it only really became a colour associated with femininity in the 20th century). I think it can have really great effect in a room with period features. The problem with the bedroom above is that it is new, and a bit featureless. When the skirtings go in (and a picture rail) it should work better.

I thought the one thing I could really play around here is wall colour. They guys are preparing the walls immaculately before painting, so re-painting should something not work is a really easy task.

Here's a peachy-pink bedroom on Houzz that I rather liked...

Karen - I wish it were coming together! It looks a lot better than it is - still looks and feels like a building site. We are at least a month away from it being a functional house. But now, we should start finishing some rooms, which is always satisfying...the kitchen will start looking better once worktops, appliances, trims and cabinet knobs are installed.

I'm starting to think furniture. Where is my favourite lime green reading chair and footstool going to go? Here is is in our old house...I spend more time in it than I should, and wish that to continue!

That lime colour *should* go pretty well with the greyish-pink and oiled original floorboards chosen for the main living room...I hope.

Going to be beautiful!

There was indeed a void under the floorboards. We took the boards up, insulated with rock wool held up by a mesh stapled to the bottom of the joists, so that ventilation could still prevent damp in the joists, and then boarded the floor to fit the parquet. We were careful not to block the airbricks.

I have seen plenty of period houses where inappropriate insulation materials have been used. These houses have to breathe to prevent damp. Sticking insulation boards and insulated plasterboard everywhere without paying attention to airflow (default solution for most builders as it's easy) is a sure way to problems...

Awful job to do. So. Many. Spiders. Some the size of mice.

Arachnids aren't really my strong suit. I paid someone else to go down there.

En-suite shower room being painted. Inky blue to go with the blue and white tiles.

So first hiccup caused by me - I didn't order enough of the tongue and groove trim panels for the kitchen. Bespoke painted oak so fiendishly expensive, as well as with a 3 week order time.

Means we have nothing for under the island. I am going to have the builder paint some high grade plywood instead. Won't be tongue and groove, but will show a wood grain and be hidden behind bar stools anyway. And save about £500.

Had I thought this through properly, this is actually how I should have trimmed the whole kitchen. T&G is nice, but so is a good wood grain: a great finish for end panels (which is also what the oak cabinet doors show, actually), and high grade 18mm or thicker marine-grade ply is tough, stable, and will take a tough oil paint very happily. Visible ends could be easily trimmed with any number of beads and then painted for a lovely finish.

Damn. If there's a next time, lesson learned.

Also, top tip, folks! If installing an island with plumbing/electrics in it, make sure you have an access panel somewhere to get to them - especially for the plumbing. I speak from bitter experience in the last house. This is a particular problem with Belfast sinks mounted, you guessed it, under a stone worktop, meaning you can't easily take the sink out.

I had this in my old house - learned my lesson the hard way, A bad situation when your dishwasher or waste disposal unit are leaking or need replacing, and you find out that there are a load of connections you need to get to that are hidden behind the sink. Even worse if that Belfast sink has an Insinkerator waste disposal plumbed into it and the dishwasher is plumbed into that - the bits you need to get to are directly behind the unit, and not easily reachable from the space in the cabinet under that sink, even if you cut out the back panel. Very awkward.

So that stone worktop has to come off (not realistic) or you have to cut through a cabinet back or two with a jigsaw (better option by far - but you do it very carefully). Which is what I did - replacing the hacked up back panel with an access panel held in place by magnets, for the next time. Trust me, it's easier to do this at installation stage!

This island is 90cm wide, and one side is the seating area, which is behind the row of front cabinets, which include sink, fridge, dishwasher etc. The whole kickpanel in the seating area will be mounted on a stud frame which has six metal threads installed, so that the panel (plywood, as we determined above) bolts to these six screws. Need access to the plumbing and drain? Drop the panel in minutes, and everything is in front of you and easily accessed...

Hi Resh, reading the above comment with some interest as we're planning island with stone worktop, Belfast sink and dishwasher. Can you post a pic of the set-up you describe when you're done? Thanks!

Hi Resh, reading the above comment with some interest as we're planning island with stone worktop, Belfast sink and dishwasher. Can you post a pic of the set-up you describe when you're done? Thanks!

Good idea. We've gone here - please follow us! I love all your input, observations and encouragement - makes me feel that my wife and I aren't doing this all on our own...

https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/victorian-renovation-in-london-part-2-dsvw-vd~4911251

We've just published a new ideabook on Victorian bathrooms. Have a look through and get inspired for your new home.

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/109003990/thumbs/victorian-bathroom-spring-inspiration-2018

Hi Resh, I work for a TV production company and we're currently looking for homeowners in London and the South of England with a design dilemma to feature on a new home makeover series for a major UK broadcaster. Our renowned TV property guru is looking to work with homeowners to help you transform your space.

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Many thanks!

Grace

Ha, I think Resh and his wife can probably teach this TV property guru a thing or two! :)

Don't underestimate the importance of some nice Victorian door knobs. Maybe you have some already which can be re-used. If not the beehive look would be great or for late Victorian include Porcelain and wood. Check out our range here: https://www.priorsrec.co.uk/door-knobs