Thank you so much edwards28. Hope my own project (if we ever decide the zones!) will be as wonderful as yours :)

Have a #read at our Blakely Blog in collaboration with Love Your Home to discover our 9 #interior #design tips to make your #house a #home! Blakely Blog http://love-your-home.uk/make-your-house-a-home-with-our-9-top-tips/

Stuff that has soul. Paintings, pots, rugs, things with history.

I personally wouldn’t pay an architect until I knew the house was pretty much mine. I don’t mean to be the voice of doom & gloom, but having an offer accepted doesn’t always mean you get the house. There might be issues with surveys or the seller might pull out. We were in a similar situation a few years back & survey issues meant the future value of the house was not as it should have been so we had to reluctantly pull out. We did have an architect around for a brief look) friend of a friend) so fortunately hadn’t paid anything & actually he advised us not to go any further with plans until the house was ours, which it later turned out not to be. Obviously this doesn’t ‘often’ happen, but it is a possibility. Fingers crossed your purchase will be straightforward!