It’s time to dust off my old project diary, get out my paint-splattered leggings, and ready our spirits for the next six months of madness – my husband and I are back at it; it being the next stage of renovating our 1930s semi.

It was 2018, we were young, newly married, and bought our doer-upper project knowing it was where we wanted to lay some roots. Everything needed doing: new wiring, plastering, plumbing, skirting, you name it. We uncovered period features like original doors and stair spindles (I still can’t fathom why people covered these up!).

We completed a rear extension opening up the kitchen and dining room into an open space, and also combined the teeny-tiny toilet room with the separate shower and basin. It took us eight months from start to (a liveable) finish – with weekends and evenings spent sanding and base-layer painting (the horror!). And of course, I documented it all – check out those early blogs here.

It was a lot of hard work, but so satisfying once we finished the project. Fast-forward seven years, and two beautiful little girls later, our home is starting to feel a little crowded with toys, clothes, and just a magnificent motley of stuff.

Decision time

We both started looking at Rightmove, (more so than my usual weekly nosy – anyone else just peruse for fun?) and even went to see a couple of larger properties that needed complete renovating. While we loved the idea of starting from scratch, our circumstances are different now. Having a five- and two-year-old in a dust-ridden building site of a home just didn’t seem feasible. Especially as we wouldn’t have anywhere else to stay while work went on. So, having already gone outwards, the only place to look was up.

We agreed converting our loft would allow us more living space, easing the pressure the rest of the house has been suffering. (Although we are slightly worried about where we’ll put the Christmas decorations and old baby clothes I am not ready to part with yet).

Decision made, we tentatively started to look for local loft specialists. We contacted three companies after looking at reviews, their websites, and social media, who all came round to discuss options. It took a couple of weeks to get our quotes through, and, I will say, they varied quite drastically – with a difference of around £30,000 from the ‘cheapest’ to the most expensive. We went through the quotes with a fine-tooth comb, comparing to see what was and wasn’t included.

We then sent follow-up questions, relooked at reviews, and discussed with each other who we felt got our vision, and whom we clicked with the most. In the end, we decided to go with the middle quote, after visiting a nearby project the company was at the end of completing. We’ve signed the contracts, and the next chapter begins! Of course, putting your trust in companies when you’re investing a lot of money, and allowing them to tinker with the bones of your home, is always nerve-racking.

I have no idea what this new renovation project will bring, but over the next few months, I’ll share each stage with you – the struggles, the successes, and everything in between. I hope this will be a diary you can relate to, giving you tips and making you feel part of our beautiful renovation community; like I did all those years ago with my original renovation diaries. I’m looking forward to us going on this journey together.

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