ANNOUNCEMENT: Update on our 'addictedtodiscounts' home

So, building is under way! The builder estimated the first phase to be completed by July 1st but unfortunately (as anticipated) they are still building. The first phase consisted of gutting and totally refurbishing the small cottage on the property. This is for Shaun's grandfather to move into as he is the current occupant of the house we will be moving into - hopefully ASAP! The photo below was taken about two weeks ago but sadly it doesn't look very different now. The builders have assured us that the new week will hold much progress...

We have already started packing up the main house, and let me tell you that packing a 3 bedroom house of a lifetime's belongings and trying to economise to get it all to fit into a 6 by 6 garden cottage is not easy! My mother-in-law and I have been there (her more than I) the whole week and the progress is slow, very slow. Shaun has however been very efficient by selling off surplus furniture on Gumtree (let's have a moments silence in respect for the wonderful creators of this genius establishment).

As soon as he has moved in and the builder's have done all their finishing touches we will start to renovate inside our home. This will also been done over a number of phases as money allows. We've tried to break it up into what is more important and make the biggest difference in the rooms we occupy the most. The house is very closed off and dark with a long passage dividing and blocking off light. We plan to rectify this by knocking down the passage door on the left to create an open plan lounge and dining room.

The floors are beautiful so we are going to pick up the carpets in two of the bedrooms on the right hand side to expose the wooden flooring. We are going to paint the whole house to create a little more uniformity in a warm grey/beige colour (aka. greige, copyright Cara) and repaint all the doors, ceilings, cornices and skirtings in white. There is a huge problem which is definitely essential - there is no plumbing for a dishwasher - so while this is being taken care of the geyser will be replaced too. This is all that will be done in phase one. After it is complete and before we start on the extensive second phase we will be changing light fittings, modernising door handles, sprucing up the kitchen and bathroom, doing landscaping and general decorating.

What I've learnt so far is that when doing building on a budget, the costs never end! There is always another list of supplies to be bought and problems occuring. We did find that Bathroom Bizarre had a great deal on a "package" of a bath, toilet and basin which of course didn't include the small, surprisingly expensive taps, toilet seat and plumbing. You need to shop around for these specials and talk to people who are in the same boat. We got this tip from the mother of my very special friend, Monique. I have also learnt that when you are unable to afford to do the whole thing at once break it down into things you hate and by correcting will bring you the most joy, also to keep the things you don't hate (thanks Tamara!) We also have paid our builder for the job and not per day which as you can already assume would have been much more expensive as they probably underestimated their time by half.

I can't wait to be on the other side of this journey - the after, but am enjoying the process and finding it so much fun!