It's not just the tiled floors in the kitchen and utility which need overhauling, the suspended timbers on the ground floor all look the worse for rot too. That some of the floorboards are rotten is a bad sign: if the damp's penetrated that high it suggests that the joists are beyond saving for sure. … Continue reading

In our quest to undo the 70s we've decided to remove the faux chateau fireplace settings. These are hideously pointed stone extrusions jutting out from the walls, hiding whatever was originally there. In the dining room we had a little hint of what might have been. Poking out from within the left stone column was … Continue reading

The removal of the front flowerbed is just part of a wider plan to lower the ground level around the house. Over the years the surrounding area has gradually risen. Patios, concrete and such like all piled atop one another. The result is an outside ground level higher than the indoor floor level. On modern … Continue reading

Hannah, on a trip back to the UK, made her inaugural visit to the Old School House. Billed as a sightseeing trip to the Cotswolds and catch-up with her sister, it didn't take too long for the house to get its claws into her. It was a flapping piece of wallpaper what did it. Hanging, … Continue reading

The last of the 12 yard skip triptych features the flowerbed in front of the kitchen. Its flowers were stunning in spring. It was part of what an estate agent might call a 'mature garden'. It had layers and depth which just kept giving. It did have to go though. Who voluntarily creates a penetrative … Continue reading

Part two of the skip chronicles features the kitchen. As far as we're concerned it's the most important room in a house and one which makes the whole 'living' thing considerably easier. It also accounts for most of the work. Plumbing, wiring, tiling, layout, cabinets... something you can get your teeth into. We had set … Continue reading

High up our list of things to do was to tear down the suspended false ceiling in the school hall. We'd had a glimpse up there from our surveyor's report and, based on what it looks like from the outside, knew to expect a full pitched roof space. We began by sending off insulation samples … Continue reading

What's big, yellow and eats kitchens? Why a skip, of course. We were minded to clear the house out as much as possible as soon as possible; you can't start rebuilding until all the old has been taken out, not least because of the oft grisly mess behind the façades. Having started with the usual … Continue reading

So what do Beth and Charlie look for in a home? The Old School House is a delightful Grade II listed building in the quiet village of Lower North Wraxall. Set half way down a 14% slope, it's nestled within the Cotswolds so comes with an extra dollop of AONB to round off the honeyed … Continue reading

It feels like an age ago that we were in Bristol, and a completely different world. Perhaps the saddest aspect of leaving, apart from the distance from a fabulous dinner with Matt and Jenny et al., is that we had so little time to enjoy the fruits of our (and a few charitable friends') labour. … Continue reading