Well, things have certainly moved on with the house and we thought it was time we shared some photos with you. These are definitely the 'before' photos in case you were wondering!
There has been an awful lot of work going on and despite these scary pictures, we are hoping to move in within a few weeks (honestly!)
Although the open and airy aspect is all the rage these days, we thought we would stick with tradition and re-lay the floor in the bedroom!
We have discovered the house dates to the mid 1600s and we have been busy uncovering its amazing wealth of features. The photos above show just a small amount of the work being carried out in the house; there has also been a flurry of activity in the barn too!
Along with completely re-wiring the house and replacing the plumbing, we also decided to have the many timbers in the house sandblasted. Boy, is that messy! Basically, if you remove the roof of your house and pour in a third of Weymouth beach, that is what the aftermath is like. But the result was worth it and now the many, beautiful oak timbers are soft and mellow, having been stripped of their black paint. We also made an interesting discovery; tucked inside one of the large peg holes in a wall timber was a handwritten 'article of agreement' from 1769 detailing the renting of land between two people, one of whom presumably lived in the house at that time, so we will do some research on the names when we are settled. I love the last line which refers to the signing and reads: 'Here unto we have set our hands this 2nd day of February 1769.' So exciting to have a link to someone who lived there so long ago.
Well, it hasn't all been dust and debris, we have been out and about finding some vintage treasure for the website. Here is a selection of some recent Spring arrivals for the shop, such as the delightful daffodil tray above. There are some gorgeous rosy paintings, Springtime paintings and rosy blankets; plus a rare set of nursery scales; perfect for a very special Springtime arrival! These and more vintage items have been added in recent days and there will be more arriving in the shop in the next day or so. So if you have time, do pop along!
I am off to dream about a clean house filled with beautiful vintage treasures; see you soon, hopefully with less scary house photos next time!
My breath caught in my chest when I saw your pictures! My partner and I currently rent a beautiful, period maisonette with it's own beams and sloping ceilings but I dream of a project home I own so I can do what I will with it! You must be so excited to see the changes as they happen :-)
ReplyDeleteSandblasting the beams was such a good choice as although they're beautiful the dark stained/varnished ones can be so oppressive in large quantities - yours look soft and natural!
Will stay tuned for further updates, Happy St Patrick's Day :-)
Jem xXx
Oh how exciting to see such progress on your beautiful new home! Thank you for sharing the journey and the pictures! And what lovely vintage finds - just beautiful as usual! :-) God bless, Brenda
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...but I can tell it is definitely going to be worth all the hard work,
ReplyDeleteSusan x