There are reasons why I haven't blogged about the house renovation for a while. Principally because this:

... now looks like this ...

It doesn't feel like much of a change. It is not that the builders aren't working (they have an August deadline) but that the bits they are doing are not the instant-destruction phase nor the gloss-and-glam phase. They are putting in insulation, doing the first fix electrics and plumbing, they are laying the underfloor heating and treating the external woodwork. It is all vital to the finished product, and still requires a million decisions being made by us, but overall not very exciting to talk about.

I am constantly being asked how it is going and can only say that, to the best of my knowledge, it is going fine. No-one is (yet!) indicating that it will run late. I'm not having to make too many wildly expensive additions to the budget (note: this is not the same as there being no wildly expensive additions...). I am beginning to think about the finishing touches, which is rather exciting, and thinking about the practicalities of moving back in, which isn't.

Still, there are only six weeks left! The tiling of the roof should finish this week and the windows can't be far off. I've ordered hundreds of pounds of bathroom fittings and taps. I'm going to take a big deep breath and fork out a small fortune to boost the water pressure. I am anticipating a schedule of what I need to buy for when: tiles, flooring, fitted wardrobe, shelving, light fittings, etc. etc. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can begin to show some completed work.

The one thing I cling on to is that the kitchen is ordered. If nothing else arrives or works, at least we should be able to eat!