A Couple Of Highly Recommended Websites

When you're buying as much as we've been buying for the house over the last six months you need to get the best possible value for money and the best service. As we were ordering from the caravan, which is over five hundred miles from the house, there was no chance of buying locally so the internet was the only real option available. We used a lot of  household names such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and NEXT and all of them were extremely good but several lesser known sites also performed fantastically and deserve a special mention as they were were brilliant to deal with.

Bolton based Boundary Bathrooms provided almost all of the fittings for the family bathroom and en-suite. I don't have a wide angled lens or you would get a better idea of how good both rooms look. The staff at Boundary were always helpful; the prices were always competitive; deliveries were prompt and efficient and when I ordered a shower screen that was not the right size, they made a real effort to arrange a refund despite a delay of several months before we realised our mistake. They always returned calls promptly and made a big effort in helping us to sort out the replacement shower screen.They also followed up after orders to check if all was okay. If you are looking for anything for your bathroom make them your first point of call - you won't be disappointed.

We  came across Wayfair.co.uk when browsing for a couple of light fittings. Their prices looked good and there was a loyalty scheme where you earned cash back towards your next order so we gave them a try. The lights arrived next day and we were very impressed. So when we needed more lights we went straight to Wayfair's site and started to browse. It was only then that we realised just how many items they had on offer. It is no exaggeration to say that there were a thousand or more lights to choose from. They ranged from a few pounds to thousands. We bought lights for bathrooms, hall, landing, stairs and a number of table lamps.  Browsing the site we found that lighting is just a small fraction of what they sell and we went on to order a couple of breakfast bar stools from another amazing selection running to many hundreds. Prices are very keen, choice is amazing and when our builder pointed out to us that a light fitting was broken (months after it was delivered) even though we told them that we were not sure how and when it was damaged, Wayfair exchanged it without a quibble - now that's what I call service. 

We wanted towel radiators in the bathrooms and WC. www.towelradiator.co.uk could not have been more helpful. They were let down by a supplier but  pulled out all the stops to find an alternative quickly and efficiently and most probably at a loss to most of their profit margin. If you need a towel radiator you're sure to find one to suit your needs there.

We Made It

With all the weather scares on the TV and radio on Sunday we were really worried about the five hundred (and seven) mile drive from St Andrews yesterday but it actually ran pretty smoothly and it was only towards the end of the journey when Marion was driving (typical of her luck) that the blizzard conditions arrived. But we managed to get through the heavy snow in Cambridgeshire quite easily and it only started snowing in Framlingham as we arrived - was this some sort of omen?

After unpacking I walked down to the Co-Op to find something to eat. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground and big snowflakes were falling. The church looked quite beautiful in the snow and, despite the cold, the town centre felt very welcoming. We went back to the Co-Op this morning to stock up on cleaning supplies. I said that I didn't expect the builder's definition of clean to meet our own and I wasn't wrong and Marion's forty quid's worth of supplies were probably only just enough.

We got to work on the upstairs. The shower screen from Majestic Showers supplied by the excellent Boundary Bathrooms (of whom more in a future blog when I get around to handing out praise for those involved in the project) had been fitted but had enough fingerprints to keep a team of detectives in work for a month. Although we had been promised that the whole of the upstairs would be complete the electrician still hadn't finished off the extractor - it's only a five minute job to put on a grille he says. (So why didn't he do it in the last two weeks?).

The Sylka carpet in our bedroom is in place and looks fantastic. I've never known a carpet with such a luxurious feel. The curtains are going up tomorrow so that room will be finished. We cleaned all the upstairs rooms today and, apart from a few bits of touching up needed with the decorating and that grille, upstairs is all ready for us to move in.

I wish I could say the same for the downstairs. Although the kitchen fitters have made plenty of progress, the kitchen/dining room still looks like a building site.

As does the lounge. Tomorrow there are curtains going up, the wallpapering is being finished and there's cladding to go on the corner pillar and then we have to clean the floor as, believe it or not, the removal van arrives on Thursday and they have somehow got to deliver everything around this.

The view from the back of the house is still beautiful and remains the main reason for buying the house. No doubt there will be a planning application for a housing estate as soon as we're finished.

The landscape gardener was busy all day with a digger in the garden. He's concerned about the non-arrival of the office. We've finally given up on the supplier and have demanded our money back. While we are waiting for it we have to find the same sum again to pay someone else to do it. 

After all the hard work we had a well earned rest at The Dancing Goat, the lovely little cafe in the heart of the town. We had a couple of delicious paninis and some hot drinks in front of the fire - an excellent end to a very busy day. As I write, glutton for punishment Marion has gone to try a couple of exercise classes held in the local school sports centre - as she says, the sooner she gets to know people and her way around, the better.

Seeing The Light At The End Of The Tunnel In Framlingham

We're back in Scotland after another five hundred mile drive from Framlingham and the end of our eleven days on the road. It's been a good break; we've seen friends, we've enjoyed a few days in a good pub and we've caught up with progress on the renovation of the house. As you can see from the above photo, the ugly brown UPVC windows and door have now gone and been replaced with these contemporary light grey timber windows and door by Timber Windows of Fornham. The window colour clashes with the cladding colour but steps are in hand for the exterior to be repainted in March.

The new steel girders above the Solarlux Bifolding doors have been covered with a layer of cladding in readiness for painting and the aluminium finish for the corner pillar is now on order.

  

The decorators have made a start with painting and even with just undercoat the landing is so much brighter than it was. Those Velux Sun Tunnels give fantastic natural light; we're so glad that we had them fitted.

All of the sanitary ware in the family bathroom is now installed and functioning. We still need the splash back tiling.

The en suite shower room is coming on nicely and is starting to look very classy. We had a setback with this when the shower screen that I ordered proved to be too small but Boundary Bathrooms have agreed to take it back with a 25% restocking charge which is reasonable as we've had it for two months (it is still in its packing though). We bought almost  all our sanitary ware and other bathroom stuff from Boundary Bathrooms and we're extremely pleased with their service (and prices).

Now that the kitchen/diner has been plastered and the floor has had a coat of screed where the walls were removed it's starting to look more like a room.

The chimney breast in the lounge has been completed and the wood burning stove should be in in a few days. The oak mantel looks really good.

The shower over the bath is now in place. 

We've ordered fitted wardrobes, dining furniture and all of the wallpaper. The wooden flooring goes in next week and then we've just got the lighting, other wiring and decorating to complete and we'll be ready for the kitchen fitters to arrive on 10th December.

The landscape gardener presented his plans on Monday and they are really exciting. Chris the designer reckons that the work could begin as early as January so we will be ready to plant in March.

On a negative note, our super duper new garden office turned out to be terribly finished and it started to leak. This is a bit scary considering the amount that we've spent on it but I'm not going to name and shame the suppliers yet as they seem to be bending over backwards to get it right and have authorised a very respectable expert in wooden buildings to remove the structure and build us a new one. As long as it is complete before Christmas we won't make too much fuss. If it isn't ready by Xmas, watch this space.