Every saga has a beginning...

[edd_jedi]

Last year we had baby #3, and while that is wonderful, it also meant that I lost my office in the house, as it had to become the new nursery (we tried to get the other two to share, no joy .) And that of course means I have lost my collection display as well, which is now nicely hidden behind various milk bottles and Calpol!

You may have noticed I have been selling some things from my collection recently. While the new lawnmower is great, the real reason is a renovation project that I have hinted at previously. We have an old stable next to the house, which quite honestly up to now has been more of a hindrence than a benefit, as it is falling down and the roof leaks so badly you can't store anything in it. So I have decided to take the plunge and turn it into my new office / collection room! I finally decided I would rather have a smaller collection on display than boxes of toys I never get to look at.

I thought rather than just post before and after photos at the end, it would be fun to document the process over the next few months. Here's what it looked like at the start:



It took us 18 months to get planning permission because it is a listed building. After various rejections and alterations, not to mention the estimated cost doubling, work finally started last week! Here's the groundworks finished inside, with a new concrete floor laid.



I'll update this post regularly with progress, and I look forward to posting a new collection limelight in the hopefully not too distant future

 

[theforceuk]

Amazing! Will be worth the effort when finished. Planning for a listed building is like growing bamboo up your arse, slow and painful, don't envy you there. Good luck with the rest.

 

[weasel]

Fingers crossed Edd. Planning is a ball ache at the best of times. I can only assume 'listed' status makes it ten times worse.

Ps, THREE kids? Are you mad? Two do my ****ing head in. I'd cut my balls off with a rusty spoon before I'd be tempted to have a third!

@theforceuk, cheers for mentioning the "B" word. I've spent months trying to dig fecking bamboo out of the garden at the new place. Beyond a nightmare

 

[monkey_roo]

Love it Edd - that will be fantastic when it's done - great to display stuff, but more importantly... Hide from the three kids

I feel the same way, after our third space became a problem so for the last eight years my collection has lived in boxes here there and everywhere, until last Christmas when I finally did up the back of the garage and got it all in one spot - well worth it, except now my kids keep going in there to play with Lego.....

Keep the pictures coming and good luck.

 

[Cazza]

Mate, that's a great project to get your teeth into! Looking forward to seeing how this develops...

 

[welshwookie]

I'm sure you will be pleased with the end results. I imagine your house is also listed, as that seems small for a stable. I don't expect it will be straightforward as anything listed is a pain to get consent for
The number of buildings in our town.left to rot due to the status is shameful.
Best of luck for your project

 

[kabuchi7]

18 month wait for planning! I bet you was starting to think my kids will have grown up and moved out by the time the building work is approved!

 

[supergoose]

Brilliant mate - look forward to watching the progress. Good luck with the whole project

 

[edd_jedi]

After the groundworks, rebuilding the old outer wall was the next job as there's no point doing any work on the stable before it's repaired. Planning insisted we put it back as was, we originally wanted to make a parking space out of the area, that was rejected. This is what it looked like when we moved in back in 2021:



We took the trees down soon after moving in, as the roots were causing the outer wall to lean considerably leading to it partially collapsing in one corner, pulling the wall apart on the inside of the stable:



And here's the new foundations and what it looks like rebuilt, I'm very happy with how it looks now. One of the builders found an inscribed brick indicating the wall was originally built in 1848.

 

[Fawns61]

Love the old brick - apparently Europe was in the midst of a Revolution that year - luckily not in the UK otherwise your build might not have got off the ground.
'Power to the people, Wolfie' ha ha - loved that show

 

[lejackal]

Looks like a wonderful place mate, and a far cry from what you had before - I'm wishing you and the family (and collections) are very happy!

 

[lejackal]

That dated brick is really chefs kiss as well!

 

[kabuchi7]

Its looking great, what a transformation!

 

[Frunkstar]

Been there Edd, though luckily did not have a listed building to convert, so I feel your pain, it will all be worth it once the works completed & you can appreciate your collection.

Huge congrats on the 3rd, 2 seems easy once the 3rd comes along eh, done that to & have to admit 3 can be a handful.

I look forward to watching your build progress! nice touch with the dated brick.

 

[edd_jedi]

I have felt a bit guilty and self-indulgent spending all this money on a space for myself away from the kids. Then this happens and perspective is restored…

 

[edd_jedi]

Anyway a bit more progress last week, the old roof is off. It had been leaking for many years so beyond saving.

 

[kabuchi7]

Oh no what happened to the book?

 

[welshwookie]

Are you allowed to go full height on the renovation that has the new floor screed Ed?
If so you will have a decent amount of space.

 

[edd_jedi]

Oh no what happened to the book?

Good question, nobody has owned up to it yet this is why I keep everything else out of reach!

Are you allowed to go full height on the renovation that has the new floor screed Ed?
If so you will have a decent amount of space.

Yes, we have been allowed to raise the roof to the same height as the adjoining one, and the new internal ceiling is going to be significantly lower than the original one so there will be room to stand up on the first floor now (in the middle anyway.) The old loft space was only about 3 feet high.

 

[welshwookie]

Good question, nobody has owned up to it yet this is why I keep everything else out of reach!


Yes, we have been allowed to raise the roof to the same height as the adjoining one, and the new internal ceiling is going to be significantly lower than the original one so there will be room to stand up on the first floor now (in the middle anyway.) The old loft space was only about 3 feet high.

That's a good win, re listed building