Diary of a house renovation – update 1

This week we have started work on the renovation of an end of terrace house in Islington. Over the next few months I will regularly update readers on the progress of the project giving an insight into the building progress – and trying to explain what an interior designer actually does!

Our client initially worked with an architect who helped them gain the relevant planning permissions for the extension and loft conversion.  They then planned to manage the build themselves but after starting to try to find a builder they quickly realised they wouldn’t be able to choose everything, manage the build stage and still keep their full-time jobs!  So they approached us to help to specify everything for the house, prepare the budget, find a builder and then project manage the build.

The first stage will involve structural work to knock down a poorly built bathroom extension before constructing a new extension across the entire property on the lower ground level. This will form part of a new large entertaining area combining the kitchen, dining room and garden room.

The upper ground floor has a double aspect reception room and the plan is to decorate this in a more formal style. Although the period features are poorly maintained we intend to install new reproduction details appropriate to the period of the house.

Moving upwards there will be two bedrooms on the first floor and a contemporary bathroom with a separate walk in shower constructed from the space currently housing the water tanks.  The final construction work involves the loft where the current ‘conversion’ will be tidied up to provide a guest bedroom with walk in wardrobe and a bathroom.

We are currently in the demolition stage and this week saw the removal of hundreds of rubble bags of old plaster and timbers – dirty and messy is the only description for this stage!

Next week we start the construction of the new extension and I start to tie down the clients on final kitchen and bathroom choices.

The project is scheduled to last around 7 months and I will update as the project moves forward, subscribe to our updates to follow the story.