Moving house...

[Katharine]

Glad to hear all about it, you sounded pretty happy on Sunday. Does thie mean you will have the chance to build a garden from scratch and not accept someone else's ideas?

[Ajarn Philip]

Open minded? I took your advice!
Munch

Whose advice? I'll just carry on banging my gong.

Seriously, I wish you and the current h. all possible happiness in your new home.

But walk carefully, eh?

[midget]

Well done Angela! When (and where) may we all visit?

Maggie

[Liz Jay]

Many congratulations Munch on the impending move.

My sister Sue would only ever consider a brand new house, because, she says, otherwise Someone Might Have Died in it (theatrical shudders all round).

Mind you I have to say it's a mercy we don't all think that way. The property maket is crazy enough without such complications.

Love

[Angela Woodford]

I went in to talk to Venetia this morning - she's hoping for exchange mid October and completion end October. If it all goes ahead, the whole process seems to have been very quick. Mr Brown Fangs is being pressured by his cash purchaser to speed up. We filled in the most appalling huge document/questionnaire for Venetia's pet solicitor.

The new house is in Bampton, Maggie - please come round as soon as possible! (Hunts for a crossed-fingers icon).

Craig, I'm grateful for your remarks. Most interesting! Actually, everything they seem to be putting in the house seems just fine to me! But then it's ages since I've chosen anything new. I'm especially looking forward to happy hours in the gleaming new bathroom...

I'll have a completely bare garden to create something interesting, Katharine.

Philip, I know I'm being really thick, but "walk carefully"? Do you think that I'll meet a horrible fate being a stranger in town? Will I become such a Stepford Wife that I'll wear high heels every day? Or will that gorgeous builder with the power tool leave random cables in unexpected places?

Worriedly

Munch

[Ajarn Philip]

Philip, I know I'm being really thick, but "walk carefully"? Do you think that I'll meet a horrible fate being a stranger in town? Will I become such a Stepford Wife that I'll wear high heels every day? Or will that gorgeous builder with the power tool leave random cables in unexpected places?

Worriedly

Munch

Please, PLEASE, don't be worried. As I think I said earlier I'm banging away like crazy to make sure everything goes well for you. What more can you possibly ask? All I meant was that you should bear in mind that Devon slopes to the... right. Or was it the left...?

[Katharine]

Craig, I'm grateful for your remarks. Most interesting! Actually, everything they seem to be putting in the house seems just fine to me! But then it's ages since I've chosen anything new. I'm especially looking forward to happy hours in the gleaming new bathroom...

Do take time to think whether the fittings are really RIGHT for you, this is your chance to get it right. You say that current husband isn't in to DIY, so do check you have enough plug points etc (In my opinion there are never enough!) It would be so sad if within six months of moving in you started to say "Oh, I wish I had thought of that!"

My current husband is into DIY but .... he has been known to leap up from his seat half way through a cup of tea to remove the door to the downstairs loo - then wait six weeks before doing whatever it was that needed doing!

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Open minded? I took your advice!

Munch

Hi Munch

Great news

I am sitting in my home that was new 18 years ago, and I have to say that decorating (we decided to save money and do it all ourselves, without realising that the builders would not rub down joins between wall panels, and that the reason that no-one else varnished their wooden window frames, choosing instead to paint them, was because no effort was put into matching the tones of the four lengths of wood) and having no driveway or garden for a considerable length of time, was more than made up for by having a brand new kitchen and bathroom.

Sadly the loo door now has a Caroline sized hole in it (handle fell off in the early hours of one Saturday morning. Door opens inwards. Window far too small to accomodate my pelvic girdle. After three hours of trying to get the door open without doing too much damage I made a small hole in the pathetic material that the door is made of with the loo brush, and then enlarged it with my bare hands).

I am flushing the loo with buckets of water from the laundry tub (something is leaking. Quick and easy fix was to close the valve that lets water in. Too lazy to bend down, reach through the spider webs, and open valve every time I want to flush).

Piezo ignition on the cooktop is a thing of the long ago past. Timer on oven hasn't worked in yonks.

On the other hand, I have mature native shrubs, a fruit bearing apricot tree keeps the almond tree that was here before the house (whole area was an almond orchard) company, and PeeGee (Siamese) is buried beneath where a prolific Echium now grows.

xx

[Angela Woodford]

Hi Caroline!

Your loo sounds rather exciting and original - could almost be given to a gallery as an Installation!

When you come to England in the Spring, and I have the dolls' house reasonably organised, I could gather together our friends and have a lunch in honour of you. Or a soiree! Or get together wherever you are What do you think?

I have started putting books in cardboard boxes. Boxes discarded by the National Trust in which heritage homes books were once delivered. I knew this would happen - keep stopping to read bits in books - fatal.

Believe it or not, Mr Brown Fangs wants to retain my old cooker and fridge! Tsk!

The Perfect Immaculate House of single woman neighbour once more has it's "For Sale" sign up. I slunk past guiltily yesterday.

Munch

[englishangel]

what did I tell you?

[Angela Woodford]

If you are buying new, and you want something different, just tell them you want it changed, don't take no for an answer, and certainly do not accept any ridiculous charges for doing so.

The difference, it was their 4th new build and hubby is a Quantity Surveyor who happened to work for one of the builder's competitors, so knew all about how much it would cost (not a lot) and how much disruption it would be (none if done before second fix electricals and plumbing). Lesson learned for next time

Craig! Inspired by this post, I rang Jennifer yesterday and asked if an outside tap for garden watering could be installed "second fix plumbing" as you put it. She said she'd send me an estimate! I hope the charge won't be too much...

[sejintenej]

My current husband is into DIY but .... he has been known to leap up from his seat half way through a cup of tea to remove the door to the downstairs loo - then wait six weeks before doing whatever it was that needed doing!

So? It's only taken nine years to get this place into its current condition and there's more to be done - perhaps another 5!

As for the garden - spent much of this summer starting to sort that out. I'll post a picture of my begonia wall on my site sometime! That is something I am pleased about.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Hi Caroline!

When you come to England in the Spring, and I have the dolls' house reasonably organised, I could gather together our friends and have a lunch in honour of you. Or a soiree! Or get together wherever you are What do you think?



Munch - I would love to catch up with as many people as possible. I started putting a proposal together last week, explaining why the Grape and Wine Research and Development Board should cough up quite a lot of money to enable me to visit wineries in the South of England. There are one or two in Devon, and I have included car hire in the budget - so fingers and eyes well and truly crossed that they cough up.



Believe it or not, Mr Brown Fangs wants to retain my old cooker and fridge! Tsk!


I had forgotten that british houses tend to be sold without anything - in NZ and Oz it is customary to leave behind the cooker, maybe dishwasher (that was the biggest selling point for the purchaser of our house in NZ), curtains, light fittings etc. Fridge usually gets moved, though.

The Perfect Immaculate House of single woman neighbour once more has it's "For Sale" sign up. I slunk past guiltily yesterday.


Possibly because you have sold a home, rather than a mere house?

xx

Munch

[blondie95]

more importantly when you move in to you brand spanking new shiny house make sure everything is exactly as asked for and in right place. (known people who have moved into new builds were fixings in bathroom wonky and then the builders wont correct them)

[midget]

My current husband is into DIY but .... he has been known to leap up from his seat half way through a cup of tea to remove the door to the downstairs loo - then wait six weeks before doing whatever it was that needed doing!

So? It's only taken nine years to get this place into its current condition and there's more to be done - perhaps another 5!

As for the garden - spent much of this summer starting to sort that out. I'll post a picture of my begonia wall on my site sometime! That is something I am pleased about.

Only nine years, how did you get things finished so quickly? We have been here 22 years and there are still bits undecorated.

Maggie