We've Bought an Historical Old Vicarage!

[Ally T]

I would want to sit in the window with a cup o' tea, and a book—or my iPad.

Thank you for the pictures, @Ally T, I love seeing the progress visually, and reading your most excellent commentary!

Thank you, lovely! I don't want to bore people & I am known (by my mother, mostly) for being able to talk a glass eye to sleep, so I'm conscious of not waffling too much!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

You keep these updates coming, and I want to hang out with mom. Hilarity would ensue about what she'd have to say about me after an afternoon

 

[Ally T]

You keep these updates coming, and I want to hang out with mom. Hilarity would ensue about what she'd have to say about me after an afternoon

Well she isn't very backwards in coming forwards with her thoughts, which results in hysterics from myself, my brother & my sisters! She's also teetotal, unlike her children, so I would look forward to your tea drinking sesh!

 

[SparklieBug]

Thank you, lovely! I don't want to bore people & I am known (by my mother, mostly) for being able to talk a glass eye to sleep, so I'm conscious of not waffling too much!

Your mom sounds like my DH’s grandmother. “Ask the lad the time, and he’ll first tell you how the watch is made…”

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

This is my wellness check in post! How's it going????

cheers--Sharon

 

[Ally T]

HI:

This is my wellness check in post! How's it going????

cheers--Sharon

Fast! There have been a team of plumbers in this week, as the whole house needed a re-do & obviously one toilet in a little cupboard wasn't cutting it. All the upstairs floorboards were up when I went over on Monday & I believe all the bathrooms are now plumbed, the upstairs radiator points are all ready & the downstairs is ready for the underfloor heating contractor next week. The boiler & radiators (which are beautiful cast iron on 4 feet) will also be fitted next week. Then the plasterer is starting. The windows are all ready & those guys arrive on Monday to start that mammoth job.

We have a fully bricked kitchen & garage / gym. The oak trusses for the kitchen roof arrive next week, then the roof will go up pretty swiftly, as they need it to be on before the Christmas break.

Phew! Yes, after weeks of things being ripped apart, things are now being built in. The kitchen designer has ordered the appliances & everything else is agreed. We have chosen a Shaker style with a huge central island (with fabulous circular booth seating) which will be Ink Navy. The wall units will be in Cashmere, which is like a deep rice pudding colour with a hint of brown warmth, the work surfaces are white marble with a navy blue vein. I am extremely excited about my new kitchen!

 

[RMOO]

Wow! This all sounds terrifically exciting! The kitchen sounds lovely - the (exposed, I assume) oak trusses will be beautiful with the cabinet colors. I can't wait to see progress pictures, if you are so inclined!

 

[SparklieBug]

Hah! This reminds me so much of the fave HGTV shows where houses get renovated. There hits a point of construction when all of sudden, things appear to move really fast! It sounds like your place is close to this point, now. So awesome! Thank you for keeping the peanut gallery up to date.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Fast! There have been a team of plumbers in this week, as the whole house needed a re-do & obviously one toilet in a little cupboard wasn't cutting it. All the upstairs floorboards were up when I went over on Monday & I believe all the bathrooms are now plumbed, the upstairs radiator points are all ready & the downstairs is ready for the underfloor heating contractor next week. The boiler & radiators (which are beautiful cast iron on 4 feet) will also be fitted next week. Then the plasterer is starting. The windows are all ready & those guys arrive on Monday to start that mammoth job.

We have a fully bricked kitchen & garage / gym. The oak trusses for the kitchen roof arrive next week, then the roof will go up pretty swiftly, as they need it to be on before the Christmas break.

Phew! Yes, after weeks of things being ripped apart, things are now being built in. The kitchen designer has ordered the appliances & everything else is agreed. We have chosen a Shaker style with a huge central island (with fabulous circular booth seating) which will be Ink Navy. The wall units will be in Cashmere, which is like a deep rice pudding colour with a hint of brown warmth, the work surfaces are white marble with a navy blue vein. I am extremely excited about my new kitchen!

i have some basic UK plumbing questions
what is the boiler ? (Is it the hot water cyclinder?)
what is a radiator ? isnt that usually something in one's car

 

[Ally T]

i have some basic UK plumbing questions
what is the boiler ? (Is it the hot water cyclinder?)
what is a radiator ? isnt that usually something in one's car

The boiler is a huge cylinder that heats your water, so water tank for showers & also water for the radiators & underfloor heating system. It's the heart of the hit water & warmth.

The radiators are the metal units that sit against the wall in each room, that heat the room. They DEFINITELY had those in NZ when I lived there 20 years ago!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

The boiler is a huge cylinder that heats your water, so water tank for showers & also water for the radiators & underfloor heating system. It's the heart of the hit water & warmth.

The radiators are the metal units that sit against the wall in each room, that heat the room. They DEFINITELY had those in NZ when I lived there 20 years ago!

like those old red things at school back in the 70s
ive never seen one in a house


so a boiler is a hot water cyclinder then

a boiler was what we called the room/out building that the school caretaker used to burn coal in to heat the water for those radiator heaters but i have no idea what was inside

 

[Ally T]

like those old red things at school back in the 70s
ive never seen one in a house


so a boiler is a hot water cyclinder then

a boiler was what we called the room/out building that the school caretaker used to burn coal in to heat the water for those radiator heaters but i have no idea what was inside

That radiator exactly what we have going into the Vicarage upstairs areas & rooms! They're very period appropriate & old fashioned. Obviously the modern day version is very efficient, whilst still having that Stately Home vibe.

 

[Ally T]

like those old red things at school back in the 70s
ive never seen one in a house


so a boiler is a hot water cyclinder then

a boiler was what we called the room/out building that the school caretaker used to burn coal in to heat the water for those radiator heaters but i have no idea what was inside

What type of heating do you have in your house? We use radiators & underfloor heating systems here in the UK. My house in Wellington had vents in the floor for heating / cooling, but my friends house there had radiators.

 

[Ally T]

A quick update. The large window in the current kitchen (bottom left in the first picture) that was bricked up to make a smaller opening many moons ago, is almost ready to be knocked out. They have made & are re-instating the full sized arched window next week. This will be the new dining room & the view across the garden & out to the fields will be beautiful. It's going to look mega!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

What type of heating do you have in your house? We use radiators & underfloor heating systems here in the UK. My house in Wellington had vents in the floor for heating / cooling, but my friends house there had radiators.

i grew up in Dunedin
we had central heating that was disel powered
we had a tank outside my bedroom window that a big tanker would come and fill
the heater its self was in the floor in the hall
it was under a big grate and through two little windows you could see the flames
that was for background heat
electricity used to be a lot cheaper in those days so we had heaters in every room
but you only had the heater on if you were in the room

but when my dad got sick my parents installed a night store and got ride of the big underfloor thing

Gary and i had a portable gas heater in Wellington, we always had windows open a crack so we ddint have a problem with condensation
the first house i lived in in Welington ahd a big gas heater that was connected to the street gas
i was always scared of it


here we just have a heat pump

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

What type of heating do you have in your house? We use radiators & underfloor heating systems here in the UK. My house in Wellington had vents in the floor for heating / cooling, but my friends house there had radiators.

are they safer now?
well of course they must be
but
we were always getting burnt on them at school

 

[Ally T]

are they safer now?
well of course they must be
but
we were always getting burnt on them at school

Yes, they're safe! The do get hot, of course, but it's just something we grow up with here & know to be careful by them if it's cold outside. They are usually positioned underneath a window, so you wouldn't accidentally sit on one! Thankfully there is no gas supply to the new village at all, so no worries about it. The new heating systems are electric & will be mostly solar powered from the roof of the new garage.

 

[Matata]

The do get hot, of course, but it's just something we grow up with here & know to be careful by them if it's cold outside.

When I was a kid, I'd drape my pajamas on one to get them toasty before bed and then do the same with my underwear before I got dressed in the morning. I am not a fan of winter.

 

[Ally T]

Just when I thought there was nothing left to discover..... When you walk into what will be new downstairs loo at the Vicarage, there was this high boxing in over your head with the world's weirdest & highest plug socket on the end. They pulled it out yesterday & inside were 3 original 1940's lantern sized batteries! They were connected by a skinny, dodgy wire along & out to the front door, to power the first actual non dingling doorbell that the house had fitted. How cool! The one on the right still has acid in & is a bit dangerous, but the electrician's tell me they're highly collectable. Will get them cleaned up somehow & keep them

 

[kah42]

Just when I thought there was nothing left to discover..... When you walk into what will be new downstairs loo at the Vicarage, there was this high boxing in over your head with the world's weirdest & highest plug socket on the end. They pulled it out yesterday & inside were 3 original 1940's lantern sized batteries! They were connected by a skinny, dodgy wire along & out to the front door, to power the first actual non dingling doorbell that the house had fitted. How cool! The one on the right still has acid in & is a bit dangerous, but the electrician's tell me they're highly collectable. Will get them cleaned up somehow & keep them

That is so cool! I love all of the hidden treasures you are finding -- and I love that you are planning on salvaging so many of them!

 

[SparklieBug]

What a treasure trove your new house is! Wouldn't it be fascinating to hear the stories it could tell?!

 

[Ally T]

What a huge & complicated task a house re-wire is! The house looks like a nest of snakes! The electricians have been amazing at not disturbing the original Edwardian Duck Egg coving & had to spend a lot of time probing from the attics & the upstairs floor voids.

 

[Ally T]

The builders have also been able to re-position original doors removed from elsewhere in the house (the Nursery & store cupboards) to use for the new en-suite bathrooms, so they all match & are authentic. They just need stripping & re-painting

 

[Ally T]

New windows in the main guest room. What a view..........

 

[SparklieBug]

Fantastic update, @Ally T! Love that the doors were re-used to retain the originality of the home, and the new windows/view from the guest nest is just gorgeous! Also love the architectural frame for the big bay-window shape. It's also fascinating to see the original construction materials used.

 

[canuk-gal]

New windows in the main guest room. What a view..........

That room has my name on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yennyfire]

I feel like you need to be on the PBS series “Escape to the Chateau”! It’s surreal that I “know” someone who’s living this!!! Have you seen the series?

 

[Ally T]

I feel like you need to be on the PBS series “Escape to the Chateau”! It’s surreal that I “know” someone who’s living this!!! Have you seen the series?

Haha! I have sen bits of that programme & the couple, Angel & Dom, are quite a feature on UK TV for bits & bobs these days. But i haven’t ever seen a whole episode all the way through. I think if i had, i would be terrified to take on such a challenge myself, albeit on a much, much smaller scale!

 

[mrs-b]

Great update, @Ally T! And I'm dying to see the new dining room window!!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

That room has my name on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, well, you'll have a roommate. I can't be in the orangery all the time.
I'll bring an extra caftan and an extra book of stories. It's how we'll earn our keep!