Overview
We purchased Upland Road in 2003.
The property had languished on the market for a very long time for two reasons - overpriced and not very nice although the bones were good. After some negotiation the price agreed was more realistic and we moved in a few weeks before our second daughter was born.
The previous owners had aspirations of country living and had filled the property with heavy old curtains and a few moth eaten pieces of taxidermy and so the removal of these items made a huge difference. The wheelie bin filled to the brim with dog excrement was not an enhancement however.
All of the fixtures, fittings and decoration were in a pitiful state and a full refurbishment was necessary. The bathrooms leaked comprehensively, leaving a mini waterful coming through the kitchen (country style of course) ceiling. Sadly, the turquoise shagpile in the main bathroom was lost through water damage.
As it was clear that the carpets would have to immediately go (a flea infestation had been an annual event in the house according to a very amusing, but indiscreet, neighbour) we arranged for a local tradesman, Tui, to come in and rip everything out and sand the floors throughout the house. He then redecorated everything, removing many layers of embossed vinyl and woodchip as he and his team went. What an amazing find he was - relentlessly cheerful and positive whatever we found and with a solution for every problem we encountered.
Bizarrely, the former owners had begun to convert the loft to add value but did not finish it, leaving the two large rooms poorly plastered and with woodchip floors. Having these rooms decorated and floored made a big difference and they were quickly commandered by our elder daughter and filled with Barbie and her plastic entourage. The flooring was a bit of a bargain, pre-finished wide French Oak boards, from a builder center in Edgeware. They were sourced by a bloke who used to work at Castle Floors in Wandsworth and they were about 2/3 of the price of anywhere else.
We struggled on with the bathrooms for some months, despite our daughter not wanting to sit on the hideous loo in case "her bottom got dirty". Eventually, they had to go and so ,rather stupidly, we embarked on all three at once. A very bad idea. But, hindsight is a great thing and we thought at the time we could get it all done together and turn it around in a matter of weeks. Very wrong. As we ripped out the old T&G we realised it was glued to bare brick and was also supporting the ceiling in part. Everything came down and so we ended up taking all three back to the brick carcass and starting from scratch. We discovered the loo had been leaking and had rotted the joists and the shower had done much the same which was handy. Eventually though, through the grim determination of Jeff the plumber, Bill the plasterer and Alan the electrician/tiler all three were completed within three weeks. During that time I embraced life as a soap dodger, contenting myself with the odd babywipe ablution (a habit I have yet to fully quit).
The bathrooms completed, we took a break and planned the kitchen. The country look was not a good one and was also falling apart. The kitchen had been cobbled from three original rooms and still had different floor levels. An original bay had been removed and patio doors installed very badly. The whole room was dark and dreary, not helped by the two very large leylandi trees planted by the previous owners ( what is that about? I had always thought that they were planted to irritate others not yourself). After a little tree surgery, some brightness returned to the room but it was blatantly obvious that something drastic had to happen if we were not to live the rest of our days there in twilight conditions. Then we found Matt Brown of Metrobuild.
Matt has a design and build company and had worked on a friends house. He had some good ideas and was within our budget. When the work was finished the kitchen and garden were dramatically transformed. Opening the back of the house made the very best of the long narrow garden and having decks at either end made two extra living areas. The floating bay, constructed from butt jointed panels replaced the hideous old doors and drew much needed light into the room. The folding sliding doors allowed us to join the garden and kitchen acroos the width of the room at the same ground level. Using tropical hardwood for the decks also meant that the rich colour of the timber complimented the green lawn beautifully - and did not require sealing of course.
The garden was looking every sad after the building work and required some professional imput. I had seen some fantastic screens in a very expensive garden that we had replicated by Alan the electrician/tiler (and now sometime screenbuilder) for a few hundred pounds as opposed to several thousand. The design of the rest of the garden was undertaken by a local designer, Sarah Hammond, who had some fantastic ideas and, most importantly, took on board the fact that I have no gardening ability whatsoever. It is a testament to her considerable talent that the garden thrived throughout last summers drought and looked as good as ever despite scant and sporadic care from me.
Once the house was complete a new project beckoned.