The renovation of the thatched cottage
In Feb 2002 number 2 and number 6 Gartymore came up for sale. At the time we were looking to move back north after living and working in Kent. The purchase was long and drawn out, but eventually the sale went through, and in Feb 2003 both houses were officially ours.
Our intention was to do up the most live-in-able (number 2) over 5 years worth of holidays, to move in when our son reached secondary school age, then to sell our house in Kent; and use the money to renovate the second house; number 6, a listed, derelict blackhouse, and use it as a holiday let so that we didn't have to work.
Things didn’t exactly go to plan, and we moved North in October 2003. The house was nowhere near ready; there was no mains electricity, although we did have a working phone line, hot water in the bathroom and the temporary kitchen sink which was behind the front door. Only one room was insulated (Connors bedroom) which Ade had worked on late into the nights during the week before we actually moved, and only one other room was really useable, which became the living/bedroom/kitchen/dining room. We had one coal fire in this room and two radiators upstairs hooked up to the coal Rayburn in the other downstairs room.
Since then we have slowly worked our way through the house and although it is not finished yet it is quite comfortable. There is a kitchen, working radiators in every room, hot water, mains electricity, a garden, a polytunnel, chickens and an extra child (obviously we should have worn more clothes, and got the TV working earlier). Ade has started his own business and I work from home. It has been a lot of hard work.
In November 2006 we approached the planning department, and began the long process of obtaining permission to work on the thatched croft.
In the summer of 2007 we obtained Planning permission, a Building warrant and Listed building consent to renovate the cottage, convert the barn and joint the two together to make a two bed roomed holiday cottage, which will be partially thatched, and as traditional as possible.
The following are the photographs we have taken as a record of the project.
Kate & Ade.
For more info go to this myspace link.
www.myspace.com/thethatchedcroft You will need to register with the site to look at the pictures, but you can read the blog without registering.