Stone House Renovation.The Goat Bell. Phase 3

Walls, roof, floorboards and stairs completed, the roofer returned to insert the chimney of the log burner that Maverick had fitted. We had placed the burner on a piece of stainless steel on top of the wooden floor and where the chimney met the wooden interior roof, as a safety precaution. Although the weather was now warm we couldn't resist lighting it for a cosy night in, we were so excited.

So we were now camping inside the shell of our home; Our beds made of two pieces of blue polystyrene insulation, using water from an outside tap, showering with a hose in the garden, our priority was to plumb in a makeshift toilet. (Resting on two bricks as the tiled floor had yet to be laid). I had stayed in better camping sites!!

I used a single ring gas camping stove for cooking.....I always wanted a bespoke kitchen!!

We were gifted a single bed which I made into a sofa with a few cushions. A large cardboard box served as a table. Thank goodness we had electricity....cups of Yorkshire tea kept us going.

All our possessions from the yacht were moved into the cottage. (How did we manage to get that amount of stuff on a boat?!)
Ricky, our ships cat was so chilled... he just slept where he could among the chaos, totally oblivious to his surroundings.

Protecting our property and ourselves from insects were now our priorities, but with the doors and windows still on order we decided to board the cottage up using old wood pallets and corrugated iron. Plunged into darkness it started to look more like a disused council house.

There are only so many 'one pan' meals you can make on a single gas ring and in need of a fridge, fitting the kitchen upstairs was our next step.

We decided on an open plan kitchen/lounge upstairs taking advantage of the beautiful mountain view. Maverick sectioned off the kitchen area with a studded wall but not extending it up totally, so that the gorgeous wooden vaulted ceiling remained visible, creating a feeling of space.
I planned a basic kitchen to my requirements including where I wanted electrical sockets, then nervously sent Maverick to Ikea alone to purchase it. (The man did good I was very impressed!) Maverick made our own worktops .

Maverick completed all the electrics throughout the cottage to British safety standards. This was then checked and registered with the electricity company by a qualified electrician.

Not wanting to see wiring or trunking down the stone walls Maverick was challenged to conceal all ceiling lighting across the beams and the upstairs sockets were placed in the floors.

Maverick divided up the downstairs space with studded walls into two bedrooms, bathroom and laundry/utility space.

We decided to stone plaka the utility space so that the outside flowed through the cottage, sealing it with a clear stone varnish so that it was washable.

Maverick insulated and fitted wooden floors in each bedroom. He tiled the floors and walls of the bathroom and plastered the ceiling.

Maverick completed all the plumbing himself; kitchen sink, bathroom shower, vanity sink, and Belfast laundry sink, and washing machine.

The windows finally arrived and could be fitted, allowing daylight to flood our beautiful home. We had chosen a grey coated aluminium with invaluable insect screens. What a relief to finally sleep at night without being bitten.