Edwardian restoration Dublin

We have new (old) windows

A young-to-us couple bought a house in our street shortly after us. While being much the same, it was almost in original Edwardian condition, with original windows, plasterwork, layout and even a stunning stained glass fitting for the skylight (ours is long gone...) and no central heating. They jumped straight

old things

DIY stuff: paint brush stick

Not our DIY tool for DIY - but a found artefact. The boys love it.

Old stuff: BBQ tongs

Month 6: Polycarbonate secondary glazing

We know the wooden-framed, single-glazed windows in our house need to be replaced when possible. We're currently researching our options for new windows - weighing up traditional vs modern, PVC vs wood, cheaper vs horribly expensive. Although the current windows were probably installed in the 1980s they are in reasonably

Old Stuff: Big Scissors

Month 5: Lincrusta restoration

It looks like we have original Lincrusta running below the dado rail from the front door all the way through the hallways from the bottom of the house to the third floor attic room. Lincrusta [https://lincrusta.com/advice/] is deeply embossed wallcovering. It was launched in 1877 by the

Month 5: A rest from restoration

And so the days become months... We've had a long break from blogging to accommodate: * A lovely first family Christmas in our wreck. * Recuperation for me after finishing up my old job. * The new family routine required for my new role in RCSI. * A business trip to Amsterdam (Mehdi, not

curtains,

Day 85 - Curtains as insulation

While learning about insulation technologies from various chaps, I wondered why curtains weren't much mentioned. Curtains seem to be thought of as some kind of household accessory - something to accent a room (the curtains that were here when we moved in certainly lent moods to the rooms). But no

exhaustion,

Day 84 - what hit us in November?

Photo by Philip Swinburn [https://unsplash.com/@pjswinburn?utm_source=ghost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit] / Unsplash [https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=ghost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit] Well a load hit us...work, travel, DIY...but here's a quick summary: First week in November we were in

windows

Day 53: Ambushed by window cleaners

When I stepped out my front door at lunchtime today I was ambushed by a burly, sunshiney window cleaner who was cleaning our next door neighbours' windows. He offered to do our windows (front and back for €25). Mehdi was pleased, shrugged and said yes. Which was a bit annoying,

stamp

Old things: Nollaig 1986 stamp

Found in the kitchen:

DIY

Day 49 - Approach to restoration - coming to agreement

I feel it's important to note how Mehdi and I came to agreement on how we manage a huge slow project like this without going insane. We both grew up in big old houses in the country, with big gardens, where everything needed a tonne of work done, all the

Day 48 - chimneys, flues and fires - money up in smoke

From a design and heritage point of view, we’re lucky that the original fireplaces are all in place in the house – all 6 of them. And there’s a dirty old blocked up flue in the kitchen where the old range used to be. From a heating and efficiency

packing

Day 47 - packing leads to unpacking

Or not, as our case might be. When moving house, I've always go through the same sequence of thoughts: 1 Committed to a move date > This is the worst part of moving! We have so much stuff! Way too much stuff! How will we ever pack up and shift all

bins

Day 45 - flying solo

Mehdi's working in San Francisco this week, which means I'm in the house with the kids, managing the daily routine, the crèche and school run as well as my day job. A text from me to Mehdi will go along the lines of: What bins are due when??? A text

Day 31 - post-party glow

I say glow, but really, I feel more like a paper skeleton that's been dunked in beer overnight. But yesterday it was a different story. Our first guest arrived at 1pm - a pre-party playdate. I was still in slippers and a sweaty t-shirt, rushing around hoovering up dust, gathering

Day 30 - party panic

We promised the 6 year old a party when we moved house, as we missed hosting a birthday party when we moved to Dublin last year. It being near Halloween, and given the condition of our house, we decided on a haunted house party. Of course Mehdi pointed out after

party

Day 29 - Don't like pumpkins

All week has been a rush of getting work done for our day jobs (we both love our work - but both roles are full on), and spending early morning and all evening trying to sort the house. It's kind of complicated. We can't really unpack as the house will

Day 28 - How not to move house x7

As I repeat endlessly, this is move 6 for our oldest in his 6 years. It's actually move 7 for Mehdi and me. We've used different methods for every move. Our first move over to London from Belfast was for a trial period in January 2011. I flew over, then

Day 26 - panicking, drinking, packing and driving

I'm doing the panic packing and drinking...Mehdi is doing the packing and driving. Despite having quite a bit of experience moving (have I ever mentioned this is move number 6 in 6 years?) I still find moving a PITA. Actually in many ways, having this much experience means we

Day 22 -Hurricane Ophelia - the day after

Hurrican Ophelia turned out to be a non-event for us [https://edwardianrestorationdublin.com/2017/10/16/day-21-hurricane-ophelia-live-updates/]. A bit windy but nothing to write home about. The house stood strong. Our neighbours were not so lucky:

Day 21 - Hurricane Ophelia Live Updates

8:00am Hurricane Ophelia, the most powerful storm east of the US on record [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/why-is-hurricane-ophelia-so-powerful-and-why-is-it-heading-for-ireland-1.3257073] , will be upon us today. It will be a good test of how the house fares in bad weather [https://edwardianrestorationdublin.com/2017/10/15/day-20-bracing-for-hurricane-ophelia/]. Last

Day 20 - bracing for Hurricane Ophelia

Hurricane Ophelia, predicted to be the worst storm to hit Ireland in more than 50 years [http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/met-eireann-warns-hurricane-ophelia-will-be-the-most-severe-weather-event-here-for-50-years-36228710.html] , will be with us tomorrow Monday. What a great time to have just bought a nearly derelict period property! Michelle is anxious that the house will fall

Day 18 - Our first hands-on help

Today Mariusz (the architecture graduate we met earlier in the week [https://edwardianrestorationdublin.com/2017/10/10/day-15-the-date-that-wasnt-meant-to-be/]) and his assistant Darius started work to draw plans of the house. Having good plans will be very useful to start planning our future remodeling. We're not thinking of making a lot

Day 16 - sunlight in the garden

It was one of those evenings. Mehdi, who is never sick, has been flattened by a bad chest infection. The toddler is also nursing a chest infection. The 6 year old was in a grumpy mood and wanted everyone else to join him there. After a frustrating half hour or