Ugh, sorry my mobile data is so bad I canโ€™t keep yโ€™all updated with photos on all the #WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse discoveries & renovations until internet arrives

Even that is proving difficult because although I can see the closest telegraph pole from my kitchen window we canโ€™t create enough clearance over the road for the line ๐Ÿ™„

And neighbour understandably doesnโ€™t want my fibre cable almost touching his roof if we use one on our side of road ๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ

There will be a big vomit at some stage hopefully

Here you go โ€ฆ I bought a new eSIM that seems to provide a little more data upload capability.

Lots of progress outside as it wasnโ€™t reliant on me.

And new ceramic discoveries inside ๐Ÿคฎ

Iโ€™ll try catch up tomorrow morning unless my delivery of tools and stuff arrives early and can crack on with real work

https://mrrob.in/progress-outside/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

https://mrrob.in/2nd-3rd-october-update/

A slight vommit of blog to bring us up to date (if anyone cares) ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿคฃ

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

We found a Puutalo brochure in the stuff left in the house.

https://mrrob.in/wooden-house-brochure/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Slow but steady progress on house as internet connection saga descends into farce

https://mrrob.in/7th-october/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

https://mrrob.in/more-bedroom-discoveries/

Yes. Yet more unsavoury discoveries in our
#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

D is still ill (she was gluten-ed) but Iโ€™ve been battling onโ€ฆ pealing layers off our strange onion ๐Ÿคฃ

How weird can a cupboard be? We have a definite answer. ๐Ÿ˜ตโ€๐Ÿ’ซ

https://mrrob.in/hall-cupboard/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Today was a long day bashing and pulling things off kitchen walls โ€ฆ

https://mrrob.in/kitchen-investigation/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Another update on our #WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse progress.
Edited because I forgot the blog link ๐Ÿ™„
(My brain is a little more scrambled than usual)
https://mrrob.in/progress/

We have actually started to put stuff back into #WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

But of course there was another surprise
https://mrrob.in/turning-point/

There has been a bit of a gap in work on the house because we came down with Covid on 12 November and then my Mum passed away leaving me to make all the arrangements and sort out starting to get her estate sorted.

We did start back on the house just before Christmas but I just havenโ€™t found time or motivation to blog it.

On the plus side the dogs are much more comfortable at the new house since we made the end of living room more cozy ๐Ÿ‘

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Ok EDF, how many final bills are you going to send us.
They started sending one a day, often with two dayโ€™s in one envelope, after they stopped emailing us multiple times a day.

Telephone CS agents say it โ€œunusualโ€ etc, say they are escalating โ€ฆ but still they come ๐Ÿคฃ

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

@BitchinRob The image depicts an interior space with a kitchen area centered around a stove under a large silver range hood. On the stove's cooktop, there is a stack of white stones. In front of the stove, a metallic counter holds multiple printed papers, a small card with the text "NEW YEAR" and illustrations of trees, a clear glass, and various items including a red "SPANISH" box and a small radio. To the left of the stove, two wooden speakers with black panels are positioned near a radiator and windows with blinds. To the right of the stove, a lamp with a white shade, a small silver decorative item, and other objects are visible, with wooden cabinets and walls in the background.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.110 Wh

@BitchinRob are they wanting to give you wallpaper?

I hate it when good tools die.

Itโ€™s not as bad as breaking my favourite coffee mug but it runs close

https://mrrob.in/anotherdeath/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Donna is ill and exhausted, Iโ€™m just exhausted. But we are making progress.

And Will, our Jack-of-all-trades builder, has started to help us.

https://mrrob.in/maple-flooring/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Update, things are speeding up and we are making good progress.

https://mrrob.in/kitchen/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Iโ€™m exhausted after a hard week of ripping crap out of the shower room with Will and trying to work out how to line the place with wood to start making it livable again.

https://mrrob.in/shower-room-rip-out/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

After an 11 hour day of waxing until my wrist ached and then nailing as much T&G to the ceiling as I could manage until 10pm โ€ฆ I should be sleeping โ€ฆ

But instead hereโ€™s and brief blog and photo project (understatement) update

Day to off tomorrow so Iโ€™m mucking out at the swan rescue ๐Ÿคฃ

https://mrrob.in/adding-layers-to-the-onion/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

01:40 and Iโ€™m still buzzing after a 15 hour work dayโ€ฆ

https://mrrob.in/tg-is-going-up/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

It's slow and very hard work but things are all going in the right direction. and we can start to see what the whole house will look like.

https://mrrob.in/shower-room-and-wc-are-tged/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Absolutely exhausted โ€ฆ so here is another photo dump blog entry

https://mrrob.in/more-tg-progress/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

Another photo dump update on our progress

https://mrrob.in/yet-more-progress/

#WeirdHouse #WoodenHouse

@BitchinRob this is so fascinating to watch but a little less fun in reality

@coldclimate actually Iโ€™m really enjoying it. Itโ€™s the situation at old house that is the biggest problem and the sooner we can get out of it, it sold and then fully moved over here the better.

There have been surprises here โ˜บ๏ธ but nothing more financially ruinous than we feared โ€ฆ so far.

@BitchinRob bad neighbours at the old place?
@coldclimate up to 35 underage kids turning up to party loud music drugs alcohol etc and try killing them selves in the canal lock. Police and Canal River Trust say itโ€™s each otherโ€™s responsibility. ๐Ÿคฌ
@BitchinRob that sounds like a nightmare
@coldclimate yep, very scary too, as we are an isolated house and neighbours are the parents who encourage the behaviour, so itโ€™s unsolvable.

@BitchinRob
On the one hand, still a way to go. Otoh, wow, you've made progress!

At least the hedge and fence won't take much fixing, and it's not like you've got anything else to be getting on withโ€ฆ ๐Ÿคฃ

PS Welcome back!

@blingoali its going very well. Save that hedge as itโ€™s a conservation area so regulation around the railings removal and replacement are a nightmare and hedge line has encroached on โ€œHighwayโ€ over past 50 years. Hedge holds up the railings and no contractor will touch it until August at the earliest coz of nesting birds ๐Ÿ˜œ

Quote for removal of railings and hedge and erecting a chunky feather edge timber fence on correct alignment is ยฃ10k ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

@BitchinRob
Hmmmโ€ฆ I'm not sure I'd be ๐Ÿ˜ at a ยฃ10k bill!

We've just got a ยฃ4k roofing job coming up - call me old-fashioned but I tend to think, outside wet, inside dry. This place has other ideas - and I'm definitely not ๐Ÿ˜

I suppose when you take on a proper project like yours you're almost expecting unexpected billsโ€ฆ

But it'll be amazing when it's done. Last and final, or have you got the bug now?

@blingoali last place was intended as our forever home ๐Ÿคฌโ˜น๏ธ
We knew fences needed sorting and Iโ€™d budgeted ยฃ5k for it but it needs to be done faster than we anticipated and the contractor will get it down and new fence up in two days. If planners will let us replace railings with a fence and thatโ€™s not guaranteed.
1/2

@blingoali Everything is daft expensive now. Next door neighbour is doing a full eco passive house after stripping back to just the timber frame.

Heโ€™s doing it all himself now as (the very good) builders blew through their entire budget just getting it not quite to first fix ready ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

Weโ€™ve been very lucky so far ๐Ÿคž the damp under boiler that had been leaking for years, the soggy bathroom floor and blocked gutter below the valley gutter have all just avoided causing rot to the timber structure.

@blingoali and yep this is our final resting place ๐Ÿ˜œ

@BitchinRob
Nice.

My cousin, couple of years older than me, and her hubby still do a new place up every two or three years, living in while they do almost all the work themselves, then move on.

He worked for IBM in the 70s, left with a colleague to start their own business, got bought out by IBM a couple of years later for ยฃ1.5m, so I guess that was a great source of working capitalโ€ฆ

This is one of theirs, in Newquay. They and their son chipped off every bit of pebbledash themselves. Yep, pebbledashโ€ฆ

They're both in their 70s now, met at school at 14, together ever since, still doing what they love.

@blingoali fecking brilliant way to live if itโ€™s what you enjoy. I could definitely become addicted to it. For 3 weeks I was full on 18 hours days living here on my own with D just fetching supplies and waxing the wood. But I was enjoying it but exhausting myself. Then D told me to back off a little and we found Will our odd jobbing builder who comes in Monday to Wednesday to do the stuff id take too long researching. Heโ€™d on same wavelength/ spectrum as us so itโ€™s working beautifully.
@BitchinRob
Set aside some T&G for the coffins? ๐Ÿคฃ
@BitchinRob looking good ๐Ÿ‘
@BitchinRob TIMMMMBERRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr
@vwdasher itโ€™s definitely not going to be the house for people that donโ€™t love wood ๐Ÿชต
@BitchinRob ๐Ÿคฃ maybe it's a pyromaniac's dream!
@vwdasher insurance is surprisingly cheap. Only restriction is no cover for fire caused by smoking in the house. We donโ€™t smoke so thatโ€™s ok then ๐Ÿ˜‰

@BitchinRob
Looking good!

Greetings, young man. I've been following progress on the blog but, now the sun's out, time to pipe up on here. You've certainly been grafting while I've been asleep.

So sorry to hear about your Mum. Hope everyone's bearing up.

The house is certainly taking shape, isn't? Just got to choose the new tiles and you'll be goldenโ€ฆ

@blingoali Mum had been suffering for years so it was a relief in the end.

Timing of dealing with โ€œeverythingโ€ while in Covid brain fog was the biggest challenge.

Although, unexpected, Iโ€™m responsible for administration of the estate I have a trusted solicitor on the case so I can concentrate on the re-fit.

D hasnโ€™t bounced back from the Gluten incident in October so we have a builder helping now too, which is speeding things up.

Tiles would have to be an awesome design to be let in ๐Ÿ˜‰

@BitchinRob
I know what you mean. We lost Beth's Dad in 2024: an educated man, ex-schoolteacher, totally deaf and functionally blind with macular degeneration, unable to watch TV, read, listen to the radio for the last decade of his 95-year span. If he were a cat, we could have been more humane.
@blingoali absolutely. It is a shame the best canโ€™t be done in such circumstances ๐Ÿ˜ญ

@BitchinRob A person stands on a yellow step ladder in a room with a wooden ceiling and partially stripped wall above a newly installed wooden plank wall. They hold a yellow and black power tool in one hand and place the other hand against the wooden wall. The individual wears a dark short - sleeved shirt, work pants with knee pads, and a tool belt with "DEWALT" visible. In the background, a doorway leads to another room with a radiator, a window, and wooden flooring; a vacuum hose is also visible on the floor. The main roomโ€™s floor features a patterned tile design.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.084 Wh

@BitchinRob that is a lot of timber!

@vwdasher yep thankfully D and I both love it. Especially knotty and rough stuff.

I love seeing the patterns appear with the wax and then how it ages as UV and time darkens it.

Iโ€™m the only person tha walks into wood yard and asks for the roughest cheapest crap wood they have I think.

Actually it might be thin T&G but itโ€™s great quality and fresh so even the warped and twisted stuff is workable. The yard imports themselves so itโ€™s not the crispy unusable stuff found at national chain outlets.

@BitchinRob You gotta go to timber yards to get straight, good stuff. Bunnings, our national hardware chain, has shockingly shit timber.

@BitchinRob @vwdasher

You haz all the wood. The entire country is now woodless ๐Ÿ˜€

@BitchinRob A spacious kitchen under renovation features wooden cabinets, hardwood flooring, and exposed ceiling wiring. On the left, two large windows sit above wooden cabinets with white countertops; a sink has a green cloth, and a nearby counter holds items including a purple container and a โ€œHobartโ€ branded box. In the center background, a stainless steel refrigerator stands against a brick wall with partially installed cabinets, while a utility unit with a white appliance is nearby. To the right, a long wooden counter holds various objects such as paper towels, a yellow hard hat, and other tools. Unfinished sections of the walls and visible electrical wiring throughout the space indicate ongoing construction work.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.170 Wh

@BitchinRob A room corner featuring walls with multiple paint colors and a wooden floor. The left wall is light brown, the adjacent wall is white (possibly a door or repaired section), and the right wall is olive green with patches and some white residue. The floor has wooden planks in varying shades of brown and tan, with sections showing different textures or discoloration. A white baseboard runs along the bottom of the walls. There is no visible text in the image.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.080 Wh

@BitchinRob A screenshot of a fitness tracking app showing a walking activity with map and stats. At the top, time displays 22:44, status is "Walking", and icons show Wi-Fi at 47%. The map displays a path with colored lines (green, yellow, red), weather data "6ยฐC", "94%", "East Wind 12km/h", and "Z ฮฃ P P". Below, user "rob" is listed with date "18 Jan at 13:14", device "Amazfit Bip 6", and distance "0.17 km". Stats include "Workout time 08:50:14", "Avg speed 1.16", "Avg heart rate 89", "Calories 44", "Steps 233", "Training load 4", with a color bar from "Slow" to "Fast".

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.166 Wh

@BitchinRob Do you need a map mate, you appear to be going around in circles. You lost?
@vwdasher my and Dโ€™s tool storage system preferences are incompatible ๐Ÿ˜œ

@BitchinRob A workbench scene on a wooden floor featuring tools and equipment. On the bench, there is a Bosch GEX 128 E oscillating tool (with "BOSCH" in red, "GEX 128 E" in white) connected to a red vacuum hose. Next to the tool, a cap with gray fabric and red straps holds a small black device with visible text "OSI" and other markings. In the background, a black power tool with a vertical metal bar, electrical cords, and a pair of green gloves are visible on the floor. The bench itself shows signs of wear with visible wood grain and metal fasteners.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.121 Wh

@BitchinRob A section of an unfinished wall with peeling paint and patches of different colors, featuring a hand-drawn smiley face. The face has two circular holes (likely for pipes) as eyes, a small dot as a nose, and a curved line forming a smile. The wall shows signs of wear with brown and beige sections, cracks, and patches of missing plaster. There are vertical lines (possibly plumbing or wiring) running down the wall, and a doorway is visible on the left side.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.069 Wh

@BitchinRob A group of five people stands outdoors near a brick building. The person on the far left wears a black suit with a white shirt and has hands clasped. The second person from the left raises one arm, wears glasses and a dark coat. The third person wears a light-colored hat, dark coat, and a red flower on their chest; white particles (likely confetti) are on their coat. The fourth person has an arm around the third person. The fifth person on the right wears a dark coat with a red flower and white particles on their coat. In the background, there is a brick building with a window, a vintage car, and a multi-story building.
โ€•
This is a memorial program. At the top, it reads "In Memory of" above a black-and-white photo of a person wearing a fur hat and dark clothing. Below the photo, it states "Sally Margaret Attrill" followed by "8th September 1936 - 23rd November 2025". The text continues: "Thank you for coming to Sally's funeral. We are deeply touched by the love, support, and understanding you have offered. Your presence, condolences, and shared memories have provided comfort and strength during this challenging period Much love Robin and Donna x"
โ€•
A room with large windows overlooking an outdoor garden features furniture and two dogs. Inside, a personโ€™s legs in dark pants and black sneakers rest on a black-and-white striped chair. One dog wears a red jacket and lies on the chair, while another dog in a red vest lies on a blue rug with white paw prints. A black-and-white patterned sofa with peeling paint on the adjacent wall is visible, along with a yellow floor lamp and a small wooden table. Outside the windows, thereโ€™s a paved area, hedges, trees, and a house.
โ€•
A cemetery scene features a gravel-covered area with floral arrangements. Centered on the gravel, large white flowers spell "SALLY," accented with purple and orange blooms. Two rectangular wreaths flank "SALLY": one left wreath has green fringe, white flowers, gray/black elements, and purple/orange flowers; the right wreath has purple fringe, white flowers, brown/gray elements, and purple/orange flowers. Two small signs on stands are visible. In the background, a group of people near a large tree includes individuals holding umbrellas (one red-and-white), with parked cars (gray, dark blue, white) and wet pavement indicating recent rain.

Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Qwen3-Vl:30b

๐ŸŒฑ Energy used: 0.844 Wh

@BitchinRob I'm sorry to hear about your Mum. It makes getting on with anything a lot harder. Pooch corner looks good for the dogs ๐Ÿ™‚
@serichards thanks. She had been in dementia care for 11 years so it was a relief in the end.
Dogs are mostly letting us get on with diy now while in house. This is better than them wanting to be out the front in the car all the time. ๐Ÿ™„
@BitchinRob Iโ€™m so very sorry to hear of your mumโ€™s passing. ๐Ÿ™
@autocade ๐Ÿ™ it was a huge relief in the end. Sheโ€™d been suffering dementia and had been in care for over a decade.

@BitchinRob so sorry to hear about your mum! Hope she went peacefully.

Take it easy, you don't want to wear yourselves out post Covid as well, and make it worse. The house can wait.

@vwdasher thanks and yep she just slipped away physically in the end. It was a huge relief as sheโ€™d been in dementia care for years and it was a long overdue release.

Yep have slowly been building ourselves back to full power on the work. The break has given us a chance to think about and agree on what we are putting back in and altering, so itโ€™s full speed ahead now.