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You are here: Home / Restoring the Haven / The Long Road to Restoration and Extension

The Long Road to Restoration and Extension

October 15, 2018 By Miranda Leave a Comment

15 Oct

When we finally found our forever house eight years ago it was an unexpected surprise. We had lived happily in a new build house for nine years. We had put down our deposit before exchange, and part of that deal was to dictate specific requests for the house. For example every house in the newly formed ‘village’ had a downstairs wc attached to the kitchen/diner. The kitchen/diner itself was divided by an archway, that to our minds served no purpose whatsoever. So we requested that we had no downstairs wc and no archway, thereby providing a wonderful big space to cook, eat and entertain in. With only one other reception room, the space to us was essential. We eventually went on to add a wooden conservatory, that we managed to get for a mere 5K, and build ourselves. We also told the sales rep that we didn’t want their internal doors thank you, and would make our own ledge and brace doors. So we were set, happy in our new home as a newly-married couple of two years, both with full time jobs, a disposable income and plenty of time to work on the house and socialise.

We brought home our first three children to that house and we were very happy there, but we had always aspired to the little cottage that we had rented in Fossebridge near Cirencester, and also knew we were not going to squeeze in to the house for very much longer with our third child on the way. So we went on the hunt for our forever home. We both share a passion for buildings, architecture, traditional buildings and interiors, so this was an exciting venture for us, and one that we hoped would be our second and possibly only move as a family with young children.

We missed out for various reasons on three lovely houses, but do you know, there were definitely good reasons for not getting those houses, and we see that now. Anyway, in the midst of the failing housing market we managed to sell our house, and decided that we would instead move to North Cornwall, our dream destination, and somewhere we already visited several times a year, and still my favourite place to go to in the world. So we rented locally, as by this stage our eldest was at an infant school in Year 2, and was going to have to leave anyway to join a primary school.

The search began and we fell in love with a house in North Cornwall, but really we knew it was too expensive, and we also began to realise that work for my husband was going to mean commuting, as the construction industry really doesn’t feature in a big way the further away from London that you get. So we continued to apply for a Year 3 school place locally, and it was whilst we were sitting on the beach in Cornwall that the call came through to say our son had been given a coveted place at a local and highly sought after primary school. And what a difficult decision we had on our hands then. We had one week to accept the place, and therefore one week to decide where we should live. Oxfordshire or North Cornwall.

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The rest, as they say, is history. We obviously decided to go with the school and work choice, and resigned ourselves to renting until a house that we could afford came up. We stopped looking and stopped worrying. I kept a vague eye on Rightmove and was mildly interested when the details of The Haven came up, not long after this decision. We went along, not expecting much, sure there would be a sting in the tail somewhere and that other people would get in before us. To our surprise the house was just right. Perfectly adequate to live in excepting a few relatively inexpensive changes, but best of all, with planning permission to extend. So we played it cool and I got my bargaining head on, and there were a few tense days whilst the agent decided to hold out for someone else on a second viewing, but we secured the house at a good price, knowing that we still desperately needed to find the deposit.

My credit rating was non-existent because I wasn’t in debt and that meant I could not get any kind of loan. So cap in hand we managed, through some difficult awkward conversations, to borrow the deposit from family members (who we paid back as fast as possible). The recession had hit and banks were not lending anything. We had no choice and I am so very grateful that we were able to do that because we wouldn’t have been able to buy the house and I wouldn’t be writing this now.

Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog
Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog
Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog

Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog
Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog
Restoring the Haven | Renovation, Interiors and Lifestyle Blog

We eventually moved in, exactly 8 years ago, the only slight complication coming when we discovered (as we were about to exchange) that I was pregnant with Baby Number 4…

The story clearly ends well as that little poppet lit up all our lives, and even though three of them now have to share a room, the exciting prospect of getting your own room in the very near future will, I believe, be worth the wait.

Thank you for being sweet enough to read my words. ‘Hello’ if you have, and as always, it is lovely to meet you. Miranda x

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I always knew I liked the queen and thought she wa I always knew I liked the queen and thought she was pretty great. It wasn’t until the last 10years or so though, as I got older, that I really began to value her, as she remained constantly dignified in her roles as mother, grandmother and monarch, despite enormous well publicised personal heartache. I realise now even more what an incredible legacy she has given us all. Thank you (so very much) Ma’am. You will be missed hugely..
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I hope that one day my very precious children will feel the same way about their King, whoever that might be.
Nothing to do with the house because this one dese Nothing to do with the house because this one deserves a post of her own 💜
Me and my right hand girl @kateomowbray have start Me and my right hand girl @kateomowbray have started painting! This is big progress, and Ted, who will move in here, chose the paint colours. It’s not finished yet but I’ll share when it is.
It’s been quite a while since I last posted. To It’s been quite a while since I last posted. To be honest it’s been a shocker of a time and the renovation work has taken its toll on top of other life events, and I’ve just not had the will to post a pile of rubble as inspiration 💜 Anyhow, we have one area close to completion-our outhouse that we have now linked to the new extension. It’s going to be a boot room and the plan is to use it to enter, decant wet clothes etc and enter the kitchen clean and dry 🤞. I keep reminding myself that the last 10% takes 90% of your energy. It’s very true I can confirm 🥰 xx .
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Tiles were B&Q 28p each in the sale bin and I went to 3 different stores to find enough. Laid by my boy before he jetted off to Bali. The beautiful oak edging also perfected and fitted by @oliverjmowbray  Bench picked up several years ago and made out of old school chairs and a couple of snowboards.
I didn’t know it would be this hard. I didn’t I didn’t know it would be this hard. I didn’t realise that when you looked after your child for 19 years your heart would hurt this much when they finally cut the last of the apron strings. 
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Don’t get me wrong I am absolutely delighted for him. After a non year off, moving to Cornwall and probably having the best summer ever and being completely free and independent is absolutely the right thing and I am so happy that he’s doing it and already having a lovely time. The sun is shining and he’s made a little home in his caravan and he has work, so it’s flipping  brilliant. And I could not be prouder of this incredible and beautiful boy of mine. He teaches me every day how to be a better person and his maturity, integrity and profound wisdom and strength is quite something. 
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But I miss him so badly and it’s taking all my strength not to ask him to come back home. When he was little I didn’t understand why people found it hard when their children left home because it all felt like such hard work, and I thought I had no identity anymore. Well I’m here to remind you to devour this time because it’s really really short 💙

Image 1 - breakfast made by two smallest the morning that he left because they knew how sad I was
Image 2 & 4 - saying goodbye
Image 3 - a loaded car with his life’s belongings
Image 5 - settling in to a new life
Image 6 - best of friends gathering round him to admire the photographs he had taken of them
Image 7 - new home 💙
I love cooking and I love making things for other I love cooking and I love making things for other people. I wish I had more time to do just that and maybe one day I will live that little dream. For now my biggest boy is fleeing the nest and living my other dream - to live in Cornwall. I am both heartbroken and joyful (for him) in equal measures. He is one of my five rocks and I am immensely proud of him for his kindness and his deep respect for others. In two weeks he starts out on a new exciting adventure in my beloved Cornwall, in the very village we have brought him to since he was born. I shall miss him deeply and if I’m honest cutting those apron strings is harder than I thought 💙 #proudmama #rockyroad
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