Creative Clara will start by saying that there are much worse problems to have! Being in the fortunate position of inheriting a house, and now, finally having the funds to get the rest of the desperately needed repairs done to it, is great.
Number one furry and Baggy were so excited to be able to properly treat the seventeenth-century building to a special long-life coating that would stop their damp problem, and make the house warmer and protected for the next twenty to thirty years. Baggy did have some serious reservations about going ahead; particularly the cost of the work. Archaeologist Annie had further concerns that were much more complex! She is very 'close' to the house, as when she did her MA in Archeology and Heritage, she did a full analysis of its history and knows it intimately.
The original house was built in the seventeenth century at the latest, it's possible that it might even have been constructed in the 1500s; so it has seen a lot of history. And, a huge amount of alterations and updates. The first major change was in the eighteenth century, when the 'outshut' was added at the back, significantly increasing the footprint of the building, and adding storage space, which is now the annexe to the master bedroom.
Later that century, the timber-framed building was updated and protected with the addition of an external skin, of hand-made bricks.
These lovely old bricks act a little like sponges! And are also quite friable, so have worn away considerably over the years. In the nineteenth century, the house was split into two cottages for agricultural workers, so a new front door was added.
A third cottage was added to it, as a lean-to on the end where the drive now sits.
In the twentieth century, the lean-to was knocked down, and the cottages were once again returned to one dwelling. This is probably when the house was first painted, (in a Suffolk pink colour), to disguise the crumbling and damaged brickwork. In 1978, the house was extended with a lean-to, one-story extension, at the other end (the now study and snug);
a porch;
and a two-storey extension at the back, creating a bathroom and larger kitchen.
Since Baggy's father's death, the house has suffered, and it was starting to physically deteriorate. Just repainting it, would have literally been covering over the cracks! But Archaeologist Annie didn't want all of this history to be hidden, so had concerns about the kind of treatment that companies like Topcote offer. So, she was reassured when the salesman explained that they regularly use the treatment on listed buildings, which she knew meant that it couldn't hide the character. Annie told the salesman all about Blossom Cottage and her Masters degree, and explained that she would hate to lose the old look-and-feel of the house, which is also in a conservation area, which has its own restrictions. But the (very tiny - six by one inch) sample of the finish that Calum and Baggy chose the colour from, was a slightly dimpled finish in a soft yellowy ivory - called buttermilk, and it would barely change the outside appearance of the brickwork.
It's been stressful having the work done - obviously! The other internal work issues, really didn't help (see previous blogs). But the Topcote guys have worked their hobnailed boots off, and have been a pleasure to have around! Hormonal Hannah has been hanging on by a thread because of the stress, but she's found ways to cope; helped significantly by Furry Mama and Pepper Pooch.
Yesterday, as they sat inside the papered-up house waiting to go outside to see the first parts of the coating, Baggy was excited to see it - the pooch just wanted to get outside to chase his ball and see-off the people who kept banging on the walls.
By the time they got outside, it was pouring with rain. The sky was dark, and the light had gone, but Hannah got a shock. Or more accurately, two shocks. Firstly the buttermilk colour was considerably more yellow than the sample that they chose, but that was kind of okay, because Clara's favourite colour is yellow, and the new colour is pretty.
'What do you think?' asked Steve.
'Urrrrm, honestly - I'm not sure,' replied a very shaken Hormonal Hannah.
'Don't you like the colour?'
'Well, yes, I do, but it's a lot more yellow than we had expected it to be.'
'It will fade a little when it's dry.'
'Okay.'
'You look upset.'
'It's the stippling - it's nothing like I expected it to be. It's a shock!'
'But you were told it would be stippled?' asked a worried Steve.
'Yes, I was. And I was fine with the sample, but this doesn't look anything like I was expecting! I really don't like it.'
Poor Steve looked concerned. Hannah was desperately holding back the tears. 'I'm sure I'll get used to it,' she lied.
An extremely shaky Baggy called Calum to explain her feelings. This morning, the first thing Annie did when she woke was to go outside and look again.
She decided that she is fine with the colour. However, the finish was a different thing. There's no two ways about it - all of the gang hate it! From a distance, even a short one, it's not too obvious, but close to...
By the time the guys arrived at 8.00, her nerves were frazzled! As always, Steve and Jason were sweetness and professionalism. The Domestic Goddess made them their brews of choice, while Hannah attempted to pull herself together.
'How are you feeling today?'
'Truthfully - extremely upset. I know I said I'd get used to it, but I won't. I'm rubbish at change, and it's a bigger change than I was expecting!'
'Oh.'
'I know it's not your fault, but this is not what I thought it would look like. I can't have the rest of the house like this; I'd hate it!' By now Hannah was in floods of tears.
'Try not to get upset, I'm sure that we can sort something out.'
'But how? If this is the finish, then I don't want it. I'm just glad that it rained and you couldn't do the rest of the house - at least all the old parts are still untouched.'
Hannah felt bad for Steve, but for once she decided to stick to her guns. Yep, her anxiety was in overdrive, but occasionally that actually helps her to be strong, rather than just accepting situations she finds herself in.
'I'm really sorry Steve, but for the money we're spending, I wanted to adore this work when it was done, and I am not sure that I will now I've seen the first bit.' Blub, blub, blubby, blub.
'Don't cry, it'll be fine. Leave it with me.' Steve headed off to call head office, while Hannah tried to stop blubbing long enough to speak to Calum.
Long story short - today a different mix of paint will be arriving, that is far less stippled. This will be used on the rest of the house - the old bits. And, of course, all the frontage will be done in it. While she was at it, Creative Clara mentioned that she wasn't too keen on the colour that was to go on the sills either. She sent Calum a photo. He agreed. So a chocolate brown colour will also be arriving. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.
When Calum arrived home on Friday night, he agreed that Hannah had been right to express her concerns. Meanwhile Archaeologist Annie realised that she should see it as the practise of identifying changes to historic buildings. On the local church for instance, which as always in Britain is Grade 1 listed, the porch has recently had some repairs done to it. The new stones (intentionally) stand out dramatically. So on Baggy's house when it's finished, the twentieth-century extensions will be very stippled, the old eighteenth-century bricks will be slightly stippled.
But Hannah will have to wait to see whether she loves it, because today it's raining, so no work will take place; although later, the new paints will be arriving.
So Hannah was looking forward to having a day of no one around, intending to get The Domestic Goddess to at least try to reclaim the kitchen, when there was a knock on the door. Men! Scaffolding removal men, that no one mentioned were coming. They were quite quick, and it's all down; now Hannah is panicking that maybe it shouldn't be. Well, she'll find out soon enough...
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