Do Up Diary #2: External view of Moregeous Mansions

I’m thinking that after writing all about why I fell in love with Moregeous Mansions but then showing you all those awful interior shots, I should show you her at her best, when the sun is shining on southerly facing elevations and the grass is green 🙂

She’s been a beautiful house to live in during the summertime, with the kitchen french doors thrown open and bedrooms warmed by the sun, every year it’s easy to forget we’ve no heating. Then October kicks in and the onesies come out!

The huge double height bay on the right is going to be replaced with new hardwood frames and double glazed units, made locally by Tom and the lads at Jackson Joinery. I dream of the day we don’t hear & feel the wind whistling through the thinest glass in the history of the world. There’s another double height bay further round to the right, so you can see why we’ve had to save up for a while… they are mahoosive.

The smaller section of building on the left was originally a stables block for the main house and parts of that section were started in the 1850’s. Kinda makes sense as the brickwork steps back a bit (where all the block guttering is in the middle of the picture) before it joins with the higher mass of the main property. The front elevation where ‘Collapsing wall’ is written is in rubbish condition, with longstanding subsidence from cracked drainage causing major cracks and damaged brickwork, so this is all coming down to be rebuilt with what I think is a fab mix of contemporary specification and also nods to the period feel of the rest of the exterior.

The large chimney on the far left is leaning as much as I do after several gin martinis, so she’s to be dropped by half with the help of much scaffolding and some big strong boys with good heads for heights. The one on the right is either halving or maybe even going completely because a new dormer roof is being built just to her left to form a new second floor bedroom. I don’t like the idea of losing her but she’s starting to lean too and the whole building might look neater with her gone as she’s so close to what will be the new slate clad dormer. Thoughts anyone?

Mr Moregeous has already totally knocked down the teeny weeny outhouse to the far left this week. That’s the sort of thing he does in between meals, it’s no wonder he’s constantly hungry. Can you also spot a very nosey cat?And yes, that’s a coffin lid. Left over from a Vampire party we had once, plus bottom section. Fully functional. May come in useful, you never know #thrifty