The secret behind the panelling

Looks like little more than an attempt to hide the hideous wallpaper, or fill the space between the slats holding that tasteful panelling. Still, at least no skeleton!

Man darf ihn nicht alleine lassen…

Charlie der Zerstörer. Ich sag’s ja. Abriss können wir. Hoffentlich lässt er noch was übrig. Die Beschläge der Türe sind Original 1927 und werden keinesfalls ersetzt. Wofür braucht man Schlüssel auf Türen? Ich hab in meiner Wohnung auch nur einen auf der Toilettentüre. Vollkommen ausreichend. Ich kann mich nicht

Everything has got to go

We’ve got to have the electrics renewed throughout the whole house and this means removing all the wallpaper and cladding. I’m not really sorry to see this go here, but slightly surprised by the insulation behind it and what this might be hiding! Still, needs must…

Why?

Even if the keys have got lost, it’s easy enough to get new ones for these kind of locks, or just new locks. Instead, the hasp lock adds a vaguely sinister air.

Removing the stair carpet

The plan is to sand down, and then lacquer the staircase. However, the stairs up to the “tower” are also carpeted. So, sort of as a trial run for the tower itself, I took on the stairs. I got lucky: the carpet is every bit as cheap and nasty as

A weird cooker

I’ve never seen this before, but probably for a very good reason, if you turn on any of the hobs, the fan in the oven starts. Or maybe it’s supposed to be connected to the hood? In this kitchen, nothing would surprise me!

8 September, 2021 21:32

Da hilft nur Nervennahrung…

8 September, 2021 21:17

Vielleicht hätten wir den Blog besser “desperate fools” nennen sollen. Immer, wenn man denkt, schlimmer kann es nicht kommen, muss man erfahren, doch! Schlimmer geht immer! Immerhin steht jetzt der Termin für die Renovierung der Treppe im Flur. Das lässt hoffen, dass wir zum Jahresende zumindest dort ein Bett aufstellen

The Onion has some helpful tips for us

Things Nobody Tells You About Renovating An Old House This kind of renovation is a massive undertaking, so don’t think you can knock it out in just one lunch break.

Crossing the cultural divide

It’s been pointed out to me that not everyone will get the cultural references, especially of the name of the blog. This should be Watery Fowls, but that was already taken, anyway, this comes from a little gimmick from the title sequence of the British sitcom, Fawlty Towers, about

5 September, 2021 19:32

Liebe geduldige Gemeinde, da hat ja wieder jemand jede Menge vorgelegt. Ich komm ja kaum zum Luftholen. Aber, ich bin beeindruckt von Charlie’ s Tatendrang. Wer hätte gedacht, dass er die Bauleitung übernimmt und die erste Abrissbirne einsetzt??? Ich nicht. Heute haben wir mit Petra den Garten in Augenschein genommen.

The dining room

The wall from the kitchen will be knocked through here. We’re still undecided as to whether to fill the doorway in. This would make sense because you can already walk through into the living room. Which means a lot of entries, probably enough for sketch with Grover from Sesame