Building A House

Building A House

Some years ago, my husband and I moved to the country to build a house. Plots of land were going cheap near the East coast of England., and we took the plunge. We had considered many possibilities of building a house or converting an old one. We did look at a number of old, run down properties which were advertised for restoration. The problem was there was so much work to do on the roof, the wiring and plumbing, that it would have been easier to knock it down and start again.

We decided to start from scratch, and be rewarded with the exact house we wanted. It had to be a house that fitted our particular needs. I wanted an office and my husband paints, so he wanted a studio with plenty of light. He also wanted a room with a pool table but we never did manage that! Building a house is a lot of hard work, unless you have the money to pay contractors to do everything. We were on a tight budget, and fortunately my husband is very handy and he can do just about everything. He is a trained electrician and has also picked up other skills having worked on lots of construction sites.

The only practical way to accomplish this was to buy an old caravan, which we put on the land and we lived in for six months whilst building a house. It was ok in summer but the winter months were tough. One morning, we woke up to find our bedding had stuck to the caravan wall and frozen. It was desperately cold and we took it in turns to be the one to jump out of bed, and put the gas heater on and fill the kettle for tea. When you start building a house, you're exposed to the elements and it's dusty work. I remember my husband stoically laying bricks in the snow.

Work parties were frequently organized, when friends kindly volunteered to come over at weekends and lend a hand. This was in exchange for hot meals and a night down at the village pub. Laying the foundations is the most tedious and time consuming bit of building a house. Once that's achieved, you feel like you're getting somewhere. Then there's the bricklaying, plastering, putting the roof on, plumbing and painting. It all takes time and it always costs you more than you think.

At last, and within our time limit but over budget, we got our dream home and moved in. Building a house is probably the most difficult but satisfying thing we have ever done. It was a glorious day when we saw that old, clapped out caravan rolling away.

Bedding and Bath

There are a lot of things that I need to get for my home, and the ones I want to get next are the bedding and bath things that I need to replace stuff I have had for a long time. I think it’s time for something new. I love the comforter we have on our bed, but we have used it for ten years and I think it is time for something new. I spent a lot of money on it when I got it, so it’s not a miracle it is still in good shape, but I am ready for a change. The same can be said for the towels that we have in our bathroom. They are still in pretty good shape, but I want new colors.

Most of the bedding and bath supplies I see in the stores are somewhat expensive. I have learned though, that you really want to spend a lot of money on these things. There are some things you might be able to skimp on, but when you are buying things that touch your body on a regular basis, you really do want to get the best things you can. What good is a towel that scratches your body, or won’t absorb the water? You end up with sore skin. Something like a towel should be soft no matter how many times you run it through the washer, and should always feel good on your skin.

When it comes to bedding and bath stores, there are many great ones from which to choose. I personally choose not to buy this type of stuff from discount stores like Wal-Mart, but they do have some decent stuff you can get. I like to go to the stores that specialize in bedding and bath, because they have the best stuff, the biggest variety of brands, and the most colors. I didn’t care about colors matching when I was younger, but now it is something that I have to have.

You may even find that you can find what you want at larger department stores like Macy’s. I get a flyer from them each week, but I have yet to go in. I have to admit they have great stuff, and I think the problem is that they have so much that I can’t choose. Bedding and bath is something that is a bit more personal than perhaps your living room furniture, and I guess that is why I seem to have a hard time settling on one thing. When you wake up in the morning, your bed is the first thing you see, and you want to get something that starts your day off right.