We managed to use lots of reclaimed materials in the new bathroom including a sink made by J & R Howie in Kilmarnock some time between 1867 and 1886. And yes we did put up a wriggly tin wall in the shower and no the window isn't frosted!
The kitchen was relocated to a living room which had the original v-lining on every wall covered in 1930's newspapers and layers and layers of wallpaper. We reused this wood by turning it over and cladding one wall horizontally this revealed the name of the original owner on the planks from when the timber was ordered. The road sign was from the Luskentyre road end. When it was replaced I asked the Comhairle if I could have it, they probably thought I was mad but they agreed and it now has pride of place in our kitchen.
With the kitchen and bathroom finished during the first lockdown, in January and February of this year we decided to focus all of our efforts on getting the house to the point where we could move in. At this stage we still had no habitable bedrooms. In fact, one of the upstairs bedrooms had a rather unusual water feature. The dorma window had been leaking, which led to the ceilings collapsing and the walls and floor rotting. After a couple of months of hard work the teenagers are now settled in their new bedrooms and we are enjoying the space in our temporary bedroom which will, one day soon become our music room.
We've loved bringing this lovely home back to life and along the way we have found so many interesting parts of it's past (maybe a subject for another blog post?!) Moving into the house was a huge milestone for our family and we're ecstatic to be "ex-static" but there is still lots to do. We're planning a beer room and office in the front porch (which now was an unfrosted window) a bedroom for the hardworking Brewer and I and a cosy living room in the middle of the house.
But first ...MORE BEER!
