The New Studio/Workshop. Part Four and Five.

Week three began with steps being built front and back, and the double doors fitted at the back. Don't they look great? Just the slabs on top of the steps and railings each side will finish it off.

I didn't get any inbetween pictures of the steps being built and the lintel being raised, to be quite honest it was so noisy, hammers, drills and angle grinders that I fled to Windsor for they day!
So this is the front with its new steps and the finished opening waiting for the doors.

Did I explain that this is the only access to the back garden? so there have to be doors front and back, and for that reason I will be having some sort of Vinyl flooring so that it is easy to clean.
The inside doesn't look that much different, but the wall, floor and ceiling have all had their insulation fitted, and have you noticed, the skip has shrunk!

Week four, new doors at the front! I'm hoping it is not too obvious they are doors, and look more like three long windows, there will be no handles on the outside.

And even more exciting news, a new doorway into the hall, now it really feels part of the house.

It is so lovely and light, and with the plasterboard on the walls and ceiling it feels much bigger.

The plasterer is coming on Wednesday so that is another milestone reached, now you are up to date, anything I share from now is in "real" time.
But the part that I am really going to enjoy, the painting, flooring and furniture is still a way to go, but I'm planning and changing my mind and planning again!
I'll keep you posted.

The New Studio/Workshop. Part Two and Three.

The first week of building began with putting in new floor joists to bring the floor level up to match the house. Eventually there will be an internal doorway through into the hall.
The outside wall of the garage had a framework of timber to hold the insulation, with 140mm or 5 1/2" of insulation on the floor wall and ceiling I should be as snug as a bug in a rug!

Foundations were dug for the steps front and back and an enormous purple skip arrived to take the rubble.

Met the plumber and decided on vertical radiators as I need as much wall space as possible for storage. I also had to decide where I wanted lighting and electrical sockets, so I went with you can never have too many approach...........I'm having lots!

Week two started with the installation of two Velux windows in the roof, and the raising of the big steel lintel over the back door and window to allow for new double doors. 

The loft space was boarded out and the electician has run all the wires in for the lighting and sockets, and the plumber has laid all his pipework for the new radiators. There will eventually be a pull down door and ladder so that I can easily access the loft space, more storage.........hurrah!
The new doors for the back arrived and were primed, this is Graham the builder painting the doors.

The garage door was removed prior to building the front steps, so for the weekend we were swathed in blue plastic front and back to keep out the weather.

Where on earth did all that stuff in the skip come from?

The New Studio/Workshop. Part One

At the end of the very first post on this blog, I mentioned that the builders were here converting the garage into a new studio/workshop space.

I thought I would share the experience, so this is the beginning.

The front of the garage.

The rear of the garage, the door opens onto a small courtyard.













Before you can have a garage converted into a room, you have to clear it of all the stuff that doesn't fit in the rest of the house. This garage has never had a car in it from the day it was built 20 or so years ago. It has just been a really useful storage space for among other things,

the Christmas tree and lights, pieces of furniture, paint, decorating paraphenalia, ladders, exhibition bags, trolley and stools, unfinished dolls houses, etc.

etc, etc, etc. So where does all this stuff go? A lot went into a skip.

The rest was shoehorned into two small sheds.

Hopefully some of these things will go into the new loft space in the garage, then I'll be able to get the mower out and cut the grass!

Part two to follow soon.

Kit of the Month

This month I thought it would be appropriate given that Halloween falls at the end of the month to make the Pumpkin / Squash kit, the Kit of the Month.

As anyone who has bought a kit from me knows, I don't do Fimo! So any kits which need grown vegetables, except for the tomato plant, but they are fruit anyway, I leave for you to buy or make and just supply the plant.

But Kit of the Month  has to have a special element, so the first 5 people who order a Pumpkin / Squash kit this month will receive one lovely Mouse House Miniatures Pumpkin free with their kit.
Just quote OCT10 on your order form or in an e-mail to georgina@theminiaturegardencentre.com.

Miniatura Weekend

The car was packed to the roof on Friday evening, just room for two small overnight bags and two people.

Setting off at 6.30 on Saturday morning, we drove through patchy fog all the way to the NEC in Birmingham arriving at about 8.15.
We set up quite quickly, my sister and I have done this so often now we don't have to question what goes where.
There, done, now you can see what all that mess in my house accomplished. Hooks and boxes full of flower kits and examples of the finished kits all on display.

Other stallholders had set up the day before, and were giving their displays a final tweak. Miniatures as far as the eye could see.

The show opened at 10.00 and we had a steady stream of customers, some old friends who it is always a pleasure to see, and some new, hopefully they will enjoy making the kits and return for more.
Saturday passed quickly and we spent a pleasant evening in a local hotel, very nice dinner and a comfy bed. I was asleep by 10.15!
Sunday, oh boy did it rain! The local news was giving out weather warnings, telling people not to drive unless it was really necessary. Many hardy souls did make it to the show, but it was much quieter than normal.
It gave me a chance to catch up with fellow stallholders/friends and to make a few purchases.

I have an idea for Sweetpeas growing up these cane wigwams from C.D Crafts. I will use the tangly stuff as stems. The crates from Anne Marie Miniatures will be weathered and filled with Christmas foliage. I'll keep you posted on my progress, both of these will be for the Kensington Christmas Festival, in December.
And the pumpkins? see tomorrow's post.

Luckily the sun came out at packing up time, so we managed to keep everything dry. Back by 7.45p.m. extremely tired but so pleased to be home.
I have spent the last two days unpacking and trying to get the house back into some sort of order. Now I must start making for Kensington.