Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.

helensbiggestfan

😂🤣.    Well - there's no guarantee that money buys taste.....surprised at the builder though.  You would have thought he would at least have had the sense to sell some of the stuff he ripped out.....rather than shove it on a bonfire.  

Just woken up, feel better for having had a little nap.  

chanie

helensbiggestfan said:

I am aiming to turn my shed into a nice feminine "she shed" at some point -  it would go a treat in there.  😉. 

 She shed.  That has tickled me. I now want to turn my shed into a ‘Grown up Wendy house’.  That would be amazing.

phoebe1989seb

helensbiggestfan said:

😂🤣.    Well - there's no guarantee that money buys taste.....surprised at the builder though.  You would have thought he would at least have had the sense to sell some of the stuff he ripped out.....rather than shove it on a bonfire.  

Just woken up, feel better for having had a little nap.  

Indeed!

DH was flabbergasted when he heard this 😮 They had a team of builders working on the property for two years before they moved in, many of whom were still on site after DH began working on the gardens (54 acres in total) a couple of months before they finally got to move in. The original house comprised 10,000 sq ft (with 10 bedrooms) and all but two of the original external walls were demolished in the remodel. As it currently stands it's a 4000 sq ft, 4 bed.......all brand spanking and no period features remaining 🙄

We're convinced they've devalued the place!

DH had to laugh when a visitor asked admiringly whether a footballer lived there, as in our humble opinion a footballer house often equates to a lack of taste, lol 🤣

Glad you're feeling better, btw!

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment this morning was finding that I have lost another 2 pounds in weight. I now weigh 15 stones 13 pounds   

helensbiggestfan

chanie said:

helensbiggestfan said:

I am aiming to turn my shed into a nice feminine "she shed" at some point -  it would go a treat in there.  😉. 

 She shed.  That has tickled me. I now want to turn my shed into a ‘Grown up Wendy house’.  That would be amazing.

I have got a huge shed.....somebody has kitted it out as a proper workshop, with power and light.  Unfortunately it's in a sorry state. I did think of demolishing it and getting something smaller but  my odd job man says it's fixable. So, once that's done, I'm going to paint it and make it pretty.  It can serve as a den/Wendy house for the children......(and grown ups). My sons reckon it would make a great "man cave". 

I also have another corner of the garden earmarked for a proper summerhouse, I can just picture myself......genteeel champagne tea parties in the summerhouse, croquet on the lawn, whilst the Boys - both generations - retire to the man cave to do man stuff.  😂🤣

foggy here first thing but nice sunshine now.  Last weeks family gathering which had to be postponed has been reschedule for tomorrow so need to go shopping in a bit.  

Phoebe...Sacrilege!!   😂🤣. 

They obviously bought the house because they couldn't find the right building plot.  Sometimes the only way round planning restrictions is to demolish the old house, as long as you save a couple of walls it's classified as a renovation rather than a new build.  But essentially it's a new build.  I can appreciate that they wanted a new build but I think it's such a shame they didn't show more respect to the fixtures and fittings.  Just destroying them is so wasteful.  

I actually love both old and new houses - Both have their different charms for me.  And to be honest I can see no reason why you can't mix and match, new and old.  I think it makes for interesting interiors to be a bit eclectic.  

 I would love to design and build a really fab exciting new eco build, ultra sleek and sexy with all the gizmos, bells and whistles.   😂 I would use only the best eco and sustainable materials, my very own grand design.  Who knows, maybe one day.  

 I just missed out on a really fantastic building plot a couple of years ago which is why I ended up doing this renovation.  I do have half shares in a plot of land with my sister but it doesn't have planning permission.   A consortium were interested in it to build a golf course.  Our land would have been part of their entrance driveway so it's very important to them.  However, since Covid we haven't heard anything so I'm guessing they have mothballed the project.  These things can take years to come to fruition so I'm not holding my breath. 😁

I understand there's going to be a programme where Sarah Beeney is doing a new build, for herself rather than a client.  Not sure when it's on.  I like her, she and her husband have some amazing ideas.  I also love watching Escape to the Chateau with !!!!!! Strawbridge.  That man can do anything 😂 and his wife, Angel Something or Other. She is a very talented artist and designer.  

Anyway enough chatter....need to crack on.  Lovely sunshine now.  Going to head out and make the most of it.  

Have a great day, y'all.     Thankfully feeling much better today,  Xx

Wednesday2000

sugarbaby125 said:

My Champagne moment this morning was finding that I have lost another 2 pounds in weight. I now weigh 15 stones 13 pounds   

Well done! How much have you lost now? Are you actually following a particular diet?

sugarbaby125

Thank you Wednesday. 
I have lost 1 stone 1 pound now.
No particular diet. I just completely cut out snacking on chocolate, biscuits, cakes, sweets and crisps and also began to do a lot more home cooking so that I would eat a lot more healthy. meals. 

phoebe1989seb

That's brilliant, sugarbaby....well done 

I know, LL....it beggars belief! You're right about the building plot - they both grew up very locally (he's very much a self-made man, starting out with nothing so has to be commended) and wanted to stay in the area.

Although land is plentiful here, getting planning permission is hard because so much is historically farmland belonging to huge estates. Once they'd bought the existing house/land and acquired pp for theirs, they applied to build a contemporary farmhouse on the land for one of their grown up kids/their family but could only get it agreed if it was built in the style of a much older farmhouse......

DH's clients'  previous house is in the nearest hamlet to us, five minutes from the village they both lived as children. They also built that one *themselves* in the 1980s and it too is very much a pastiche of various historical styles. In fact the current new house is just a larger, slightly *grander* version of that. The kind of place you'd expect Marlene & Boycey from Only Fools and Horses to live! Trouble is they want the whole landed gentry lifestyle without understanding what that actually entails 🙄

helensbiggestfan

Ah bless them.  They will never be accepted by the County Set though,  It takes generations to lose the "stigma" of being Nouveau Riche.  New money and all that.  

This is a true story that one of my sons tells, and it's rather sweet in its way but it speaks volumes about the class system.  

It was about a new boy that attended his school.  Apparently the boys mother was frowned upon by the yummy mummies, a clique of very nasty women who considered themselves better than mere mortals like myself and anyone who didn't appear to be as well off as they were. The reason......because she turned up at the school gates wearing velour tracksuits (well it was the 90s 😂). They based their decision purely on a tracksuit.  

The Yummies ignored her until they found out who she was. Apparently she and her husband were self made gazillionaires who could  have bought them all out, several times over.  So then the Yummies went on a charm offensive, arranging play dates for the kids, inviting her to coffee mornings and lunches. The lady declined the invitations for herself but allowed her son to invite kids back to her house so he could settle in and make new friends. 

The Yummies were agog to know all about the house, how many bedrooms, the stables, swimming pool, tennis courts etc.  The kids weren't particularly bothered, they were used to big fancy houses crammed full of gadgets, toys and gizmos. They just had fun. However, apparently the kids did notice one thing............the dining room sideboard had drawers lined with velvet.  😂🤣.  They had never seen that before. It was a new one for the Yummies too because they were baffled.  Why velvet?  - they asked. 

Those Yummies were real mean girls.  They hardly gave me the time of day. I was beneath their contempt. Until I became secretary of the PTA. And then they were all over me. 😂. 

SUgarbaby....wow.  You are doing well.  

Our family gathering postponed from last weekend has been rescheduled for tomorrow.  Should be fun.  

mrs_slapshot

I love reading all your stories and updates. You lot feel like I've known you for ages!