Hold my hand: pregnant and moving into a 1950s time machine

gwynlas

Women in the fifties had babies too. Stop stressing think of professional packers and removers and just get on with it.
Rewire is going to be messy as is instaling new heating, Why not set the place up as if you are camping?
You will find advice on the forum as to what order tp renovate but at least you have a fairly decent looking bathroom to start with.
Everywhere is going to be dusty and dirty but you will all get through it.
I was brought up in an older house with coal fires that had to be lit each morning, for heat and hot water. There were icy patterns on the single glazed windows upstairs. An outside toilet with a paraffin heater to stop pipes freezing but the snow still blew under the door.
Take lots of before and after pictures and in years to come you might consider doing it all again.

coffeehound

Something that can really take the stress out of house moves is to rent a self-storage unit for a few months. You can move nonessential furniture and items into it well before moving day so that it's just everyday essentials that need to be moved across to the new home on the day. That then gives plenty of room for cleaning and during immediate renovation tasks in the new home. I've done that a few times in the past.

Working_Mum

That is a stunning home and has so much potential!!!

I am in the process of packing up my home and have a system of using equal sized archive storage boxes for everything. They stack neatly and don't get too heavy.

I have de-cluttered as I have gone along and only placed items in the boxes which i love and will want in the future.

There is a note of what is in each box on the outside along with a number 1, 2 or 3 - 3 means I won't need the box for a while so can be stored away with the front of the box visible, 2 means I *may* need it so keeping it more accessible and 1 on the box means put straight into the relevant room because it is in fairly constant use and could be needed immediately i.e. kitchen stuff.

I think you are wise to live n the home for a little while so you can see where the light flows etc

There is a thread here about "prepping for winter" so you may want to take a look at that and see what measures you can take to reduce waste etc

Good luck with your house move, it has an awesome vibe and you are so very lucky.

Keep us posted!!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Move in, butter the paws of the cat, put kettle on and enjoy!

snoozer

What a fantastic house. You don't mention a partner, I would hope that they are getting fully involved with the packing if they are about. If you can afford it I would do as others say and hire a removal firm to do the packing.

I wouldn't unpack more than the essentials before you've had the electrics changed because that will be a very dusty job. I'd also ask the local water company to check for lead levels - they tell you to fill a jug a a certain time and will test it for you. If it's high make sure you run he water for a long time to run it through. If it's the pipe from the road the company might replace it for free (Thames water did this for my daughter). Make sure you tell them you are pregnant because they should do the testing as a priority and have young children.

Ercol and Parker Knoll are very popular atm but I'd think carefully before you sell it as you might find they fit the house perfectly.

ancientofdays

I think it has huge promise! I woukd just do the real essentials at first, you are very right to concentrate on the heating system. If you live in it for a while, you will probably get a feel for how you woukd like it to be in the long term and you won't need to worry about getting everything done fast.

thriftwizard

Wow! I have garden envy, and bathroom envy too! And all that Sanderson fabric... ace stuff!

buildersdaughter

It looks beautiful, and mercifully, it looks well maintained, so even if it isn't to your taste, you will be comfortable.
I agree about prioritising the heating, but research carefully to spend your money wisely. You may do better to manage for one winter whilst you work out what is best. An electrician can check the wiring and safety of the heaters. I have had babies in houses just heated by open fires, and if you manage them well, you can get the house nice and warm.
I personally would settle in to the house as it is, apart from the odd appliance, and spend some time working out what it need and what suits you. We did that (using the storage idea mentioned above) and were surprised how we worked it out in the end - my goodness, it suited us better than if we'd just gone in and changed everything.
Your daughter could be allowed to put up posters to cover her walls, and try out thing she likes without worrying about 'spoiling' anything.
And can I add that in the 1950s, my 'posh' friends lived in houses like that (I didn't)!

Fen1

There are people who live in full period houses, including dressing from their chosen period.
Don't just chuck out the cooker, fridge, wall heaters etc.
It's often the little details that make all the difference e.g light switches and cords.; telephone bell-ringers; handles and knobs.
They may actually be just the thing for an authentic time-warper. Have a Google and see!

MandM90

Thanks all, some really helpful tips. I like the idea of numbering boxes according to need. Going to try and set some small goals.

Tonight:

Help DD sort out anything she doesn't need, for selling/donating (this won't take long as we are big Marie Kondo fans so our house is quite minimal)
Start making lists of what we absolutely need to live/vaguely plan what we can pack first

This weekend:
Have a clear out of our clothes
Make plan to scrub house top to bottom bit by bit (dreading looking behind the washing machine!)

Next week:
Pick up packing crates from moving company

I will commit to packing a box a day as soon as I have them. DH is here and happy to help but if I'm being realistic I'll have to do all the planning/directing. He seems to use all of his energy of that type at work and his commuting/working hours far, far exceed mine so if I can do all organising then he is happy to do grunt work.