I have just shown a few pictures of how the house has been renovate over the years. It is a typical old Georgian farmhouse, originally 2 bedrooms upstairs and 2 rooms downstairs, about 200 years old, we think.
Before my grandfathers time it appears a new kitchen was added with a loft for a labourer to live in above, certainly was always one of the warmest rooms in the house, Kitchen and solid fuel cooker below and the chimney brest in the loft as it took the flue gasses to the chimney. They also added what was common at that time a back kitchen and scullery and dairy. I vaguely remember the old dairy and passage way along side the house. These were replaced in the early sixties by my father, with a side extension running the length of the house giving us 2 additional bedrooms, a bathroom and a utility room.
After my mother died in the early nineties we started to refurbish the house and to improve it. We move in a few years later to look after my dad.
Our aim is to keep it as much as possible as it should be, but warmer and sound in all aspects.
One of the first big things we did was to redo the windows. They were the old type of up and down sash widow, and they are a unique look to this type of house. Fortunately we were directed to a company that replaces these windows exactly as they were in looks and action, but double glazes and draught proof ! Much quieter and warmer.
The next bid improvement was to put a conservatory on where the old front porch was. We believe the original front door was inline with the front of the house, there is an arch which when we were re plastering we found bricks and shapes that led us to this conclusion. After was added a small mass concrete walled porch with small slit windows and a low front door, about 6ft by 5 ft inside measurements. I am sure in its day it was a big improvement on the original doorway and gave more room to the hallway, but when we arrived( the present generation)we were pleased to be able to remove it. It was dark, damp and the roof was way past its best. We believe that the “Georgian” style conservatory that we replaced it with has been a success. It has allowed much light into the house, given us a secure front door, no mice or draught can freely travel through!! It is a very pleasant place to sit during the summer, North facing, so it does not over heat on warm summer days.
We have been working through the rooms in the house, dry lining, re plastering , straighten ceilings, adding coving, stripped the paint off the beautiful pitch pine stair mules, banister and uprights. Looks more original, but then people went through a time when all wood work was painted. We believe tat the hallway has still the original wood flooring, pitch pine floorboards over runners laid on clay.
Our 2nd last renovation was to redo the Kitchen area, back kitchen and scullery gone, all one area, floors one level, no steps as was common in that era, rebuild the leaky chimney and change the Cleopatra oil cooker my parents put in 40 years ago, it served very well, but it was due an upgrade, as it had upgraded the old Rayburn solid fuel range in its antiquity. We added a newer and more efficient oil range, combined with boiler, about 7 years ago.
Our last big addition was to put in a Biomass boiler, a Dragon heater from Dragon Energy Boston, Peterborough, in the farmyard, and this now heats the house. We heat water with oil during the summer, easier than keeping the Dragon fuelled. In 3 years I have used less 700 litres and that would include some winter burning when the Dragon was being serviced.