We have had a long term goal of saving enough money in order to retire super early and move to the Lake District in Northern England.
Our goal of moving to the countryside has been 12 years in the making and over the years it has changed and become focused on The Lake District.
Previous incarnations of our goal have been Devon and Wales.
The DIY Operation
Right now reality is starting to bite as we start our DIY operation to make our current home as up together as possible ready to put it on the market later in the year.
When you’ve lived in your house for 10 years you get comfortable with your existing décor and the quirks in how your house looks.
We have small marks in the lounge carpet where embers from the coal fire have jumped out because we were silly enough not to have the fire guard set up.
Such a simple thing to do or not do, but now we need to think about either replacing the carpet or hiding those marks.
For me there are too many to hide and I really wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so. Therefore a new carpet is on the list of DIY jobs.
An expense not-so-frugal lesson. Always put your fire guard up!
Future Home Renovations
I am avidly researching new homes on Rightmove and am beginning to realise that not only do we have a fair amount of DIY to do in this house, we are highly likely to end up with a lot to do in any new house we buy.
Because of the area we are going to be moving to and the type of house we want, most seem to be in need of renovation in some shape or form.
New windows are very much on the cards for most of the houses I have shortlisted as possibles.
I want to ensure we have excellent windows to keep the heat in and keep our bills as low as possible.
Being the frugal soul that I am, I will of course be looking for discounted windows as I want to get the most for my money.
Property Quirks
Quite a few of the properties I am interested in have weird and wonderful quirks.
Some are listed buildings which I would prefer to steer clear of given the problems with getting any form of planning permission granted without jumping through a load of hoops.
Many are older properties with various extra parts that have been added over the years, some being somewhat out of the norm.
I have seen spiral staircases, bedrooms accessible only from the outside, no front entrance and even a cupola.
I had no idea what a cupola was (do you?) so I googled it and ended up at direct roof lanterns. At least I now know what a cupola is!
I think I prefer the term roof lantern but it won’t be on my essential list – more of a nice to have if it is an existing feature.
Luckily Mr2p is a carpenter by trade and very handy at all things building like.
He is not so keen on buying a property to do up as it will involve a lot of work, much of which will fall to him to organise.
I am a willing labourer and will put in a decent number of hours. But quite often I need to be shown and told what to do.
Where We Are
Right now I am shortlisting properties as a way of checking out different areas within the Lake District when we next visit.
DIY has become our main hobby with the hallway, kitchen and bathroom all having had their refresh. Bedrooms and the garden are next on the list.
I’ll let you know the results of our next Lake District visit – I’d like to think we get a confirmed location pinned down even if it is one within a 20 mile radius of somewhere.
In the meantime I’m back on DIY duties.
Remember to always put your fire guard up around a coal fire!
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Last Updated on 16th September 2020 by Emma
All this talk of fires – I’m sitting under the air conditioner at the moment – it’s really hot out there!
Hmmm… not so here Frogdancer, unfortunately. In fact I’ve got a fire going right now and it’s only 10am! But I don’t have the central heating on so hopefully that counts for something? Snow is forecast again shortly and might coincide with our next visit to the Lake District – I am getting afeeling of deja vu!