Marianne Suhr: The end is nigh

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It's official. I have finished repairing my house. I’d like to shout it from the very wobbly ridge of my rooftop, or have a fanfare play on the extremely long-suffering front lawn. But after two and a half years of hard labour and the joyful arrival of a baby, I admit to not having the energy to do either.

The last little challenge was a tricky area where the old house met the new extension. It was a funny type of lobby with four doors leading off it, all within a very confined space. There were two modern flush hardboard doors, a 1960s glazed door, and a rather beaten and battered original boarded door.

The area forms a focal point within our new modern kitchen and is the first thing you see as you enter the room so it has to be interesting and well finished. With a conscious desire to finish on a celebratory high – but with house funds now severely depleted – I had to raise as much energy as I could possibly muster and concoct an imaginative solution.

Credit crunch or not, the flush doors had to go. One led to the cellar, and needed something substantial to replace it. I got my carpenter to construct a simple boarded door with 6ft wide, beaded tongue-and-groove boards left over from the dado panelling. Strap hinges from B&Q in a style reminiscent of Arts & Crafts provided some simple detail without breaking the bank. The other flush door led to a cloak cupboard, and a heavy curtain in mattress ticking matched with the blue paintwork in the kitchen.

My father came up with a clever solution to the 1960s glazed door. He carefully took out the glass and replaced it with a plywood panel. Onto this he glued and screwed false rails and muntins, to give the impression of a four-panel door. A lock box and old wooden handle from a car boot sale made the door indistinguishable from the real thing. Simple, rectangular architraves to replace the ugly modern ‘bullnose’ profiles finished the openings and covered a multitude of sins.

The alcove to the side of the doors was the perfect space to add a little interest and provide storage. With wood worktop left over from the kitchen, we created chunky shelves and a place to display a few favourite things. Decorating took place conscientiously after supper every night with the baby safely out of the way.

So that’s it – the end of an era.

Well, almost. Within minutes of us declaring the house finished, my son Max crashed into the skirting board in his baby walker and chipped off a lump of paint. Luckily, we had saved that last dribble of Farrow & Ball.

ABOVE (left - right): Marianne repurposed the alcove, building shelves from some leftover worktop; The inviting new area in the kitchen is a cosy place in which to unwind before supper.
BELOW (l-r): The lobby before work began – the 1960s door (left) was transformed with stick on rails and muntins and the flush door (centre) replaced with a traditional boarded door.

Tying up loose ends

• Check whether your planning permission or listed building consent came with conditions. If so, make sure you have complied with them and received an official notice of confirmation. This is an essential document when you sell your house.
• If you have had to get Building Regulation approval, ring up and ask your building control officer for a certificate for your records.
• Meticulously file away any receipts, warranties and guarantees for any fitted appliances.
• Always keep notes of the manufacturer and colour code of any paint you use, and store a small quantity in sealed containers for touching up.
• Any new timber is likely to season and shrink once the heating goes on. If possible, turn the heating up slowly to minimise warping. Be prepared for renewing paintwork once any the shrinkage has ceased.
• Remember, just because the house is finished, it doesn’t absolve you from future maintenance. Make a date in your diary for checking those gutters in six months time.

Settiling the bills

• The end of a building contract can often be a stressful time, as you agree upon the final account and oversee getting the works completed. This is when the small print in the contract documentation becomes critical – keep written records of all agreements as this will expedite resolving any issues.
• Before settling the final account with your builder, spend time checking that everything works, and that you are happy with the standard of finish. Compile a ‘snagging list’ of outstanding items. Remember that once you’ve paid the bill and builders have left site, you’re unlikely to see them again!
• Newly fitted showers are notorious for leaking, particularly at the junction between the top of the tray and the tiles. Check carefully for leaks before paying the bill.
• Make sure your builder clears away any rubbish and leaves the site in a relatively tidy state.
• If you have used a formal contract, check whether it contains a ‘Defects Liability’ clause. This will allow you to retain 2½ per cent of the final contract sum for a period of usually six months. The money is released at the end of the defects period after the builder has completed any outstanding items.
• Finally, if you have been pleased with the work and feel your builder has done a good job, do pay the bill promptly. It’s an unfortunate reality that many small firms go bust due to cash flow problems associated with unnecessarily delayed payment.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE SUHR
Featured in the May 2009 issue of Period Living