October

The groundworks and landscaping are well under way now, and we're delighted to have found the original cobbled yard in front of the barn! The soil and stone are being pressure washed away and we're discovering more and more cobbles. Hopefully most of the yard will be intact, but the areas in which drains have been laid in the past will be repaired in due course.

We've always hoped to reinstate a cobbled yard, knowing that's what would have been here. Having received eye-watering quotes to create one, we're doubly thrilled to be able to enjoy the original - it adds even more to the wonderful sense of history here!

Also outdoors, the diggers are now on site to sink the huge underground oil and water tanks into the fields, and the water treatment equipment, which has dwarfed our tiny kitchen for the past year or two, is finally being relocated to the old flint privy! Not before time as Monty the Golden Retriever pup is now 6 months old and has outgrown his bed - we finally have space for a larger one!

The autumn weather is currently being kind and after a glorious sunny weekend, here's a picture of the view at the moment from Luggs Barn!

Inside, the oak flooring is now all in place and we're awaiting delivery of the new kitchen. Bathrooms are being installed in the next few weeks. We now have a lot of manpower on site and really feel we are nearing completion of this mammoth task!

Finally this month, we've just ordered a bespoke felt wall hanging from our friends at the Woolly Shepherd (who supplied us with sheepswool insulation). They took away Lily and Lucy's very first coats after they were shorn and have produced metres of wonderful felt, some of which once decorated will hang in pride of place in Luggs Barn entrance hall!

The website is within a week now of going 'live' and we can't wait to see the reaction from all our potential guests as well as friends and family who've been watching the renovations with great interest.

See you next month!

September

This month has seen the decorating gather pace and internal joinery begin. The bespoke oak staircase is being fitted, and oak flooring throughout the communal areas is almost complete. Plumbing and electrical work continues and the tiles and sanitaryware are all on site. We now have switches and sockets in most rooms, and within the next week or so should have working lights! As the autumn evenings draw in, we're also looking forward to fitting the woodburning stove in the first floor living room.

Repointing the exposed internal stone walls with lime mortar continues - the stonework has been a huge job but the character of the barn is returning with every week's work, so it's been well worth the effort.

Outside, the landscaping and balcony are next on the list, while the new kitchen units arrive next week! We have several new hens who are settling into their home and starting to lay already. The leaves are starting to turn and the valley and surrounding countryside are taking on their autumn colours. We're glad of the piles of scrap wood that the renovation has generated - with no heating in our own house, we rely on our log burning stoves to keep us all cosy!

Check back next month, when we should have a kitchen fitted and more internal joinery and decoration to report. We're still planning ways to make our very first bookings extra special...