We bought the bungalow in 2018 to move my elderly parents closer to us following Mum's stroke.  While she recovered, they needed help most days, i was spending a lot of time travelling back and forward so it made sense to move them closer.  As they lived in Windsor, we could not afford to move that way and I was very suprised when they agreed to our suggestion to move closesr to us.  But it has proved very valuable in the years since. 

I think we were very lucky in that when we started looking, this property was up for sale.  Its a 15 min drive for me but not too close.  The layout was workable and it came with a garage, workshop and a large garden, mostly on the outside, wrapping round the corner plot.  And it was perfect fo a Motorhome, which we'd be wanting for years but had nowhere to keep it.  😃

Our first change was to add a shower room as they both struggle to get in and out of a bath.  We had a good builder, Patrick, who we had used on our previous renovation (Scooby Cottage) though we did have to wait nearly a year before he could start work. 

Having the shower room made a big difference to them and as we had applied for planning permission, we had a free shot at another for 6 months.  So i drew up plans for an extension to the kitchen, as it is not very large with only a small amount of worktop.  After receiving pp, we decided that the parents would not cope with the disruption so left it. 

But now we are looking to the future and what we can do.  In the long term, when parents no longer need it, we want to extend the kitchen and across the back, to give a larger open plan space, and move in ourselves. Selling our current house to pay for the renovation.  We dont need a lot of space and the bedrooms are fine, we'd use one and convert the other into a dressing/storage room. 

But after wanting to build a Passivhaus for years, and hearing about the benefits of living in such from many on here, I am hoping we can renovate to a good enough standard to give us a warm, low energy, home without any draughts. 

So thats the plan!  I hope you'll enjoy the 'journey' as we progress through the renovation.  Next time - Using an Architect firm.  🤔