Project Front Door...

From years of showing people around flats and houses, I know what an impact the front door and entrance to a property makes on the overall viewers attitude towards what they are seeing. I feel a good front door is a great way to welcome people to your home.

Refurbishing your door overview:

Nitromors paint stripper - £9.99 Homebase

Wood filler - approx £10

Sand Paper (Medium and fine grade) - approx £6 

Water based wood preservative primer - approx £15

Dulux Weathershield Satin door paint (we used Green Glade) - £19.99 Homebase

Door Furniture of your choice - allow £80 

Fitted new locks - appox £192 inc supply and fitting

Frosted door number film - £31 Purlfrost

Tools -

Assorted Screwdrivers

Hammer and Chisel

Wire wool

Detail sander with medium and fine sanding pads

Small roller set

Good quality 1 and 2 inch paint brushes

Nine months after moving into our home, I decided it was time to sort out our distressingly ugly front door.

Having bought a Victorian maisonette meant we have our own entrance on the ground floor. Luckily enough, we still have the original Victorian door which I had been told by many professionals was worth keeping and refurbishing rather than replacing with a modern door.

The gorgeous sewage green shade

The first thing was to remove all the door furnishings and 100 years of paint, taking away the sewage green shade showed quite a fashionable dove grey colour. I had to keep going to get the paint off down to the original wood as far as I could.

I used Nitromors (£9.99 from Homebase) to chemically break down the paint. This was far too time consuming and I was going to have to work my way slowly through each layer. (Not ideal when I had to keep seeing, feeding and checking on our 5 month old)

I broke out our old detail sander and worked my way through the layers, covering myself and everything (which seemed) in half a mile radius in dust, however I was down to the wood.

As much paint as I could remove

Then I arranged for a local locksmith to fit a new ERA lock and also a Chubb lower down at knee height. (£192 inc labour and supply of locks) I went for a polished chrome finished to match the door furniture I had ordered.

I filled all divots and imperfections with a light wood filler, dried and sanded smooth.

For the colour, we chose Dulux Weathersheild satin door paint in Green Glade (£19.99 for 750ml) and I made sure to use the correct water based wood preservative primer first.

The main thing you want is good weather as you cannot close the door for a few hours so best to start in the morning and don't plan to go out.

I then fitted the polished chrome door furniture - a chrome letter plate and tidy, kick plate, interior pull handle and a central knocker. (approx £72 from the Door Handle Company on line) Doorhandlecompany.co.uk

I retouched some of the paintwork from where the furniture fitting had scratched the paint work.

We sourced the door number from Purlfrost.com which was easy to fit from following the instruction given. The price is dependent on size and design.

I thoroughly enjoyed the project...so much I'm going to paint the neighboring door to match!

Sunday Brunch in Brixton

Sunday started with a change from the norm and we decided to visit Brixton Village for the first time since summer.
Since moving to SW2 in 2011, we've visited many times for breakfast, snacks, dinners and just a walk around. With a mixture of vintage shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes and grocery stalls it offers a bustling Sunday morning atmosphere (albeit more of the units are open Monday-Saturday)
We wandered down Electric Avenue and into the discreet Brixton Village entrance and towards the back to Senzala Creperie. Set in a row of exciting street food style cafes and restaurants and opposite Coffee Federation, its a busy spot on a late Sunday morning. A mixture of rarely seen young professionals and students seemly without hangovers all enjoying the fresh winter morning gives a positive vibe to the area.

Leigh and I, along with Mia in the pram were greeted inside. They managed to get us a table with the pram tucked in and out of the walkway with Mia fast asleep.

Service is always quick and efficient as they are one of the busier eateries and need to turn around the tables as quickly as possible… however we never feel rushed by them. 

I love the savory buckwheat gallettes of which they have a huge selection. The Berliner or the Morning Glory are out usual favorites for breakfast. Although we have tried the sweet crepes too and they are not to be missed. The hot ginger beer is a definite recommendation to accompany the food.

Warmed up with our bellies full, we left with change from £20 and a smile on our faces!

My First Stint…

So I’m a blog virgin…. not much of a writer (so please excuse) but a big talker!!

I’ve also started my own South London Mummy Website:http://southlondonmummy.com

Trying to find my way around the blogger blog designer I feel I’m re-opening parts of my brain left untouched since leaving on maternity leave from my estate agency in September last year…. and I’m rusty.

  

I thought a good start would be to put my year 2013 in review to put my blog into context.

2013 was probably the biggest and craziest year of my life…

My boyfriend, of 12 years, Leigh and I got engaged

We sold our first house together in Berkshire

We bought a new home in South London and refurbished it while living on site

We welcomed our beautiful daughter Mia into the world

Leigh got a major promotion at work

Finally we had the best Christmas EVER 

I tried to condense that as much as I could.
At least I didn’t start the blog last year otherwise it would be full of irate rants about builders, estate agents, hospitals etc. Now I look back it doesn’t seem so stressful.

This year the aim will be to have a positive attitude

Happy New Year!