November 2021 – Is it 95 or over?

Will is a lighting geek.

Lumen, lux and CRI ratings crop up regularly in conversation. You’ll often find Will wandering around shops, rooms or cafes, referring to the lighting app on his phone and perish the thought if museum staff are altering light levels in the gallery when we visit.

So when it came to choosing lights for the annexe and Kelvin the electrician, casually asked, ‘have you thought about lighting yet?’ he didn’t quite appreciate the murky waters he was jumping into.

If Will’s coping mechanism is to head for the skip and salvage more mouldy wet wood, then mine is to go to the church garden to look for Flakey, my little cat friend. Our wobble was in response to the lighting brochure not quite coming up to spec on the 95 or over CRI rating or the kitchen fitters quote coming in. I’m not sure which, as both were very traumatic.

But on the upside Ben, the plasterer is finished and has done an amazing job; his finish is impeccable. We’ve started to whitewash the walls and ceilings the original pine floors have been sanded treated and waxed. Altro flooring has been picked for the wetroom, high grade and totally slip-resistant, and Matt the plumber, has ironed out the issue with the pipework, and the water pressure is excellent. The plan for the space, the flow and how it will function is starting to come together.

Kelvin called back a week later; he’d found some smart LED downlights with a 95+ CRI rating, a little pricey but worth it to Will. The pendants that hang over the kitchen unit are compatible with an IKEA bulb which surprisingly has a high CRI rating for a very reasonable price.

Ready to fit the sun tunnel we realised after unboxing it only comes in white. I can confirm having walked around St Ives on sun tunnel alert multiple times, that indeed every single one is white much to Wills’s horror. I was tasked with painting it to match the dark grey roof colour, a little nerve-wracking as it’s super shiny plastic but 3 coats in, after a super primer and it’s looking good.

The weather’s getting colder and the old creaking boiler that serves our bedroom isn’t exactly efficient, it’s either on or off due to its lack of a timer, so my electric blanket from QVC which occasionally burns our toes is a lifesaver. I’ll take the odd pickle on our feet over being cold and it only costs pence to run.

Skimmed

First sanding

Osmo oiled

White-washed walls

The drawing room taking shape

Sun-tunnel before and after

Lighting plans

Bathroom sketch

Will offering up a tile for the niche placement

Tilers Rob & Simon making herringbone magic

Altro flooring down, basin, toilet and shower in – check out the niche!

Flakey!

You can read the next update here – December 2021 – Waste not want not

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Karen

    Enjoy—your hard work is reaping rewards! Best wishes for your new life in St. Ives!
    Karen Payne

    1. Will Kemp

      Thanks so much, Karen; really enjoying the new landscape and exploring new places!

  2. Donna Rhoades

    Thank you so much for sharing!

  3. Colleen

    Having built our own home, I know the excitement and frustration which go hand in hand. Good job…it is really looking good…you will really enjoy it once it gets done!

    1. Will Kemp

      Cheers Colleen, yes that mix sounds a good description!

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