We had spent a long time thinking about how to design the stairs to maximise space. In the end we settled on a banister attached to the wall, with slats on the otherside to stop people falling off the stairs.

Chris ordered oak slates and a pine beam to attach the slats to. We then cut them roughly to the right length and screwed them into the beam at equal distances.

Together we lifted it up and attached the whole thing to the ceiling beam. We then checked that the beams were the right distances apart and Chris screwed from behind the stairs, while I held them in place.

The final step was to trim down the ends to match the stairs. It’s amazing how much the slats change the feel of room, one more thing to make it look finished.

Another small change to the lounge was that Chris’s mum gave us some nicer, thicker curtains. They were a bit big so I trimmed them down to size.

In the utility I attached the skirting, as usual it was a pain finding the studs to attach it too, but I managed it in the end. The final job will be filling the gaps.

While Chris worked on the van breaks, I cleared the area of the garden immediately in front of the French doors. We look out onto this patch from the kitchen, so I thought it would be nice to have something a little prettier to look at in the spring.

The area was filled with wild raspberry canes and bramble, so I spent a good amount of time digging out the roots. I also had to move a big pile of stones taking up one corner. We’re going to replant the raspberry canes somewhere more suitable to see if they will give us a crop next year.

As well as some new plants from the garden center, I also planted some of the plants we moved from our old garden, that were struggling in pots.

The next step will involve finishing off the drystone wall, putting in steps and a path. But at least we’ll have some flowers in the spring.