Here we go again

After a blissful six months of just *living* in the house, we're gearing ourselves up to our next project, and the first of 2008 (if you don't count having the roof replaced).

They say life's full of surprises, and if you'd asked me this time last week which room would be the next to be done, the one we've opted for would probably have been last on my list. But that was before the two-hour drive to Ian's 50th birthday party last Sunday, during which Nikki managed to convince me it would be a good idea to swop our front room, currently used (occasionally) as the "posh" dining room, for the lounge.

In the end I couldn't deny the logic. Being north facing, the room is a lot cooler and hence more comfortable in summer. With a new gas fire and modern efficient radiators fitted, it will also be really cosy in winter. It's darker, so more conducive to watching movies at the weekend during daylight hours. It's easier to carpet than the current lounge, as we don't have to worry about what to do with the conservatory doors. It's also not in use full-time at the moment, which means the project can go ahead pretty much without disturbing the rest of the house. There are knock-on benefits to using our current lounge as a dining room too. The conservatory space makes it better for entertaining. We don't have to worry about carpeting it. And so on.

The debate, and online research into fireplace options and colour schemes, continued pretty much all week until today, when we sat down in the garden with cold drinks, paper and pen and planned out the project. If all goes to plan, it looks like we should be finished well before October: the next date when we plan to have house guests.