a very grand entrance

After putting up with a very temperamental diesel central heating system for years Woz and I decided that we couldn't pass on the boat with the heating the way it was and ripped the old system out, replacing it with electric radiators. They're incredibly efficient, have individual timers and work at the flick of a switch! Luxury!

With the space we've gained at the front of the boat where the boiler used to sit, we now have an entrance 'hall' where we have put up shelving for bags and shoes as we come in. It's made such a difference to how clean we're able to keep the boat and we're kicking ourselves we didn't do it three years ago.

Nate loves the new space as he is able to sit or stand on the shelves, leaning up on the counter from his elevated position. The fruit bowl however has had to find a new home.

home

More photos of the new look 'Papillon'. A striking difference from what it was.

drumroll please ...

We've finally finished painting the exterior of the boat, and just in time too as it's getting way to cold to paint now and much too cold for it to dry with any speed.





A while ago we posted photos of Woz painting over the old signwriting on Papillon. So today we unveil the new and improved version which Woz cut out from signwriting vinyl.

hi ho hi ho

Another Saturday spent working on the boat. Mostly clearing up and finishing off minor things. It was incredibly satisfying to finally cut up all the leftover bits of wood we've had lying around on our roof and on the pontoon, just in case. Now, with all the projects finished, everything left can be either discarded or cut up for firewood, which couldn't come at a better time as it's been freezing here lately.

Also cut up was our bathroom floor, which we loved, but unfortunately was the only design flaw in the renovation. We've replaced the floor with a combination of rubber and wooden decking. (Photos to follow). We're yet to test it as we are waiting on a part we've ordered for the shower but fingers crossed this will be the solution.

only you ...

I'm not entirely sure what to write to accompany this photo except to say that Woz is a very lateral thinker. The problem which presented itself whilst painting the boat in the water (most people take it out of water to a dry dock) was that the pontoon which runs along one side of our boat stopped about a quarter of the way of the boat. The solution; a canoe (of course!) in which Woz precariously manoeuvred his way around the boat with a paint brush in one hand and a bucket of paint in the other. It's an absolute miracle he didn't fall in.

The key to his success was to keep the water tank on the boat near empty which raised the hull of the boat. After the paint had dried we filled the tank again and the blackened area sank neatly below the waterline. Genius!

what's in a name?

before

Woz and I have been taking advantage of the beautifully sunny and clear days we've been having and have been painting the exterior of the boat. I was reticent to paint the exterior ourselves and wanted to pay to have it painted professionally, but having started to paint it ourselves I am surprised at just how good it looks and what a difference we're making. As usual we forgot to take any before shots, so when I realised this, the only rusty bit I could find was this small patch which shows you what the rest of the boat looked like. In it's past Papillon has been green, red, light blue , navy blue and now, grey. Traces of this were everywhere on the boat and so with a good sand and a dash of paint it looks like a different boat entirely.

they said it couldn't be done

So, the sceptics out there who implied that we may not be able to finish the task before us obviously didn't reckon on the fact that Woz is actually the Eveready Energiser Bunny. Fact.

True to our word, by Sunday night the roof of the boat was painted from top to bottom. Woz put two very long days in to get it done (and I put in a good two hours) but he did a sterling job, and it looks 100% on what it used to. The dark sky threatened rain on several occasions but fortunately we had two warm (ish), dry and windy days - perfect for drying paint.

And the best bit is we still have five days and 12 hours until we fly out. We could easily paint the rest of the boat. Yep, this is going to be a walk in the park.

how much do you trust the weatherman?

will we or wont we?

Okay, we sooo knew we weren't going to finish painting the entire boat this weekend. We did however aim to finish one coat on the roof section of the boat which curves around the edge of the wall and so far we're on target, although Woz will have to put a huge effort in tomorrow if he's going to finish it. Woz started sanding last night and finished off today at around 3pm. From then he has been 'cutting in' and has almost finished, which is always the long and fiddly bit. Tomorrow he'll finish that off and then roll baby roll!

The paint is light grey in colour and will hopefully be cooler in Summer than the revolting red primer underneath and a damn sight less ugly.

famous last words

It's one week until we fly to Australia for a month so we are savouring our last weekend of Summer and in true 'Woz & Em style', painting the exterior of our boat. We've wanted to do it for so long now but it has seemed like an insurmountable task, until of course, on the cusp of leaving, watching the hours quickly filling up with more 'to do's', then, it seems like a breeze.

'Do you reckon we could paint the boat before we go, that way if the weather turns when we get back we wont miss out on doing it this year.'

'Yeah, I reckon we could. It just needs a quick sand, and we can throw some paint at it. I think we've even got some in the engine room'.

'Brilliant! I can't believe we were thinking of paying someone to do it!'

'I know! We can easily knock it over on the weekend!'

the finished product

Here are a few photos we took on the weekend before we took the boat out. These shots may not look much different to those we've posted along the way but there is a huge difference to the eye when you're in the boat.

Initially we set out to achieve a very streamlined look and opted for smooth painted walls in order to avoid tongue and groove woodwork or lengths of ply broken by cover strips. We discovered there is a very good reason why these two methods are followed as not long after cladding the interior our streamlined painted panels began to bow and crack at the edges. We didn't account for the incredible amount of condensation that is found in narrowboats and so all our hard work was compromised by unsightly cracks and bulges. We were so embarrassed and would cringe whenever we had visitors as we had to confess that we'd done this ourselves. So, a few weeks ago, in our drive to complete the boat we decided to go with the 'boat look' rather than fight it and cover up the cracks and joins with cover strips. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that they weren't so ugly at all and after being painted and seem to blend in with everything else.

The new paint job was done with a hard wearing and washable acrylic paint which we hope will be an effective tool in combating the hand and footprints that make it to our walls on a fairly regular occurrence thanks to Nate.

And last but not least, to finish off the renovation we have put some photography up on our walls, some by me, some by Woz and another by Andrew (which so far has attracted the most comments!).

This weekend Woz and I are going to do nothing but spend time together, catch up with friends and relax and bask in the joy that is a finished project.

we did it

Well we did it. We set ourselves a deadline of this weekend to finish the interior of the boat and somehow we made it. Woz worked incredibly hard all week sanding, filling, painting, sawing, and even a little bit of designing as we reached the finish line.

On Monday, which was a Bank Holiday, we invited some friends over and we planned to take the boat out for the afternoon and evening. After a beautifully sunny weekend, on Sunday night and the following morning we had the most rain we have seen in months. With no prospect of it letting up we had to call everyone and tell them that our plans had changed and that we wouldn't take the boat out. Most people came over anyway and by the time they got here at 5 in the afternoon we were all standing outside in the sun in t-shirts. We took the boat out along a different route than planned, towards Limehouse. We had a brilliant night with not a spot of rain and plenty of sunshine.

Nate was a champion, being entertained by everyone on the journey until we put him down at 8pm with a bottle and he fell asleep. It was really incredible he managed to fall asleep at all as we had music on, the engine running, people walking in and out of the boat and the odd bang into the side wall of the canal! A big relief for Woz and I as we really want to be able to take the boat out with friends as much as we can over Summer.

make a house a home

Filling, done. Sanding, done. Fiddly bits and pieces that have annoyed us for years, done.

Tonight when Woz gets home from work we're painting the boat with one final coat and by Saturday after a good clean up the interior of the boat should be transformed. We've finally had some photos printed and will have them hanging on our walls, bought new throw cushions and now have a small but very welcome bookcase to house our books. All the finishing touches the boat has needed for so long to make it feel like a home.

What on earth are we going to do with ourselves this time next week?

same old same old

Another Saturday spent working on the boat.

I got a little more involved this time as we managed to keep Nate entertained in his carry-cot for a good part of the day (thanks Ellie for the idea!), interspersed with trips to the park and naps inside. I painted everything within an inch of it's life and was able to do a lot of it on the pontoon next to Nate. Woz was back and forth also, cutting, sanding and sawing. We're so close now! All the finishing touches are really making our 'house' feel like a home.

Nate had the attention of all the residents who passed by and also a paddling (had to google that one) of ducklings although as usual he seems more preoccupied with the camera than anything else.

the end is nigh

It's official! Our renovation 'to do' list is now short enough to fit on our blackboard. Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Woz and I have decided to spend every waking moment over the next month finishing off the bits and pieces that need to be done in preparation for Summer so we can take the boat out as often as we like and enjoy it.

The biggest job left on our list, painting the walls, is the most effective in giving the boat a fresh and polished look and the small amount of work we've done so far has already made a huge difference but we're battling against a fast moving tide with a certain little boy's grimy fingers scaling the wall daily, undoing all our work. At least the ceiling will be clean for a while but at the rate he's growing it wont be long.

painting and playing

easter monday

Today we had another incredibly productive day working on the boat. The warm sun and gentle breeze over the last four days has allowed us to paint coat after coat on various parts of the boat so we've now painted some panels that were yet to be painted and 'cut-in' the entire boat ready for it to be painted another weekend.

On top of that Woz has finished building a new bookcase (I foresee having to say 'No' to Nate repeatedly as he tries to pull the books from the shelves but then kids need to learn boundaries right? and we need somewhere for our books!), boxed in a very ugly steel supportive wall and installed two new powerpoints! I'm effectively the lunch-lady these days as I'm limited in my capacity to help out while Nate is awake and as he only slept for 45 minutes today my input was minimal to say the least.