The upstairs project 2016 (Index)

Introduction

Way back in 2005, we decided to revamp the upstairs because it wasnt suitable for our needs and required major repair. Originally the room was a bit of an after-thought; being added just after a couple years of the house being built. I guess at the time it was thought the room wouldnt be used all that much, and hence why it was revamped in 2005. However during this time, the windows have been suffering due our weather - the wood has problems and water has got between the glass (its kind-of hard to show you on a picture);



These windows have done well, as they are getting on for 30 years old now. For quite awhile we have been talking about adding a third window, to improve the amount of light in the middle of the room - two windows isnt enough for this room. So recently (May 2016) we started looking into replacing these windows with new ones.

The original plan was to simply replace the old windows (Velux GGL-5 - 70x118cm ...I think) and add a third one. After doing some research we thought about replacing the windows with larger ones (Velux SK06 - 114x118cm, in pine), like so;



However when we went to order them, we were told the model we had selected were discontinued. So we went back home and did a lot more research. I had another idea, if we got smaller windows (still larger than the old) we might be able to add four windows. Both solutions worked out around the same cost, and would double the amount of light in the room. It was a hard choice to select between the two, as both had their positive and negative issues. 3 bigger windows was easier to install, but may be kind-of heavy to move.. whilst 4 slightly smaller windows would be harder to install but would give much more control and throw light down the staircase (usually quite dark). In the end I opted for the 4 windows, which should kind-of look like;



4 windows will mean pretty much one side of the upstairs being removed. This will cause quite a bit of mess (as plaster board and the ceiling will come down - to change the lighting hopefully). During this time, the upstairs wont be very habitable so I will move some of my stuff to my bedroom (like the pc). The plan at the moment is to take a couple of weeks off to do it (whilst the weather is okay - we dont want rain).

The windows were ordered on 21st May 2016, with a delivery date of 30th May 2016 (a bank holiday for us). I decided to go for 4x Velux GGU 0070 MK06 with duo blinds (I like the idea of having defused, blackout or no blind). I didnt want to go for painted white, as I felt they would be harder to repair in the future.

Another thing we should look into is the lightning. At the moment we have 22x 50w halogen bulbs - which arent energy efficient and produce a lot of heat. I did want to use LED back in 2005, but it was way too expensive then. Now its a lot cheaper, so hopefully it should be an option. This will require the celling to come down however, as the transformers are in the roof.

So for me the first task is to start packing away things, and getting the pc downstairs. Here's how the upstairs looked before any work. You see what I mean about being dark in the middle? sorry for the mess. oh and btw, the white tape is to show where either 3 or 4 windows will go (top was for three, lower for 4).