‘The week between Storms Ciara and Dennis may not have been a good choice, but building work commenced'

It’s taken longer than anticipated, but the builders finally arrive to renovate diarist Corinna Bull's home — and all goes well until they dig through a power cable under the patio

- Corinna Bull

Nine hundred and forty days after we moved in, building work on our tumbledown house has finally commenced. When we bought the property it was primarily because we fell in love with the land and the setting, plus a house in need of ‘significant renovation’ was all we could afford in the southeast. It only took three architects, one planning appeal and dozens of experts — with skills ranging from topography to ecological habitat — and work has begun on digging the foundations. Perhaps the week between Storms Ciara and Dennis might not have been a good choice, but when you find a good builder (who shares your love of smallholdings) and they are free, you start work.

It all seemed so easy when my husband James and I first bought the house, and I remember saying to the architect that we would get the design and paperwork completed over the winter and could start in spring 2018. She wryly raised an eyebrow, and now I understand why. She clearly had more experience than I did of unsupportive parish councils, challenging design features and the constant worries about cost, exacerbated by me deciding to give up my corporate job.