In September, Pete and I got the keys to our first home. We had just started moving boxes in when our friend noticed in the corner of the front room the mycelium of wood rotting fungus. We spent the next days, and then weeks (now months!), lifting flooring, removing skirting, and chiselling off concrete to try to understand how far the fungus had reached…
It turns out that our entire downstairs has wood rot, and we have significant work to do to get the house liveable.
Unfortunately, we put every penny of our savings into our deposit, and so are trying to do as much work as we possibly can ourselves to fix it.
With full time work for the NHS, part-time self employment, and parenting three teenagers and a two year old, as well as the two hour round trip it takes us to go from my parents (where we are lucky to be living in the interim) to Pembroke, we are so limited on time.
Even though it feels a bit vulnerable and embarrassing, we are just trying to figure out a way to spend some solid time down there working on the house.
Next door to our new home happens to be a holiday let that has a weekly rate at the moment that is hundreds of pounds cheaper than in the summer. It sleeps 6.
We are thinking that perhaps if we can fundraise to stay for one week, this will be enough time to sort some rooms upstairs out, so that we might be able to move in…and work on the insane amount of work that needs to be done downstairs.
We would like to stay here: Hawthorn House from November 30-December 7
If you are able to contribute £5 or £10, we will happily have you stay with us while we are there, make you a meal, or go for a lovely walk.
It feels a bit desperate and overwhelming at times, so this is one way I’m hoping to feel like we might be able to put some good work into having an actual home to live in some day soon!