Becoming A Family Again with VELUX Extensions

If you’ve ever carried out a home renovation, however big or small, you’ll appreciate just how blooming stressful the whole process can be and how much it can take its toll on the family.

There’s a reason why those people who feature their renovation projects on Grand Designs look more and more strained. Ageing about ten years, every time Kevin McCloud rocks up to see how they’re getting on. They’re usually years behind schedule. Thousands over budget and still living in the shed at the edge of a building site.

Well that’s enough to age anyone, isn’t it?

No one takes on a renovation project lightly. Oh, wait, yes they do. I did. What a numpty.

Six months I thought it would take us to renovate our home. Six months. In the end, it took eighteen months. We also went way, way, over budget to make the place livable and it still isn’t close to being finished.

We are however finally feeling settled in our new family home, but the road we took to achieve this home was a rough one and not one we’re going to forget overnight.

Remembering Our Renovation

For us, the renovation process was a really tough time. We came close to breaking us on several occasions. With Jack working two jobs plus doing a majority of the work on the house where and when he could, it put a huge strain on our family unit. Throw a new baby into the mix too, now that’s always a good way to ease any stresses. Not.

I look back on that period of time and it’s really dark and gloomy. Torn between whether or not we’d made a huge mistake in renovating this house. And if after all the stresses that we’d actually be happy in our new home. Both of which put a momentous amount of pressure on us.

We had taken a huge risk adding an extension to our home and we wanted it to be worth it. To find the light and to be content again which I appreciate doesn’t always come from material things. But for us, it was important to complete this house and start living again. Which is why I’m excited to work with VELUX again, focusing on all of the positive aspects that have come from our home renovation.

Choosing VELUX Roof Windows

When planning our single-storey extension we wanted to create a family space that would become the heart of the house.

The main vision that we had for the house was to have a central space, that would always be bright and light with additional access to fresh air, (I’m obsessed with fresh air flowing through our home. It is kind of a must when you’ve got littles and their stinky nappies piled up by the back door!) We wanted our extension to have a comforting and welcoming atmosphere that we could enjoy all day, every day and in every season of the year.

So choosing VELUX Roof Windows was a no-brainer for us.

Seeing The Light 

The moment you walk into our kitchen extension, the first thing you appreciate is the light. It is definitely an aspect of our home that we don’t take for granted. Having a North facing garden, it was crucial to bring as much light as possible into our home all throughout the year and this is achieved through our VELUX windows.

There are two moments of the day that are my favourite in our kitchen/family area.

First thing in the morning, when I come down to make tea and the babies milk, I’m always taken aback by how bright the room is. The quietest time of day, before my little Divas kick off and the day becomes it’s usual chaotic state. The brightness of the space calms me. Whatever the weather outside, it fills me with a positivity that sets me up for the day ahead.

When we reach the end of the day, I’m usually frazzled.

Before I take the babies upstairs for their bath, we put on our favourite songs, (our current fave is My Girl by The Temptations) and we spin and dance around the kitchen in an attempt to shake off any stresses, (and tantrums) from our busy days. I just love seeing the girls smile and giggle and it’s moments like this that make my heart full.

Becoming A Family Again 

Taking a moment to appreciate all of the hard work that’s gone into building our home, is almost a therapeutic way of moving forward for our family. Time to focus on all of the joy that our house brings us now and all of the love that fills it.

It’s the everyday scenarios that we love the most.

OK, so perhaps we don’t love the seemingly consistent chaos and the mess, but I do really love our breakfast times, coffee catch ups and play dates with friends. The play times and planning the future. Making dinner and catching up about our days. The little moments of every day which were always the moments that we envisioned. They were the end goal that kept us going.

We are finally starting to feel settled into our home and more importantly, we feel as if we are a family unit again. Learning to enjoy our time together again. I’m so excited to watch our babies grow in our new home and I’m also really happy that life for us is a whole lot brighter than it was a year ago.

VELUX Extension Pinterest Inspiration

As part of the #VELUXextensions campaign, I’m excited to be hosting a mood board of inspiration over on my Pinterest page. Where I’ll be pinning a whole host of extension inspiration and ideas on how light and fresh air can be a real benefit to family life in your home. You can follow the board here or simply click on the link below.

 

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with VELUX (GBI)

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