counting blessings

In preparation for the cold winter ahead, we’ve been getting our house insulated – installing an expol type product under the floor and proper blanketing in the ceiling.

We found a registered builder through the EECA Energywise site who assessed our house and gave a quote.

All was going well until last Friday, when his two ‘boys’ laid the ceiling insulation and then rushed off at 4pm.

On Saturday afternoon I could smell a burning smell and couldn’t place it – it wasn’t in the kitchen, it wasn’t the heater but every time I walked around the dining table it persisted. I figured maybe it was from the candle I’d burned the night before. Then the two lights over the table popped and went out. I called my husband, who was at a stag and far from feeling like dealing with something like this. He said the boys had probably just disturbed the lights and it would be fine.

Fast track to the next day – lying on the sofa, nursing a wee hangover, I looked up at the ceiling and saw brown marks. On closer inspection I spied bubbled paint. We rang the builder who came over straight away and called the Fire Department. We’d had a small fire in our ceiling. The Fire guys were surprised we hadn’t gone completely up in flames.

“You are incredibly lucky,” they said shaking their heads. For whatever reason that the fire didn’t persist, we are beyond grateful and are truly counting our blessings.

This past week, and this week coming, our house has been a shambles. We’ve had to have the ceiling panel replaced, gib stoppers, we’ve got painters this week. This disruption is frustrating – hence the lack of video blogs and so forth. But, once again, we are so frigging lucky.

Make sure your light fittings are well in place and if you are insulating your home, make sure they give those hot little halogens the space they need. If you’re renovating. Don’t use recessed lights – they don’t like insulation and they get very hot.

Tamsin xoxo