“No, leave the door. And jot this down on your list. The whole kitchen needs ripping out. I’m thinking maybe we even take this wall down and open up the kitchen into the main living area. Lose the corridor altogether and put in a countertop island. What do you think?”
“I’d need to see the original floor plans to check if we’re affecting any load-bearing walls,” said Adrian. “But I don’t think that would be a problem. And then you could put four-panel full-height sliding doors where the French doors are right now, open up the whole back of the house onto the patio, make the most of the view. You could brick up the back door in the kitchen leading into the garden then, use the space for kitchen units. There will be plenty more light coming into the house.”
“Exactly what I’m thinking.”
Strange really, but Adrian came up with ideas almost the instant a similar thought entered Leonard’s head. They were most definitely on the same page.
“And promise me you’re going to remove this plywood panelling either side of the fireplace,” said Adrian. “Get the place back to its original setting. Every time I look, the eyesore makes me cringe. I’ll bet money the chimney breast is either red brick or local flint that’s been plastered over.”
Adrian pointed out a spot by the fireplace, beside the picture rail, where panelling had split from the wall.
“And it looks as though the plywood is coming away already up there. Want me to yank that off now?”
“Steady on, Wreck-It Ralph. Let’s wait until we have the right tools.” When he peered over, Adrian had turned to look at him curiously. “I imagine when we come back next time there’ll be plenty of mess to clear away. Let’s not make any just yet. Hey, listen. In case I didn’t make it clear, I want us to work on this project together on my spare weekends. I’d love to be able to clear a few weeks straight so we could just plough on, but I’ve been away from the business far too long already. And I’m going to need your guidance on what I can and can’t do structurally. Other than that, we work alongside each other. Of course, I’ll pay you, but I wanted to check you’re okay with that?”
“Don’t you want me to come down and keep things going during the week?”
“Not unless there are skilled jobs that I can’t so. I want to be here to see the place transform with my own eyes, and know I’ve been a part of the renovation. Does that make sense?”
“As I said before, you’re the boss, so you call the shots. I’m going to need professional help with some areas, such as taking down the wall between the living room and the kitchen and checking over the electrical wiring. Maybe I could do that on a weekday?”
“Absolutely. Just give me a heads-up. I’ll get you a spare set of keys cut. And I need to come back to Drayton to tie up a few things with my mother next weekend, so maybe we can meet up again and drive here together. Now what about the staircase? Does that need repairing or replacing?”
“Are you kidding? That staircase is a work of art. Let’s go check it out again.”
On the way back to the stairs to the upper floor, Adrian pointed out the low rise and how stable the staircase was, no noticeable creaks or wobbly bannisters. Adrian had called it right. The essential structure of the place, at least, had been built by artisans, built to last.
“Beautiful piece of craftsmanship,” said Adrian, once again verbalising Leonard’s thoughts. “All we need is to sand off the paint, take everything back to the original wood and either treat the surface or maybe use a light varnish. And definitely get rid of that threadbare stair carpet.”
Upstairs, at the back of the house, the bedroom overlooking the overgrown garden had a fantastic view of the countryside. Even on that bleak and stormy day, the scene through the large sash window took Leonard’s breath away. Like the rest of the house, the room needed redecorating and furnishing, with only a simple mat on the floor and cast-iron double bed frame.
“I can’t believe there’s no other bedroom furniture. Do you really think your relatives put things into storage?”
“As I said, I have no idea. I might phone my mother, get her to ask my aunt. The way things are at the moment I don’t want to talk to her unless I really need to. But I’m guessing they either didn’t have any furniture—they only ever came here for short holidays—or gave what they had away if nobody was using the place. Based on the state of the kitchen and bathroom, I’m not sure I’d have wanted to keep anything they had anyway.”
At some point, Leonard would need to buy furniture—or maybe choose from his online antique store—and perhaps arrange to have some sympathetic built-in storage included in the renovation. The same story applied to the two other bedrooms, the large one at the front and the small box room.
“Can I suggest that when we come back next weekend we stay here in the house?” said Adrian, out of the blue. “Get a feel for the place. If you’re coming to Drayton anyway, maybe you could purchase a couple of new mattresses online from the big department store in Norwich. If I bring my truck next time, we can chuck them in the back for the drive down, then we can sleep in the house. I know it’s not exactly five-star, but the bathroom works fine, the electricity’s running—although we’ll need to bring a couple of bulbs to replace those not working in the bathroom and the hallway. We’ll also need some sheets and bedding. Downstairs is going to be a mess if we start down there—which would be my recommendation—so I suggest we bring the bare minimum. What do you think?”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all under control.”
Adrian insisted they drag all three old mattresses downstairs near the front door, ready to put them in his truck for when they returned. They could dump them wherever local folk were allowed to dispose of unwanted items. Mrs Llewellyn at the pub would know.
While Leonard tested the water pressure in the bathroom and kitchen, Adrian managed to find a wooden stepladder in the old shed in the back garden and insisted on climbing into the loft space to examine the condition of the joists and rafters and check for leaks in the roof. Happily reporting back with good news, the loft only housing more dust and cobwebs, they continued the exploration of the house until the afternoon sun began to wane.
“Right,” said Leonard, finding Adrian on his back on the floor of the kitchen, inspecting the water pipes. The man loved to get his hands dirty. “We’re done here. I suggest we head back to the hotel and shower. And then I’m going to treat you to dinner at a steakhouse in town, one I found on my phone, a short walk from the hotel. My way of saying thank you.”
Adrian seemed almost disappointed at having to stop working. Leonard noticed how animated and immersed he became when engaged in one task or another—a man in his element.
* * * *
The Italian steakhouse—a recently opened bistro with young inexperienced waiting staff, but a top-class chef—provided the perfect end to a long day. Leonard treated them to dinner and even ordered a nice bottle of Italian red. Adrian started with his usual pint of local beer but seemed to enjoy the wine, especially when Leonard held the bottle before him and began to inform him about the wine region. Abruzzo sat on the east coast of Italy, the red being a bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. He explained how the distinctive combination of blackberries and earthiness was believed to perfectly complement pasta and red meats. After only a few minutes, Adrian tumbled Leonard when he noticed him reading from the back label of the bottle.
During the meal, Adrian continued to enthuse about the house, the improvements Lenny should make to the property, and frankly, Leonard enjoyed listening to him.
“Honestly, Lenny, I’m with you all the way. Open up the kitchen into the main living area by taking out the corridor and make the whole place more communal. And that bathroom is huge. You’ve got enough space to install a decent-sized bathanda separate shower. I can visualise it already.”
By the time they had finished the wine and Leonard had been brought a plain coffee—Adrian preferring another bottle of beer—and their cheesecakes arrived, Leonard felt nicely relaxed. He noticed Adrian leaning back in his chair, sated, curiously eyeing Leonard.
