Our Home Renovation Plans – Replacing the Boiler and Creating More Space
Our Home Renovation Plans – Replacing the Boiler and Creating More Space
2016 was the year of the extension in our house.
It felt as though our home was constantly changing, but by the end of it we'd completely transformed the way we used our downstairs space.
We added an extension to the back of the house and moved our living room into the new space. That meant we could divide our old living room into two, creating a new dining room and utility room.
But we weren't finished yet.
Our home renovation plans were continuing into 2017, with another big project on the list – converting the garage into a playroom for the kids.
There was also a considerably less exciting, but probably much more important, job waiting for us.
Replacing our old boiler.
Our Old Heating System
At the time, we had a system consisting of a gas boiler downstairs and an electric thermal storage Boilermate upstairs.
It had served us for around 12 years, but over the previous couple of years we'd experienced several breakdowns.
Those repairs were beginning to add up too.
The previous year we'd needed a new circuit, which wasn't cheap, and we were reaching the point where continuing to spend money repairing an ageing system didn't feel like the best option.
So, rather than waiting for the next breakdown, we decided it was time to look at replacing it.
Our Plan to Switch to a Combi Boiler
We decided we wanted to investigate replacing the existing setup with a combi boiler.
We hoped a newer system would be more efficient for our home, but there was another major advantage:
We could reclaim some valuable space.
And when you're trying to make the most of a family home, an extra cupboard can make a surprisingly big difference!
Creating a Wardrobe for Summer
Our thermal storage unit was housed in a cupboard upstairs, directly beside Summer's bedroom.
Summer had the smallest bedroom in the house and, with her cabin bed in there, there wasn't exactly an abundance of spare floor space.
Our plan was that once the old thermal storage unit was removed, we'd be able to reclaim that cupboard and turn it into Summer's wardrobe.
Suddenly, replacing the boiler wasn't just about heating the house.
It could give our smallest bedroom some much-needed storage without taking up any additional floor space.
I loved the idea of turning an awkward part of our old heating system into something genuinely useful.
Moving the Boiler Out of the Kitchen
The existing gas boiler was also taking up space in our kitchen.
Because we'd created a dedicated utility room as part of the previous year's renovations, our plan was to have the replacement boiler installed there instead.
That would potentially give us extra space in the kitchen while keeping the heating equipment tucked away somewhere more practical.
It felt like another little piece of the renovation puzzle falling into place.
Finding Someone to Install Our New Boiler
We planned to buy the boiler through Hubby's workplace – with his staff discount hopefully helping with the cost – but we'd still need to find the right professional to install it.
A boiler isn't something we'd ever attempt to install ourselves.
For gas boiler work in the UK, we'd need an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer, so our next job was finding a reputable local installer.
Our plan was to ask for recommendations, research local engineers, look at customer feedback and get several quotes before deciding who to use.
For such an important part of the house, we wanted someone experienced and reliable rather than simply choosing the cheapest quote.
Another Step in Our Home Renovation
Our aim was to have the new boiler installed before winter arrived.
After several years of repairs, we were looking forward to having a newer heating system under warranty and hopefully saying goodbye to those unexpected breakdowns.
But what I particularly liked about this part of our renovation was the knock-on effect elsewhere in the house.
Replacing the old system wouldn't just change how we heated our home.
It would allow us to reclaim a cupboard for Summer's wardrobe, free up space in the kitchen and make better use of our new utility room.
After the huge changes we'd made during 2016, our home renovation journey was clearly going to continue throughout 2017.
Next on the list?
That garage playroom...
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