Since my partner and I bought our house almost two years ago we had always planned on building a new studio that would be home to Sketchbook Design. In two years I had managed to take over the house with stock and supplies. It was so important that we built a designated studio space from where I could create and run the business.
At the side of our home was an old rickety wooden lean-to that was surely the envy of all of our neighbours! However it had to go to make room for the new studio. So in April this year armed with plans in my sketchbook (live the brand) and an unwarranted confidence in our building capabilities, my dad and I began our project to build a new studio.
We struck it lucky in the first week as the weather was glorious (mostly, this is Manchester after all!) and we were able to dismantle the old structure. We then built and insulted the floor and erected the timber structure of the new studio.
In the second week we focused on cladding the walls, building the roof and fitting the Velux windows and our reclaimed UPVC doors. Unfortunately for us the weather took a turn on the day we started to fit the roof tiles and velux window…talk about timing!!!
We had managed to stick to our two week deadline (roughly) of building a weather-proof structure. Due to other commitments, mainly a trip to Japan and mural projects to complete, the rest of the studio was done over the next couple of months.
I was able to move in in mid July and am now writing this blog post from my desk in the new studio.
It’s been a long journey and one I’ve been planning since we bought this house. There have been sleepless nights and several minor injuries along the way but its all been so worthwhile. The whole process has been a huge learning curve and one I couldn’t have done alone (you all know who you are) but the sense of achievement of now being able to work in a studio we created from scratch is immense.
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