A year is a long time.
Except it isn’t.
With a demanding full-time job and a packed calendar (I flew 23 times in 2025 alone), a year can feel more like a month. It’s in my nature to feel frustrated by a lack of progress, even when—objectively—a fair amount has been achieved.
What follows is a before-and-after retrospective of my first year since arriving in Rugby. After just one year under extreme work circumstances (a first year in a new City role), this was never going to be a dramatic, TV-style transformation.
Everything has been done by me, and everything has been self-funded through surplus income. No bank of mum and dad, no army of contractors—just me, with a couple of days’ help from a few very special people in my life.
I also completed the entire move-in myself over the Christmas 24/25 break.
Progress on all fronts has been exhausting, but there hasn’t been much choice. These images represent Year 1, Stage 1. It’s been a strong start—but only a start.
The real magic and transformation are still to come…
I look forward to adding a further update in one year’s time.
Kitchen
Upon arrival
A year on
Living Room
Upon arrival
A year on
Dining room
Upon arrival
A year on (my Library)
Bedroom #2
Upon arrival
A year on (my dressing room)
Bedroom #3 (where I sleep)
Upon arrival
A year on
Bedroom #4
Upon arrival
A year on (my walk-in footwear wardrobe)
Ground floor Hallway
Upon arrival
A year on
Top floor hallway
Upon arrival
A year on
Ground floor bathroom
Upon arrival
A year on
A year on
Top floor bathroom
Upon arrival
A year on
The Garage
Upon arrival
A year on
Out back
Upon arrival
A year on
Out front
Upon arrival
A year on
The Attic
Sadly, I did not take before pics of the attic. This is a shame because it’s probably the space where the transformation has been most dramatic. Turning it into a better lit storage space involved several day’s very hard work.
Dr Martin James 