[plumseverywhere]

Demand is outstripping current supply for soap with whole sale orders rolling in as well as online personal customers etc so we've finally decided to stop talking about it and get on with converting part of our coach house into a soap making base 
Its victorian, with the usual 2 floors (accessed by internal ladder although we currently have an external ladder for shifting boxes through the door!) and is thick with dust, spiders, cobwebs etc but also full of potential.
The girls are having the upstairs as a den, the left hand door will remain my hay and feed store and the right hand door/side is my work place.
Work commenced 3 days ago, soon the Victoria plums will be ready though so we'll have to stop. I expect to 'move in' by October (hopefully before)  Means I can have my work set up ready at any time rather than having to wait for the kitchen to be free, drag everything in...etc but also means I can bulk order my oils and have space to store them         

[happygolucky]

Brilliant, I bet you wished you had done it before....its exciting and going to look fantastic, love doing stuff like that

[aess35]

Good luck..a friend of mine owns the Ochil Soap Company and she started off in her kitchen with little children around too then onto her garage..there's a great demand for products that have no artificial ingredients. 

[Fleecewife]

Your coach house is my dream outhouse 
 
It looks as if the clean-up is of pretty superficial stuff and you have some willing workers there 
 
It's amazing having watched your little business take off and grow - you are an inspiration to smallholders everywhere 

[plumseverywhere]

Well, its just sat there half full of hay and half full of junk! We've discussed it before and then put it on a back burner but seems that Goats milk soap is more popular than I ever dreamt it could be and we need to start being serious about it now! Its given OH and I a great opportunity to work together at building something within the smallholding and we are really enjoying it now 
I had a look at your friends site Aess - its lovely - my next step it to have our website 'done' professionally the photographer is coming after school holidays to replace my basic pics with proper ones! Like I said, we really didn't expect a business to come out of this - it was only ever making a few bars of soap to go with wine for families xmas pressies but fate had other ideas 
Now...can anyone recommend a good coffee maker and the perfect way to eradicate dust!!

[Anke]

Wow, how brilliant is that going to be! I am envious, we have no outbuildings (except for what we build ourselves from scratch) as ours was a building plot plus field.
 
Maybe that way you will also regard your business much more seriously - after all working from the family kitchen is always causing problems with trying to cook dinner while there is still other stuff all over the dining table...

[Alistair]

Plums, Jura f90 (or the equivalent) that's what I have, pour beans in top, put cup underneath subtlety top lit in blue light of course, press button, out comes coffee, you can also programme it for different grinds and volumes and conect it to the internet (why?) but I don't bother

I've got a nespresso in my shop, which is good but the pods are expensive and I've got a dualit machine but that's a fiddle and messy, cost wise, think the nespresso was about £100, the dualit about £125 and the Jura about £1200 when it was new (must've been mad)

I've also got a jar of Nescafé espresso which was a couple of quid

(I only drink tea)

[ZaktheLad]

Well done   

[plumseverywhere]

Thank you for the coffee machine recommendations, Alistair - intrigued by plugging one into the internet. must research that one     Was tempted by a Tassimo but the pods are so pricey (!) and to be honest I was just being silly and wanting one that could also make hot chocolate...
OH has of course asked why the coffee machine is higher on the list than other 'essentials' such as fridge, something to melt oils, storage etc...he was even so cheeky to ask if I was going to be sneaking into the soap kitchen with a book to kick my heels up instead of working....cheeky?!

[Mammyshaz]

Having to expand your little family business isn't a bad complaint at all      well done, a big congratulations 

I envy that building, it is lovely. Shouldn't take much to sort and a great place to work from.  Hope a lovely log burner is on the list along with the coffee maker 
Look forward tomseeing some piccies of the finished workshop 

[TheGirlsMum]

What a fantastic space.....and great news that you are expanding

[mowhaugh]

That's really exciting, well done on your business being such a success.

[RUSTYME]

Lol , yep , great to hear you are expanding plums !

[Lesley Silvester]

It's going to be great. I'll be able to inspect next time I visit. 


There is certainly something about going somewhere different to work. I could always get more marking/preparation/writing done when I went into my study than when I tried to work anywhere else int eh house.

[aess35]

  you should contact Fiona at the Ochil Soap Company to see if there are tips or pitfalls to avoid in taking the business beyond the kitchen..she's really nice, she's my 2 girls Godmother.  Angela