Building our roastery

My partner and I had a baby 14 months ago. We were living in a 1-bedroom flat in North London, and our open-plan kitchen soon became both a play area and changing station. So we went looking for a house in the suburbs. I'm not going to lie, whilst my partner was focused on what schools were close by and whether or not we could apply a roof extension, my eye was on the back garden, and would it give me the space I needed to build my roastery?

Below is a gallery that documents the building of Gramos Labs roastery. It may be small, but our ambitions are big! A picture says a thousand words, so I'll just leave you to flick through. But I will say this - it took 5 months from start to finish and things I've learned along the way.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Insulation is important, and expensive.

2. There are many ways to get a flat surface.

3. Lighting is essential.

4. When varnish drips onto glass, it's tough to get it off.

5. Decorate - you're going to want to hang out in there for long periods of time.

6. Ventilation is essential - and choose which way you want the coffee smell to go.