Setting Foundations

Published: 2026-02-01

Author: Arty

Before we get chatting about what’s happened so far, happy new year! The end of 2025 was a busy one for me both personally and professionally, thankfully Christmas and New Year has provided a nice break to recharge the batteries. 2026 is already looking to be a good year in terms of work. My new projects are starting very early in January which is fantastic. I’m also fairly hopeful that some feelers put out in late 2025 will come to fruition and make 2026 a very productive year.

The key theme for me, for January and February is going to be dealing with the completion of the house purchase and kitting it out. I’ve spent a fair bit of money over the last few months prepping for moving in day (no furniture stuff, but certainly bits and pieces to make the move smoother). I’m hoping that by the end of February I’ll be mostly settled in and be able to relax a bit. The key bit for me is to try and get what I consider core amenities sorted out, especially before summer as that’s when I’ll want to be doing other things and enjoying the new place.

The nice thing about buying things over the last few months is I’ve been able to include them in my current budget - i.e. I haven’t had to stretch myself to get things sorted, compared to when I’ll be paying off the final costs + mortgage payments. It’s a bit of a balancing act, but I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to keep things on an even keel in the immediate term.

Right now though, I must admit it’s bit of a battle trying to get the house ‘sorted’ for what ought (in my opinion) to be a 5 year outlook. On one hand I’m trying to avoid what looks like ‘good enough’ because things are costly (such as good flooring) but equally I’m trying to avoid the other end of the spectrum where I end up spending a fortune on things that I may not need for a while, or that I could easily upgrade later. Buy cheap, buy twice I’m learning doesn’t entirely quite work for a new home!

A big thing I’m looking to get installed, and I’m absolutely willing to sink money in to is air-conditioning. This new house is incredibly warm (with an EPC rating of A/B), and after visiting the showrooms in the summer I can see that without air-con it’s going to be an absolute nightmare at night, and doubly so because I work from home. In 2020 during the covid era, I ended up purchasing a portable air-con unit which became such a life-saver during the heatwaves we had. I can’t get air-con where I am now; but my place - my rules!

I must admit though it’s a very daunting prospect. I’m about to be responsible for a plot of land, a building and all the associated maintenance and management that comes with it. My current location and setup has none of those responsibilities so it’s a big change for me. At this point I’m taking it a day at a time and trying to really focus on the positives. The house is in a great location, it’s a lovely build and I can see myself being very happy there for a long time.

Many will disagree with me on this front but my current goal is to overpay the full mortgage (up to 20% a year of the remaining value) so that I can be mortgage free as quick as possible (projected 5-7 years). While I could stretch this out to many, many years I really want the freedom that comes with owning a home outright, or at the very least reducing the monthly outgoings as much as possible. I know that this is a bit of a controversial approach, especially when interest rates are low, but for me the peace of mind is worth it. The 2008 crash still rings in my mind and I’ve seen too many people struggle with mortgage payments during tough times. To me, the idea of being able to minimize cost and have more control over my finances is a priority because ultimately, life is unpredictable and financial freedom is the goal.

Mortgages in the UK are a bit of a funny beast. Unlike other countries where you can have a fixed rate for decades; here it’s more common to have shorter fixed periods (2-5 years) after which the rate can change significantly. During 2010 - 2020 interest rates were incredibly low, but post-covid with inflation we’ve seen rates rise quite sharply. Coupled with the fact that house prices have also sharply increased to me it seems untenable and almost entirely irresponsible to take on a large mortgage for a long period of time. I want to be in a position where I can make decisions based on my own financial situation rather than being beholden to the whims of the market, rather than suffer the stress of rising payments. After all I know my situation today, but I can’t predict what will happen in 5, 10 or 15 years time.

While many will cry out “but you can invest that in the market!”: I have to say that for me personally the stress and uncertainty of having a large mortgage outweighs the potential gains from investing. Furthermore, the amount of interest saved over the long term by reducing the principal amount is significant. I see it as a form of investment in my own peace of mind and future stability. Coupled with the fact that the 20% amount will decrease sharply over time as the principal reduces, I see it as a manageable and sensible approach to home ownership and being able to then focus on other financial goals in the future, such as more investing.

So that’s where I’m at right now. A weird purgatory of waiting for the house to complete while trying to get everything in order for build-out day and then moving in. I have no doubt that it’s going to be a busy time while trying to juggle my work commitments, but that’s part and parcel of life.

Here’s hoping that my next few posts aren’t going to be full of post-purchase regret.