my entire home decorating itinery (am I mad?) and how to clean dust from months of building work - opinions/advice please.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Ok some of you might or might not know care that I have had extensive building works going on it my home.

I live in a 2 bed flat with DD and DH and we have had the loft converted to make way for our son who is due 18 November. So we will have a 3 bed flat/maisonette (albeit 3rd room a tiny box room). it will be plenty room enough.

But. The work has meant we now need to decorate prettyy much the entire place apart from kitchen/bathroom. We need new carpets throughout too.

So firstly:

How on earth do I clean from everything? We are throwing old carpets away which is helping, but when I clean the front room now there is more dust within hours. I need it all properly clean before we paint. Tips/suggestions gratefully received.

Next. My plan of action to decorate before new baby arrives. Will involve the recruitment of some friends hopefully.

1. get carpet measured this week for entire house
2. Builder states he will be gone by week monday, so we will presume following friday as he is bad at planning. We will give ourselves 1 week to decorate the loft bedroom (bedroom 1)
3. following friday - carpet fitted in bedroom 1),
4. saturday and sunday - move our stuff from bedroom into loft. Loft complete (mostly). Move DDs stuff into hallway/front room -
5. Monday and tuesday decorate bedroom 2/3 (dd at nursery on these days)
6. Wednesday/thursday - carpet fitted in bedroom 2/3.
7. Everything returned to correct rooms on thursday/friday.
8. friday - following friday 1 week to decorate hallway (big job, lots of new plaster and new wood to prep and paint).
9. Friday - carpet hallway and stairs.
10. All done apart from front room which we can do over the next few weeks bit by bit.

10. Leaves me 4-6 weeks before baby arrives.

Its a tall order, but do you think its possible? It gives us 3 weeks to do all the decorating, moving of furniture, fitting of carpets. Or are we nuts and should I accept we will be having a baby in a dusty undecorated place?

Tips, advice, guidance from those who have been here before please. I am panicking.

[noddyholder]

Your baby is due on my birthday and I am an interior designer/developer there's a connection there somewhere !It can be done if you put your mind to it and will really be worth it

[CybilLiberty]

Why not wait until you've decorated before having the carpets fitted,especially if you are still undergoing plastering.

And as for the dust, a reallly good clean will do it, (go room by room) but rest assured you will still be finding dust months later.

As for carpet fitting, if you get someone in to do the whole house in one go it may well be cheaper.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Oh noddy are you? what a coincidence - It is meant to be then!

As an interior designer - what colour should we do our hallway? we have a dado rail around, currently painted white which we want to keep white (DH wants to remove it completely but no time to sort out paper removal underneath this time). I do not want magnolia, and we do not want brilliant white. Should we do two tones top and bottom, or just paint ALL the walls including dado rail the same colour? Carpet will be probably a brown hessian type of some kind. Banisters will be white with dark wood stained handrails.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

cybil - the problem with that is we cannot move into the loft until the carpets are fitted, and we do not want to move furniture up there (some will need dismantling and remantling) in order to paint the other rooms then move it all back again to carpet. Also, we really need the loft done asap as this is our bedroom. Currently DD is in with DH and us, with all her furniture, all our furniture, lots of the storage from the loft that we can't chuck (mainly baby related).

The logistics of moving everything around several times with a toddler and a big bump just fills me with dread.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

the plastering should have had 2 weeks to dry by the time we come to prep it. Hopefully. Thats enough isn't it?

I am thinking of planning the carpet fitter in advance, so although it will be in stages, it will use his time economically (apart from loft which will be easy, we might get our friend to do that one) and he will know in advance when he is needed. I cannot imagine he could do the whole place in one day, esp if we need to be shifting heavy stuff too?

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

I mean, in an ideal world, if we did not need to do moving and shifting anyway, we would decorate, then carpet. But I need DD in her own bedroom as soon as is humanly possible. For her and my sanity!

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

what i really want to do is prep the skirting in the hallway. I want to clean it, then paint it. I want to rip the rest of the carpets up and get started. But DH said no point as there will be more dust and it will get into the wet paint.

I think it is my nesting instinct kicking in. It is so strong it is taking all my might not to just put DD in front of a dvd and rip up the rest of the old carpet while DH is out and start it. I am having to fight really hard not to do it.

[noddyholder]

Your hall is like mine!We have a mushroom/grey sisal on teh stairs.White dado and architrave etc grey under dado and stone white above with big paintings and a large mirror.All v neutral apart from a grey orange and white vintage lampshade.I love it!We also took the glass out of teh door and changed it to one etched with little stars.HTH

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

oh that sounds lovely! And just like what we would go for, right down to the vintage shade! All the internal doors are being replaced with fire doors due to building regs, these are 6 panel white doors, already painted thank god!

[noddyholder]

We only have 2 doors into the living room and ds loo.as all rest open plan but they are white with big crystal handles which weren't too expensive.The floor in the hall is grey ceramic and our stairs are like yours.

[CybilLiberty]

I have sisal too, but in a corn colour, not grey.

And pavlov , having read your detailed timetable, providing you can book a carpet fitter for the times you want, it does make sense. But I agree with your dh, don't even hold a paint brush in the hall till the carpet is out.

I remember that nesting instinct! Mine was so strong during pregnancy 2 I ripped our kitchen out so we HAD to get a new one.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Ohhhhh I want big crystal door knobs! DH said not a chance, but i LOVE them, I have always wanted them. I might, might throw a hissy fit and put it down to pregnancy hormones

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

So, if I can't paint until the carpet is out....can I rip up the carpet? . DH said keep the carpet until all the work is done so it catches most of the dust and then we won't have so much on the floors to clean (old crappy floorboards), but I just feel like I need to do something! The ripping of the carpet would not be hard for me to do. In fact it would be liberating.

He is wise though isn't he, my DH?

[noddyholder]

You need the carpet out before you paint then you can get it right into the gaps etc.The crystal knobs from bombay duck are heavy duty he may like them!

[CybilLiberty]

RIP OUT THE CARPET.

Then lay it in the road and dance on it like me and my dh did when wee finally tore out the manky front rrom carpet we had been plagued with.

There are few jobs more satisfying.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

I fully intend to badger and hassle and complain to DH until he agrees that the carpet can go tomorrow. I shall, if necessary, cry! I shall do the same for the doorknobs and I shall show him the website!

I think I like the idea of a mushroom carpet.

What kind of grey did you use? Noddy? Not battleship grey i hope!

[noddyholder]

It is a mid grey not very dark but definitely grey iyswim.Its called dusted moss I think

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

So would you be offended or flattered if I copied your clearly artistic decorations? I might get a pot to test. I can at least do some tester painting can't i? Will make me feel useful. And it is bank holiday weekend, I am meant to be doing DIY aren't i?

[noddyholder]

it is a lovely colour I have it in our 'grown up'sitting room too

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Do you know what he said when I said I wanted to rip the carpet up tomorrow. He said 'i am going to wipe my arse with that idea' I mean how vulgar?! I said he is lucky I had other stuff to do as I almost did it today and he said he would have walked out in a huff. I replied 'but not forever though eh, you would have forgiven me at some point and it would be too late to change eh?'

He also is not impressed with grey or mushroom. He thinks we are mad as hatters. And when I told him about the door knobs he said 'Oh.My.God. Not a chance' and he is now cursing MN for filling my head. Forgetting what I like already

Hmmph. He told me to clean the bathroom if I had the urge to clean anything.

[noddyholder]

Oh no!My dp is used to it he's had nearly 20 years of sledge hammers and walls coming down .Silly bugger he is lucky you are willing to do it cheaper than getting someone in!

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

He has also now asked what 'sisal' is. I said 'the carpet we are getting dear' and then I showed him. And he just said 'you are joking? We are getting a cat scratching post? Or a door mat for the hallway? WTF!' I explained there are differing degrees of roughness, it is not all very course, but said we had agreed on hard wearing hessian style and this was the 'official' name of it. He put his head in his hands! Too late though, he has already told me to go pick the carpet! I promised him it was only for the hallway, not the bedrooms.

[nymphadora]

Can I recommend glassknobs.co.uk for your door knobs? We have just done our whole house from there.

I feel for you with the dust we have been doing up house for years and have livable bedrooms but just finishing kitchen . Still got living room/dining room to finish

[noddyholder]

The one we have isn't that rough really think it has a bit of wool in it Why is he so against your plans?It should be enjoyable for you both.Sometimes they can't see it until its all done!