What have you ‘done’ to your house since you moved in?

[Theoldwoman]

DH thinks in the 15 years we have lived here, we haven’t done much. He works away so it’s me who organises tradies etc, we have an unwell DC who is in and out of hospital. And well life just gets in the way sometimes. Not to mention the cost of everything!

So far we have:

Completely renovated bathroom and laundry
completely painted throughout
New roof
Roller shutters on all windows
Added 3 security doors
Divided large lounge room into lounge room and study
Added 3 new built in robes to bedrooms
Add air conditioning in 3 bedrooms and replaced the one in the lounge room
Added ceiling fans throughout
Built an amazing garden and chicken coop
Added shelving to front cupboard

Thats all the main stuff. We still have heaps to do ( mainly renovation to the kitchen and new flooring throughout except bathroom and laundry)

im happy with what we have done so far. There’s always something to do!

Previous house: 15 years, and we did the garden and painted a couple of times. It was a new when we moved in.

New house: 9 months, new front door, painted bedrooms, downstairs and hall to do. New bathroom going in soon. Garage door needs sorting, as will likely the fences.

Are you in the uk? Roller shutters security doors and AC sound unusual.

That's loads in my book!

We were 15 years in our previous place and we barely did anything:

New Roof to front elevation
New flat roof on extension
Replaced carpets in all the bedrooms
Replaced hall flooring with engineered wood
Sanded and changed stain of living room wood floor
Got sash windows refurbished and repainted a couple of times
Repainted whole place at least once
Bathroom refresh when we were about to sell

Although that sounds like a huge amount all together, over 15 years it didn't feel like that much (and the majority was done in the last 5 years when it was well overdue and we could have lived in a much nicer place for longer).

New build been here 10 years.
New carpets.
Decorated most rooms once or twice
Changed a few loo seats
Had the patio made a bit smaller and returned the lawn.

You have done loads! We have been here for 9 years and there is so much that needs doing!! We have done the bathroom, had some work done in the kitchen, but that's about it! It all needs new carpets and painting everywhere!

We are in Western Australia trying to keep out the heat!

It doesn’t help our house is 50 years old.

8 years and only have carpets. Waiting for mould and other work to be done before decorating

New bathroom / toilet downstairs
Knocked together the bathroom / toilet upstairs
New hatch and stairs to attic
Lighting and flooring for the attic
Ripped out gates and fence and hedges
New garden fence
Demolished shed and built a summer house
External security lighting and cameras
Drainage in back garden
Improved insulation
Built a rockery and laid garden paving
Curtain poles up and curtains (don't ask)
Some redecoration
Replaced the ancient boiler with a modern one
Opened up the fireplace and disconnected the back boiler
New roof
Replaced all the light fittings
Lots of ikea stuff built
Upgraded broadband and replaced wiring

I'd do more but I need to get the place rewired which I'm saving for, so there's not a lot of point decorating. Been here about 6 years.

9 years.

New windows in the ones that were oldest
Full new roof
Dug Up the very messy garden and turfed the lot
New fences on all sides
New gates
Turned box room into an office
Fully stripped and re done kitchen
Knocked through the dining room and kitchen

Just this last month
New bathroom
New boiler

And we are currently re plastering and fixing up the second bedroom.

Sounds like a lot written down but it’s taken bloody ages and we’ve saved and paid for everything cash so it’s a long wait between jobs and putting up with things being half finished!

Been in almost 5 years and not much cosmetically, though have had the house repointed, a new roof, and the conservatory glass and lightweight roof replaced.

I don't really like what we have but it is generally too good to replace.

17 years here.

New loft conversion with bedroom and shower
Completely redecorated 2 existing bedrooms including built in wardrobes (decorated twice each)
Decorated hall and living room - new built in cupboards on both
New kitchen including redesign to incorporate living area
New bathroom
Patio

I now feel the house is as I want it. Just maybe the hall could do with a fresh coat of paint.

I also feel like it's more mine as I split with my ex and bought him out - a lot of the changes are post that - means I can do it how I want!

Oh and new patio doors and flat roof when we did kitchen.

That's loads! We've done new kitchen, rewired, plastering downstairs, new boiler including moving it to the loft, installation of log burner, plus normal cosmetic redecorating.

Please can you tell us more about your external shutters, do they make a big difference? I'm considering them... they sound a better option than air con to me!

How much you’ve done depends on how much needs doing and how much you have/can save to do these things.

We have 100+ year old that needed everything doing, we’ve been here 6 years and done:
New windows and front door
new living room floor
new fuse box and electrics
new boiler
new sink/toilet
new internal doors, including custom made doors because old house and nothing is a standard size
new carpet
new loft hatch
painted internally
fenced the garden and put a new gate in
tried to maintain the bloody thing and stop it getting worse before we can get to the next thing!

I’m hoping the next house we can paint, maybe change the carpets and that’s it. At least for about 10 years.

In one year weve replastered downstairs and one room upstairs, bit of damp proofing, replaced all the flooring downstairs, new bathroom, new kitchen/utility/WC, new windows, new shed and returfed the lawn. The house looked like an old people’s home when we moved and we were lucky to have a chunk of money to do it all in quick succession!

That sounds like plenty!

In 9 months we've:

• Painted everywhere
• Recarpeted two bedrooms
• Fixed a few bits in the bathroom that weren't working (broken toilet etc)
• Re-did the decking and built a brick BBQ in the garden
• Replaced a couple of light fittings
• Chopped a tree down that was damaging the garage

So mostly smaller bits, except the decking. But that was needed as it was completely rotten.

We desperately need new windows, a new back door, and new fascias, but they'll have to wait a bit.

3 years. Absolutely fuck all.

Next week the unused downstairs loo is coming out.

The bathroom needs doing. The kitchen was brand new when I moved in but is a terrible design. I really want to do that urgently.

The garden is awful.

I bloody hate doing work on the house!

14 years repainted every room and stairs. Re painted more than once in some rooms. Had a kitchen extension, reused units but had new floor. Opened up fire place. New patio outside. Re did part of the driveway. Still much to do!

New build eight years ago.
Extended patio and completely designed and cultivated back garden. That evolves year on year.
Front garden landscaped.
Decorated every room once, some twice and some three times.
Created an open fire in the living room and subsequently, a log burner.
Replaced extensive laminate worktop with quartz.
Replaced living room and main bedroom carpet.
Stairs and landing carpet badly needs replacing, so we’re saving for that.

I’d like to redesign the kitchen, but there’s no money for that.
I’d also like to replace the bath in the main bathroom with a swish shower. There’s a bath and shower in the en suite.

Thanks for this. It made me laugh outloud which I needed. 😁

Wow op you have done loads .
in 4 years we have
skimmed hallway
decorated throughout
external insulation and gutters
New fence

In my old house which I had for 8 years I:
Replaced kitchen knocking down firebreast wall requiring double steel beams; replaced an extension with a solid brick one; replaced old outside loo as an en suite to above room because we also put an in ground pool. Added toilet to a bathroom that didn't have one. Turned smallest bedroom into a bathroom. Took down failed lathe and plaster ceilings to all upstairs rooms and downstairs hallway. Had new plaster cornices made for all using livingroom one as a mould. Recarpeted all upstairs and stairs. Put in new damp course. Rebricked driveway and added second drop curb. Installed two wood burners which required both chimneys being relined.
Current house of 18 months:
Replaced kitchen, redid both bathrooms, moved laundry upstairs by enlarging hall cupboard into guest bedroom and added built in wardrobes in the bedroom in the created alcove. Replaced built in wardrobes to master. Rebuilt cupboards in livingroom. Replaced hall door, living room double doors and the bifold doors to the garden with crittal style glass and steel doors. Added brick slips to extension walls. Created under stairs storage cupboards. Replaced and wallpapered downstairs loo.
Floors are original but recarpeted stairs and all upstairs. Landscaped garden, adding tiled sitting/dining area with pergola.
I'm done.

We have been in ours 15 years and it’s not needed masses of work, largely decoration

we have

replaced windows and front door
replaced kitchen
replaced bathroom
replaced downstairs flooring, kitchen flooring twice
put solid roof on conservatory
decorated all rooms a few times

need to replace internal doors
paint masonry and wood outside
replace boiler in a few years

In 5 years we have:
Replastered 2 bedrooms, lounge and hall
Replaced all carpets
Repainted everywhere
Completely remodelled the garden, removing several trees and building a patio
Added a woodburner
Retiled the bathroom and changed floor, changed the sink and taps
Put spotlights in the hall and kitchen
New floor in hall
The house looks totally different, only thing left would be a new kitchen. We've not really done anything structural but it's much nicer now!

Took down ceiling, insulated, installed new ceiling throughout.

Installed new double glazed sash windows

Reconfigured flat by knocking down walls, installing steel beams, constructing new walls, moving kitchen and creating a new bedroom.

Installed a new kitchen.

Lifted all floors to insulate, sand existing wooden flooring and seal.

Reconfigure bathroom and install a new one.

Full rewire. Changed all plumbing including new boiler and radiators.

Changed window to French doors.

Installed balcony. (We bought it without a safe one in place).

Fenced garden and built new shed.

Painted / carpeted twice.

We've had it for 6 years.

Still sounds like a decent amount of work but 15 years is quite a long time I suppose.

We have done in 6years:
New boiler and quite a few new modernised radiators.
Made a cupboard upstairs
Put in a 3 car driveway
Boxed in under stairs to make a cupboard
Put in a gas fire in living room with entertainment unit built in
Knocked through wall between kitchen and dining room
Put in new kitchen and utility room
Converted garage in to another living space (playroom currently)
New living room window to match beautiful new one in the garage conversion
New composite front door
New built in wardrobes in our bedroom
Created huge wardrobe/cupboard in one of the bedrooms
New garden shed and additional storage
Removed a lot of trees and shrubbery from the garden to make it bigger
Renewed all blinds in the house and decorated/painted everywhere as well as new flooring or carpets (apart from bathrooms)

Next jobs:
Main bathroom and en-suite were all renewed just few months before we bought it (6years ago) but I'm now really wanting to do downstairs wc and en-suite.

Would also like to do the garden but it will cost a fortune as it's big and not flat plus we hardly get chance to use it in sunny Scotland!

Would like to replace the patio doors and get a new back door.

I think we've been quite slow compared to our last house but then we've had 2 kids during those years and lockdown so maybe it's not too bad.