To get really down about the state of my house sometimes?

[FuckaDucky]

And ask you for any tips about making it a nicer place to be?

Moved in 2 years ago with a view to giving it new carpets and a lick of paint. However since we moved it it’s become clear that’s not going to cut it...

There is damp everywhere, making plaster fall off the walls in the living room, covering every room in mould. It’s in my kids toy storage. The wallpaper is literally falling off the walls.

One of the dc’s windows doesn’t close because it’s broken. The kitchen door fell off the top hinge last week so now it doesn’t close (and the bastarding fire alarm goes off every time I use the grill).

Curtain rails in 3 rooms are broken and hang down at one end.
The carpets are stained and the Lino in the kitchen is falling to bits.

There isn’t enough storage so there is clutter EVERYWHERE. DH is resisting buying any more furniture as we are hoping to have the money to do it up next year and ‘we’ve managed up until now’

I’m at home with 2dc all week and sometimes the state of the place really gets me down

You can start today by cleaning the grill, that'll stop the alarm going off.

Then reattach the kitchen door or remove it altogether if it's dangerous.
Temporary fixes for the damp - dehumidifiers etc.
Have the window fixed or resealed then start with the kids rooms and go room by room decluttering and doing little fixes. I'd remove the wallpaper and treat/allow to dry out.
I'm no DIY expert but can put up a curtain pole, YouTube tutorials are great for small DIY jobs like that.

Yes to getting the drainpipe sorted ASAP.

It's an easy job if it's not too high up. You can just do a temp repair if needed and use the cheapest plastic down pipes. You should be able to do it for very little money.

You tube is your friend with household repairs. I'll tackle anything if I've a you tube video to help.

Also get rid of the clutter and do it ASAP. It won't cost you anything and will make a big difference.

Thanks for all your advice - today I cleared 6 bags of clothes and 6bags of toys, kitchen stuff etc! I feel a bit lighter

I’ve temporarily bought the outside drainpipe down and stuck an empty dustbin underneath it (not great I know but better than it was for now).

Also bought some mould remover but it smells so strong - not sure about using it in the kids rooms?

This thread was definitely the kick up the arse I needed.

@shitonthebloodything we clean the grill pan after every use but it still goes off. Sometimes it goes off after just opening the oven cooking pasta bake!

I’m taking the door off tomorrow.

@FuckaDucka if it's the Cif one follow the instructions. You have to leave the room completely after you've sprayed it and make sure the windows are open. It's perfectly safe after that. It works wonders.

As well as tacking the damp do you know the source of the damp? A roof, pipes problem? Using a dehmidifier will take away the results but you need to find the cause. If you had a decent survey, not the cheap valuation one, and it was not noted then maybe go back to the surveyor and ask why not.

Fuckaducky... glad you've done so much clearing!
I have loosely been following The Organised Mum Method - and while thats mainly about cleaning - my big takeaway has been to do little jobs each day rather than get overwhelmed by something big. And it works - at first it seems like you'll never achieve much and then a few weeks down the line you realise that you've achieved more in a few weeks than in previous years!!!
Hang in there and do what you can, hopefully that money will come in soon for the big jobs...