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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be upset regarding new home.

227 replies

2023NewStart1 · 20/12/2022 11:02

We’re in the process of moving into new home and I am shocked at the state of the walls. Not sure if we’ve been lucky before (3rd home move in 20 years) or if this is normal so posting here. The house looked beautiful and we thought it was ready to move in as it was exceptionally immaculate but now that the owners furniture and belongings have gone we realised how much it’s going to cost to paint. Every single room including the bathrooms has hundreds of nails dug into the walls! Even the decorator was shocked and said they seemed to have loved their pictures, we hung up a few pictures over the years and never nailed them in but used command picture strips. Only thing that was nailed in was a heavy mirror.

my mum was really shocked too, every single room needs to be painted and it’s going to cost a lot as we don’t know the names of paints used and trying to match up is going to be a nightmare. Mum very helpfully told me I should complain to the estate agent! I’m obviously not going to as the sale has happened and EA won’t really care.

any advice on what we can do or just anyone to sympathise? I haven’t told anyone in RL as it seems like a non problem but it’s really upsetting me as me we can’t move furniture in till decorating has been done. Every single room needs decorating now. It’s going to delay our move as all decorators are busy during this time

OP posts:
Amicompletelyinsane · 20/12/2022 11:17

We moved and found out one wall used to have a dart board on. You can imagine our horror and the state of the wall

Usee8789754 · 20/12/2022 11:18

Hilarious that your mum suggested complaining to the estate agent.

Eminybob · 20/12/2022 11:18

How are pictures of nails in a wall outing, when you have already told us there are loads of nails in your wall?

TheMagicDeckchair · 20/12/2022 11:20

Having lived in old houses with wallpaper covering walls of horrors, I’m afraid it’s just something you have to deal with as a homeowner. We have started removing wallpaper, only to find it pulls out chunks of blown plaster and then parts of old wallpaper seem to be superglued to the wall underneath. Then you’re looking at the mess and expense of re-skimming and repainting.
You don’t have to delay moving furniture in, it’s just cosmetic, just repair and repaint when you get chance/can afford it. I only know one person who repainted their whole houses before moving in, everyone else made do. We still have repainting to do 10+ years on in our house! But we also have a young family so will wait until they’re older and past the drawing on walls phase.

CaptainMyCaptain · 20/12/2022 11:20

Pretty normal in my experience and could have been worse.

UseAMuckySock · 20/12/2022 11:20

Christ just fill the hole in and paint the bastard. Not a big deal at all!

shivawn · 20/12/2022 11:21

Painting is a pain in the ass but won't cost that much or take that long. I can do a room in a few hours including waiting for the first coat to dry. I wouldn't wait until it's painted before moving furniture in though, just do one room at a time. Congrats on the new house!

BamBamBilla · 20/12/2022 11:22

It was their home before it was your home and they haven't decorated it for you.

If its 1 hole or 200 holes you'd have to fill and paint anyway.

MenaiMna · 20/12/2022 11:23

spagettinoodlebrain · 20/12/2022 11:07

Buy pictures and hang them on the existing nails

The correct answer right here!

CannonCaboodle · 20/12/2022 11:24

Oh gosh OP, please don’t post a picture of your wall with nails in, the entire of Mumsnet will immediately know exactly which wall of which room of which house in the country this is, and we’ll all have your new address. Terrible, terrible idea. I suggest you write a letter to your MP about how terrible this situation is.

DashboardConfessional · 20/12/2022 11:26

Unless you buy a new build you always need to paint. Nobody uses command strips to avoid holes in the walls for future buyers.

Virginiaplain · 20/12/2022 11:26

I would move in - spend a few weeks/ months deciding on wall colours, keep some nails in wall that suit your paintings/ mirrors.
You should end up with a better home in the end- no rush. Lovely by the summer.

TheShellBeach · 20/12/2022 11:27

Msgrieves · 20/12/2022 11:17

A picture of a wall would be outing?... OK.

Maybe she's moving into a royal palace.

DashboardConfessional · 20/12/2022 11:27

Also, you definitely can move furniture in. We just pushed everything into the middle wall by wall.

ChicCroissant · 20/12/2022 11:27

Why won't you move your furniture in - do you never decorate a house with furniture in it? You've made this into an awfully big deal when it doesn't need to be, OP. Move in and enjoy it, good luck in your new home.

hopelessatthinkingupusernames · 20/12/2022 11:28

When we bought our current house we discovered the previous owners had painted around the furniture - the purple bedroom with a green bed shape on the well was my favourite! Not a big deal, we just decorated over time. Certainly no need to delay your move

Bearonthestair · 20/12/2022 11:28

Why do you need to match up the existing paint? Surely you would want to decorate to your taste?
Is this a thing? I nearly gutted the house we bought.

VickyEadieofThigh · 20/12/2022 11:29

Everyone has to decorate when they move house. And why do you have to colour match? Paint it any colour you like.

Nail holes are just a hazard of buying.

TheShellBeach · 20/12/2022 11:29

One thing I think is odd is that you didn't notice this when you were viewing the house.

Actually the other odd thing is that you think a picture of the walls would be outing

scooobie · 20/12/2022 11:30

Most people hang pictures on nails. You saw the pictures on viewing. We moved in the summer and we actually did take nails out and fill and sand but we couldn’t paint. My Mum told me I was a mug for filling and sanding. I felt bad as the holes were big as our furniture was fixed to all as my youngest is a climber. You can’t use command strips for that.

The one we brought had nails everywhere, we mainly used them but we have decorated too.

You can move your furniture in, just cover it up while you fill/paint and do it room by room.

Don’t complain, the estate agent will laugh at you. You know you’re bound to find a few other unexpected horrors as well right, I’ve never moved into a house that didn’t have those. Current one the bathroom plumbing was a disaster and we have 2 windows that don’t close.

Given your disposition Id recommend never buying a house with wallpaper either!

ChristmasCwtch · 20/12/2022 11:31

You’re massively overreacting.

It’s perfectly normal to have to redecorate a new house. Paint fades where pictures and furniture have been placed. It wasn’t sold as a show home.

Buy rollers, tape, brushes and paint and crack on.

TheFlis12345 · 20/12/2022 11:32

Be grateful it is small nails, the previous owners of our house used 3 inch nails drilled into the wall to hang even the smallest picture!!!

TheFlis12345 · 20/12/2022 11:32

3 inch screws that should say!

Pr1mr0se · 20/12/2022 11:33

First world problem! Just relax and enjoy your new house.

UseAMuckySock · 20/12/2022 11:33

hopelessatthinkingupusernames · 20/12/2022 11:28

When we bought our current house we discovered the previous owners had painted around the furniture - the purple bedroom with a green bed shape on the well was my favourite! Not a big deal, we just decorated over time. Certainly no need to delay your move

Sounds like something I’d do to be fair 😂