finally....can you help me with our new home?

[Heathcliffscathy]

after nearly a year of looking, loads of shenanigins, that old cliche the emotional rollercoaster and some terrible moments, it looks as if we will exchange on a house tomorrow morning...

so (deep breath), can you help me?

i know i should subscribe to Which online? and i know i should trawel the archives, but if you could give me any tips on stuff you have that you love, or the right places to look or buy i'd be eternally grateful.

we need to buy:
a washing machine, a dishwasher, a fridge and a freezer or a f*ck off fridge freezer, curtains and blinds and some furniture....phew. we want good quality but don't have unlimited budget, somewhere middle of the road basically.

also any other tips about moving house, decorating house etc etc.

haven't dared think about any of this up til now as just didn't believe it was going to happen, but seems pretty certain that it will now....

also, any really good sales for fabrics/products that will still be on next week?

thank you in advance for any help at all...

We have a bosch slimline dishwasher which is quite new but excellent so far in doing it's job and doesn't hold a lot less than a full sized one in my opinion...

And i wondered how your biting was going???

Good luck with the move...

And my current advice with decorating is do it once and do it quick after you move

sophable, search mumsnet products for wm, dw, ff etc. There are billions of threads on each of these subjects

dishwasher

dw/wm

white goods - usually bosch, aeg, miele come out best

sophable - we are where yiou will hopefully be very soon. So far I hav only bought a washing machine and tumble dryer and went for the LG Direct Drive 1600 and big tumble dryer - they are fantastic (well actually wm is fantastic, haven't needed to use the dryer yet, but it's a very lovely silver colour)

Curtains and blinds I have a local woman making for me - prices are lower than decent readymades, and I get her invaluable collection of fabric books and advice. I would say taht you should try and put off these purchases as much as possible - tablecloths and sheets safety pinned over existing poles make adequate privacy shields until you know what you want - and they do have to fit withyour scheme for each room. we are taking things very slowly - I expect to be here forever so I'm buying good quality stuff, and don't want to make expensive mistakes.

Any electrical stuff you do need - and lots of other stuff as well, make sure you check on kelkoo.co.uk and dealtime.co.uk - there is a huge difference in price between traditional retailers and some internet shops

Good luck

ahhhh. thanks prufrock...

cd i know i should check archives but am a lazy cow, ok?

anyone else?

We spent 17K redecorating the house (shudder) because once we started bits started falling off (walls, all the electrics, the whole kitchen and bathroom, that sort of thing) so I'd sort that out first and then spend whatever is left on carpets and then furniture last.

I would recommend Bosch's Exxcel range (mid range between classix and logix) also come with 2 year guarantee as standard. However, John Lewis products made by Electrolux/AEG come with 3 years as standard and are cheaper but comparable.

Try ebay for curtains once you have measurements. I sold a really lovely pair that were professionally made, but didn't fit our new house for about £6.00 in the end. I was gutted, but someone got an excellent bargain!! You just have to look hard! Happy hunting!

Agree with Prufrock about making do in the short term. Sheets are a good idea, just don't leave it too long ot they will become a permanent fixture if you are anything like me ( the de-contsructed look)

Anyone seen those fridges with a flatscreen tv in the door??

yes what on earth is that about? Why would anyone want to watch tv on a fridge?

our dw

looks like a good wm

I prefer those with a serving hatch for easy access to the white wine....

Sophable good luck with the exchange! We are also waiting to exchange on our new house this week (pleeeeaaasssse!)...and if we do completion will be 31st July...when's yours going to be?

I am in denial!!! Spending too much time on here (inversely proportionate to number of days left to go)

I just found somewhere that does really cheap but actually quite nice fabrics, it's called The Range - might be one near you...could get someone to make up curtains / blinds for you, or John Lewis express range are a good bet.

All our white goods are Siemens (same as Bosch but usualy a bit cheaper), they seem to last....(probably curse myself tomorrow when WM breaks down )

Furniture I am also on the look out for new ideas. I always seem to end up buying stuff that is cheaper, thinking it will do & then it looks awful or falls to bits, but really nice stuff is so expensive

Anyway hope it all works out for you tomorrow

Also, don't know if there is one near you, but The Curtain Exchange sells good quality second hand curtains - no idea on prices, but may bne worth a look?

sophable get miele if you can they are the best but a bit more expensive.

there is a curtain exchange near here

I like Ikea and Argos for curtains - but then I just like the very plain heavy cotton ones either tab top or the metal hole things. But they last for ages and are £20 a pair or something rediculous.

oh and Fired Earth has got a paint sale on 75% off on discontnued ranges. Their paint is so fantastic to work with - I'd never go back to using Dulux!

Ikea does very cheap curtains that are reasonable quality - I have a couple of pairs that have stood the test of time......

Good luck with it all Sophable - I moved 200miles 3 months ago and it was a STRESSFUL time!

arghhhhhh. we haven't exchanged still. apparently all the lawyers have to be in so it will be tomorrow morning now.

i HATE this process so much.

we exchanged today!!!!!!!!!! yayayayayayayayayayayayay!

Congratulations