Anyone renovating this year?

[LittleCheesyPineappleOne]

We're renovating and internally remodelling our Victorian cottage this year. Loft extension, removing/moving staircases, moving walls, replastering - a big job. We have a super architect who is helping us convert our ideas into reality. He's just been over with the plans and we're now at the stage of getting quotes from builders and approaching the mortgage company. We hope to start in early summer.

I am now feeling increasingly nervous as to what a huge undertaking it is. We need to think seriously about details - shopping for a new kitchen/utility/bathroom/loo - deciding on doors/ironmongery/windows/decor. We will have to move out for 3-4 months so need to think about rental properties too.

Anyone else doing big work this year, who might hold my hand? Or point me to a thread if there's one going - I couldn't see one on the first few pages.

Thanks

Me! Must be bonkers. I have a blog at sixtiespalace.blogspot.com

Let the plastering begin!

Oh a blog, what a great idea. I'll add it to my google reader.

I might start one too actually.

Your house is going to look so fab when it's finished. All that light! I'm envious. Our cottage is cosy (read dark and gloomy), but we'll do our best with what we have.

Get yourself blogging, woman. We left a lovely 1930's house so I'm envious of a cosy cottage!

Were just thinking of starting too, although living here at the same time! Were having the loft extended, stairs hopefully moved and all our bedroom walls knocking down and remodeling.
Were just at the first stage and had an architect here tonight. I just hope to god they can come up with some good ideas.

Hi kbaby
It's taken just over a year to get to this stage. Granted, we had a baby in that time, and there was a bit of a hiccup when we applied for planning permission for a 2 storey extension and were refused, so had to start again from scratch, but I can't believe how quickly time passes. We're now five people in 2 bedrooms, so there's a degree of urgency to get it done!
The architect has been amazing, and has come up with some really creative ways of (a) using the space we have, and (b) making it work as a family home.

Wow hope it goes smoothly for you. I'm dreading that part. I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with 2 dc and builders!

Things are starting to kick off here - renovating a 60's property too....very scared - should be finished in 8 long months.

Pink cushion.

It will be fine. Are you going to move out?

I'm scared too.... I don't know where to start really. Think I need a spreadsheet. The architect has freaked me out buy telling me that the time to start thinking about little details is NOW. Erk. I thought we had ages....

OK then: architectural ironmongery.... where to start?

Sash window repair - will get a quote in

Fireplace - have found a local place so will get them round

Kitchen /bathrooms - [trying not to think about it yet]

We are moving out. Things that are freaking me out are the details. The details maketh the house. The decision - jeez the decision are hard - what do I like? I liked oak floors 2 years ago - I'm bored with them now - do I want to go poured resin, large tiles, rubber - I cant decide.
Have found a good bathroom designer - the bathroom is bloody hard to get right.
Everything requires so much thought....to get it right. 1960's house going very contemporary but I don't want it looking ridiculous - balance is key.

I mean the "decisions"

Yes you need a spreadsheet. And lots of magazines! We had a fireplace fitted today at a fraction of the cost we saw it in a shop. We bought it n the internet at "cast and pine" for £705 when the shop said £1300. They delivered at 7am on the dot, as arranged, and had travelled 100 miles to bring it. Can't recommend them highly enough - find what you want in a shop then find a builder!

We have a spreasheet!! This morning's task is to go to the library and borrow some landscaping books as we need to know pretty soon what shape our garden will take - builder is putting the sub base for the patio down - to save mess later on.

Fireplace looked good - we have decided not to have a fireplace - just a stove sitting on a piece of slate/matt granite - cheaper and simpler. Very difficult to buy somethings online - you need lots of knowledge to avoid screwing up and costing yourself loads of money. Ebay is full of people who have made mistakes - have a look, there are bargains to be had.

Must take some photos - the garden is looking particlarly good at the moment - it's full of building machinary and bits of tree strewn everywhere.

I don't thinkk there's a problem with buying online if you've already seen the product in a shop. The product won't differ bought from an online retailer, just you won't be paying extra to contribute towards the running of a shop!

A stove sound lovely

We did the kitchen this time last year,and just had the same people back to do the bathroom.

I found the most wearing things were having people in the house all the time,and having constantly to make decisions about things.It got very stressful,because DH would not make any decisions about doors,door furniture,finishes,tiles,flooring,anything at all.He'd mutter something about'us' needing to do this or that,what he meant was me to do it all.It was all down to me to do everything,arrange quotes,ring all the tradesmen,organise what days they were coming,be there to let them in,be back in time to pay them before they went,run around picking stuff up that had been left off deliveries and was urgently needed 'right now'.It is a good job I work locally and part time,otherwise it would have been a logistical nightmare.

Thankfully that is the last major job to need doing-all the rest is minor stuff now.

We are joining the renovation club - also 60's place.Just got planning so now getting builers quotes.
sixtiesqueen, the sink as plant pot is the funniest feature I have ever seen..What were they thinking!!

Can I join?

We are extending our 1930's semi this year. Going from a 4 bed to 5, play room, storage room and 2 bathrooms. Also knocking kitchen and dining room. Knocking down garage and turning that into more garden and the new garage will be attached to the house.

Plans approved. Finer details to be sorted.

I am struggling looking at plans and visualising the size in my head. Main worries are the kitchen/ diners and 2 bathrooms.

I don't know what I want anymore. I don't know what I like. But I do know it's not the same as DP.

Flooring? Arghhhhhh. Tiles for walls and floors - yawn.

My mantra is "it will be worth it, it will be worth it. "

Hello everyone!

We went out today en famille to get some ideas. DH + shops is PAINFUL, as he just gets this FACE which just says 'let me run away, please, I hate every second of this'. We had a look at some lighting in House of Fraser (mostly horrid), some tiles and paint in Fired Earth (a-maz-ing but ££££), some bathrooms and showers in a local independent showroom, and some kitchens in Magnet.

Have just realised that the kitchen that we have that is not fit for purpose and is pretty, but shabby, was probably v expensive 10 years ago. The kitchens in Magnet looked ok but close up the interiors/drawers/cupboards were not as good quality as what we currently have. So we might be doing a partial refurb of current units, new tiles and counters, rather than the considerably easier 'rip it all out and start again' method.

My dh is painful shopping - so are the kids! I tend to do all the choosing - we agree a budget and I present him with a few options at the end, he seems happy with that approach.

Been doing our farmhouse in SE wales for 3 years already spent £150k!

I went through a recent phase of absolutely hating it and wished it burnt down!

The whole process has been a complete nighmare, the minute you take blocks away you open a whole can of worms, lintels rotten, walls damp etc.

We lived in a caravan with newborn too while doing some work, moved back in and out again.

I find that decisions you think are right at the time - dont either work or hated and have to be stripped out again.

We have to do day rates and at £120 - £150pd and with materials a min £1000 pw!

We buy the best as its a life home. Fired earth, oak kitchen, lime plastering & paints, etc however we are far from well off and do push the limits. Now having a fab staircase designed which has to be spot on - no continous blonde oak please!

E bay has been a saviour we recently purchased x2 conservation roof lights which in Clements were £1000, we had for £300, yes used but who cares. You have to avoid the DIY centres and find real wood merchants and family run diy merchants that stock great materials at good prices.

I do like bespoke (trust me!), you have to buy from craftsmen which takes time and extra cost.

I hate decisions too.

Oooh! Can I join you all?

We have just bought our first home at christmas and we are very excited.

Jobs done:

Re-tiled kitchen (was mangy orange and yellow)
Put lights in where bare wires were
Repainted bathrooms
ripped up living room floor and started sticking down wood floor

Jobs to do:
finish sticking down wood floor, then sand and varnish
do the same in dining room, hallway and landing
knock out wall in bathroom
knock through wall in bedroom 3
replace floors in all rooms not done so far
build shelving into school room
tile bathrooms
replace oven with one that works
plumb in washing machine/dryer
somehow seal garage which at the moment is just corrugated iron nailed onto bricks.

Plenty to do, but no money to do it, so we are relying entirely on stuff salvaged from friends houses (we know a few people renovating) and freecycle.

p.s. I have 3yo and 8mo making it all very interesting logistically!

Me too, though small scale

We've been here 8 years and were always going to extend but have decided that it's too much to spend so have ripped upstairs to bits, having knocked around downstairs a few years ago.

It's another 1960's one, but a chalet bungalow rather than a house. Electrician found 1950's rubber wiring a couple of weeks ago so that needs sorting which is a nightmare as electrics were supposed to have been checked when the fuse box replaced when we moved in.

DD's in here new bedroom and just needs blinds and lights when electrician comes. Painting DS's room this week so can carpet and get him in. Their bedrooms made from old bedroom, a cupboard with a dormer added and the airing cupboard.

Our new bedroom is DD's old bedroom plus small bedroom, needs two new windows. Need to put in ensuite and wardrobes, then finally tile
bathroom and whack down stair carpet.

Downstairs only needs bits now but am very fed up as has taken so long and done loads already.

Does anyone know if you need planning permission to change an attic into another room?

Can I just add windows, or will this pee my neighbours off? (It's a terrace of identical houses)

It's not something we can do right now, but the loft space in our place is huge, and I'm wandering if (when DS is older) it will be cheaper to convert the loft into an extra bedroom than to move to a new place?

Currently DS and DD share a room.

We have started to renovate / extend our 1920s house. Building an extension at the back for a kitchen and utility room, new windows all round, all walls to be replastered, complete re-wire, new plumbing, heating system, new bathroom, new flooring, the lot. Unfortunately no money to move out while it is being done so will have a lot of mess to deal with. Looking forward to it all being done though as have lived in a wreck for the last year. Currently drooling over lots of housey magazines to get ideas for finishes etc.