Support thread for House Renovators/DIYers

[LPlateFlyer]

Was wondering if anyone wanted to join me in a support thread for all of us doing lots of renovating, odd jobs, diy etc. This can be somewhere we can do some well deserved bragging on a job well done!

I have sooooo much DIY that needs to get done.

I almost finished the downstairs loo yesterday. All that needs to be done is a second coat of paint on the door and a towel rail and toilet roll holder to be put up.

Yesterday's Tada list:
Painted skirtings in loo 2x coats
Painted door frame in loo 2x coats
Painted door in loo 1 x coat
Put together and installed a small bathroom cabinet


I'm about to start putting together an Ikea book case so that I can get some of the books out of storage!

[MinimalistMommi]

Can I join?

I need to (well, get someone in ):
-Take down old staircase and build new staircase in new location.
-Install woodburner -adding log beam etc
-Lift manky carpet and strip all the floorboards in entire house.
-re plaster entire every room in the house.
-Redecorate every room in house.
-Open up fireplace in front room.
-Replace Kitchen.

[MinimalistMommi]

I forgot...we would also like to replace all the internal doors too. Eventually we would like to replace front door and back door.

[Jidget]

Great to see to-do lists as long as mine!

I'm not very skilled at DIY and have to get better due to severe lack of money.

Sadly most of the jobs that need doing in my house are for professionals - electrics and plumbing - but I do what I can. It's a bit of a money pit but like you OptimisticOlive I want to make this place mine - good therapy and I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.

I've made a start and bought myself a sander

[Mum2Fergus]

Ooh can I pull up a chair?! Moved to new (well, new to me!) house end Feb. Here is my current to do:

• Fireman Sam bedroom for DS... have one wall left to strip of gloss covered anaglypta :o( have new bedding, accessories, etc ... and off work from Tue to get stuck into it!
  
• bathroom only had shower but have put in bath. Need to sort out some storage and find some tiles to fill a couple of gaps where the old shower cubicle was

[pettyprudence]

Another newbie here (well to this thread anyway!).
I am completing on my first ever home tomorrow and its a complete do-er upper! I have given myself 7 days to do the following work (and draughted in family, a plumber and an electrician):
Rip out all the laminate flooring
rip out kitchen
remove artex ceilings x2
remove false wall x1
remove false ceiling x1
scrub all wooden floors
paint all ceilings white
Decorate DS room
move radiators and washing machine plubing
install extra plug sockets & replace kitchen lighting
Start to install freestanding kitchen
buy cooker
buy fridge/freezer

Longer term:
Strip wallpaper and decorate in 5 rooms
take off tiles in ground floor shower room, decorate and turn in to utility room
strip doors
strip and re-paint woodwork
refit bathroom
replace some doors
landscape garden
paint outside of house
upcycle furniture
tons more!

Oh god Im feeling exhausted just thinking about it!

[LPlateFlyer]

Yikes Prudence!!! That's a huge list for 7 days!

Welcome Minimalist and Mum2Fergus (and anyone else I haven't mentioned by name yet)

Well I have discovered the next problem - steam from the dryer has put damp in the wall! A hole was drilled into the wall, and I attached the dryer outlet hose to it. But I didn't even think about sealing it or pulling it all the way through to the outside - so it looks like I've been putting steam into the cavity for over a year. Major OOOOPS!!!! I didn't noticed because it was behind a permanently open door, and other things.

Noticing now as I've had to clear everything to give the washing machine repair man room.

Sooo, how long for the damp to dry after I manage to fix/seal the hole in the wall (somehow)???!!!

[Tizwozliz]

I started slowly yesterday, I put up a hanging basket and that's about it!

[Brugmansia]

I currently am sorting out the fun task of finance. We're remortgaging to release some equity to pay for the next lot of building work (back extension for family bathroom and utility room). Fingers crossed it should be fine. It's just tedious having to sort out paperwork.

I've been cheering myself up by ordering samples carpet for the hallway and stairs. Our house is tall and skinny with lots of stairs so it would be really nice to have something that looks really good and makes a bit of an impact. It will be the last job to be done though so at the moment I'm looking at the fantasy options for ideas. Nearer the time I can come back down to earth and look at the realistic choices (unless we magically have enough money left).

[LPlateFlyer]

Ugh, finances. Glad it's you not me Brugmansia. I like looking at carpet samples - but we will only need carpet for the stair case and upstairs laneding so I will probably be keeping it neutral to match the wooden floors downstairs.

I'm washing machineless until Tuesday now. So will have to waste a morning at the Laundromat when I had planning on doing some DIY.

[pettyprudence]

just picked up the keys to the house and now having palpitations at the amount work i need to do. must remind myself to take one day at a time. i do have a habit of rushing head long into things and wanting done NOW (or even better, yesterday). not going to happen with this house, mostly due to lack of finances - eek!
image just going to focus on ceilings and floors this week

[Mum2Fergus]

Evening all well thats me finished for a week holiday! Plan on shopping tomorrow for remaining few things for bedroom then fit wardrobe interior. Also need to think about carpeting.

[NumTumDeDum]

Ooh this looks like the thread for me. We're renovating (very slowly) a 1930s terrace. Complicated by the fact that I wasn't able to find a job before relocating and then fell pregnant with DS. This house hasn't been updated since the 50s. So far we've had to knock down the lean to at the back of the kitchen for damp. I had earmarked it for a utility room but once it was knocked down we decided a conservatory would be nicer. 12 months on it's still not finished but the end is in sight. DP installed a heat pump last weekend which is now working (heats when cold/cools when hot). He has as a result finally finished the plasterboarding and now we're waiting for the plasterer to come and give us a quote for skimming. Other work needed is too numerous to list.

[MoreBeta]

We just bought our forever house. Never owned a house before, never done DIY before. I rang John Lewis and asked them to come and do it for me.

Apparently they are going to send people to do the kitchen, bathrooms, carpets, tiles and carpets. I asked if they did painting. They said no. I know a local firm that does painting and carpentry though so will ring them and they can also put in the two toilets we need.

Hopefully thats all sorted then. What could possibly go wrong?

[Mum2Fergus]

Beta, from my experience...everything! Watch your costs for starters; who is managing all the contractors; have you seen the project plan for any of the works?

[flow4]

Hello, I may be joining you soon... I'm just deciding whether/what to offer on a house that needs loads of work: 2 walls removing and RSJ, new plumbing and electrics, new kitchen and bathroom, total redecoration, new porch... To say nothing of the garden room and loft conversion I also hope for!
So... Does anyone wish they hadn't?!

[Mum2Fergus]

Welcome Flow...regrets, no, cant say I have. Only moved in here February and everything needs doing! Id be one for tackling everything right away usually but it feels right to pace this one a bit. Plan on being here for a long time!

[Tizwozliz]

I have had times (normally when I've been grouting floor tiles at midnight or similar) when I think why didn't we move into somewhere ready done.

At more rational times though I know it was the right decision for us and I get a huge amount of satisfaction from sitting in my kitchen and thinking 'I did that'

I also found taking before and after photos helped, as we'd slave away and then my mind would trick me into thinking we hadn't really achieved much until I reminded myself what things looked like before.

[Mum2Fergus]

My last 2 houses were new builds, never again. Didnt matter what I did or how much I spent...they remained character-less shoeboxes. Ive been taking photos as I go with DS room as suggested above...it really works in keeping me motivated!

So today will just be shopping for some things I need for getting stuck in next week. DS has a party at 2 so cant really start too much. If it stays nice I'll do some work in garden when we get back.

[flow4]

Thanks Mum and tiz. The 'being there a long time' feeling is important. In fact, it was imagining myself still there, happy, at 70, that made me decide it might actually be worth the effort!

Tiz, the photos are a really good idea. I wish I'd done it when we did the attic and replaced the kitchen in my current house...

[wonkylegs]

Fingers crossed we're moving in the summer to a lovely house which in our wisdom we have decided to do a lot of work to.
We've roughed out a budget and figured this into our costings with a fair whack of contingency.
We're doing the following
New roof
New timber double glazing (conservation area)
Roof insulation
Rewiring and some new lights
New boiler, 3/4 new rads & TVRs throughout.
New kitchen & utility
Knocking down wall between loo and bathroom
Fitting two new bathroom suites
Removing 1 fireplace (it's in terrible condition) and a few random sinks dotted around the house
Extension for an office
Decorating throughout
Wooden floors downstairs
Built in alcove shelving
New loft hatches
God it looks a lot written down
I'm excited and terrified in equal measures

[MoreBeta]

Mum2Fergus - we havent got to project planning stage but I did focus a lot on that issue in my initial discussion and will do so throughout.

It is a very important issue for me. I will be quite demanding on a very clear project plan otherwise it will be chaos.

[mamapants]

Can I join too.
We got keys to our project 10 days ago.
So far the OH has removed all carpets, doors, curtains radiatorsm
taken down ceiling in what will be our kitchen, removed wallpaper, knocked down massive built in cupboard
Taken down ceiling in study.
Taken down two built in cupboards in livingroom, removed wall between room and stairs, taken down ceiling
Removed old kitchen from our future bathroom, taken down ceiling, ocked off plaster.
Removed floor in bedroom 3.
Knocked down utility.
Removed ceilings, plaster in bedroom 1 and 2. Taken down wall and done studwork for wall in new location.
Phew... Tired just thinking about it.

I did all the finances and dealing with solicitors and banks and estate agents though.

[pettyprudence]

My family came to help today and we managed to:
Rip out most of the flooring
remove a false wall
remove a false ceiling
start stripping wallpaper
rip out kitchen
knock out plaster board wall in Kitchen I had no intention of ripping out but my dbro got over excited Did reveal an old fire place though.
Started to skim a ceiling

All of the above was achieved in 3.5 hours with a toddler running about! I mostly watched and muttered as each revelation will cost more money!

Tomorrow we will:
Finish skimming ceiling
Finish striping wallpaper in master bedroom
Scrub and clean wood floors
remove last 2 rooms of flooring
Potentially level kitchen floor
Possibly start painting

[Fiddlestickler]

Marking my place for if when we get the keys to our new house!

This is what we propose to do:
Knock down sun room and extend kitchen
Replace units and remodel
Replace bathroom - possibly make bigger
Build new bedroom over extension
Extend lounge
Level driveway and widen entrance

This is going to turn into a ten year project though because we only have funds for the kitchen extension depending on how much money the estate agent screws out of us . Or maybe just the bathroom... I'm trying to decide whether the ancient bathroom or the small kitchen will annoy me more!

[Aethelfleda]

wow pru, I am in awe!! ThoUgh things are always quicker with lots of you. Love the overenthusiastic dBro!!

Yesterday I mended our garden bench (it needed the planks re-screwing), and spraypainted our bench and patio chair frames, much smarter now as all shiny, and I used rustoleum spray in a nice racing green (it's £12 a can but is fab as it covers metal, wood and plastic and stays on v well). Have already varnished the patio table and chair seats but could do with another coat.

Also painted the back doorstep and garage back doorstep with black Dulux Weathershield: I should have shares in that stuff! It goes on very easily.

Lastly, I resealed the top of our tiling in the ensuite as it had started to detatch from the wall so I (ahem) cheated and filled the holes/cracks with no-more-nails . Should keep it in one piece.

And today I have (gulp) hit the credit card with an enormous bathroomage order from our friendly local trade supplier. Two showers plus enclosures, trays, new bidet and new sink will be ours very soon. My savings pot, she is creaking.....but will be SO worth it when I can step into a loverly hot shower in a few weeks time! it all arrives in a few days, v excited!!