Renovation

[SecretOfChange]

Completed today, not moving yet because the house needs renovation. Anyone else in the same boat? Would you like to join this thread so that we can support each other and discuss things as we go along?

I will be inspecting the roof, deciding whether to replace gas fireplaces, and choosing bathrooms and kitchen in the near future. I will be testing the heating tomorrow to see if it works properly. I will be talking (again) to the builder next week to finalise things, agreeing a start date and deciding when I can realistically move in (the sooner the better but equally I don't want to be living on a building site).

Joining in.

We start the second renovation for our house next week.

We are in the process of emptying the house and moving into my in laws for the duration.

We know this is the hardest bit for sure

@NWnature I used Karen at OnePlan too. She's so knowledgeable. Anyone reading this, remember to book her in advance though as she gets busy. I booked a month ahead.

I'm still sorting through the quotes of all the places we sent copies of the plans too.

I have a wall with a big white board to try and keep to a timeline and I have a folder for each room pinned up on the wall so I can keep swatches etc relevant to that room in the folder . My builder can also access this room and we have the site meetings in there.
There's copy's of plans on walls too. And site chaps contact details too.

Welcome @Twizbe - good luck with packing and clearout - it's such a never-ending process! The more you clear out and pack, the more there is to do We moved 1.5 years ago so I remember that bit very well!

@lookatmememe - great organisation tips, thanks!

@SecretOfChange

Welcome *@Twizbe* - good luck with packing and clearout - it's such a never-ending process! The more you clear out and pack, the more there is to do We moved 1.5 years ago so I remember that bit very well!

Thanks :) always hate this bit. Works starts Tuesday so we are nearly done.

I do like a bit of fridge poetry @SecretOfChange, good idea and I love my new fridge.

So I've stripped the whole house of wallpaper in under a week. Then I hit a bit of wall and was wiped out for a couple of days! As for other commitments, only a 30hr a week new job and two dc half the time but I have decided to stay put in my rental for another month so that takes the pressure off a bit and I can get the very tired kitchen done fingers crossed. If I ever make a final decision on what I want...
My friend's husband who is going to do a lot of the work seems to not be that available a lot of the time... So I may need to adjust my plans for worst case scenario.

@SecretOfChange we’ve bought everything from Facebook market place. So far we’ve got a Magnet kitchen with AEG appliances, an American fridge freezer, dishwasher, roll top bath, sink and loo, and a massive original fire surround- total so far is just over £1100! Still got a UPVC back door, some internal doors and loads of furniture left to get. Not for everyone but we love hunting down a bargain!

It’s nice to know we’re not the only ones knee deep in old wallpaper and smelly carpets

Has anyone looked into Green Homes Grant scheme yet? Seems spot on and timely :)

@MrsT1983 - thanks!

Sounds like my area of expertise is a bit further along the build than many in this thread are but feel free to @ me with any decorating related questions

Please can I join? We also completed and moved in on 28th. We have downsized and this is a project; the architect came on 31st so plans are underway. We are planning a double height side extension and replacing the conservatory along the back with a larger brick built single storey extension. We are currently trying to find a space for all our things as we are now in 40% of our previous space however will eventually be 60% so that's a challenge!

Has anyone been doing their house this weekend? I've hit a bit of a wall (metaphorically!) and feel a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to concentrate next. It doesn't help that I have sod all upper body strength, so when I do start doing something - especially involving screws - I often can't complete it which really pisses me off!

I think I need to write a list... Might help my mojo come back? I did also start a new job the same week, and have my kids this weekend. So I should probably cut myself some slack...!

Builders started work on the loft conversion today so I'm quite excited to see progress and feeling positive.

Ordered bathroom units and tiles which are scheduled to arrive this week. Today I was measuring all windows in preparation for ordering blinds. I'm planning to choose kitchen appliances this week: dishwasher, washing machine, cooker. Then I'll be choosing lights (lamps etc) next week.

I need to finish planning layout of all rooms (furniture and stuff) and create a list of specific items to buy. I've done all rooms bar one so almost there. In parallel I'm doing clearout of our stuff - it's slow progress but I try to some of it every day, even if it's like one shelf or something. Currently going through books and toys.

@Misty9 I've got work and kids to look after too so it's rare that I can dedicate a full day to this stuff. I think excitement comes from seeing significant progress so perhaps focusing on something specific and seeing it finished can help? My September totally vanished with not much done except planning so I felt similar to you but now that it's picking pace I'm quite excited.

@MrsT1983 such bargains - I’m impressed! I can’t seem to figure out FB a marketplace at all.

Our build is semi a nightmare to be honest. Finally sorted a problem with our extension foundations clashing with loads of old Victorian pipes but now all our glazing is delayed despite the sales guy assuring me 3-4 weeks. Livid! Means we can’t get watertight downstairs and I have to keep pushing back all of my kitchen deliveries. For the kitchen appliances I’ve gone with all Fisher&Paykel via John Lewis and service has been great so far with all my delivery faffing.

Our bathrooms are coming along nicely after some major panic shopping. Went for natural slate tiles on the floor , brushed for smoothness and underfloor heating. Am hoping they won’t be too much of a nightmare to keep clean. For the walls we got huge 800x800 porcelain tiles in a pale marble subtle vein. The shower trays are slate and the shower screens are those black crittal style Hudson and Reed ones which are everywhere. Builders have put in shampoo recesses in the showers which look great! In terms of suppliers I used a mixture: aqva, Victorian plumbing, trade taps via eBay and for tiles the stone tile company ltd and total tiles (tile places were great- mega reasonable and fast!).

I’m hoping they can work on the top and first floor in terms of plastering so the extension glazing delays don’t impact us too much.

I literally do not know how anyone does this with kids/a full time job/ no architect! I’ve found having the architect invaluable as they can challenge the builder and visa versa.

I’m worried that I’m losing patience though and just want to get in there so all the final bits and decisions will get rushed.

A couple of things on my mind: shutters/ blinds- does anyone have recommendations? We are in North London and need the front bay window, our new landscape bathroom window and potentially the master bed doing- ideally shutters.

Also I wanted our builders to box in some Ikea Pax wardrobes in a couple of bedrooms but can’t seem to get them at all at the moment so annoying!

Hoping to buy a fixer-upper soon too! If anyone needs a builder recommendation who also builds custom wardrobes, tables, etc, I know someone brilliant!

Joining We moved in two years ago (small 3 bed Edwardian terrace). In good nick but a lot of bad DIY over the years. The first big job is the bathroom which should be happening next month, Covid willing... I should really post pics of how bad it is currently, the sealant around the bath is insane, and the mold, plus terribly boxed in pipes, a bath that's too high and deep, same with the sink, it's just a dated mess. So it's a full rip-out. Off-white Metro tiles (I know people hate them!) matt black radiator and shower frame, dark grey WC and vanity unit, wood effect floor, traditional style shower set and taps. No bath this time, we never take baths and it's the smallest room in the world, we're staying here a while. Victorian Plumbing had a good no-interest finance deal but they've been an absolute nightmare. Sent one wrong tiny part for the shower (wrong colour), took three weeks to sort a replacement, which was also wrong! Now trying to sort it again. Slowwww delivery and delays. Most things are here in one piece now, just a couple of things we're waiting on. Tiles from Topps Tiles who were fine.

Otherwise in the house we've painted living room dark burgundy with mustard curtains and black and white rug. Bedroom we painted dark blue which wasn't dark enough so I tried to live with it for several months but have now repainted it black! Hallway is going to be the same black because we have tons of paint left over. It's more of a dark grey. Either way it's fine because we're goths!

Also got the electricians in late last year to replace all light fittings and switches, just still need to patch up the ceiling plaster in some places.

I decluttered before moving and more since but stuff and rubbish keeps appearing, I have no idea. I feel like I fill bins and charity bags ten times a day.

@NWnature - you seem to be doing everything to quite a high standard so no doubt it is more stressful. I am trying to go for a renovation that can be completed as soon as reasonably possible and to a budget - so skylights not dormers, no major changes to layout etc. It makes things simpler to an extent.

I agree that an architect is very useful to help form a balanced view - builders can build but they are not designers. In addition builders have the confidence and appetite for risk that can be a bit overwhelming for some home owners. However I spoke to an architect and came to a conclusion that for my project there is no point - he pretty much validated that all my ideas are reasonable and architect services would add little to no value. I did my homework for our discussion though - I already had detailed plans, researched what neighbours have done in identical properties and so on.

I ordered all bathrooms and tiles stuff from the same supplier because I need ~30 items (15 per bathroom) and was worried that it would otherwise be a nightmare getting them all on time from various places and ultimately I may lose money through delays and my own 'lost' time picking and choosing stuff. My order arrived today. One item missing and two incorrect, otherwise all good, so nearly there.

I will be doing blinds to a budget. A specialist company quoted me almost £2K for basic blinds and fitting services for the whole house (2 large bay windows, 4 standard windows, 1 dormer, 2 veluxes). Shutters will look wonderful but it hurts me just to think about the cost! So I'll be ordering blinds for standard window sizes online and only ordering strange custom shapes from a specialist company. Builders will do the fitting, not the blinds company (cheaper).

I've gone off wardrobes as a concept, we have Scandinavian style open wardrobes in our bedrooms for things you truly wear, plus bed drawers for underwear and socks, and then everything else like ski kit for example goes in a separate storage room / box room. Clears your mind big time ;)

Welcome @minipilling
I know what you mean about decluttering! It's just never ending. Sarah Beeny is installing cameras in the homes of people she helps with renovations in order to monitor how they really spend their time in their home. So I'm thinking about renovation and our house move with that mindset - I imagine how we are spending our days and making sure that the way our house is designed supports that. So, for example, kids come home from school and dump their school bags and PE kit on the floor - is there a place to 'dump' it in neatly instead (not two levels up but close by). How do we use our living room? Do we read? What do we read? Do we use CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays? (No we don't). And so on. Helps to let go of certain stuff. I find that closed wardrobes are the main offenders with stuff that no one touched for many years.

Hi, I am part way through my renovation. I had roof inspection and thankfully good just needed guttering cleaning out. I had electrician do new electrics and consumer unit. All new plug sockets including making extra ones in kitchen, lounge, all bedrooms and on top of landing and all new light switches. Also fire alarms into mains electric with 10 year battery backup in case of power cuts. Also new lights in every room. I had plasterer skim ceilings downstairs and 2 walls in hall that were really bad. My 2 sons were furloughed from work so kindly came and laid the laminate in hall, landing and 3 bedrooms. They also pulled off old skirtings and put on new for me. DH and I previously pulled up 3 carpets out of each bedroom. We also stripped of 2 layers of wallpaper, filled in divots and sanded walls. That took ages to get them smooth, then we painted all bedrooms and hall white including ceilings. We stripped 3 layers of old wallpaper, including the dreaded wood chip off of lounge. We filled in divots and sanded walls, then wallpaper on feature wall and painted rest of room in Timeless cream colour. This all took 6 weeks. We had planned on 4. Took longer as we could not get skirtings delivered any quicker.

Got plumber in to fix a new cistern in downstairs cloakroom and fix plumbing for washing machine and dishwasher in kitchen. We smashed all tiles off of kitchen walls ourselves and chunks of wall fell down. Fixed with plaster patches. I did this myself then skim plastered on the top. (Not perfect but good enough as will have new tiles on top). Ripped out old kitchen. We stripped off paper in hall, filled, sanded down walls and painted white including ceiling. We painted kitchen ceiling white.

Mostly bathroom and kitchen to do now. We are caught in 2 minds as DH can do all of the work himself so would save a fortune but he works full time so only has weekends and a couple of hours 2 evenings so take longer. He has started the tiling in the bathroom, he worked on it most of last weekend. Hoping he will finish tiling and grouting this weekend. Also boxing in of pipes before tiling on top.

We put new internal doors and handles in each room and that made a lot of difference. Doors still need gloss painting, 2 coats and door frames too.

We bought a pre used kitchen I liked off of eBay. That still needs to be fitted. Got worktops from Wickes which surprisingly were cheaper than Worktops Express. Free delivery too. I have washed kitchen units and drawers out with sofa crystals in water and all scrubbed up well. It is exactly the same kitchen units we have in current house so I know they were expensive. I had to choose between a cheap new kitchen or a quality pre used one. All new kitchen appliances have been delivered. American fridge freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, Rangemaster cooker, cooker hood and dish washer.

That's where we have got to really. Still a lot to do but well over half way. Lots of small jobs to do; coat hooks on back of bedroom doors and in hall, new vinal in downstairs cloakroom and bathroom. Bathroom cabinet to go up in downstairs cloakroom and new towel rail, toilet holder in both bathrooms. Doorbell to go up too. I want soffits painted black as they are wood and wooden garden gates painted black too and garage door. In front garden there are metal railings that need hammerite paining and gas and electricity boxes be too. Garden needs new patio area and new trellis but that will be done last. Gravel on very small drive as uneven and puddles form when it rains.

yes I love that Sarah Beeny show! I'm always clearing stuff out really, I hate having stuff hanging around, it's only a small house. I dislike wardrobes these days too. I'm short and it's always been hard stretching up to reach things, plus invariably things get 'lost' in there. We have all our clothes folded in drawers, only coats are in the bedroom closet.

Supposedly Victorian Plumbing are delivering a pallet tomorrow with the vanity unit and the toilet pan... still waiting on the replacement part for the shower but apparently will come this week, had better be right this time or I'll kick off to someone on the phone!

We got very little done this weekend. Just a bit of grouting really.

Hoping this thread as our builders start on Wednesday!

Skips x 2 have arrived!
I feel like DH and I have had skips on driveways pretty much all our married life - good to have a skip back :)

The main challenge with skips is once they're there, they just auto-fill themselves

I actually saw one of the neighbours casually walking up to my skip and... what do you think he left there?.. a small fridge!!! Just like that

I bought most of the stuff for the 2nd fix electrics. Sockets, lights, lampshades, pendants, lanterns for the outdoors. Also bought a new kitchen tap and door handles for built-in kitchen pantry that I'm planning to upcycle.

Sarah Beeny style mural I was referring to earlier got delivered a few days ago so that'll go up this week. Planning to paint window surrounds outside. Need to measure all windows and order blinds as a next step.

Scheduled a date for carpets to go in, three weeks away. That should be the last thing!