Just how do I get stuff done?

[Winenota]

Hello, we’ve both been ill and house now very neglected. Needs new windows but how do I find someone who I can trust? How do I find a decent price - one wanted £40 to put a blob of putty in as part of the job.
If you diy how do you plan and action it? Just so much to do. On top of other life stuff.
Thanks!

I hope someone comes along with a bright idea. Our house needs a lot of work but I have no head space left to deal with it all. Do domestic facilities managers exist?!

Just chip away at stuff slowly.
I try and list top 10 things to do, decide what we will do and what we need help with. Repeat.

Ideally you find tradesmen who are local to you but don’t advertise because they don’t need to via work of mouth for jobs such as joinery, building etc.
For the windows you have a couple of options. First decide if you want wood or upvc. If you want wood try a builders merchant to look at buying jeld wen windows, then find a carpenter to fit them.
If upvc you can try a big firm like anglia, their windows are very good quality you’ll get a fensa certificate but the are very expensive or a small local firm. I picked the small local firm, windows and doors were very reasonably priced, no fensa scheme, not as robust but will last a good 20 years. Upvc companies fit the windows.

Hi. I’m hopeless at DIY, so can only recommend how to find reliable and recommended tradesmen. Have a look at Checkatrade - listed tradesmen have to pay to be on there, so it’s in their interest to maintain good standards and value for money.

Or look at Which Trusted Traders, I’m not sure if you have to be a member of Which. I have found some good people through there.

And my mum’s advice still holds good - get three quotes for everything!

Regarding windows, there are companies who repair/replace individual sections of double glazing. For example, they replace a “blown” pane or opening section without replacing the whole window.

If you’re friendly with neighbours ask for local recommendations. Or look on your local FB group if there is one.

I’m afraid there’s no way of avoiding the time you will need to get the quotes and decide which is best for you though. Good luck.

In terms of scheduling the works you start at the top and work down the outside. So roof, gutters, windows, any pointing. Inside start with upstairs rooms. Always do wiring and plumbing first as that makes a mess of everything, then any joinery finally decorating and flooring.

I find that I have to do things when the mood takes me. So I make a plan on my head of what I want to do, for example, strip the paint off the bannister, and then slowly go around buying the bits I need to do it, heat gun, scrapers etc.

I then wait, for when the mood takes me. I’ve tried taking weeks off before to conquer a rooms and it becomes gruelling, whereas if I do it when I’m in the mood and I have the things ready to go, I will start it and then want to see it through.

Top down as pp said. If you are a parent then school gates or WhatsApp groups are a good place to get recommendations, though you will also be inundated with stories of who not to use! Sometimes if you find one good tradesperson they can give you contacts to others they have worked with that they rate. I don't like checkatrade - I had to fire a totally incompetent plumber who had nothing but five star ratings on it!

Thanks so much everyone. I’ll look at meld wen windows, thanks for that.
Thanks for your support, it’s meant I’ve been able to get rid of some stuff and actually clean for the first time in months. It looks a lot better. Even the horrible chipped paint looks better clean!
It can’t be that hard to sand and paint some woodwork. Can it?
I think if I declutter it won’t seem so overwhelming. I’ve started to scrape old paint off the Down pipes, it’s actually quite quick and easier than I thought. Get the ladder out over the weekend.
Would anyone here sand and paint the windows themselves?
Im beginning to think I might get away with a lot of wood filler and some fresh putty.
Or is it worth getting the odd new one.
Just noticed mice have been chewing the wood in the loft. Am so anxious about the whole thing.
And some how the windows seem to be coming away from the surround. I think some of it is sandstone painted over. It seems to have bubbled up.
Am ridiculously jealous of friend whose Dh and his dad did all the rewiring , bathroom , kitchen..while grandparents took the kids and she went to her well paid work. Sigh.
Sorry, late night pity fest! Least I’ve got clean loos now 😃

Till tomorrow!

Make a list of jobs and then prioritise according the urgency and your budget.

Ask neighbours for recommendations of tradespeople. I had mixed luck on "mybuilder" website. Found people quickly, but the quality was not great! A carpenter from there ruined a number of doors and ruined a brand new carpet. Despite having good reviews!!

I drew up a floor plan of the house (rough) and listed the five things in each room that would immediately make me feel better. So that could be a repaint, a clean, new curtains or something major and picked one or two a weekend to do. Then moved on to the next.

In terms of windows, I used a local firm which was so much cheaper than the big firms and were fensa certified - if you are looking to sell in the future you’ll need it. They had a deposit protection scheme and were very busy.

You can also try a local joiner for your windows rather than a specific window firm, our windows and doors were a lot cheaper that way

Thanks i didn’t know about fensa. Thanks for the warning poshwatch! I’m thinking to ask on face book. Also a list of jobs and a floor plan, what a good idea. I think that will help chunk it down.
I got a local joiner in who was the only one to talk sense, so he’ll give me a quote in 2 weeks and of course is super busy. Local and buy the doors myself does seem the way forward, thank you.

When I first moved to our current area, we were recommended a handyman by a local. Fast forward to this day, he’s been our handyman for over 15 years, and is now a friend.

Anything he can’t do himself, I trust him to help find local tradespeople. We’ve never been disappointed.

We also have a WhatsApp group on our road, and lots of recommendations fly around for all sorts of trades.

Sand the woodwork lightly with fine sandpaper, just enough for it to feel slightly matt all over -you don't need or want to go berserk and go back to the wood. If you need to fill the wood, take the wood back to sound wood, don't try to fill soft, rotten wood. If bits have chipped off back to the wood, use an acrylic primer undercoat, they are easy to use.
If you're not experienced, I'd stick to a water based top coat. Gloss, especially spirit based gloss, is difficult to put on- you need so little of it and it needs to be brushed well out. Eggshell or satinwood or matt paint designed for wood is also easier than gloss to put on. There are some very nice off-whites these days so it isn't a choice between magnolia and icy Persil-like white like it used to be.
With paint, my boss taught me that with paint, especially if it may be a tricky colour to cover, more thin coats is better than fewer thick ones. And that's most true of spirit-based gloss.
And with any DIY job always read the instructions on the pot/tube first, and stick to them! It's surprising how many people get into a mess because they didn't.

Loads of good advice already here.
I struggle with similar things - it can be overwhelming and then nothing gets done for months.
Agree with a PP - pick up tools and materials gradually until the mood strikes you. Sometimes it's rainy outside or you're forced to self isolate or whatever - and it can be really satisfying to tick one of the jobs off the list.
Personally I've never understood the people that seem to get everything blitzed at once by trades. Most of us have to take our time due to budget / energy / life slowing things down.
Like the recommendation of choosing the most irritating things and getting them sorted one by one. I have a list called 'house problems dump' and all those niggles get written there and gradually sorted. Managed to tick three off the list today with both me and DH spending some time and energy on it.
Sympathise about illness getting in the way. We've lived in a half renovated house for a couple of years now and illness was a big barrier to me getting on with things. Only recovering now and able to start the diy against

*again

Thanks bluemongoose, that’s good advice. I’m thinking to give one window a go, just to see how hard it is…
Thanks twiddle toddle tat. It seems half the battle is writing lists and being organised. Well, I’ll try.. sorry to hear you’ve been ill. It knocks your trust in the world! Hope you get diy ing with gusto soon x