“I’ve just moved house and I’m struggling”…….Anyone else?

[SoosanCarter]

I thought I’d start a thread for those of us who have just moved and are overwhelmed by what needs to be done. I know I’m expecting too much but I can’t help it.

last week I moved house to a different part of the country.
The house isn’t a fixer-up, more of a doer-up.

The kitchen is a homage to the eighties, the en-suite is very tired (with carpet!) and connects to not the nicest bedroom. So I need to move the access.
Admittedly the house is very clean, but the previous owner obviously didn’t understand what vacant possession is. She left her toilet brushes! Crap in the garage and in the loft. It needs a skip. She was very elderly and probably thought she was helping.

I know I’m trying to run before I can walk, but I’m someone who wants things done yesterday. I’ve organised appointments with kitchen and bathroom fitters and a carpet place.

I wake up in the mornings and long for organisation and sanity. I don’t regret the move but I’m just feeling so overwhelmed. I can’t find places to put stuff.
I leave messages with handymen but they don’t reply.

I’m due my bus pass in a few months; last time I moved was 27 years ago into a new build and it was just fun.

Would anyone like to join me?

@SiobhanSharpe how much did the bathrooms cost? The big thing we knew we needed to do immediately was the master bath but I'm staggered at the quotes we've had for carpets and painting and worried about what we're gout to have to fork out to get it done

we recently moved into our new house and whilst I don't regret it, I really didn't think about the work we'd want to do. The first couple of weeks I was really feeling buyer's remorse - we're doubling our mortgage to be here. We've doubled our space and we really did need this the extra space but honestly I had moments of massive regret.

House itself is in good condition and the kitchen is modern so no issues, but lots ofthings we didn't think about when we put our offer in

doesn't help we moved froma new build so everything was brand new

Conservatory roof - we are getting this replaced with a guardian roof as it's just polycarb and there's no doors between it and the living room and we want to use it as a dining room. Didn't think of this cost when looking at the house and just though 'oh that's a lovely space'

Decorating - we didn't realise it when looking around but the paintwork is very dodgy DIY and there's some remidial work to do to plaster, ceilings etc - the whole house needs doing and we work full time so paying for someone to come in and do a professional job as we'd never get around to it.

Bathroom - really needs a new bathroom - current one is ok but the more I look at it the more I dislike it and I hate the massive black tiles

Windows - these are 20 years old, really did not consider this when looking at the house. our bedroom window is draughty and stormguard isn't helping - but the builder's doing the roof said they'd take a look and see if new hinges would help so fingers crossed

Boiler - this is 11 years old. not super old but will probably need replacing in the next few years, and we'd also get a new hot water tank as the one they have is tiny for a 3/4 bed house

Totally get that feeling of wanting it all to be done asap, especially when you’ve just moved in.

Might sound daft, but one thing that can make a difference is to get all the ceilings done. Then all the door/window frames and skirtings. Just getting them done can really lift/brighten each room. It then gives you a bit more time to see how the light hits each room, how paint samples on paper look for the walls etc.

I hadn’t fully appreciated how much natural light affected paint on walls. I found a gorgeous colour for my downstairs hallway between kitchen and conservatory. It looked blooming awful once I’d finished. Gave the tin to a friend and it looks amazing in her kitchen.

And I’d second the pp who said aim to get your living room finished first. It’s the one room you will all gather/relax in.

I find taking plenty of before/during/after photos for each room helps to spur me on to the next thing to tackle.

Congratulations on your new home.

Your old house can still be home.just a home/one of you will have in life.that’s ok.our homes are so important to us.they are us!
this is abother home. A new home and you bought it for a reason.it can be just as good.more so.and you will build a life and memories that will seep into every corner of this one too.
do lists help you or hinder.it can differ for everyone.
we got a file.and each section has a room list to do,notes section etc.and then like little kiddies each section we had our charts to tick off and gold star.it felt so good!
we also had then just one place where all house stuff went and it made it so much easier.
also try and have a few nice spaces that you can come back to every day.to chill or that feels relaxing.
also a notepad on the top.checked daily by you and dp with any daily or coming reminders or asks of each other.

That's really good advice @kateandme. We're 1.5 weeks in and I have moments of feeling more at home but mostly very unsettled. It doesn't help that our bedroom is very large and we don't have the right furniture for it, plus the windows are drafty. I don't feel comfortable in the bedroom at all yet. Will definitely be better when we get a new sofa sorted as then the lounge will feel more organised

I have a bullet journal which helps immensely. I used it as a diary during the tumultuous house move, as a to do list for the actual physical moving, notes of where I had to update our address.
We're almost finished stage 1 of the renovation. The bullet journal has been so useful, room plans, ideas, to do lists, notes of room sizes/ window sizes, fabric samples.

Those of you who had new fitted wardrobes, did you use one of the nationwide companies?

A couple of days ago I had to go back to my old area to collect my cats from the cattery. It was a two day trip as so far, but it was quite nice to get back to my new home.

Cats aren’t happy!

@SoosanCarter I used Sharps in my previous house. I miss those wardrobes so much 😣. We don't have the space here yet to put up enough wardrobes so I used the old built in one and my clothes now smell fusty and a bit mouldy.

Sharps were very expensive and I always regretted how much I spent on them as I don't think they were worth it. The salesman was very pushy and basically told us what we needed and pushed us into changing our design. Come fitting, they weren't fully suitable but it was too late. We added extra hanging ourselves afterwards but I regretted not having more shelves and drawers. Plus I wasted money on having the pull out shoe shelving.

They did look lovely though and I really miss having the large amount of storage we're missing at this house (I also miss my airing cupboard a huge amount). They have a long guarantee and will come out and fix things with no issue. We had them out once to fix a door that hadn't been hung properly.

I'm kind of regretting of opening this thread.. I'm moving next week into a house I've bought after renting for years.

There are LOADS of things I want to do do it. The EA who listed it has a virtual tour of the house on their website and I can't tell you how many times I've walked around the house doing this and that in my head. I've been buying so much stuff, mainly soft furnishings etc as a PP said. We could be doing with a new sofa but I've bought lovely big throws first and will get cushions at some point.

There are lots of big ticket items I'd like but trying to make do first, or downgrade my wants.

A PP mentioned textured wallpaper on the ceiling. Oh dear god. It's EVERYWHERE in this house. Plus possibly artexed ceilings which I'll need to get tested for asbestos.

Lots of chipped paint around the house, and will need redecorated everywhere. Also, new doors and windows, probably boiler, new bathroom. To be honest, the list is endless.

I read on here recently someone saying give yourself time in the new place to see how you use the house, before making any big changes. I like this idea. Plus it might make me feel better when I can't get everything done the minute we walk in because we're "getting used to the space".

Good luck everyone!

Welcome to the rabbit hole Juniper!
I’ve got my fitted wardrobes sorted I think. More than I expected but what I need and want.
like you I looked at the walk through video a hundred times, imagining buying new curtains and furniture.
In reality there won’t be any budget left for those.
As for buying Neptune furniture…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Like you, Pissed Off, I really miss my airing cupboard. There is a combi boiler and a hot water tank in a cupboard. Can’t understand why there is a combi and a tank. But the tank is so big there’s no space for shelves.

Just wanted to say OP if you are looking for wardrobes, IKEA ones are actually brilliant.
I was looking for fitted wardrobes a few months ago, and was quoted about €4000+ for quite basic fitted wardrobes - so I looked around a bit and saw reviews for Ikea Pax system.
On their website there is a wardrobe planner, you basically select the frames you want (100cm, 75cm, 50cm) you can add a few together and you can mix and match loads of inserts, there are loads of different doors to choose from, different finishes etc.

Anyway, I went with them at about a third of the price I was quoted by a wardrobe company, and got them fitted properly by a carpenter who bolted them to the wall so they are solid. They can also fit coving around so they look built in.

I love mine, they look beautiful, and so much more expensive than they actually were.

Kitchen company came today, so I can envisage my new bright kitchen now. Feeling more cheerful!

@SoosanCarter brilliant - that’s something to look forward to

@SoosanCarter We have a multitude of tanks and boilers too. We've just taken the massive tank out of the front bedroom cupboard and discovered a huge hole in the ceiling. The pipes are all over the place and are still carrying hot water to the extension so we need the plumber back to move all the pipes.
We also had 2 combi boilers as previous owners didn't attach the 2 systems in the old and new parts of the house. Cost us almost £9k to have it changed to one system 😓

Oh sympathies.
I thought this CH system very easy.
but in fact I don’t really understand it.

hopefully fine…..

Take photos. Of every room. And keep taking them, every time you do a job, or at regular intervals, such as weekly or monthly. That way you can record your progress. It's easy to forget how much you've achieved, when there's still a lot to do.

This 👆, definitely. I have an Instagram account recording the refurb. It has helped to be part of a community and have a quick glance back at where we started.

@crazy4cats 're your draughty windows, check out the window insulation kits from Screwfix or Amazon. Basically it's cling film you attach over the windows, you then blast it with a hairdryer to tighten it up and stop any draughts seeping through.
We used it in our previous 1920's house until we could afford to replace the windows, obviously it's a short term solution but a Godsend in the winter.

Now I’m worrying that I won’t make any friends.
I've contacted a charity about working in their shop.

I had been looking at that but because the draught is comeing through the seals wondered if it would make a difference?

I mentioned the window to the guy who will be doing our conservatory roof in January and he said he'd get the team to look at it because it might just need new hinges which will be about 30 quid and they can quickly do it while they're here.

Fingers crossed the new hinges will sort it Crazy, this house renovation ain't for sissies is it? I remember when we moved into our last house, our shower consisted of two buckets and a measuring jug and standing in the bath. I couldn't bear myself or dh and ds sitting in the manky pea green bath!!!!

@Shunkleisshiny I can't stand the thought of using the current bath in our house! Maybe it just needs an industrial clean but the more I look at it the worse it looks (luckily we have an Ensuite which is much nicer) - I really would like a nice bubble bath though, but not until we get the bathroom done, which depending on pay reviews this year might not be for a while!

Just came here to post because I'm really feeling awful this evening.
I just feel so unsettled and can't shake that homesick feeling. I'm naturally quite a nomadic person so amazed to feel like this. It's never taken me more than a week to feel completely at home whenever I've moved before.
It's just so uncomfortable as we have so much to do to make it a nice home. Had quotes in for a lot of the work but they are astonishingly high. Really shocking. We are going to have to forget doing the kitchen for about five yesrs.
Also we've ordered some furniture which will hopefully improve the space but nothing is arriving until February.
I just can't help feeling like we got pushed by circumstance into a massive mistake (our chain fell through and this was s compromise to make sure we didn't lose our mortgage or get stuck in our unsuited flat for another few years).
Has anyone managed to get over this feeling? The way I feel now I want to get everything done so we can get s better price and then sell up! This was supposed to be a 20 year type home...

Having renovated four homes (for us to live in), I agree about making somewhere a room to relax in, where you can close the door and forget about 'what's next on the list' for a few hours. This will give you the warm glow of what the home will be like when finished.