Someone who does up your house for you?

[thinkwork]

Sorry this is long... I'm in such a funk and just need to get it out. Most relevant bit is in the last paragraph.

A year ago we moved house long distance. There wasn't anything on the market that ticked all our boxes, so we compromised and went with best location and "potential". The house isn't in terrible condition. It's watertight, electrics and plumbing are fine. It's functional but dated. The previous owners did everything as cheaply as possible and it all looks and feels tired. Different light switches and doors all over the house, skirting boards with decades of gloss layered, moth eaten carpets, plaster hanging on by a thread... We said it didn't matter because we can change these things but we can't change location.

I don't really regret our choice because the area is amazing and even though I still look on RM weekly, I haven't seen anything since that I would have wanted. So here we are, pretty much one year later. I've done some things but overall, I feel overwhelmed and stuck. All I see is how awful the house looks and feels and how much there is to do. I'm tired of looking at my big long list. I'm tired of having people round to quote for stuff, if they even show up. And I can't do anything myself because both kids (toddler and baby) need me so much right now, which is totally fair and I know will change.

I used to love DIY but now I dread it and I feel like we bit off far more than we can chew. I'm considering just moving out for X amount of time and handing the keys to a builder to just get it all done. Or someone who does your house for you room by room? An all-in-one solution? Actually, I reckon a builder wouldn't be interested as it's not like it needs gutting or actual building work. I reckon the vast majority is decorative. Really, my issue is having to organise all these different trades, thinking of everything, having them vaguely line up etc. I just want to hand over my list of "This needs doing and this is what I want" and have someone else deal with it. Is that a thing?

A good handyman and a painter and decorator sound like they could sort most of that.

An interior designer or project manager would do that (overlook the job and hire trades).
Problem with a builder is they will not make decisions- or if they do they will be wrong! You need to have someone there project managing it, but an interior designer will work with you to get the look you want, then get the trades in. Of course it will cost, but there are designers that work at different price points.
Just getting a project manager is ok if you are confident, are very detailed about what you want, have sourced everything you need from bathroom tiles to waste pipe. That's very time consuming. That's why I suggest a designer.

what you want is an interior designer and a project manager and a builder and a decorator

i hope you have a healthy budget

We're you about 5 years on. It's been a long hard slog, and I now dread the process of getting quotes in etc, but we are getting there. New kitchen finally commences next week, bathrooms are done(ish) and the garden is mostly sorted. Floors throughout and bedrooms/living room/hall still to go but that is mostly just painting.
The all in one approach would be amazing, but we could never have afforded it.
Good luck!

My neighbour did this. She employed a handyman who got stuck in and did all the DIY over several months.

but a lot of what the OP wants sounds cosmetic and aesthetics. So a handyman wouldn’t be appropriate

A good painter and decorator would make a huge difference and a handyman. They could put new light switches in. Just choose basic but good quality stuff and have them do it.

I'd be tempted to just paint it all neutral colour.

My in laws struck up a relationship with someone at the local curtain/wallpaper shop who came round with pattern books and suggested ideas.

My husband is a multi-trade builder and he did (is still doing) our place up. We had all sorts wrong with our place but we are getting there. Could you try to contact some letting agents and ask who they use to turn around their empty properties? My husband works for a letting agent and some of the properties need completely gutting and starting again.

Interesting. I didn't think this would be quite at the level where an interior designer/PM would be interested. It's overall quite boring stuff really. We do have a chunk of money set aside for the house (~£70k), so not interior designer money I reckon. Also, the kitchen and bathroom serve us for now, so I wouldn't touch the actual kitchen units or bathroom suite (just painting really).
For example, our bedroom is the worst as the old lathe and plaster ceiling is close to coming down, so really needs sorting. Then the walls need replastering and painting. Some floorboards are broken and then new underlay and carpet. Woodwork (skirting, architraves, doors) as well. So there is a bit there for a handyman, maybe joiner. But just the idea of finding a plasterer, decorator, and joiner/handyman to a) quote, b) commit, c) actually show up and line up, makes me shudder. These are all things I used to do myself (minus plastering) and I naively thought I'd do it again this time. Life just has thrown a few curveballs recently like taking on care for my FIL, so the time and energy just isn't there.

Whereabouts are you? A very good handyman could do all that and I know one!

I know a really good handyman and trust his recommendation for other trades, so I've sorted a fair few things via him.

Take one room that needs the minimum doing to it ( not multi trades) and (eg) employ a decorator. If you get one room done it will show you what’s possible - then maybe it will reinvigorate you to look at the next room and so on….

Home Services sort of company. Small local company who basically have all the contacts locally so will contract out? We're you a few years on. Also, ask neighbours for recommendations? It's overwhelming small kids. Maybe choose the most important thing and get that done. Might give you a boost of energy to tackle the next bit.

Another thought. Mybuilder.com. Take a snap, write a brief description, someone will pick the job up and come sort. I've done that a lot with small to medium jobs.

Where we live, there're handymen who are semi retired, and will pop round and do odd jobs like painting and repairs. You could get a room empty and ready to be done, then ask on Facebook for recommendations - but be wary, as people tout for business for relatives. It's always difficult if you're new to an area to find someone.

I second using mybuilder.com. We got a bloke from there to do one specific job (paint the outside of our house). Did a good job so we then got him to paint a bedroom, then another. When we moved into our new house we gave him 3 rooms to paint in one go and it also involved ripping out fitted stuff, plastering and replacing light fittings etc. Not only could he do all this stuff but it turned out he had a little network of other tradesmen he was able to bring in when needed eg joiner, electrician. So we asked whether he’d consider doing a bathroom and lo and behold he was able to project manage that and bring in a plumber, tiler and someone who could knock down a wall to combine toilet & bathroom. He’s done so much stuff for us now we trust him completely and accept whatever he quotes, which is never that expensive. So people like this do exist!