Please help me sort my house

[UselessDIYer5]

DH and I are totally useless at DIY and it's a constant source of stress and arguments. I think we're both angry at ourselves for being useless and take it out on each other.

I WFH so I spend 99% of my life at home looking at things that need doing.

Please help me figure out how to get the below done and in what order:

-a burnt plug which means I keep having to switch extension lead to use washing machine or dryer

• a broken cupboard door in utility room so the door keeps falling on my foot anytime I need to get a cleaning product out
• kitchen ceiling has been replastered following a leak 6 months ago - still not been painted
• bathroom needs full renovation. I have done some research, know what I want and got multiple quotes but don't where to start with project management/finding tradespeople. Literally no clue. I am really keen to do this before the end of the year
• Hallway has peeling wallpaper. Needs taking off, replastering and painting
• Stairs need to be repainted. I can and would like to do this myself but don't know what paint I need.
• Integrated fridge in new kitchen has started creaking everytime we open the door.
• DH has taken half of the patio and shed down in the garden and is getting some people in to do lots of work in it. The least urgent thing ever but somehow the only thing he is getting done. It gives me the rage, as in the meantime even the garden looks a mess.

I have a rare morning off work tomorrow and would like to get some things in motion to get this weight off my shoulders. Any advice really welcome. Thank you if you managed to read this far!

The plug is dangerous, you need to get that looked at by a qualified electrician tomorrow

take the door off at the hinge until you can get it mended so it won’t fall on you

put some wd40 on the fridge door ( they all develop a creak IME and this sorts it every few months)

Ceiling 🤷🏻‍♀️It’s not going to fall,down because you haven’t painted it

Kindly, I don’t think painting the stairs is the right place to start learning to paint, do a door or something simple to start. maybe the detached door😏
Bon courage!

1. plug.
2. oil the fridge door
3. bathroom (as there might be damage to the hallway)
4. painting - which areas you decide.

Agreed electrics first and urgently. Focus on getting that at least booked in tomorrow.

I would postpone painting hall and stairs until the bathroom is done, as presumably you’ll have people going up and down the stairs carrying large things.

Unit door and fridge door sound like a possible quick win. Here my only advice is that I have accepted I am useless at all DIY, so instead I have acquired a list of tradespeople including a small jobs handyman. I wait til I have a few things on a list and get them in. Two jobs like that might be enough.

Kitchen ceiling - tbh if you want to do it yourself, I’d buy some matte white kitchen paint, a couple of brushes/ceiling roller and do it, But see above, I would pay for it to be done by someone else. You might have to get them to quote for all 3 painting jobs later.

Bathroom - I’d get a quote from a bathroom installer to do the management for me. We got stuff via Wickes and they have installers on their books.

Book a good local firm to sort the bathroom from start to finish if you are not confident in your own skills. We booked a firm who designed, sourced and fitted- the whole thing so we only ever dealt with one person- they were a husband and wife team and she did all the design, planning, paperwork and he came and fitted. All I had to do was sit with her and make choices on fixtures, fittings and tiles. They are a small local firm with small store front in our high street. We assumed they’d cost a bomb but the quote was waaaaaay more reasonable than we expected and the quality of work is immaculate. A good tradesperson will be booked for months though- don’t be tempted to compromise on quality and get someone in quicker. We paid a 10% deposit to secure a slot in the diary in 6 months time.

As others said. Plug first. Just need an electrician. Are there any other electric issues you can tag onto this to make your lives easier such as extra plug points in kitchen/laundry room?
Next I would go back through the quotes and find someone to do the bathroom who will manage everything. You can just go on.some nice shopping trips for tiles bath shower etc

Painting hall and stairs is a ballache, if you’re going to do some yourself, I’d start with the kitchen ceiling as it will be easier. Saying that, agree with PP that it may not cost you that much more to throw it in with the hall and stairs as a single job and again agree with PP not to touch hall and stairs until bathroom complete. Our firm were incredible good at hoovering and cleaning behind them and it still felt yucky for weeks!

Electrical socket needs investigating by a seriously good electrician asap - you need to understand WHY it’s burnt and whether it means you need more significant work- especially before you work on the bathroom!

Thank you so much all I'm feeling energised already!

For the bathroom, I wanted exactly what you are all suggesting - someone who can project manage it all so I only need to liaise with one person. This is how we did our kitchen and it was perfect. But I somehow can't find anyone who would do this for our bathroom! I've contacted 4 places and they can sell us stuff but only recommend installers as it's too small a project for them to offer a full service.

Would an independent installer do this? What exact tradesman am I looking for? I wasn't sure whether calling an installer (which I thought was just a plumber) and asking them to also manage taking the old wallpaper off, putting in an extraction file, tile etc would make them laugh in my face??

I will sort an electrician tomorrow.

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen actually hearing all doors creak has made me feel massively better! I was feeling disheartened that even the newest room in the house (my pride and joy!) was already falling apart.

I should also have said I can actually paint, this is the only thing I can do. I painted our utility room last year and was very chuffed with the end result (so was DH!). That had been on the list for about 5 years and required me to have a full week off before starting a new job to get it done.

I wouldn't do the ceiling though as it's in the kitchen and I don't want to risk getting paint on my lovely cupboards.

Noted on the Hallway- I'll be patient and wait til the bathroom is done, that makes sense!

All I can say is that the person Wickes is calling an installer is doing the whole thing. Though to be fair we had already done the rather complicated job of moving and replacing the hot water tank separately.

Writing the list is the hardest part, now that it's all written down you can tackle it one job at a time.

In what way is the cupboard door broken? Does it just need to be re-screwed on (a 2 minute job) or does it need replacing? Either way, pretty easy to sort. As is oiling a creaky door and calling an electrician to fix a socket.

Most bathroom suppliers will have tradespeople they can refer you to to do the installation.

Kitchen ceiling sounds straightforward, just chuck some sheets over the cupboards and worktops, get a long handled roller, turn the music up and get going!

Hallway and stairs should be the last job, especially if the bathroom is upstairs

Google 'NICEIC electrician near me' so you get someone qualified.

Wd40 on fridge door.

Call Wickes or B and Q for install for bathroom. Book to have it done when you're next on hols unless you have a fully working second bathroom.

Take the door off. Whoever does the bathroom will advise on it I reckon

Use the toughest paint on the hall walls and do that last. Lots of YouTube vids on paint technique but might be worth getting painters in. Your neighbours should gave names. Or diy last!

A plastered ceiling usually needs what’s called a ‘mist coat’ first. This is paint mixed about half and half with water and is very sloppy and messy. I’ve done it myself a couple of times and it’s not fun but doesn’t require much skill. Once mist coat is dried you can paint it as normal with unwatered paint.

Stairs I have done myself without much experience. The hardest part is finding time to do it when no-one can walk on them for a few hours. With all painting jobs you lightly sandpaper first and then spray with sugar soap before wiping down. Get wipeable paint from a brand like Dulux as it’s hard wearing. In a kitchen you can get special kitchen paint which is more moisture and mould resistant.

there is a useful website called my builder.com where you can advertise for jobs. A carpenter from there could fix your door. Good luck :)

We had a bathroom installed by Wickes and the installer was an absolute gem. He did everything ( plus extra) and we have used him for other bits and recommended him to others. He had a real "problem solver" attitude and made life very easy for us.

If you're in the SW, OP, I'll give you his name!