What DIY have you done today?

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

A thread to share the things big and small that you've started, finished, planned or conceptualised.

Inspired by the lovely posters on the What have you done in the garden today threads.

Thank you! I intend to continue my work on the hole above the boiler tomorrow. Does anyone else have a long mental/physical list of things that they should sort out?

I pulled down all the wallpaper that I put up in one of our attic bedrooms just before Xmas as flying squirrels got into the crawl space and pulled it all down. So, yay me!

But this is a thread I'm happy to follow.

Oh no! Take it you're in North America if you have flying squirrels? How would you block access, wire wool? That's what they use for mice here.

There is a house near me with what I think used to be an annex. Looks like it was built quite recently but there are no windows in the roof, just holes occupied by squirrels 😬 I'm just glad that's not my DIY problem to fix.

We are starting on Monday

Masses to do but will start by finding the pesky rat that we think may have died in one of three rooms. We haven’t been in them to check but are hoping he’s not under the floorboards

Once that’s done we will be clearing the room where the kitchen will be. Currently stacked high with stuff from three house clearances and all the kids old stuff.
Then we’ll start with putting a ceiling in whilst waiting for concent from planning ( LB )

Today
I washed the dishes

removed as posted twice

Nothing today...but at the weekend I was labourer for DH and adult DS (who'd kindly come over to assist) as they were relocating the water pipes in our Georgian cottage. It took nine hours to complete, then floors had to go back down. Yesterday I was putting everything back that had required moving. Today I was knackered!

Similar to @DrPrunesqualer we're reconfiguring the layout and have relocated the kitchen to a reception room, although it's very far from finished.

Next job - order worktops (me) and get a permanent tap fitted (DH).

Not christmas just gone but the christmas before we had 2 rats in our house, that we called Sue and Noel Ratford because we were very concerned that we would have 22 baby rats and counting if we couldn't get rid.

One managed to make it's way back outside but the other lasted 2 whole months in our kitchen, evading all manner of traps. It ate through our U bend, the grounding wire of our washing machine, parts of our dishwasher, and had completely decimated the side panels of our kitchen units. If anyone had hopped up there the units would just have come down.

We still need to replace the kitchen, I can't believe how much damage 1 rat can cause but it's already cost us thousands.

I am crossing my fingers for you that your rat is indeed dead and not just a master at hiding like our pest was. We had to go full espionage with spy cameras just to see if it was still alive.

I’m away to take measurements of our staircase which is being replaced, so I can do some mock up designs and get an idea of price
Im also in the middle of adding fake panelling to our bedroom before I paint it.
Love a a bit of DIY!

No DIY today but we did gather all our tools, polyfilla, masks and goggles ready. We've decided Saturday is the day and we are going to sand the flaky paint off all of the walls at DPs house. We have been curtain pole online-shopping, and watched about 15 different videos of people laying chequerboard flooring. My head is saying start with the bedrooms but my heart wants to start in the hallway because it's the first place you see upon entry and it's such a beautiful shape that getting that bit all done will set the tone for the rest of the house.

None, unless you count putting the recycling and bin out myself and cleaning up after toddler DGD and all her mess.

I did spend a little while on Pinterest looking at new fires, does that count?

The wiring is what I’m really concerned about
but we haven’t heard anything in about a week now
and we left the cat food out on the floor with multiple ring cameras to see if it/they came for it
and nothing!

They/ he / she / it ( gender non specific 🤣🤣 ) were eating it before

I’m not sure I could take wires eaten through given how much work this house needs anyway
I might just leave, buy a barge and roam the canals

But you might dirty /damage the hallway as you work through the house

Perhaps start upstairs bedrooms. Then hall. Down the stairs and then grd floor rooms. Bathrooms and grd fl hall last???

Depends how careful you are tbh but I have a habit of being stressed of damaging / dirtying stuff as I go.

Where was this thread last year?! 😆

we downed tools for the whole of December and have not started back up yet, but we are 6 years into a fixer upper and this is the first year we stopped over the Christmas break!

What with both of us working full time, most weekends are DIYing

We’re not technically moving the kitchen.
We are putting it back into its historical location ( prev owner moved it to another room and boarded up the original one so part of the chimney, ceiling etc has come down etc ) but it only has an open fire for hog roasts 🤣🤣, a bread oven, an old sink that drains into a barrel outside and one of those built in stone laundry things ( can’t remember the name )

I can’t wait till we’ve got it sorted. I haven’t had a decent kitchen since 2009

I asked my husband to fix my car door that wouldn’t open.

I fixed my video doorbell after troubleshooting and looking it up on YouTube. Then I remembered how terrified I was of diy when I divorced all those years ago. Go me!

I changed a light bulb. Does that count? 😂

If you
Did It Youself 😁

I'm definitely here for the small achievements, light bulb changes, and 'ooh that seems like a nice idea, I wonder...'

Can we also add 'I picked up a thing for free on the street and wonder whether I can fixed it'? Though I tried and failed on a clotheshorse yesterday.

Any and all DIY is appropriate, big or small, uncalled, recycled or new. Bonus points if you've managed to thrift a bargain but mandatory pictures and sources so we may all steal inspiration.

Ooh great thread! I moved house in November so there are loads of jobs I need to do. It’s in no means a fixer-upper, it’s mostly cosmetic or little things. Today I figured out that the doorbell battery needed changing and sorted that. I think I’ve sorted the toilet seat so it doesn’t slide off to the side when you sit on it 😁

I also made some phone calls about jobs that I can’t do myself - new exterior door and repairing some blown double glazing. I hate phoning people so I’m counting that as a DIY job because no one will do that bit for me 😁

With images... Not strictly speaking TODAY but just before Xmas I spent an inordinate amount of time drilling through this china urn (near the base and through the "lid") to wire it up to make a lamp. I took apart an old lamp to thread through and ended up having to rewire the plug as well as the lamp socket, as I mistakenly cut off the plug first before realising I'd have to thread the other way round or the on/off switch halfway down the cable would end up inside the urn. Doh!

Lamp sockets are not designed/constructed to be taken apart and put back together but I did it! Was very proud at the end. Progress photos for proof!

Not sure the final photo added!

Oops

That lamp is absolutely stunning!