my entire home decorating itinery (am I mad?) and how to clean dust from months of building work - opinions/advice please.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Ok some of you might or might not know care that I have had extensive building works going on it my home.

I live in a 2 bed flat with DD and DH and we have had the loft converted to make way for our son who is due 18 November. So we will have a 3 bed flat/maisonette (albeit 3rd room a tiny box room). it will be plenty room enough.

But. The work has meant we now need to decorate prettyy much the entire place apart from kitchen/bathroom. We need new carpets throughout too.

So firstly:

How on earth do I clean from everything? We are throwing old carpets away which is helping, but when I clean the front room now there is more dust within hours. I need it all properly clean before we paint. Tips/suggestions gratefully received.

Next. My plan of action to decorate before new baby arrives. Will involve the recruitment of some friends hopefully.

1. get carpet measured this week for entire house
2. Builder states he will be gone by week monday, so we will presume following friday as he is bad at planning. We will give ourselves 1 week to decorate the loft bedroom (bedroom 1)
3. following friday - carpet fitted in bedroom 1),
4. saturday and sunday - move our stuff from bedroom into loft. Loft complete (mostly). Move DDs stuff into hallway/front room -
5. Monday and tuesday decorate bedroom 2/3 (dd at nursery on these days)
6. Wednesday/thursday - carpet fitted in bedroom 2/3.
7. Everything returned to correct rooms on thursday/friday.
8. friday - following friday 1 week to decorate hallway (big job, lots of new plaster and new wood to prep and paint).
9. Friday - carpet hallway and stairs.
10. All done apart from front room which we can do over the next few weeks bit by bit.

10. Leaves me 4-6 weeks before baby arrives.

Its a tall order, but do you think its possible? It gives us 3 weeks to do all the decorating, moving of furniture, fitting of carpets. Or are we nuts and should I accept we will be having a baby in a dusty undecorated place?

Tips, advice, guidance from those who have been here before please. I am panicking.

He should be used to it with me, I have a tendancy to rip out things. Nothing major so far, the bath, shelves, wallpaper. But that is not through desire. When we had the fireplace ripped out a couple of months ago, the builders could see how desperate I was to have a go, and gave me the mallet to smash a couple of bricks out I was going to do it myself, and the builder was like 'NO! we will do it for you' and they did not charge me, they were afraid I would do some damage to either me, or the chimney breast!!!

I love smashing too!Our house is finished just in th last week or two and I am bored already

He has no vision. He is not good at visualing something in advance, he just can't picture it in his head. He knows it too, which is why although he is being vocal about it, he will let me do it anyway (eventually). I will get the tester pots anyway and he will be persuaded. He likes stone white, we had this in DDs old bedroom, so thats a possibility!

Bless him, he has gone to shops for fish for tea. He is great at cooking and at least I don't interfere with that!

nymph I shall check that out, but not sure I can convince DH on the glass doorknobs, I think that is one step to far. Shame though!

The dust is just everywhere. I cannot wear anything without the bottom of my trousers being covered in white powder!

Sugar soap is what I need isnt't it? to wash the walls, skirting etc before we paint?

And is is essential to get the anti knot stuff for new wood?

I do the wrecking side of things here too. I can put together furniture and stuff like that but once it gets to the neat jobs I go away and dp takes over! We had to rebuild all our Walls as they were lathe and plaster and falling down so that was a fun but very messy job

I used a good hoover and far too many of those wet wipe flash things disposable and brilliant!Knotting is essential unless you want marks all over it!

it is a lot of fun!

Just thought I would check as DH is like 'oh we don't need to do that do we?' and I said we did!

We are using our old cylnder dyson, in need of replacing. It is being used by the builders to clean up at the end of each day and we need to clean out the eves too before we put storage back.

Then I get a new hoover afterwards too!

we are in the middle of major renovation and redecorating work and I was just like you...wanted the carpet out asap...OH insisted it stayed to catch dus/plaster/paint and I have to concede it was a wise decision. It is only going now that we are about to attach and paint the skirting board.