First-time house renovation

That's some list BB - you'll have biceps like Geoff Capes (actually a distant relative of mine by marriage) and no doubt builder's bum to go with it by the time you've finished!

In reply to andrew-b (and I forgive you your curiosity ) It's a very long and complicated story. Basically, I was a divorcee with my own property when I married a widower and moved into his house. I subsequently sold my house and put the money away. Then, over time, I found myself looking longingly at the price of new motorcycles (I'm a geriatric biker!) or how much motorhome I could afford and realised that if I wasn't careful, it would be too easy to fritter the money away.

At the same time, we realised that as we get older, it will become harder to maintain my husband's property, which is an acre in extent and constant hard work. There was also a potentially difficult situation looming with stepchildren and inheritance and I decided that I could afford to buy a property in my own right and maintain my independence in the future.

I started househunting and found a small, quiet cul-de-sac, closer to town and a very nice area. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the prices of the already improved properties there without real struggle. Eventually, this bungalow turned up on the market when the elderly owner died. It had been untouched since 1960 and in over 30 years, the old lady hadn't spent a penny on it. The estate agent's details said "in need of modernisation" when it would have been truer to say "well.. the walls and roof are sound"! However, it was within my price range and had huge scope to improve. It had space at the side to add a family/living room and a garage. It had enough ground to keep my gardening side interested but not so large as to be a problem later.

I also had just enough capital to have a builder do the important things and we knew that a great deal of it we could do ourselves, thus keeping costs right down. So far, we have virtually gutted the inside, including old carpet that had been down so long it was practically welded to the floor and had to be prised off with a garden hoe - yuck!

It was only when the building regs man pointed out that we could just as easily go upwards as extend that we realised that for similar amounts of money we could still have the space we wanted without compromising the property nor running into planning permission problems. It is also my view that we will have increased our market since by adding two more rooms in the loft, we make what is essentially a small property into one suitable for family use. Many of the residents in the street are also really elderly and I am quite sure that once my conversion is done and other bungalows come on the market, others will copy what I shall be doing and it will no longer be a road just for oldies.

I have deliberately not said before what I was doing as I fully expected the housing crash pundits to be jeering at me for leaping into a falling market. However, I could have waited but then not been able to find a property I liked, where I wanted it, within my budget, and while we are still young enough (I'm 58) to tackle a great deal of the work ourselves.

We have - in true mse fashion - already made some huge savings. I was recently offered a 6 year old, solid oak units kitchen complete with Franke sink and taps, which a fashion following friend was having ripped out. I paid £250 for the whole lot and there is enough to fit out two ordinary sized kitchens. It is immaculate and I'm confident that we can produce a cracking kitchen for little cost although much effort.

Similarly, we have haunted car boot sales and bought a lot of stuff for rock bottom prices - flemish chandeliers complete with shades for £5, s/h but immaculate Dorma curtains for £8, stainless steel saucepans for £10 the set (fashion strikes again!). We are also aware that to some extent the property will have to earn it's keep to allow improvements to continue so I shall be looking for a lodger to keep the funds coming in. Those rooms in the loft will be our 'private' quarters in due course.

We are thinking of renaming the house Steptoe Manor but any suggestions based around recycling, frugality, miserliness gratefully accepted!

Sorry to hijack your thread BB but at least now that the secret is out, we shall all be able to compare notes on our progress along the route of brickdust and bathrooms!

GREAT thread!! It's fantastic to see people really being keen on their project...got me itching to look around for my next one!!

The skip debate...well, we used to take all our stuff to the dump until they got funny with us. (we have a pick-up, plus a trailer that we used with the car sometimes) We even found it almost economical to take stuff to the dump in the next town until the price of deisel shot thru the roof.

Now, if we don't have a huge amount of trash to get rid of, we'll sneak it into the household bin, or park outside the facility and walk it in already in bags. It's a bluddy nuisance tho.

Seems like our local dump has some new and weird ideas about what they will actually take. We were recently told by the staff at our local tip that we could only bring in 5 small bags of hardcore for instance (WHY???) otherwise they would start charging.

One other waste facility we used to use insisted on a permit from the council if you had a trailer. You were only allowed to use this particular permit a certain number of times. Thats when we bit the bullet and started hiring skips. MUCH easier, and it meant you weren't 'double handling' everything. Hopefully your guys at the dump will be a bit more reasonable.

Good luck with it all...keep posting and updating!!

helping hubby - we do your little-by-little thing at the dump too but we also try only to go when we have other errands to run in town. That way, you're getting three or four things done on the "same diesel" ifyswim. Makes it less of a chore if it's only a few bags at a time.

We got rid of lots of rubble/clinker type stuff to a mate of a mate who was trying to hardcore his new yard. Might it be worthwhile for others to put a card in the shop window offering free hardcore and see if you get any takers? If you do, then it's that person on the 'blister end' of the shovel, not you.

if your changing locks do it first, as it only takes 20 mins and will keep out old tenants/ friends of old tenants who might of had a key etc

Hi BB1984. I'll be following your blog too!

We've just taken possession of a house that needs total renovation and a rebuild of the unsound loft conversion. I've followed your example and started a blog (hope you don't mind!) and when I've put some pictures on it I'll put a link if anyone wants to see it.

Our builders are starting on Monday to do as much indoor prep as possible whilst awaiting planning permission for the rebuild of the loft (change to size means PP is required, if it's refused we can rebuild as is without PP). They are also removing the lounge wall to install french doors/windows to the conservatory. A horrendous slate fireplace will hopefully be removed on Monday along with some fake ceiling beams. OH has already removed some awful home-made fitted wardrobes.

Our son is a ceramic tiler and will be doing all new tiling in the utility, downstairs WC, bathroom and ensuite in the loft, as well as installing the new kitchen and bathroom.

Due to OH's ill health he wont be able to do as much as he would like, for the first time ever we're having to get someone else to do the majority of the work.

At the moment every time we go in the house we find another loose bit of wallpaper we start stripping, there's bare patches everywhere.

If anyone reading this can suggest best lighting for the kitchen, long and narrow, I'd be grateful. Dining end will have a pendant over the table but middle bit doesn't have much light but far end has large window with plenty of light for the sink/cooker. I've always had flourescent but will happily consider something a bit more stylish/modern.