First-time house renovation

maggie111

jimbugalee wrote: »

Hi Maggie,
I had another email prior to the 15% one that said 'Big weekend deals' or something along those lines. I clicked on the link for the door but must apologise as also found it was full price atm (I guess until the deal kicks in at the weekend).

I think it's this door:
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&amp;fh_secondid=9274071&amp;fh_view_size=10&amp;fh_eds=?&amp;fh_location=//catal!!!1/en_GB/categories<{9392104}&amp;fh_search=6+panel&amp;fh_refview=search&amp;ts=1250683116961&amp;isSearch=false

Check back at the weekend (maybe Friday?) and it should have come down in price. I would check the other doors also as there was a few. Sorry I can't find the original email which isn't very helpful!

Thanks so much for checking it out for me!! The link doesn't work - but I have the doors listed in price order on the website - so I'll do that again on Friday... I'm tempted to buy them and we haven't even exchanged on the property yet - £50 for new doors seems SO reasonable. Though I doubt we'll be able to hang them, but we can work that out.

Thanks again for your help

Suiside... your house is just gorgeous! Am loving the wood floors - I'm quite jealous!

Canucklehead

dottiepeas wrote: »

Hello!
Have been reading this forum for awhile now!...and we're now currently buying a bungalow that needs total refurbishment! We would like to move the kitchen to the back of the house- does anybody know roughly how much it would cost to have a plumber come and add pipes (for creating sink/washing machine etc) and new electrics? Would £3k for the works be too optimistic?...(not to include kitchen cabinets etc-just plumbing/electrics/installing new combi boiler!)

Any info and advice for moving kitchens would be much appreciated!! :cheesy:

Good afternoon: the costs of any works will be contingent on your location in the UK and the standard of the specification. As an example, we recently renovated our bungalow and did all the works ourselves except for skimming the ceilings (keep in mind, my OH is a plumber/RGI) and spent just under £8000 all in (Ikea kitchen, new condensing combi in loft, new radiators/TRVs, rewired, new bathroom, carpets/flooring, decoration etc. but didn't need to replace any windows or doors).

If you don't have plumber via personal recommendations try here.

Good luck with your project.

HTH

Canucklehead

dottiepeas

Thanks Gemma for your advice! (jimbugalee!!!) The price of the boilers was very helpful!!...Sounds like the one you have got is really efficient!! May have to look into getting that one! We have a massive old water tank taking up a teeny kitchen in the bungalow, so we would need a new boiler put in the new kitchen room! So much to do!!...but I guess it's a case of doing things in stages!!..and one step at a time!!....but all very exciting!!!

dottiepeas

Canucklehead wrote: »

Good afternoon: the costs of any works will be contingent on your location in the UK and the standard of the specification. As an example, we recently renovated our bungalow and did all the works ourselves except for skimming the ceilings (keep in mind, my OH is a plumber/RGI) and spent just under £8000 all in (Ikea kitchen, new condensing combi in loft, new radiators/TRVs, rewired, new bathroom, carpets/flooring, decoration etc. but didn't need to replace any windows or doors).

If you don't have plumber via personal recommendations try here.

Good luck with your project.

HTH

Canucklehead

Thanks Canucklhead!! Wish my other half was a plumber!! heehee!! We're both taking on our first renovation though it will be a home rather than to sell on, and looking to do some stuff ourselves, but all the major stuff (electrics/plumbing) to be done by the pros! £8k all in, sounds soooo good!! We are also thinking of getting an ikea kitchen fitted, as they seem to be a good price!
First steps for us at the moment!...am abit scared about what we're taking on!..but also very excited!!:rotfl:

jimbugalee

No problem dottiepeas. Yeh the whole boiler process was quite long Zzzzzz We ripped out the back boiler and copper water storage thank thing and also the one in the loft (although that's actually still there, we just don't use it). The we had to re-run the gas pipes under the floorboards (originally upstairs but were told that new regulations meant that was an unventilated space so not possible). They now run through the lounge, out of the house then back into the kitchen. Not my preference but nothing else we could do.

You can see the new boiler, pipes etc on my blog http://seatonroad.blogspot.com/ (think it starts around 9th June backwards for that bit)

I think there's something dodgy with our gas meter only having used 43 units of gas since we got the new boiler at beginning of June?!

Just a note that the boilers don't actually increase in size as they get more powerful. I was worried my boyfriend was going to bring home a monster boiler!! AAARGH

Sam - your house looks lovely!!! I love the white in that room - just looks gorgeous!! We want to have wooden floors in our lounge but I don't think our floorboards are up to it - we'll end up replacing more than we clean up. Great progress. Keep us up to date!

helping_hubby

jimbugalee wrote: »

Ah so maybe you can tell if you get cheaper doors? I absolutely love the ones TomsMom has - I'm not sure if they'll go in our house. hmmmmmmm

Oh gosh I haven't even got as far as looking at door handles. My parents have a similar lock HH and haven't had any problems. Although previously they had a key which snapped off when my brother was in there and no one home. He managed to un-do the double glazing window at the top with tweezers and escape!! Yes he was naked pmsl ... hilarious

Oh my god that's exactly what I'm scared of. I think I'll get a bolt if only for my own piece of mind and keep a small screwdriver in the bathroom! I'd only lock it when we had guests though, so maybe a thumb one would be ok...they do look neater. Ah decisions

I also LOVE the ones that TomsMom has. I thought they wouldn't go in my house, but she also has white painted architraves, so it would work. They are quite a bit more money though.

Will check out screwfix, lisa, for prices before buying in B&Q. Thank you.

Suiside - the floor is gorgeous. I cannot believe that was under the psychedelic carpet! Unfortunately there was just concrete under ours oh well.

suisidevw

Thanks all! Glad you like the house/flooring! It was a LOT of hardwork, probably 50 man hours or so but well worth it in my opinion!

We have a 100% wool berber carpet coming in tomorrow! Mega excited and managed to play 2 companies off against each other for a £180 saving on the original quotation .

jimbugalee

gosh - I'm well away looking at actual furniture and fittings today. Feel like a proper home owner.

Any advice on where to get bathroom mirrors? I thought this place https://www.bespokemirrors.com just get a plain mirror and add the de-misting pads. For a 500mmx600mm will come in around £90. hmm seems a lot, maybe not

suisidevw

I'm after a nice wardrobe and chest of drawers. Can't seem to find anything we really like. Does anyone have any recommendations for good quality companies etc?

jamtart6

argh feel like I'm going mad here. Can anyone please help?

Problem 1: We got a man in to show us some gutters and fascias and soffitts, my OH said they were fine, and the bloke explained how they don't have vents underneath as they use a different system all together. I foolishly expected my OH to remember why this was and took little notice of what the man said as I wasn't understanding what he was saying. They have been fitted today - can't see any vents, and now I'm concerned. OH claims he cannot remember (like me) what was said and if I've got a problem I should ring gutter-man.


Edit to add: Just found this from our lovely andrew_b when I was waxing lyrical last time about gutters etc.

. The ventilation is over fascia ventilation which slots in underneath eaves protectors with bird comb fitted too - i'd say that's better than the circular one's as it means the entire roof has a vent round it plus you can only see it if you look up between fascia and gutter.

This sounds like what we have got I think? when I look up all I can see is a flat piece of plastic with no vents?



Problem number 2 - we are moving our soil drain pipe a diff wall from the toilet. Mr Gutter man and OH said that we would need to cut off existing pipe that goes through the roof and re-tile that bit. Gutter man is doing this for us while he is up there. Spoke to my Dad who said he doesnt know why this needs doing - OH and gutter man seem to understand why it needs doing - but I don't and it is unusual for my Dad not to know. So can any one please englighten me before I go mad.

After asking OH 5 times about the cut off soil pipe - he is refusing to explain to me again but I still don't understand.

Thank you in advance.

(ETA: I may be doing a Trevor Jordache with OH if his patience with explaining things doesn't come back to him soon as we have deep footings in the garden at the moment ........ )