First-time house renovation

andrew-b

TM, two words... "pine solutions" (you know i told you so!!) ..you wouldn't have had all this rubbish ...with the two man premium delivery they will even deliver to the room of your choice even if it is upstairs ! My two man delivery crew consisted of one man (other one was ill that day!) - short chap (the wardrobe boxes were way bigger than him!!) but he managed the whole lot pretty much on his own with no problem on a very hot day (he was very releived when he discovered my house was a bungalow!!) - i got a refund for not having the 2nd man too! Pay a bit extra and they will even assemble it. Is it too late to cancel the order and go elsewhere?

Still you could take your frustrations out on "disassembling" the furniture ..you want to borrow my club hammer and crowbar?!

Hope things go ok for TomsDad..odds sound good so keep positive!

Andy

TomsMom

Thanks Andy. Not sure if Pine Solutions sold the same stuff (New Dorset Oak looks the nearest) but we researched thoroughly before we ordered and the place we bought from really did give us a fantastic price.

My biggest worry though - and I could have accepted the delivery on my own if OH had moved the furniture on Thursday - was them getting the stuff up the stairs. I'm paranoid about the decorations etc., getting knocked about. At least with OH there he can guide them up the stairs and suggest a way of getting around the dog leg if they're a bit clumsy. Two bed deliveries and carpets being taken upstairs have already scuffed the walls enough and when I think of how much it cost us to have it decorated I could cry!

Spicey

TM :grouphug: Rant as much as you like, why does **** always hit the fan all at the same time! Wish Mr TM all the best.

ukmaggie45

Oh TM, what a mess these people have made of the delivery. :rolleyes:

Would it be of any help if we popped over tomorrow to give a hand? It's not that far from Abersoch, and it's ages since I was down your way. OH is out shopping for washers that weren't included in the Aldi free-satellite receiver and dish we bought on Sunday, but should be back in the next hour or so. But I'm sure he'd be happy to come over and help. He's prob OK at disassembling furniture, but maybe not so good at assembling!

Or failing that we could come over the week beginning Monday 28 September, though preferably not on the 30th as it's OH's birthday. We are hoping to be back at the caravan that week - unless we have complications over house purchase (which is getting very complicated at the mo), and I don't see that a day or so will make much difference to that.

I didn't realise TomsDad would have to go to Bristol for his transplant - hope that you will be able to visit occasionally - what a long way to go.

Big hugs to both of you.

Maggie

lisal0u

TM im sending you a great big hug!

I wish I lived nearer then I would come help too! Its true that rubbish things all seem to happen at the same time!

Send my best wishes to TD too, Im sure he will sail through no problems, from what you have said about him he seems a fighter to me!

I have nothing house renovation wise to report! Just going to catch up on all of your blogs!

Ta ta for now
Lisa x

ukmaggie45

Hi Andy,

andrew-b wrote: »

Doh..missed that aldi deal on free-to-air receiver and dish - should have read my emails! I'm considering getting Freesat myself. My plan is to attach the dish to the shed and run cable round the garden into the house (either that or dig a trench diagonally across my lawn) and then get a Humax PVR HD freesat box - though the twin tuners means i need a quad LNB and i may get a bigger dish too. It'll have to wait until after the wedding has been paid off though as we have a bit of a cash flow crisis and borrowing heavily from house money (probably be on beans on toast for a few weeks!).

If you want we could call in at Portmadoc en route to TomsMum (if she would like us to go) and see if there's one left still. It's just possible they might, as they still had one of the desktop computers plus a monitor from the last time they offered that (sorry, not sure when exactly as I just cleared all my Aldi and Lidl emails from my Inbox last week). So it's just possible they'll still have one. We got there an hour before they opened, but no queue, so we sat in car as it was chucking it down. In the end OH was about 6th person into the store when it opened at 10, and he took the 6th receiver. :T They had 10 in stock, so might still be one.

Sounds like your bathroom is being a bit difficult - good luck with the painting prep - prep is the key to getting anything done well (why our bathroom wallpaper looks a mess and is coming unstuck I suspect! ) so well worth taking your time over it and not taking the easy options (as OH did! Grrr!)

Maggie

andrew-b

Nah it's ok but a kind offer! i would only really have got it for a second box and the dish and i'd have to upgrade the LNB from looking at the email offer. Thing is my cable run will be about 15metres so i believe i may need a bigger dish to try get the best signal.

If i do get a satellite dish and freesat pvr not sure whether i'll try disguise the dish by painting same colour as fence/shed, or paint a on it, something else or just leave as is!

Andy

latecomer

jimbugalee wrote: »

Oh that's exactly the furniture we are looking at for the bathroom. I haven't found an alternative but look on the Next website as there's some dark wood bits they sell which look nice.

I was also going to pick the dark wood accessories but I looked at them in store and wasn't so sure. We're now going to go for the 'Cascade' accessories.

I'd be interested to see a pic of the furniture with your tiles. Ooooh getting excited about getting ours We'll have to wait for another deals weekend.

We found the stuff at Next to look good online but very cheap and nasty in the flesh. Each item we found had chipped veneer and looked terrible. Hence why we went for the B&Q cabinet instead.

Do you mean the B&Q Cascade accessories or Next?

We are thinking about going for the solid walnut stuff from B&Q want to see it first. Hence the off-cuts from the cabinet legs will come in handy

I'll also try and get a picture taken and on the blog tonight.

TomsMom

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Would it be of any help if we popped over tomorrow to give a hand? It's not that far from Abersoch, and it's ages since I was down your way. OH is out shopping for washers that weren't included in the Aldi free-satellite receiver and dish we bought on Sunday, but should be back in the next hour or so. But I'm sure he'd be happy to come over and help. He's prob OK at disassembling furniture, but maybe not so good at assembling!

Or failing that we could come over the week beginning Monday 28 September, though preferably not on the 30th as it's OH's birthday. We are hoping to be back at the caravan that week - unless we have complications over house purchase (which is getting very complicated at the mo), and I don't see that a day or so will make much difference to that.

I didn't realise TomsDad would have to go to Bristol for his transplant - hope that you will be able to visit occasionally - what a long way to go.

Big hugs to both of you.

Maggie

. . . . . . TomsMom tiptoeing in sheepishly after yesterday's rant. You'll be pleased to know that I washed my mouth out with soap, no more naughties today!

Oh Maggie, what a kind thought. Thank you, I really really appreciate the offer but we've cancelled the delivery and told the shop we'll be back in touch when OH comes home. I've resigned myself to it now. D-i-l offered to come and help me (for a little one she's mega strong and gets stuck into all sorts) and she said she wouldn't let our son near it as she knows what he's like (bull in a china shop). However, if there's any damage going to be done we'd rather it just be us two so we can call each other everything under the son rather than have to graciously forgive anyone else, IYSWIM .

We had to go out today for a couple of last minute things. OH's off to Bangor for this preparatory op tomorrow - inserting a central line for next week's chemo, not sure why they want it done in Bangor rather than in Bristol , will be back late Saturday afternoon. DD is coming Saturday evening/Sunday for a last visit to her Dad before he goes - she lives 100 miles away. Monday OH has blood taken at local surgery, Tuesday he has to be in for a telephone review following the blood test, then Wednesday morning he's off.

So today, the two roller blinds for the bathroom went back to Dunelm. We had the same ones in the kitchen and utility but TBH they've been a little disappointing. I love the material and colour but they roll up very loosely and once they've been rolled back up in the morning they're c0ck-eyed and have to be straightened up. I think it's something to do with the type of material (suede-type) and it not clinging so it's all loose. I'll have a re-think about what to have on the two small windows in the bathroom.

Yesterday we spent a long time "putting the house in order", not the bricks and mortar house but OH has always dealt with the bills etc., so I've had a crash course on what comes in, what goes out, when and how. I've had to write it all down as I'll never remember it all. Things like insurance, car tax, etc., all coming up while he's away which I've never dealt with before either. We've just renewed the house insurance which was due on 22 September so that's one out of the way. We've also had to deal with the more morbid side - what to do if he doesn't come back, it has to be done and it's better I know in advance than panic if it happens.

His transplant is in Bristol because Bangor only deal with stem cell/bone marrow transplants if it's a self-transplant. Donor transplants are only done at Bristol or London. Wales doesn't get funding for London except in exceptional/rare circumstances and goes begging but Bristol does have a good reputation. OH can't have a self-transplant as his bone marrow is no good, his lymphoma was very advanced when diagnosed. Thank god for the good people who are willing to put themselves through the donor procedure. He has had his own cells harvested and frozen as a back-up in case the donor transplant fails, but TBH that wouldn't be a particularly good option as there would be lymphoma in the cells they put back in. With the donor cells they will be putting pure clean cells into a body where the body has had enough chemo to kill off the lymphoma temporarily and it's immune system destroyed. The new cells will then eventually grow a brand new immune system in the patient. Then you have to pray the new immune system doesn't reject the body (the opposite of an organ transplant where the body can reject the new organ). That's called Host Versus Graft Disease but they look out for it and treat it symptomatically if it starts to happen.

Not sure at the moment when I will be able to go down. It's 4.5 hours' drive from here so at the moment the provisional arrangements are that I will be going some weekends and son will take me to West Midlands where daughter lives which is about half way, she will then take me rest of the way and stay over with me, bring me back to West Midlands where son will come and pick me up again.

The hospital do provide a flat which the patient would be discharged to post transplant when released from isolation. They expect the spouse to go as a carer and do what appears to be a considerable amount of "care" which amounts to nursing and the more intimate stuff (collecting bodily excretions for measuring) for which they graciously provide protective gloves. This they expect you to do when the patient is in isolation for three weeks after the transplant. Well, much as I love my OH I am no nurse and also, as a CFS sufferer, cannot commit to it. Also, after discussion with the district nurse, she told me it is a sneaky way of saving the NHS money. Also they wont feed the carer, you can have a drink but must leave the unit and go back to the flat for a "break" and food. Oh, and they also want you to do the patient's laundry. Clean day and night clothes every day, must be washed at 40C and tumble dried only and returned in plastic bags. I wont go into the cost of providing enough pairs of pyjamas and other clothes if I only go down every weekend and do a week's washing all at once, suffice it to say he doesn't have that amount normally, I doubt if anyone does. I reckon that would mean a minimum of eight pairs of PJs (not allowing for any accidents), pants - yes he probably does have enough, but certainly not enough tumble driable trousers and shirts for day wear. I don't see the point of that .

It's very nice to have the flat but it's £10 a day to park your car :eek: IF there are enough spaces. Imagine that, if I went down with him initially and stayed for the full three months Bristol is contracted for, that would be over £900 in car parking charges! Considering he's not even on his state pension yet and has had to give up work and just gets Incapacity Benefit and they're being very slow with a claim for DLA, it beggars belief that they can think Joe Public can afford this sort of thing. He has a small invalidity pension from the fire service, most of which is taken off his IB!

OMG - I've gone off on one again. Sorry folks, that was totally off topic and nothing to do with anyone's house renovation and I am really sorry if I seem ungrateful as I know they are trying to extend his life.

Anyway, what I need you all to do is come on here and post about everything you are doing, it will give me something to look forward to. I'm hoping Beth will be back soon, she got married in August didn't she? And Andy - your wedding is getting closer. So you can tell us all about it - Mom needs to know :rotfl: . And of course I need to know what you are all doing in your respective houses and you know that I love piccies .

That's enough from me. Thank you all for your good wishes, love you all loads

andrew-b

I think i can safely say your excused from your long post...i saw "tiptoeing in sheepishly" then saw the length and smiled...yeah right! Still it's understandable how big a thing this op is for your OH and you and obviously alot on your mind! Probably harder on you than him in some ways! What i would say though is i wouldn't want to be sat in that hospital flat stewing on my own if you do stay there...you probably won't much feel like it but force yourself to get out and do something to keep you busy else you'll go nuts and take some piccies to take back to OH when you do visit! Only been to Bristol once with my mum when i was doing the university rounds but seemed a nice enough city.
Anyway if you need any kinda help with the "house in order" stuff plenty of us here to help ..and help you save a few pennies at the same time! Shame some of us don't live closer to lend a hand or put you up ! Keep us posted when you can and we will be thinking of you and TomsDad..i'm sure he'll be back in your lovely home with you soon with wardrobes full of PJs!

Andy