First-time house renovation

TomsMom

Oh wow Lisalou! Your carpets are fab, and I LOVE the bay in your bedroom, I always think that's the most beautiful shape for a bay. What colour is your carpet? On my screen it looks like a lighter version of our stair carpet, a sort of mushroom colour in the boxroom but looks lighter in the other rooms. Our stair carpet is more a darker mushroom. The scarlet ribbon colour paint looks great too.

lisal0u

Thanks TM! It was the bay windows and garden that sold the house to me!

The carpets in the 3 bedrooms are all the same. I couldnt get the piccys to come out all looking the same though. They are a cream carpet with a mushroomy fleck in them. The hall carpet is a slightly warmer cream wool carpet.

We went for the Treadair underlay and it feels lovely and squishy underfoot! We could actually start moving stuff in now, really should start packing ha ha

xxx

littlerose12345

Looks amazing Lisalou! I think our upstairs are fairly similar!! How did you managed to do the skirting around the bay as it looks very round? We've just done our bedroom bay but it's very defined 30/40 degree angles!

Also, did you skim your bay window bedroom walls? We have similar looking walls once we stripped the paper off.. and also currently have a picture rail up too... not sure whether to remove it!?

jimbugalee

Lisa - it looks fab!!! I must say I am rather jealous Congrats .... all your hard work paid off! (you still make me want to strip our stairs grrr lol)

TM - forgot to say that's great news about TD. How brilliant for you and a step in the right direction

We've got the fireplace guy here today. I think he's taken the old flu out and putting a new pot on then he'll do the smoke bomb thing. I am hoping he can come back before Xmas and install the fire who hoooooo. Before that though we need to get the plasterer in and find some sort of hearth. We were thinking slate - anyone know any good/cheap?! suppliers?! I am thinking tiles would be cheaper but not have such a nice effect?

TomsMom

jimbugalee wrote: »

Before that though we need to get the plasterer in and find some sort of hearth. We were thinking slate - anyone know any good/cheap?! suppliers?! I am thinking tiles would be cheaper but not have such a nice effect?

We had slate hearths for two fireplaces OH built in a previous house. They looked really good, I loved the texture of them. Can't remember now where we got the slate from but I do remember whoever supplied it said the thickness we were after (or thin-ness ) was not possible. Well, ever up for a challenge we asked them to try splitting a piece of slate and lo and behold it worked out just fine and the suppliers were amazed at how well it worked. Can't remember what thickness but think it may have been 1/4" (5-6mm), and we had four squarish pieces to form the hearth.

Just one downside really, they need to be oiled from time to time. Easy enough job but it does stay oily to the touch for a while and gather a bit of dust but once dry they're easy enough to clean.

We did think of having a slate hearth in this house but in the end didn't need one with the hang on the wall fire. It would have been very easy to get slate here as we're not that far from a couple of slate mines in N.Wales.

jimbugalee

Thanks TomsMom. I've phoned round a few places this morning (all in Wales!) and there's so many different types of slate aaaargh!! We can just about get it delivered in time and will be about 30mm thick - any thinner might crack? Which would rule out tiling it.

Thanks for the tip re oiling.

I feel a bit stressed today about the amount we have taken on before Xmas. The bathroom isn't finished, we're going on holiday and now have to sort the fireplace out. aaargh!! Oh and we have the window ppl coming round to quote soon. I think we'll have to call that off for now as it's too much.

TomsMom

jimbugalee wrote: »

We can just about get it delivered in time and will be about 30mm thick - any thinner might crack? Which would rule out tiling it.

30mm - that's almost 1 and 1/4", blimey that will be thick! This is what they told us all those years ago and why we asked them to try splitting a piece.

Why would it rule out tiling it? Perhaps I'm not keeping up today (excited 'cos there's a bed at Bangor for TD and his transport should arrive between 11.30 and 12, fingers crossed the bed doesn't go to an emergency before he leaves).

My mom has a hearth tiled with smallish tiles of about 7" x 3.5" (done donkeys years ago by my dad) and they are fine.

I know you're having a stove but I'm struggling to see what the problem is. I wont sleep till I know :rotfl: .

I feel a bit stressed today about the amount we have taken on before Xmas. The bathroom isn't finished, we're going on holiday and now have to sort the fireplace out. aaargh!! Oh and we have the window ppl coming round to quote soon. I think we'll have to call that off for now as it's too much.

Aw, don't panic. It's not worth the energy. Go with the flow, it will all work out in the end, honest!

jimbugalee

Well apparently if you burn solid fuel (i.e. wood or coal) you need to have a hearth at least 30mm thick so prevent cracking. You can go down to 20mm but is a bit risky. Here's an extract from a supplier:

Slate is exceptionally strong compared with other stones so a comparatively thin hearth will withstand a lot of weight, particularly if well bedded (supported). However it is dark and absorbs radiant energy so this can lead to problems with open fires for which we are happy to advise.

Electric and gas fires present little risk so single piece hearths in 20 mm thick material are satisfactory.

Solid fuel and wood burning stoves may be stood on 20 mm hearths providing that they are bedded over the complete area with a suitable adhesive.

Hearths in front of solid fuel stoves, particularly those which can be operated with the front open, would benefit from being in 30 mm material if they are of any substantial size. ( greater than 1000 x 350mm)

Traditional open fires are at the greatest risk from cracking, particularly if used regularly . In general Tee shaped hearths must be split so that the section under the fire is separate from the external piece across the front.

20 mm thick slate for the front section is only suitable if split into separate slabs where the centre hot slab is not more than 400 x 400mm in size.

30 mm slate may be used as a single piece hearth up to 350 mm deep if used infrequently. For regular usage split into sections to be safe.

The important factor is to ensure that the hearth is bedded over the whole area to ensure good heat transfer to the constructional hearth below.

Apparently it doesn't expand and contract like other stone. Oh it's confusing (and expensive grrr)

YEY re TD ... how exciting!!!!!!!!!

suisidevw

Guys, loving all the updates. Ours is going from strength to strength. Pictures coming up!

Now I need some help and advice! All opinions and thoughts on where to buy things/what we need would be appreciated! Any links to your blogs with your bathrooms for ideas would be amazing too.

Basically we are completely redoing it. It is our last project on the house for a while at least and obviously hasn’t been done for decades! The tiles are peach and the ceiling polystyrene tiles and only a shower. The bathroom is small so we need to maximise space/storage bypossibly having a pedestal sink.

What we are looking for is a shower bath which can take 2 people. I think these are pretty rare. It seems the telescopic shower screens get good reviews too…..

The walls will be completely tiled on the bath side of the room and halve way up on the rest of the walls with the top half painted.

Not 100% sure on the colours but thinking white suite with sandy coloured flooing and white tiles, chrome towel rail etc.

Where did you buy your tiles/suite/radiator etc. Stories of good service and prices with quick delivery would be brilliant!

Many thanks in advance,
Sam

littlerose12345

suisidevw wrote: »

Where did you buy your tiles/suite/radiator etc. Stories of good service and prices with quick delivery would be brilliant!

Our tiles were from a local supplier in town, make sure you haggle as we manages to get 50% knocked off the original price..

Basin and toilet were from B&Q.. To Go range.. we have a small bathroom so these fit our size requirements perfectly.. Beware B&Q tent to increase and decrease their prices frequently.. we managed to get the pair at the cheapest we ever saw them on offer!

We had to go for a 1500 length bath, again for the space and went for kaldawei (sp)

We also had a chrome towel radiator and went with mrcentralheating online.