First-time house renovation

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

ps - how do you do those neat little links that mean the whole blimmin address isn't displayed...?!

BB

You mean like this

Easy peasy - has to be or I couldn't do it :rotfl:

OK -

1 - get the website up of the link you want. In the address bar, right click to highlight and copy the web addy.

2 - When composing your reply to a message, just above the white message box there is a tool bar. On the top line of the tool bar is a white smiley face and underneath this is a blue world with a chain link thing on it. Type the word that you want to use as your link, e.g. this wallpaper, then highlight it like this this wallpaper and then click on that blue world and a box pops up on your screen which says "Please enter the URL of your link" so just paste your web addy in the box and click OK. Your link words will be blue and when someone clicks on them it will open up the website.

Hope that makes sense, it's so much easier to do than to describe!

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

Happy New Year house-renovators! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you have a very happy and successful 2009. And that we all get lots of housey stuff done!


How are you all getting on - done much over the hols?

BB

:hello: Yoo Hoo BB. Happy new year to you too and thanks for the update.

Well done on all the work you've done this week and I do like the wallpaper, I think it will be great in a dark room.

Don't fret over wanting nice stuff, I think you're very sensible as you accept you can't have everything straight away. It will all come in time and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have worked and saved for each thing that you buy. We started off with only buying curtains for the lounge and the bedroom in our first house. The bed was a wedding present from OH's mom and dad, and a dressing table was a wedding present from my mom and dad. We were given someone's old rug for the lounge, someone's old settee and a non-matching chair, mother-in-law's 40 year old gas cooker (they don't build 'em like that any more!) and there was a built-in fridge in the kitchen. My washing was done at my mom's house each Saturday morning when I wasn't working until we were able to afford a washing machine. That was all we had. Everything else was bought, piece by piece, and each time it was a joy to know that we'd achieved it on our own.

Just a little bit to update on our house (and I've put a bit on my blog) - the floor tiling in the utility has been grouted and OH started the prep for painting the new plaster in there. You can't see the floor at the moment as he's covered it up with pieces of cardboard to keep it all clean. He sanded and wiped down one day then put the mist coat on a couple of days later. Unfortunately he is finding it very hard. You know he is unwell, and he had the news the week before Christmas that his tests have shown he has not gone into remission so his treatment has stopped for now. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak as far as the work is concerned and he was exhausted after putting the mist coat on. He's been back today and sanded/wiped down again but I've a feeling that although he may just about be able to manage the utility room, being small, he may not be able to manage the bigger rooms - and the lounge is quite a biggy! Decorators round here are like rocking horse droppings and finding one that meets my high standards might be hard. Pity the builders don't do decorating.

The builders should be coming back either 5th or 12th January now that the planning permission is through. Hope the weather stays dry as the roof has to come off next.

Looking forward to your blog update BB.

Confess - did you buy Chester a Christmas pressie? We didn't buy our cat one as she's not bothered, all she does like is the plastic egg shaped things the little toys come in inside a Kinder egg - the grandchildren save them for her :rotfl: . As they're not round they are very unpredictable when she bats them and it's quite funny to see her chasing it round the room.

BB1984

Thanks Toms Mom - right I'm gonna try it here

Hope it works...! :T

BB

SplanK

BB1984 wrote: »

I stupidly left OH unattended last week, during which time he managed to spontaneously buy a £200 lamp for the kitchen......! Here we are with no carpet, and he's spending that on lamps?! Was a bit cross at his irresponsibility, but it was his money, and it is a very nice lamp....!

Was the lamp from "The Furnature Village" by any chance?? I was bed shopping with the OH on boxing day and spotted the exact same lamp in red, blue and pink - very VERY nice but heafty price tag!

Shimmyhill

Happy new year everyone !

We have pretty much finished the 2nd bedroom, just got to get a carpet (buying tomorrow) and a bit of skirting board - proving hard as now i know what the style is (ovolo) i have not been able to get any My local wickes does not carry it even tho it is on the website

Other than that i have not done an awful lot over christmas, well i have eaten lots of chocolate and drunk plenty of wine but these do not seem to aid the DIYing

BB1984

ok I think it worked, I just put an extra http in....! Doh!

Your blog looks good, Toms Mom, glad you've been able to get some stuff done over Christmas. Sorry to hear about your hubby though, I hope his strength improves soon. As always I'm amazed by how much he seems able to get done despite feeling so poorly. As for your decorating, it does sound like you could do with some extra hands....can you enlist some friends and family to help out? I've been amazed by how much people seem prepared to do! Maybe just get someone in to do the more tricky bits of decorating...

Right, must go, need to give Jonathan Creek my full attention....!

BB

ETA - No we didn't get Chester a xmas pressie, although both sets of "grandparents" did...! He got some Whiskas treats that he LOVES and some toys that he does like to play with - he's a right kid considering he's supposed to be a grown up!

shell1000

I've read this thread from the beginning and its mad how crazy we all are!

I've renovated this place from top to bottom excepting the kitchen on a budget of £12k. The money ran out so now im saving to do the kitchen properly!

It's taken ages and so much hard work and stress, but when you get to a place where you love it, its all worth it!!

Goodluck everyone and happy new year!

TomsMom

Shimmyhill wrote: »

Happy new year everyone !

We have pretty much finished the 2nd bedroom, just got to get a carpet (buying tomorrow) and a bit of skirting board - proving hard as now i know what the style is (ovolo) i have not been able to get any My local wickes does not carry it even tho it is on the website

Other than that i have not done an awful lot over christmas, well i have eaten lots of chocolate and drunk plenty of wine but these do not seem to aid the DIYing

Happy new year Shimmy.

I've just looked at your blog. The photo of your daughter with the tree is showing but the ones of your kitchen and pantry aren't, but I'm sure they're great

BB1984

I've updated my blog! Link here - sorry just wanted to try out my new-found linking skills...hopefully it's worked! There's only a couple of new photos on there, of the 2nd bedroom, but gives an idea of what I've been up to the past couple of days.

Question for you (esp Shimmy who's getting new carpet today, I believe!) - how are you doing your carpet? I mean - are you going to a shop and buying it yourself, and fitting it yourself, or are you having it fitted by the shop, or are you buying it yourself then getting someone in to fit it? I've always intended to get our carpets fitted by the shop we buy from, as I've heard that carpet fitting is best done by an expert. But B&Q, for example, have some seemingly good-value carpets to take away... I'm considering perhaps fitting the two spare rooms' carpet ourselves, as the rooms are nicely rectangular and not particularly big. But I would get an expert to fit the hall, lounge and main bedroom carpets as they're bigger and awkward shapes. What do you think?

Shimmy - your kitchen and pantry look fab, especially as I think it was you who said they got their kitchen for a ridiculous bargain...?! Nice one!

Also, if anyone sees any nice furniture on their travels, please let me know. I'm looking for white-painted wood (not melamine) - a wardrobe, two tall-boy chests of drawers, and some bedside tables. And needless to say, they need to be extremely cheap but amazingly well-made....!

BB

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

I've updated my blog! Link here - sorry just wanted to try out my new-found linking skills...hopefully it's worked! There's only a couple of new photos on there, of the 2nd bedroom, but gives an idea of what I've been up to the past couple of days.

Looking good BB. As the view isn't very exciting can you frost the window or maybe get a plain white voile curtain to hide the view?

Question for you (esp Shimmy who's getting new carpet today, I believe!) - how are you doing your carpet? I mean - are you going to a shop and buying it yourself, and fitting it yourself, or are you having it fitted by the shop, or are you buying it yourself then getting someone in to fit it? I've always intended to get our carpets fitted by the shop we buy from, as I've heard that carpet fitting is best done by an expert. But B&Q, for example, have some seemingly good-value carpets to take away... I'm considering perhaps fitting the two spare rooms' carpet ourselves, as the rooms are nicely rectangular and not particularly big. But I would get an expert to fit the hall, lounge and main bedroom carpets as they're bigger and awkward shapes. What do you think?

Over the years we've bought carpet from just about everywhere but have to say that the best value/service has come from who we currently use - a local independent. We saw a very nice quality carpet at a large shop which has a few branches around here. This was for the hall/stairs/landing in our present house and it was about £28 per sq metre, then there would have been underlay, grippers and fitting. It was above our budget as there are two full staircases and two and a half landings here.

We went to the small local independent and saw that they did the exact same carpet (we chose Bark) and were charging £26 per sq metre BUT IT INCLUDED Cloud 9 underlay (which is a good quality one), all grippers and any door strips needed and fitting. We'd used this shop before so knew they were good and the fitters did a good job. We'll be using them again when we're ready to get carpet for the new house.

Are there any independents where you live Beth? Maybe get an idea of what you want by looking around then checking out whether your local independent stocks the same or something similar. Have to say that experience has taught us that 80% wool/20% man made is a very good combination for durability. All man made composition can produce static, which affects some people more than others, and once you shampoo them it seems they need it continually.

Shimmy - your kitchen and pantry look fab, especially as I think it was you who said they got their kitchen for a ridiculous bargain...?! Nice one!

I can still only see the first picture, not the kitchen and pantry