First-time house renovation

latecomer

I did see that was on last night when I flicked through the channels but to be honest at the moment it was the last thing I want to watch. It did cross my mind but having had a nice weekend I didn't want to focus on bodgy builders for the rest of the night.

The wheel barrow was the best of the 3 that homebase - it is a "builders wheelbarrow" accroding to their description but seems little light weight for prolonged heavy use. Best of a bad bunch......
Mind you we did get an email giving 15% off at homebase from Amex which came in rather handy (as homebase is closer than B&Q and had the same limited choice of models).

I was planning going home early and doing some more while OH is at work but got stuck at work. Am not aching everywhere but I suspect I will be tomorrow. Might try and do a little tonight just to ease off my muscles.

I have to say I hate paying for delivery for anything even when its pretty reasonable. I'd rather wait and pick it up myself if I can but thankfully OH often makes me see sense and just pay the delivery fee.

aliasojo

Hi guys...just a quickie...did anyone here buy spaceslide wardrobes/doors? If so, are you happy with them?

stolt

evening everyone, good to see everyone is busy in the garden as me. Spent another weekend sorting out my mess and its now looking like a more like a garden than a building site, although after this weekend i'm a fully paid up member of the red head gang!!! in otherwords a massive amount of sunburn!
We got the play bark delivered saturday morning and thats gone down now, looks good. The fence all painted, cleaned and re cleaned the patio stones to get the cement stains off them, put in the armoured cable (just to need to sort out the wireless light control box) .
And i've been messing around with the irrigation system. Note to self - check the irrigation works before burying it under the sub base, wastes alot of time digging it out and trying it out.
Also got a chance to plant the tree ferns which have been living in a pot, picked a shady spot which they hould love and will welcome being in the ground rather than a pot, weekend was hot and it finally felt like summer, surprising what a bit of sun can do, i definatley noticed the difference when i walked into work this morning..

Feel quilty as i didnt really spend anytime with my girls, really want to get a bike so i can take them for bike rides.

ukmaggie45

Wow Stolt, that's looking more like a garden and less like a building site!

Just one word of warning - cats may want to use the play bark as a toilet. Not sure what you can do about that, unless you get one of those things that shoots a jet of water at them? This kind of thing. Or there are ultrasonic repellers too.

We heard our shed is being delivered and erected on 23 April. :j OH has finished the base, and we've been using it as a patio over the weekend.

Are now into the throes of trying to plan kitchen, decide whether to keep garage or change it into a utility room (it's too narrow to get my car in), how we can fit in a downstairs loo, and where electric sockets, lights etc will go - and how many. I foresee many arguments! :rotfl:

jimbugalee

Stolt - now you've made me jealous and wanting a posh garden like yours!!

I think realistically we just have to make the most of what we have in ours this summer and get stuck in next year. Plus our puppy will probably destoy most things! 8 weeks and counting AAARGH

oooh think I've just had some free seeds delivered from BBC Dig It

andrew-b

Couple of the latest (click for bigger as usual) with an inquisitve dog about:



Looks so much bigger without a shed...but guess it will be a few more weeks yet. Ecobase shed base should be arriving tomorrow hopefully. I had tried to pricematch at Taylors garden buildings in norfolk but they never bothered to get back to me having said they would call back yesterday so i ordered from the cheaper place of Simply Garden Buildings instead.

Feeling a bit better for my day off so i think today i'll level out the area for the shed base ..though that fence is screaming at me to paint it! Still having trouble sourcing a suitable (and reasonably priced!) mount for the mast for satellite dish which is going right in the far corner - you can see from the dish of the bungalow behind where it will be pointing. I can easily buy a mount for a square fence post for under a tenner but if you want anything for a round pole your looking at £25 upwards and they are few and far between. I might get a cheap cast iron parasol base, drill holes in the corners, and bolt it down to concrete or paving slabs depending on whether the old shed base is level (haven't checked but i bet it aint!)

Jimbugalee, Your "Dig In" seeds reminds me..for the veggie growers watch Edible Garden on BBC2 on Wednesday at 8pm with Alys Fowler - a gardening friend of mine spent the last year working on that programme. Not really had a chance to get into researching my veggie growing yet and not sure whether we'll be growing anything this year or not as i need to get the shed done and fence off a plot.

jimbugalee

Oh I might watch that Andrew. Opened my seeds and have carrots, french beans, salad, basil and courgettes

TomsMom

andrew-b wrote: »

Jimbugalee, Your "Dig In" seeds reminds me..for the veggie growers watch Edible Garden on BBC2 on Wednesday at 8pm with Alys Fowler - a gardening friend of mine spent the last year working on that programme. Not really had a chance to get into researching my veggie growing yet and not sure whether we'll be growing anything this year or not as i need to get the shed done and fence off a plot.

I watched that programme last week and really enjoyed it, different from the usual gardening programmes and Alys is very natural. Peas and beans it was last week and although my beans were already in pots and doing well I learned that once outside you need to mulch around the base with compost/manure around the end of May which I didn't know about last year - still had a good crop though. This week it's salads.

Your garden's coming on Andy - what a lot of hard labour you've put in there!

jimbugalee

Btw is everyone watching Restoration Man on Sundays, Channel 4, 9pm? Makes our rennovations look like a walk in the park!

stolt

thanks for all the comments about the garden. Its nice to have a rest... although woke up yesterday with toothache and went to the dentist today as it ws hurting so much... told i need root canal treatment at £400!!!!!!!!!! thats coming out the garden budget! i should have the mesh for the gabions delivered on friday although i wont be able to start work on them until sunday as we have a kids party to, although i originally moaned it will be nice to have a drink and not worry about the garden.. Still awaiting for the artificial grass man to get back to me with regards to final costs etc.