First-time house renovation

stolt

latecomer wrote: »

Got to say that illuminated pic of the Bhudda is somewhat scary

Garden looks fantastic. Cant wait to get some progress made on ours but I dont think it will ever look like yours - i dont have the interest or the patience. And once bump arrives life will officially end:rotfl:

thanks, i'm sure once baby is here and you on your third, attention will be turned to the garden! lol When we had ours (eldest is 8 this year) we were rushing around trying to get our first house finished or as much as we could so it would be all nice for our baby, garden was the least of our worries.... now it has to appeal to us as adults but also the kids. I would love to create large rockpool type garden with natural pools and a woodland but its not big enough for that.... one day, although after doing this garden i can honeslty say it was one of the hardest things i had done, especially in the rain and cold. Although one bonus, the weight was dropping off me,, now i've stopped its creeping back. i need a new project.

latecomer

I know that feeling - when we first got this house I got into great shape and while we've had the builders in I've done a lot less and started growing again. Just need to get stuck in again.

I've got a dilemma with the soil vent pipe - just started a new thread if anyone knows anything about them. Basically need to replace the botch job the cowboys did and want to use a solid pipe but not the standard grey stuff is I can help it as I dont really have room.

stolt

after many days of trying to get a pic of the baby great tits , i got one his morning feeding on the bird ball things that you put out for them. Shot through glass so the colours not so good. Only one though, sure there were 3 in the nest....

aliasojo

stolt wrote: »

i need a new project.

:whistle:



Garden's looking really lovely stolt. :beer:

Our place is on hold again. The kitchen ceiling fell in the other day due to a leak from the bathroom above. There's black mould growing in loads of areas so it looks like the leak had been in existance for a while before it suddenly all just gave out.

Got someone coming out today to do a report on what needs doing so hopefully the insurance will cover it.

Btw...I agree with latecomer, that Buddah is creepy when lit up.

littlerose12345

Stolt your garden is lovely Would you like to come and fix up mine?

Our kitchen is in full swing! Units arrived on Friday and most were fitted over the weekend, along with our new vertical radiator! Tiler is laying marine ply over the floorboards today ready for tiling! Can't wait!!

kmmr

Hi all,

Things are moving again on my build, and it's hopefully going to be more fun in the next few weeks as we move from the demolition phase into the real building phase. Doing electrics and plumbing at the moment, which is important, of course, but not as exciting to follow.

I seem to have some bl**dy hard working workers though. The amount of digging and dirt moving going on is epic. And all manually by some strong polish men.

Update on the blog is attached, and will add in a few more photos tonight once I go around and have another look.

http://clearlybuilt.wordpress.com/

pawpurrs

Well I am shattered still working on the sitting room, which is becoming a little epic, so far taken about three mths! Dh said two weeks! We are doing it all ourselves, but its starting to come together. Ceilings are all down, beams exposed, and plastered between, all walls plasterboarded, and painted, got to finish sanding down and painting the stairs ready for the runner, am going for a morrocan Kerstaint Cobb sisal runner in Meknes. Started painting the hall up the stairs and the front entrance hall. Painted the windows in the sitting room, and am whitewashing the front hall, had the carpet guy out to measure for the seagrass that we are putting in. Then will order that, am hoping that the plumber is coming next week to install the gas central heating. If I never see another bit of sandpaper it will be too soon, but suspect there will be more to do tomorrow! Exhausted!

andrew-b

I am still doing stuff in the garden..as i have been since march so i'm suitably tanned/weathered/knackered. As last week our freeview PVR packed in (we rarely watch live tv anymore so it's absence was very much noticed!) we had to order Sky sooner than planned. Luckily i'd already got the pole in for the satellite dish down the end of the garden. Over the weekend i got the conduit for the satellite cable finished off and threaded with 2 strings (easier said than done!) and fastened it in place. Used some special cable ties that you drill a hole in masonry and then whack them into place with a hammer. Also drilled hole through the wall for the cable to run into the house.

Monday morning (yes bank holiday!) Sky installer arrived at 8am and between us we pulled the cable through. Fortunately the drawstring didn't break which we were quite worried it might. If the conduit hadn't been smooth if would have been a nightmare. Anyway now got Sky+ with an Sky+ HD box (no HD telly yet) with cabling all sealed into the conduit now. Satellite dish looks a bit of an eyesore at the moment until the shed goes in front. This morning i rejoined the cable to the LNB on the dish to put some silicone grease in to avoid moisture getting in which the sky man didn't do.

Also i've dug another 15 foot long 2 foot deep trench for the shed electrics over a few days - including excavating underneath the decked area of the shed base. The armoured cable is in (not hooked up to anything just well sealed at either end) and i chucked another conduit in just in case i ever need it for something i haven't thought of yet! Need to get the trench filled in this week really as the shed is finally ready for delivery (once my cheque has cleared). Shed needs to be painted though before it can be installed so it's going to be a while yet before it's usable.

Neighbour has expressed a concern of my small store shed being "too close to the house" claiming that my buildings insurance would be invalid because of it (i'm doubtful on this but not had a chance to check!). We suspect it's just because it's obscuring his view of what i've been upto! Still it was only ever meant to be temporary which i've told him several times before. Not sure i actually want to remove it now though as it gives us extra privacy.

latecomer

shed being too close to the house invalidates your insurance?:rotfl:

Think that requires a little research - its possible but I suspect highly unlikely.

We have a new lintel above the garage door althuogh just the one as in the end they removed the original one which was round the wrong way and put in a new one the right way up. 230kgs each these lintels going by the delivery note!

they have also rendered the whole front of the garage too. The front room upstairs is now 75% boarded with the insulated board but they still have a lot to get done.

Electrician has been in and started but as they took all the keys to the extension with them I can actually see whats he's done so I'll just go in tomorrow when they arrive and get in their way as a punishment

andrew-b

He was talking "6 feet from house". Just checked the building regs.. there's a rule that an outbuilding less than 2metres from the boundary can't be higher than 2.5m. It's actually the same height as the 6 foot fence so that doesnt apply. There's a section of wall between the two parts of the semi-detached property that is a few inches lower than the fence. The store shed only overlaps the wall by about a foot if that - if it wasn't for the lower wall he wouldn't have a clue it was there!

Here's before i moved the shed:


Here's after: