First-time house renovation

aliasojo

I'm dying to see that room kitted out stolt, I think it will be very impressive.

Well I found a place to move out to whilst the insurance repair work goes on. I'd been looking with no luck for ages (the Scottish Highlands in holiday season are v. busy and there was just nothing available). Eventually I found a big house beside a river in the hills. There's another similar rental a short distance away.

At first I thought 'great', hills and fields all around, loads of play space for kids and dog, peace and quiet etc.

BUT, OH still has to go to work and he's on back shift that week, he gets home around 2am ish, which means I'll be on my own at night with the kids in a big old house in the middle of a hill in the Highlands apart from whoever is renting the other holiday home. As these places are usually fishing bases, it may well be 4 blokes on a fishing trip in the other house.

It could be four axe wielding, murderous fishermen for all I know. I've seen Deliverance! :eek::D

I'm only half joking as well.

stolt

aliasojo wrote: »

I'm dying to see that room kitted out stolt, I think it will be very impressive.

Well I found a place to move out to whilst the insurance repair work goes on. I'd been looking with no luck for ages (the Scottish Highlands in holiday season are v. busy and there was just nothing available). Eventually I found a big house beside a river in the hills. There's another similar rental a short distance away.

At first I thought 'great', hills and fields all around, loads of play space for kids and dog, peace and quiet etc.

BUT, OH still has to go to work and he's on back shift that week, he gets home around 2am ish, which means I'll be on my own at night with the kids in a big old house in the middle of a hill in the Highlands apart from whoever is renting the other holiday home. As these places are usually fishing bases, it may well be 4 blokes on a fishing trip in the other house.

It could be four axe wielding, murderous fishermen for all I know. I've seen Deliverance! :eek::D

I'm only half joking as well.

yeah me too, been a bloody year! wouldnt mind but i havent really sat in there either, just sort of sealed that side of the house for a year (listen to me that side of the house, sounds like i live in a manor house or something). Had a couple of scary moments last night with the electrician, he fitted the receivers in the ceiling last september before it was plasterboarded up, we had plan of them all , the electrican got here yesterday and turned around at 7.30pm and said he cant find one of the receivers (wireless for the remote control) in the ceiling. 30 mins of frantically looking in a 30mm hole in the ceiling with the tiniest torch and i could find and a coathanger, we found it!!! always the way with anything we do.

the rental sounds nice, river, fields what more could you want... oh and i like fishing... if its fishermen they will probably hardly be at the house and they will leave early and come back late (best time for catching fish:D) countryside sounds weird in the middle of the night, especially when you are use to town noises... sounds like somewhere i like to live!

andrew-b

Thought i'd just post a screen capture of my Sketchup plans for my new workbench (click on to enlarge):




...it's based on the plans here - not much difference other than the sizes and i'm using smaller 4x2's for the rails and crossmembers and i've added a couple of "spreader" timbers to try avoid it falling through the shed floor!

I spent ages working out the problem of how to minimise wasted timber and minimise timber costs. Then went to timber merchant with the intention of getting them to cut everything and pay to deliver so i only needed to cut out the joints in the legs and join together. They wanted a £1 per cut which i thought was a bit excessive so thought i'd cut myself instead. Anyway i'm totally confused now as to what timber they are giving me as they didn't take any notice of my suggested cutting list and i think as a result it's cost me about a tenner more because there will be more waste! Also means now i'll have to handle 3.6m pieces of timber which is likely to be more of a struggle for me. Only receipt i have is the one showing amount on my credit card. Also got to wait until monday for delivery so all in all i'm not particularly impressed by my first timber merchant experience.

stolt

jamtart6 wrote: »

great photos everyone!!! stolt and suiside your houses are looking amazing! our garden looks like meercat manor after having huge piles of soil on it for much of last year when we dug the foundations. however i harvested 5 strawberries (yay!) which is 3 more than last year!!! hoping to have a little veggy patch but we are sooo poor at the moment we cant afford to do the garden just yet

did better than me on the strawberry front, birds seem to have a knack at picking them just right and in the morning before we got up!!! definatley goping to trying veggies next year, although saying that the cherry tree we covered up did ok, and we have pears and apples still growing, oh and some carrots. What i like about gardens is that a little seems to go along way especially when it comes to making them look good. Just helped next door lay turf over the last two nights as the last lot he laid he didnt water!!!!! an its amazing how good it looks already and hes hardly got any plants in yet.

spirit

I've had a teensy weensy bit of progress in the last day or so.

After a roofing person let me down on Monday (who was a friend and recommended by the window man), I contacted someone else from Checkatrade. He popped over Tuesday evening to look at the job, said he'd do it after another job as it's only a small job. Got home last night and it had been done :T

The bathroom fitter who came round Saturday morning dropped his quote in last night - almost £1000 more than the guy who let me down :eek:. However, i listed the job on mybuilder last night and 2 local fitters have contacted me about it.

It's just so frustrating since I have had the room prepared and the new kit delivered weeks ago.

PS nice little drop of rain for our gardens this morning eh :T

suisidevw

Cheers JamTart, it's a good job Lowri loves gardening! She does most of the looking pretty and me the hard labour! You'll really enjoy it when you get the veg patch! We love it. Our dinner last night included courgette, chilli and oregano from the garden

Agree Stolt, our front lawn cost £38 in turf from B and Q, have been watering it twice daily and a bit of rain over the last few days and it's really binding, growing and looking very green! luscious in fact!

Nice one Spirit on sorting the roof. That's the sort of tradesmen I like! Yup, nice drop of rain in Cardiff last night

latecomer

Missed me?

Glad to see everyone getting on so well.

@stolt – looks great but wouldn’t want to see your leccy bill

@spirit – welcome! Looks like you’ll fit right in here

@TM – very impressed with all your gardening/growing achievements

@everyone else – keep up the good work!

We’ve had a pretty rough couple of weeks. OH currently in hospital after a scare the other night that she might be going into labour and they are not for letting her out mainly as shes still just 32 weeks. She was hoping to get home today but consultant wasn’t happy so they will review again tomorrow.

I had the MRI and its now official that my back is stuffed. Got both disc and vertebrae problems and its not easing off this time despite me being good and not doing anything. Started physio yesterday but in agony again today.

House is coming along. New builders are getting on better and I’ve warned them about causing any stress to OH at the moment. Me and FIL took down the asbestos soffits 2 weekends ago (proper mask, suit, goggles etc) and its all bagged and awaiting pick up by the council. Joiners have put up the replacement soffits and were putting up the continuous vent this morning.



(now a day later!) - had to scoot off to hospital again - yet another false alarm. OH aint getting out any time soon.


Got back last night to find the rendering had been done at the front and back. Looks good - think we made the right choice of pebble mix (and it wasn't the one that was supposed to be the closest match!).


We've got a problem with the garage doors - we agreed to having a larger garage door and losing the side door but that might have been a mistake (like most things those idiots talked us into) as the mechanism is going to sit around my head hieght above the steps down into the garage as its the type that fully retracts into the garage. Spoke to the architect and he doesn't think it will be a problem but I'm not convinced. He's going to come out and have a look.


Have been taking pictures which I'll eventually get uploaded (maybe in 15 years time......)

TomsMom

Latecomer So sorry to hear that there's no good news at the moment about your back, take it easy. Also sending good wishes to your OH, fingers crossed no more false alarms and that her spell in hospital is relatively short-lived and shes home again soon and the pregnancy continues smoothly.

spirit

suisidevw wrote: »

Agree Stolt, our front lawn cost £38 in turf from B and Q, have been watering it twice daily and a bit of rain over the last few days and it's really binding, growing and looking very green! luscious in fact!

B&q's turves are pretty good aren't they. I bought some from there and laid them (took up the central path where the granny-ramp was). I bought more from the local Wyevale as it was nearer and i just needed a bit more.

the B&Q bit is more lush and green than the other yet they get the same treatment!

Latecomer - yikes you two have got it heaped on your plate haven't you.

Best wishes to you both for improving health.

suisidevw

Sorry to hear that LC. Sounds pretty rough for your wife and you. Make sure you both get lots of rest! Glad to hear the builders are pulling their fingers out!

Indeed they are good turves Spirit for the cash. My neighbour recommended them after doing a property he was renovating and I was sceptical but they are great!