First-time house renovation

latecomer

He first said that he would lose his Gas Safe registration if he commissioned a boiler that he didn't install. I didn't believe this and hence we phoned Gas Safe to clarify the situation. He then said that he wasn't willing to commission the boiler which is another matter entirely. the problem is that we were told that he was meant to be doing this as part of his work. As we were not involved in the tendering process (he's a subcontractor) we dont know what he did or did not agree to do.

There are many unanswered questions at the moment which I fully intend to get clarified in the very near future.

hannahandanna

Hello all,

I have been reading the posts on this forum as a first time buyer myself and all the advice is ace! So nice to see people wanting to share their experience, with what seems like some really valuable info.

My best friend and i have recently purchased a flat in Glasgow, and its a bit of a shell...unlike you guys there is not to much stripping out to be done, but we are starting from scratch!

Totally taking on board everything that has been mentioned about the electrics & plumbing and looking for some quotes now.

The next step will be getting new boiler & radiators, then onto the arty part.

Does anyone know anything about refurbishing floor boards? The original wooden flooring is not in bad shape, but needs basic sanding, and treating in the hall & living room (we plan to put carpets in the three bedrooms). Is this something you reckon we could do ourselves, we are pretty practical, and I hear you can hire sanders for about £75, I would just be worried about any damage we might do...

Any other hints and tips about the order to decoration would be ace!

latecomer

Welcome to our little thread

search both this this thread and the forum for info on sanding floors. We did some of ours just after we moved in and it wasn't that difficult but remember never to stop moving while the sander is engaged (or it will very quickly dig a hole!). One of the small sanders we had (disc one) was quite difficult to control and my OH struggled to hold onto it.

We finished ours with Osmo hardwax oil and it looked great. Its got trashed with all the building work but I'm going to resand the front room and re-oil it once everything is finished. Hall is going to be carpetted but that was always the intention.

typeractive

Fair play stolt. Sounds like a nightmare. Well done on getting it all sorted.

Edit - different topic.

I just thought I'd quickly share how I'm feeling after today's work. I'm not feeling down as such. My stairs are looking FABTASTIC (well the lower part of them) and I should be feeling great. Though I'm feeling somewhat frustrated. I think the biggest thing that makes me feel dishearted about property rennovating is the schedule. I'm sick of people telling me - get this ordered, or get this job done as it's essential to get it done and out of the way with, only to find that I do it and it changes nothing. It's like ordering parts. I've ordered and paid for a load of stuff that "was desperately needed" only for it to sit around for near 2 weeks. It's like a big rush around for nothing. I'm quite a thorough (well slow lol) thinker and I hate making decisions quickly. Hmmmmph

What is it that you guys dislike so much about the rennovating process. I guess money will be the most popular response, but try to think of something other than cash, as we all watch those shows where people go way over budget etc, and we say "that won't happen to me" but then you find everything really does cost a lot more than anticipated. So other than money what annoys you most?

latecomer

I dislike the constant stream of lies that seem to go hand in hand with the building trade. Bunch of wa*kers. Yes I might be generalising but you form opinions based on your experiences......

spirit

what really gets on my thruppenies is trying to get quotes for things and then getting someone to actually turn up when they say they will.

I've just had my bathroom done despite ordering all the kit in May. I had a plumber lined up at that time. He came on recommendation from a work colleage. He kept saying - by phone mostly, that he would turn up on x day to go down to the tile store and get those with his discount card. He gave me a couple of dates for this and the days came and went with no word. Then he said he'd turn up after the bank holiday - but didn't. so at that time I started looking for someone else.

That too was a pain, people wouldn't turn up or were too busy. I posted the job on ratedpeople where a couple of plumbers did turn up. one was from miles away and couldn't do tiling but his price was good. someone else also from miles away had never heard of the shower I had bought (Mira platinum) and could he take home the instruction book to read. There was one guy who I found on our work intranet. He used to work there but when made redundant a few years before had re-trained (from accountancy). It cost him £12k he said for the courses. His price was the lowest at £800, but I just didn't get the impression he knew what he was doing.

The quotes really varied from this guy at £800 to £2.5k :eek:

In the end a neighbour recommended the guy who has just done it. He doesn't advertise anywhere so I'd never have found him otherwise.

that's the long answer to your question, the short one is finding reputable, reliable workmen.

stolt

hi everyone, hope everyone has there weekends planned. kitchen coming along nicely although there have to replace all the cream doors along the top as they have been cut on a slight so not sitting right, only 3/4mm out but still noticable!! the backboard for the breakfast bar has a small chip in it and they are going to replace that. Just when i thought it was going well............ : (

Still got to fit another oven (under those the warming draws need to go), a microwave and the dishwasher, electrician has to connect the appliances up

Going to put two mirrors up on the lounge wall tomorrow (not sure how we are going to lift them up on the wall yet but i can imagine lots of arguments coming) then we have to go looking for a front door (really want a modern oak one) but one company quoted over 2k!! so may go for composite or even upvc if we have to, next door had one fitted earlier in the year and it looks nice.

typeractive

spirit wrote: »

that's the long answer to your question, the short one is finding reputable, reliable workmen.

Jeez! Though I get what you're saying. It's very annoying when people mess ya about like that, as you may only be able to be around during holiday time from work ect. So it's a nightmare if they cancel. (though I guess a lot of trades people get frustrated with customers doing the same!) This hasn't quite happened to me yet. I've been lucky with the people I have used so far. In saying that they have all been family/friends. My first proper contractor starts on Monday. I got a good impression about his character when I first met with him. I'll be chuffed if he sees everything through.

typeractive

Sorry to hear about the niggles Stolt. But wowzers! Look at that kitchen coming along. Love the handles!! Very contemporary! What's with that posh remote then? Does it make cups of tea and do the ironing?

stolt

typeractive wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the niggles Stolt. But wowzers! Look at that kitchen coming along. Love the handles!! Very contemporary! What's with that posh remote then? Does it make cups of tea and do the ironing?

Yep very happy with how it looks, all down to my missus eye even down to the handles all her design/choice, shes done it from start to finish, the measurements everything, the fitters/planners have all been impressed with her because she has had the image in her head from day one, and knows exactly what she has wanted.

that posh remote controls the cooker hood, although it isnt connected up yet so cant try it out!:( ive just added your email address to the blog so you can have a read when you have a spare 15mins...:D