First-time house renovation

ukmaggie45

Just a quickie as we'll be off to the house in a few minutes to meet builder.

Scaffolding down. :beer:


House and neighbouring houses by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

First bifold installed yesterday. :j


Back of house with bifold door in diner fully open by ukmaggie45, on Flickr


Looking through bifold door in diner to garden by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Archway being formed in living room


Former for arch and beginning of plastering in living room by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Hope to be back later with pics of the living room bifold...

Spicey

Welcome Bibbitybob, I have had a good nose at your blog, looking good.

Maggie - house looks even bigger now the scaffolding down.

Tomsmum - all the best to TD for his radiotherapy.

Not much to report here, Mr S has nearly finished loft and plans to move some boxes from garage to said loft this weekend. The reason being to make way for rabbit cages to be overwintered. We do not own any rabbits but family members do and we are the only ones with a garage. I have agreed so long as they clean them and feed and water them.

ukmaggie45

Living bifold doors went in yesterday. :j :beer: :j

Look fantastic, and it's great how much garden you can see through them. So far only have external photos, they were working inside so OH didn't want to disturb them.


Living room bifold by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Had meeting with builder to discuss mainly Thermaskirt. He will have a think about getting some of it into the downstairs shower room. Also discussed kitchen and shower room spots, he will get them in for us. Quite a relief as we seem to have so much shopping to do for the house! Need to try and get picture lights in, as electrician will be in sometime next week to do second fix. Been looking online, but mostly they seem to be gold, and we need chrome. Off out in a bit to check out lighting places.

After house visit we went and ordered and paid for tiles for shower room, then on to bathroom place and paid another lump off ready for stuff to be delivered next week. I have to say it wasn't the cheapest day in my life! :eek: We still have two shower screens and the shower room mirror to pay for, but they will be delivered later so they don't get damaged with all the other work going on. Seen a bathroom mirror we both quite like too, so might go back and order that next week. I think Bathroom Man must be sick of the sight of us now!

Hope we'll manage to get back to the house at some point too, so we can get better pics of the living room bifold.

Bibbitybob

Those doors look fab, Maggie

Our french doors are finally fixed in and OH has been doing lots of rendering today. I've stripped the entire dining/kitchen area, washed them down with sugar soap (thanks latecomer), filled all around and even undercoated some of them. I also had a really good, deep clean to get rid of as much brick dust as I could. I'm wiped now, but feeling more positive about it all. Time for an early night of PJ's and take away!

stolt

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Living bifold doors went in yesterday. :j :beer: :j

Look fantastic, and it's great how much garden you can see through them. So far only have external photos, they were working inside so OH didn't want to disturb them.


Living room bifold by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Had meeting with builder to discuss mainly Thermaskirt. He will have a think about getting some of it into the downstairs shower room. Also discussed kitchen and shower room spots, he will get them in for us. Quite a relief as we seem to have so much shopping to do for the house! Need to try and get picture lights in, as electrician will be in sometime next week to do second fix. Been looking online, but mostly they seem to be gold, and we need chrome. Off out in a bit to check out lighting places.

After house visit we went and ordered and paid for tiles for shower room, then on to bathroom place and paid another lump off ready for stuff to be delivered next week. I have to say it wasn't the cheapest day in my life! :eek: We still have two shower screens and the shower room mirror to pay for, but they will be delivered later so they don't get damaged with all the other work going on. Seen a bathroom mirror we both quite like too, so might go back and order that next week. I think Bathroom Man must be sick of the sight of us now!

Hope we'll manage to get back to the house at some point too, so we can get better pics of the living room bifold.

Keep drifitng in and out of this thread, good to see lots of progress going on... maggie the house is come on amazingly quick... have you looked over your blog to the start of the build, sometimes you surprise yourself how much has been done, you forget stuff and even problems (sometimes) I did with the garden and couldnt quite believe how quickly it had been done.

Still got to sort out the bi folds... could i ask how much one cost, pm if youwish i just trying to work out a budget for the dinning room (ol kitchen ripped out) but these companies wont leave you alone once you have had them round for a pricing....


well the old kitchen is completely gone, most of the tiles been taken of, still debating whether to leave the doors to be put in and leave that to next year, were in no rush, still got to get electrics done and plastering at some point oh and take up old tiles on the floor... uploaded some final pics of the kitchen finally done now justa few bits to add like a nice charles eames chair that my missus has wanted for ages but too pricey right now!!!

spent all day, stretching the oil paintings, one for the kitchen and another for the playroom, took me all day as i had to make all the frames.

latecomer

@maggie - looking good, hope you like them as much I love ours. ITs starting to look almost finished from the outside
@bobbitybob - glad it helped, i've got to do the same in our dining room hopefully later on today.
@stolt - those external nighttime shots are stunning, hopefully makes you feel it was worth all the effort.

We've not heard from the builder which isn't a great surprise. We got the flashing kit fitted on friday after he had removed the 2 previous efforts. The original builders had use a flashing kit but it wasn't installed correctly. The second guy had just slapped felt all round it. The flue pipe has also been damaned by one of themso we need to a length replaced as it goes through the roof.

plans for clearing back room didn't get very far yesterday. OH not feeling too good and despite what everyone says about 3 month babies sleeping - nobody appears to have informed LLC who only had a 30 min power nap in the afternoon and a snooze in the car as we drove to B&Q & Tesco. I did manage to sort through 4 boxes of stuff and 3 of them are going out - 2 to the local charity shop.

We did get some more light shades at B&Q and I put them up last night. Was hoping to get stuck into eaaves this morning to clean them and get a load of boxes up but atthe moment I've got LLC sleeping on my lap which kinda rules everything out

stolt

latecomer wrote: »

@maggie - looking good, hope you like them as much I love ours. ITs starting to look almost finished from the outside
@bobbitybob - glad it helped, i've got to do the same in our dining room hopefully later on today.
@stolt - those external nighttime shots are stunning, hopefully makes you feel it was worth all the effort.

We've not heard from the builder which isn't a great surprise. We got the flashing kit fitted on friday after he had removed the 2 previous efforts. The original builders had use a flashing kit but it wasn't installed correctly. The second guy had just slapped felt all round it. The flue pipe has also been damaned by one of themso we need to a length replaced as it goes through the roof.

plans for clearing back room didn't get very far yesterday. OH not feeling too good and despite what everyone says about 3 month babies sleeping - nobody appears to have informed LLC who only had a 30 min power nap in the afternoon and a snooze in the car as we drove to B&Q & Tesco. I did manage to sort through 4 boxes of stuff and 3 of them are going out - 2 to the local charity shop.

We did get some more light shades at B&Q and I put them up last night. Was hoping to get stuck into eaaves this morning to clean them and get a load of boxes up but atthe moment I've got LLC sleeping on my lap which kinda rules everything out

cheers, yeah i guess it does, time is a great healer. lot sof problems but through the worse of them I hope. Now we can enjoy the room as was originally intended to bring the familty together. Good luck witht he little one, i was must say I was lucky or unlucky with our eldest who was a nightmare because i took work in dubai so wasnt around for 3 months and my poor missus had to deal with it. I mae up for it with the other two although she keeps telling me they were angles in comparison....

Hopeful_5

Stolt - it all looks amazing. Well done :beer:.

Maggie - how far you have come in such a short time! When are you hoping to be in now?

I must get some photos up. I went to the bungalow today with the intention of taking some on my old mobile which has email but forgot . My brain is in a constant swim with all that is going on and it's all down to to me alone :eek:.

I also need photos now so I can prove to my local council that the house is uninhabitable as my six months council tax reprieve is up. I was badly advised when I first contacted them in May and should have said in my letter that the bungalow was 'uninhabitable' rather than that it was simply 'unfurnished and unoccupied' as I was told to do at the time.

I'll say it's uninhabitable - no kitchen, no bathroom, no heating and electrics at first fix stage. I plough on.

All the best to you all.

Hope

arroli

I also need photos now so I can prove to my local council that the house is uninhabitable as my six months council tax reprieve is up. I was badly advised when I first contacted them in May and should have said in my letter that the bungalow was 'uninhabitable' rather than that it was simply 'unfurnished and unoccupied' as I was told to do at the time.

We managed to get 6 months reprieve by sending in photos...they did say they may need to come and inspect, but a telephone call confirmed photos were acceptable. they will review again after 6 months...may qualify for a further 6 months if still uninhabitable..which i think our cottage will be!!!:(

Roof works are complete, cottage is now water tight for the winter..
Had visit from electrician today, to advise and quote, hes coming next weekend to disconnect current power supply and to install builders supply socket..we can then remove all old cables, there are so many we have no idea which are safe or not, so decided to rip it all out and start again from scratch!

Disappointed to find out that I cant have much wanted recessed small spotlights in bathroom ceiling, we installed velux window and ceiling will now be formed in an apex up to the eaves, with plasterboard..seems new legislation/heat from lights - might have to have a chandelier in the bathroom! (shame as I have already bought the spotlights!!)

Apart from these hiccups..work is progressing, builders in this week reforming bathroom walls to include a walk in shower room/wet room

Lovely to see everyones' pictures..and fantastic finished kitchens etc..Im so impatient (and envious):)

Hopeful_5

Thanks for that, Arroli. I have had six months reprieve but if I had said the house was/would become uninhabitable then I would have been given twelve months. The person I spoke to at the council in May didn't tell me that so I will have to re-apply.

Why can't you have recessed lights? Is it because of the vaulted roof?

I know what you mean about being envious, I have so had enough of this and when I bought the bungalow in May I would never have believed I wouldn't be in by now. Well, I thought I would be in by now when the building work started in September, just after Maggie's - and mine's a bungalow! I also never realised how stressful it would be. I knew it would be hard but even so didn't realise just how much.

Ah well, another week another bit of progress.

Hope