First-time house renovation

BB1984

Hmmmm yes we did wonder if it could be a tomb of some description...! for a while we thought it was the steps down to an air raid shelter, that had been capped off after the war, but the bottom of it seems a bit too smooth and neat for that. Very strange.

A question, Tom's Mom - why don't you like pine doors? Just wondering as we need one new internal door and don't know what to go for. We have bent walls too - many c0ck ups by the original builder...! I will look at your blog later as the pics don't show up on my work pc.

Latecomer - hang in there, i'm sure you're doing fine! Let us know how you got on during your week off (not that it'll be a holiday if you're doing DIY!)

BB

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

A question, Tom's Mom - why don't you like pine doors? Just wondering as we need one new internal door and don't know what to go for.
BB

Purely because of a plethora of pine doors! Pine doors in every doorway, two bedrooms with pine furniture. That's in our present house. And in Westbroke there were orange stained pine doors on every room. Just fed up of seeing them really, especially the knotty pine, it's time for a change and of course tastes change.

Actually, after our discussion with the builder we came to the decision that with a total of 11 internal doors to buy the oak doors at £90 a pop (with discount) for the standard doors, then two with glazed upper panels plus a matching fire door costing even more, there has to be a limit as to what is the right amount to pay for something when renovating a house. If we'd had the oak doors there were architraves and skirtings to consider - standard ones wouldn't have matched, it would have been a case of paying two or three times the price for matching oak ones. And standard door furniture wouldn't have looked right, and so it goes, mounting up to an amount not really commensurate with the property. It's not a mansion that's going to be worth half a million when it's finished, it's a semi by the seaside that we're modernising. So we've compromised and guess what we're having? Pine doors :eek: No, not the knotty pine ones, we're having plain pine with no knots and they will be waxed or stained natural/very light to go with our ash furniture and although not an exact lookalike it's a good second choice to the oak.

So, don't let me put you off.

andrew-b

Being a soft wood pine doors tend to warp. If you can afford it go for hardwood doors. If you must have pine avoid the knots! Knots might look nice to some but they can crack around them and drop out...plus of course you've got to seal all the !!!!!!s to stop them oozing sap before you can stain or paint the door. If, like us, your on a limited budget moulded MDF 6-panel doors are a good option (around £15 each). I've got a couple in the loft waiting to be fitted though i got them cheaper by taking my Dad to use his oap discount at B&Q (we got pulled over by the police on the way home for a routine check but despite their raised eyebrows at the safety of the load we got away with it - could have turned out costly otherwise!).
Wickes do the moulded doors around about the same price too.
Incidentally, white painted doors will reflect light around the house much better than stained doors (or indeed other colours). I don't think i'd spend more than £50 on an internal door though i know you don't get much for that...don't forget to allow for fitting it too. A £15 door probably costs at least 2 or 3 times that once you've accounted for ironmongery and fitting!

Avoid B&Q cheap georgian door furniture sets and handles. We had no end of problems trying to get just 5 set of handles that didn't have some sort of imperfection. We ended up buying about 15 sets and taking 10 back. And then the wrong screws were supplied for the hinges. Probably one of our worst buys and they really hurt if your unfortunate to have a collision with the handles!!

If you must have that style of cheap handle get them from Wickes as they have a longer guarantee.

Got to start that blog of mine soon!

Andy

BB1984

Hello folks, as you may be able to tell by the drop-off in my posts, I have been sooo busy working on the house! Progress report on my blog.

It's all going pretty well, the bathroom is the only thing that's really holding us up at the moment - the unexpected damp floor needing replacement delayed the plaster, and now we can't tile until the plaster is dry. And we can't fit the bathroom suite until the tiling is done. But hopefully it won't be too much longer.

We have an added incentive now too - at the end of the month we are re-homing a cat! (don't ask - long story!) But it means that we absolutely have to be moved in and in a reasonable state by then.

The gas main and new water main are both in, but because the lazy s0ds at SGN took so long to finish off putting the gas in, we had to put off the guy who came to fit the meter. And of course now we missed that slot, it's ages til they can come again. Grrrrrrr. Anyway, hopefully it won't be too long because we need some heating on - to make DIY less painful and also to help dry the plaster.

Hope all of you with ongoing projects are progressing well - updated us all soon!

BB

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

Hello folks, as you may be able to tell by the drop-off in my posts, I have been sooo busy working on the house! Progress report on my blog.

Nice going Beth. Have visited your blog and left a message. Can't believe the amount of work you are doing yourself - it's nice to be young and full of energy (I remember it well ).

It's amazing that you are so close to being able to move in already and nice that you are going to give a kitty a home.

Progress is still being made at the moment with our house on the inside. Loft can't be changed yet as planning application only went in two weeks ago. Ours is easy as the builders are doing all the hard work - we just have to make decisions about where the lights are going, etc., at the moment and I'm finding that hard enough :rotfl: .

I'm updating my blog regularly as I'll forget if I don't write it down quick! No chance of us moving in soon I'm afraid

helping_hubby

All sounds good BB1984 - you're bound to have some problems and delays. I don't think any amount of planning can ever prepare yourself for a house renovation.

I hope we get to see pics of the cat?

TomsMom - I looked at my glass again and I do have elephant bums! lol

We had a plasterer start the living room yesterday. I took some photos (http://thehouserenovationinsurrey.blogspot.com/).

And I've booked a plumber finally for 1st December. I'm also getting the tiling done now - after all that time I spent telling everyone I was going to do it myself! Oh well. I am quite indecisive.

OH has removed all the doors from upstairs (except the bathroom door ). So I read the above stuff about doors with interest. I really didn't know it was going to be yet another tough decision making time choosing doors. Hmmm. As they aren't in budget they'll have to be cheap. But I suspect anything will be better that the existing doors which were the classic hollow brown varnished council doors with a mixture of paint and wallpaper covering them from room to room. Nice.

Right, I have to order my bathroom now so it's here in plenty of time to rectify any delivery mistakes

BB1984

andrew-b - why shouldn't I PVA the walls?! (worried now!)

I was told that you shouldn't paint directly onto plaster as it will absorb the paint and we'd end up needing extra coats....and on the PVA tub it says it can be used to prime walls...

I will look at your blogs later, TomsMom and Helping Hubby (can't view the photos on my work pc for some reason). Sounds like it's all coming along well though. And yes I will provide some cat pics when we get him!

BB

TomsMom

helping_hubby wrote: »

TomsMom - I looked at my glass again and I do have elephant bums! lol

:rotfl:

We had a plasterer start the living room yesterday. I took some photos (http://thehouserenovationinsurrey.blogspot.com/).

Sam, I put your blog in my favourites and have been checking regularly through that link and wasn't seeing any updates. I was beginning to think you were too busy to post pictures. Anyhow, tried again today through the link you posted above and it said "blog not found". So....... went to my blog and clicked on my follower (you) and it took me to your updated page. Well, can't work that one out but got there in the end.

Great to see how it's progressing. It certainly makes a difference when the plastering is done (and don't they do it quick) and once it's dried out rooms seem to look so much bigger!

I am quite indecisive.

That's me all over. I changed my mind about something to do with the shower this morning, that I'd only confirmed yesterday afternoon with the foreman. I nipped across this morning hoping I wasn't too late and said to him "I used to be indecisive, now I'm just not sure".

I'm OK at forward planning, it's just when they want a quick decision

helping_hubby

andrew-b wrote: »

Beth,
I just read your blog and saw this:

"Most of the plastering has been done now, so we’ve also been rubbing down walls and PVA-ing them in preparation for undercoats of paint. "..........i hope you haven't done too much already... but DON'T PVA THE WALLS BEFORE PAINTING!!!! Big no -no for PVA usage!

Anyways, i'm impressed with all the progress reports! I wish i had as much energy..i feel so knackered from the weekend bent-double in the loft i just want to go and hibernate!

Andy

The whole PVA thing scares me. I don't know whats right and wrong.

What I was going to do from reading posts etc on my newly skimmed walls was to paint with watered down white paint. Then after that, normal coats of paint. Is this right?

Sam, I put your blog in my favourites and have been checking regularly through that link and wasn't seeing any updates. I was beginning to think you were too busy to post pictures. Anyhow, tried again today through the link you posted above and it said "blog not found". So....... went to my blog and clicked on my follower (you) and it took me to your updated page. Well, can't work that one out but got there in the end.

The reason will be because it's added the bracket on the end.

sarahs999

I always thought it was the right thing to PVA walls before painting, when it's fresh plaster. That's what several builders have told me to do... didn't do my guest room any harm!