First-time house renovation

Canucklehead

jamtart6 wrote: »

Does anyone use any websites for decorating inspiration? I am SO rubbish when it comes to ideas for decorating, so I dont want to mess up colours, themes, textures on my first go, but I dont want to play it too safe either, want something a bit different.

Good evening: Try the Dulux website (and get on the horn to your plumber;)).

HTH

Canucklehead

Josepina

I was thinking same about price tag Latecomer!
Jamtart - Go and wonder around posh shops like Laura Ashley and look at how they put colour schemes together, then go and buy it somewhere cheaper I like to take pics with mobile phone so I can remember.

BB1984

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!
I've been away for a long time, I know. My wedding is rapidly approaching and I've been really busy at work, which has combined and led to my hardly having been online at all recently, let alone have time to post!

On the plus side, we have done a few bits and bobs on the house and garden, and I've just updated my blog with some photos of our new furniture, doors and shelves! There aren't any photos of the garden, as it's dark at the moment and I keep forgetting to take any whilst it's still light! To be honest not all that much has changed outside, other than some big lumps of tree coming down, and the pile of rubble/rubbish gradually diminishing. It's quite annoying - van load after van load is loaded up and taken to the tip, but the garden still looks a state! I think somebody must keep flytipping in the dead of night...

I haven't properly gone through all of your posts yet, but one did spring out as me as I skimmed through - Latecomer's floor joist issue. Latecomer - you say your problem joist is 30 feet long...are you sure? That's exceptionally long for a continous joist. If there are a number of dwarf walls that it spans through, I expect there's actually more than one joist. In that case, you can just cut back the joist to the closest dwarf wall, then take a new joist and span between that wall and the end wall. You can either break out some bricks in the dwarf wall for the joist to bear onto, or use a joist hanger. Hope that (a) I've not got the wrong end of the stick about what your problem is, and (b) that what I've just written has made sense!

best wishes to all - keep posting and blogging (I'm following them all!) :T

BB

TomsMom

BB1984 wrote: »

and I've just updated my blog with some photos of our new furniture, doors and shelves!

Looking good Beth. My favourite - the shelves. Well done on a bargain, and well done David you've done a great job there. Guess what thought ran through my mind? Dusting :eek: . Not my most favourite job although I do it regularly and don't skimp but most things in my house are in cupboards :rotfl: . Mind you, we have bought a floating shelf for the kitchen, it's to go in the extension bit adjacent to the window where wall cupboards would cut down the light. I've promised myself that I'm not going to put too much on it .

latecomer

BB1984 wrote: »

Latecomer - you say your problem joist is 30 feet long...are you sure? That's exceptionally long for a continous joist. If there are a number of dwarf walls that it spans through, I expect there's actually more than one joist. In that case, you can just cut back the joist to the closest dwarf wall, then take a new joist and span between that wall and the end wall. You can either break out some bricks in the dwarf wall for the joist to bear onto, or use a joist hanger. Hope that (a) I've not got the wrong end of the stick about what your problem is, and (b) that what I've just written has made sense!

Not 100 % its that long but thats the first join I can see and going by others that I can see more of thats the length they appear to be. There could be a join on one of the dwarf walls but not that I could tell. I need to get in touch with the guy at the timber yard about the skirting boards so I'll ask about wood and lengths.

One of the problems is that it sits very slightly into the wall, not sure whether this will show it:





I suspect we'll have to use joist hangers to replace it but i'd like to put the replacement against the wall to give the edge of the floor the best support but cant see how we can do this unless we can remove the existing joist from the walls. Anyone got any ideas?

Spicey

Just read through all the posts Ive missed. Everyone has been so busy.
TomsMom seems you been having a time of it, hope things get sorted.
The gas was fitted to the bungalow last week only took a day and it was hassel free. The electric meter is being moved next week- not hassel free. We are on a loop with neighbour so are getting a new cable, we have to do half the work and it cost twice the cost of the gas! Also they have loads of demands. Mr S says it will be worth it.
Electrician started yesterday, his not working this morning so Im having a catch up session and have updated my blog. Also going to catch up on everyone elses.
Also had to apply for planning permission for the infill extension. Although its a side extention of the old kitchen which would normally not require permission, because it then joins the corner of the other further back-back wall it is classified as a back extension and does need permission. If we came back to the old kitchen wall say 6 inches from that back wall it would not need permision. Planning laws are made to confuse!

latecomer

Glad to hear you are making progress, I'll need to catch up on the blogs later as I'm trying to get lots done at work so I can leave sharp tonight.
I've yet to get as far as planning issues but I'm sure I'll have plenty. Our architect is getting an untimatum tonight so we'll need to see what happens.

I've also had an email from the manager at the timber yard saying he's going to get back to me asap with the prices I've requested.

TomsMom

We've been at the hospital again today. OH is to have a bone marrow transplant now following some more chemo. His brother can't be a donor as he's had prostate cancer previously so it will have to be an unrelated donor. His new chemo starts in about 4 weeks, they're letting us move first as they want us settled and comfortable as this new chemo will be quite agressive and he'll be quite poorly.

Obviously we weren't around to see what was going on today but a quick look tonight tells us that the scaffolding has come down :j (photos will be taken tomorrow and I'll update the blog), 3 of the remaining doors downstairs have been hung (one to go), electricians have now got all the lights up by the look of it and will test everything tomorrow, new fridge was delivered :T , kitchen and bathroom vinyl was delivered, and a few more kitchen units built.

I think we're getting the new (flippin' expensive) kitchen sink tomorrow so hopefully the kitchen will look like a kitchen by the end of the day. If all goes to plan the builders are leaving us Thursday morning and the painter should be coming on Thursday too.

The carpet shop where we bought the en-suite vinyl didn't get back to us, we'll chase them tomorrow.

Andy - I hope you get your painting sorted where the metal beads are. I'm sure Fred just used the ordinary emulsion (Gliddens) on ours. Doesn't the second coat look good compared with the first? Wait till you've got the top coat on! We've only got top coat in the landing cupboard so far but it's really nice.

jamtart6

TomsMom - Will be thinking about your OH. Currently visiting my poorly Grandad who I'm v close to in an oncology ward and it isn't nice at all, I really will keep everything crossed for your OH that the chemo goes as smoothly as possible

Bathgate saga continues. I've just been on the website where the 'display' bath clearly shows the taps in the middle not at the side as per our bath. The other pic of the bath does show the tap holes at the side but I don't know why it doesn't in what is obviously the main 'show' picture?

I really feel like I've been mislead by B&Q here (as the instore bath was in the middle) so I'm going to go armed with evidence at the weekend.

Even worse though, we're not sure what to do about the bath as it is around ~1cm too big for the bathroom (!) but if we chip away the plaster it will fit BUT, is this just going to look horrendous when we tile? We need to tile all the way down the wall as it is a free stander. Ho-hum, I can just see my beautiful bath slipping away, and being stuck with one I don't want

jamtart6

P.S - I rang the plumber and he came out today to look at the job. Job #1 done thanks for the kick up the jacksy