Tete en l’Air’s Feet On The Ground Diary

Tete_en_l'Air

It's scary isn't it? I only have a little tank obviously! I get quite a lot out of petrol in my car but if the price keeps going up it's not going to be feasible to pop across to the lakes every weekend in the summer for a walk, it'll be too expensive

Dinah93

I 100% agree older properties are more pleasant to live in, but remember too look carefully for signs or smells of damp - we spotted a tiny patch in a newly decorated old terraced house a few years ago, by the time I moved out a year later it was a 1m x 3m patch of black mould all over the kitchen wall - yeuck! New properties might be characterless but heating costs are about 1/3-1/2 just due to the more modern materials - there are some nice new builds around with more outside space, but admittedly they are few and far between.

Tete_en_l'Air

Haha, you've never met my OH but seriously, he's a surveyor and he takes his job VERY seriously, he's on the lookout for anything like that - guttering, woodworm, window seals you name it! Whilst I wander about going "Oooh there's donkeys out the back!"

Dinah93

Lol! I got the building survey back on the new house yesterday and I think the quality is appauling - for £750 they picked up nothing which I didn't pick up on, in fact they didn't mention things I thought could be an issue. ARGH.

Tete_en_l'Air

Is that a value surveyor? They're all different aren't they? Oh says he can do the stuff they do (probably better)but can't put his name to it or something because it's not his job... I know when he bought his house a few years ago he got it down to about £70k by following the surveyor round and pointing out all the little problems haha!

Dinah93

Nope that was the surveyor doing the full structural survey, it was ridiculous - biggest waste of £750 I ever spent!

Tete_en_l'Air

So what now then, will you query it? What's the deposit situation?

Dinah93

Who knows but if NIMs dad doesn't call tonight or tomorrow then he will be calling his mum when she gets back from Teneriffe on Saturday.

Yes we're going to raise the quality with the company who did it, about half of it says 'could not be inspected due to goods stored in front/height/no adequate ladder' etc. We were told anything up to 3m would be inspected so it does feel a bit like we were ripped off.

Tete_en_l'Air

God if that's their compan't business surely it's up to them to make sute they have the tools for the job, ie a decent ladder! And if the current owner wanrts to sell their house quickly surely they'd move whatever 'goods' they're storing so that a full survey can be carried out! Why is everyone so incompetent?!

It's annoying about NIM's dad, I'd feel awful having to keeo asking about it, he's making it a very uncomfortable gift I think!

Tete_en_l'Air

List from yesterday:

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

- [STRIKE]Put money in bank[/STRIKE]
- [STRIKE]Buy cat food[/STRIKE]
- 2 reviews
- 2 reviews to Ciao
- Make card

Augh, work is just horrible at the mo! No review time. I seem to remember saying this morning I'd write three today but have made no headway on that yet!

- 2 dooyoos
- 2 to Ciao
- [STRIKE]Check if car money had cleared yet, if so buy breakdown cover[/STRIKE]
- MAKE BLOODY CARD
- Finish cutting out dress lining
- Washing
- Tidy up and hoover
- put on a face mask, paint toenails and read the last three chapters of my book

ETA - Car money had cleared so I've bought my breakdown cover and moved all my little piggy banks about, I know have £280 in the car fund, 1p in the loose change pot and £77 in my account. I have a full tank of petrol but I do still need a bday pressie for Dad ... augh!