Clutter/House problems

Pink.

Hi comicmankev,

You might get more help with the DIY bits you need to do on the In My Home board. Let me know if you want me to move it over there for you.

Pink

pavlovs_dog

just thought i'd add my support.

its important not to lose site of the fact that its more than a house, its your home, and whilst it may not be (cosmetically) all that you want it to be at the minute, you have many years to get around to all those jobs when time and money allow.

rome wasnt built in a day, and anyone who has ever set up home will tell you that it takes a very long time to get it the way you want it. but you will get there in the end, you just have to grin and bear it for the time being :beer:

comicmankev

Pink-winged wrote:

Hi comicmankev,

You might get more help with the DIY bits you need to do on the In My Home board. Let me know if you want me to move it over there for you.

Pink

I've been over to the DIY board and I'd prefer it to sty here if thats okay? It's more of a 'do it as cheap as possible and get ideas' than 'do it this way'. I've been over to the DIY board and most posts are short and sweet. good for a quick read but not any help to me!

And as for one of the previous posters that said they couldnt reach in their fitted wardrobes! U wanna swap? I'm 6' 8" and have no worries reaching - lol


Thanks all, and keep em coming. (off 2 bed - sorry if I'm honest!)

Pink.

comicmankev wrote:

I've been over to the DIY board and I'd prefer it to sty here if thats okay? It's more of a 'do it as cheap as possible and get ideas' than 'do it this way'. I've been over to the DIY board and most posts are short and sweet. good for a quick read but not any help to me!

And as for one of the previous posters that said they couldnt reach in their fitted wardrobes! U wanna swap? I'm 6' 8" and have no worries reaching - lol


Thanks all, and keep em coming. (Depressed and drunk now, off 2 bed - sorry if I'm honest!)

Hi comicmankev,

No problem, it's fine to stay here. I hope you have a good nights sleep and feel a bit better about it tomorrow.

Pink

dolly_day_dream

comicmankev - we have lived in what is definately the worst house in the street for years! I have slowly managed to get some of it fixed but then other bits keep creeping up behind me!:o

However my children and their friends are very happy to spend time here. :j and that it what counts. Even when it meant that they had to fill a bucket with water from the bath to flush the toilet for a year! (before I could afford a plumber). All the fancy decorations in the world don't make a home. You do that.
Don't get me wrong I think it is fantastic that you are trying to improve conditions for your family and I think that freecycle or similar could help. I wish that I had known about them years ago. Keep your perspective and I know that things will improve. Good luck with it all and let us know how you get on. I need to install window sills in 2 of my bedrooms but haven't quite managed to get up the courage to get on the bus with the wood yet!:rotfl:

tootles_2

Its wonderful that you want to improve your house for your wife and children, BUT people come to see you and not your home.........anyone who is critical should just stand back and think.......a happy atmosphere in a home is worth millions of kitchens, bathrooms and windows.

Go to your local library and see what DIY books they have, they have detailed instructions for projects, quite simple ones as well.

Do you by any chance shop at Tesco????? A friend of mine saved up her tesco vouchers and had a kitchen fitted by MFI you get 4 times the value of the vouchers so for every £10 you get £40......just an idea........

I have had quite a lot of stuff from Freecycle and have offerred stuff as well, so a way of getting rid of stuff you no longer use. Please reconsider your pantry, I would give anything to have a pantry.........you can get so much more into a pantry than into cupboards, shelves can be made adjustable for various sizes of packets etc........

It is easy to sit and tell you what to do.......I know how depressing it can be, I have been there, done that and got the tee shirt....years ago we did up a very delapidated terraced house and I had 4 children all small at the time....try and look for a small job to do and complete it. Like fly lady says baby steps........you will get there......I'm not saying it won't take time, it will but each thing you achieve is a job off the list.

The hot weather is not helping anyone, but you could use the time to decide what is the thing that depresses you most and then see what you could do as a temporary measure to make it better, tackle that first, perhaps you could find better taps for the kitchen on freecycle........

Chipps

Hi. I know how you feel - we've been there, done that! We were 10 years before we got a decent carpet in our house - had odds & ends & patches till then!
You have had some good advice, it really is a good idea to make the best of what you have - clean up what will & gradually do the other bits as & when you can.
I wish freecycle had been around when we were in need of things!
The wardrobes in our bedroom were built by DH. He basically built a frame out of (don't ask me what sort of..) wood, then put plasterboard over it, & wallpapered to match the rest of the room. The other wardrobe is the alcove over the stairs. He got louvre doors from B&Q for both to match & now you wouldn't know they weren't built in with the house. There are shelves in both, the hanging rail in one is made from a broom handle, & the other one is the rail from an old wardrobe.
We also have a larder - wouldn't be without it! Occasionally I think we would have more kitchen space if we knocked it through, but then remember what a multitude it covers up! Also the temperature in there is always cooler, so good for storing drinks etc.
One suggestion I remember reading in a magazine, was to write down sizes of things needed (eg size of bathroom floor or whatever) so that if ever you come across a bargain you can look & check it's the right size you need. I had a notebook in which I wrote down details like that, & also put in bits of wallpaper & carpet threads so that I could match things if need be.

calleyw

Chipps wrote:

One suggestion I remember reading in a magazine, was to write down sizes of things needed (eg size of bathroom floor or whatever) so that if ever you come across a bargain you can look & check it's the right size you need. I had a notebood in which I wrote down details like that, & also put in bits of wallpaper & carpet threads so that I could match things if need be.

I do this. I have curtain/window sizes and room sizes as well as how many rolls for wall paperfor each room.

So like you say when I spot a bargain I can buy it.


Yours


Calley

mgw99

comicmankev wrote:

Lino on floor which does not fit, and open areas of concrete arounds the bottom rim of the walls (whatever that is called?)

How big is your bathroom? We picked up an end of roll from one of the big carpet places (Carpet world?) Woud have fitted a bathroom twice our size (we're going to do the hall cupboard with it too) and cost less than £20.

comicmankev wrote:

Kitchen. OLD! it has old school larder(?), now surfae space at all. really is a problem. Sink is old school and not standard size. It is completely scratched up and damage. Taps are a styl I've never seen before, and are also in a bad way (They need those rubber spouts to keep the water from drownings us all!

Can you fit a butchers trolley or something like that in there? We have squeezed one of these into our kitchen and although it's too low to prepare food on we can at least pile stuff out of the way on there while we're cooking. Maybe you could ask on freecycle?

comicmankev wrote:

Patio. WRECKED. previous occupier has put down a pile of concrete, which is all over the place. it is also completely cracked everywhere, and not complete.

Maybe you could cover some of it with pots / flowers to make it look a bit nicer? That way when you look out there you would see the pretty flowers and not the cracks in the patio

pavlovs_dog

calleyw wrote:

I do this. I have curtain/window sizes and room sizes as well as how many rolls for wall paperfor each room.

So like you say when I spot a bargain I can buy it.


Yours


Calley

thats such a fantastic idea! going to have to pinch that one :beer: :j