Back filling the big hole I dug with my credit card

groatie_queen

You're doing so well! When I look at your sig, you're heading strongly in the right direction. :T:T

Yes it's a big prospect getting the floor done, and it will be a lot of work and a challenge - but just think how satisfied you'll be when it is finished and you have the satisfaction of living every day with the fruit of your labours. :j:j

Aesop

:T to you for putting so much effort into your house, to get it the way you want it.

it is really hard work what you are doing, but so worth it

Candles_2

Keep going chuck.. U are a true inspiration.

PiggyBankShaker

Gosh a week since my last post? Thanks Candles, Aesop and grotie queen for dropping by - your comments are so encouraging and really help us keep on track.

We sold the bookcase on ebay for £50 - thanks for the heads up Aesop. And the floor has been going well, it does look amazing. I don't mean that in a big headed way at all. The wood is beautiful and the quality is unmistakable. It's a cliche but true in this case - they don't make things like they used to.

I'd say we're between a third and half way through laying the floor. It is a dirty messy sticky job. We sand each block, scrap the old bitumen off each block then we lay them in new bitumen. Despite spending two days preparing the floor, it still isn't level. But it's good enough that you should notice when the floor is finished.

We've been hampered by ATS breaking his finger (dog walking incident, not floor related) I think we need another week and it'll mostly be done.

On the money / debts front things have been a bot slow. They are still going in the right direction, but creeping instead of galloping. I had to spend over £200 on stuff for the floor (self levelling compound, adhesive etc) and another £200 on stuff for the new business venture. We've also committed ourselves to spending £200 on some new windows, although we won't have to paying this until early November I think.

PiggyBankShaker

Today is an important day for the new business venture, we're taking the first step to having our first product to launch / sell. Hopefully in a month's time we will be able to start making sales calls and start earning some money. We have to sell one to break even on investment to date and two to make profit. We're aiming to sell 8-10 altogether this year. We'll keep the money in the business to launch a second product in January. I can't say more at the moment, but hopefully soon.

Sitting in the hospital car park at the moment whilst ATS is in the fracture clinic for his finger, hope it's good news for him. I know he hates feeling useless and I hate being solely responsible for the washing up!

Bit more flooring laid last night, but we know we won't get any done today as we're too busy with real life things like working!

PiggyBankShaker

I'm making an effort to post in the diary more regularly, I find it helps keep me focussed on the debt busting.

I did my expenses for work today and I have almost £400 to claim. It would be spot on £400 if I had not misplaced some parking tickets - you live and learn eh? I'll need to do the budget with ATS but hopefully a chunk of that can go towards paying down the Credit Card debt.

I forgot to report that my parents were uber generous and gave us £1000 towards the roof repairs it has really helped with cash flow and means that we can use a bit of our savings for special projects in the house without having to scrimp loads and loads. I have included it in my signature, which is why my Earn Extra £3250 target is looking so healthy.

No progress on the floor, in fact a bit of a retrograde step in that some blocks will have to be taken up as the hound peed on them. Breaking ATS's finger wasn't enough clearly. He must love being in my bad books. Luckily they are quite close to an edge and not in the middle or anything. It is a pain, but I don't want the floor ruined before it's even finished so up they must come!

The house is a tip. Every single room is a mess, we're too busy with the floor and the kids to keep on top of it (and the reason I can't find my parking tickets for work I think) I'm trying to block it out but it is contributing to my stress levels.

PiggyBankShaker

Ach, back again. More floor disaster to re[ort. The dog peed on the floor for a second time. I'm trying to be stoic about it, but its getting harder. I know he wants to pee on it because it smells new and funny to him and he can't help the urge to pee, but... he's not old or incontinent. My old dog used to stand by the back door when she needed a pee between walks and you let her out she'd have a pee then come back in. This one, you put him out for a pee he stands there looking pityful then he comes back in and pees on he floor 5 minutes later.

The way I see it we have two options he can have a cage in the kitchen for the times when he is alone, or he can go in the garage. I don't want to do either, but I don't want to end up resenting him either and if he keeps peeing on the floor that we are literally sweating blood and tears over laying then I might. Have to see what ATS thinks.

I've got a building maintenence firm coming in an hour to quote for some of the jobs that need doing in the house, such as the hole in the bedroom ceiling repairing, plastering doing in the kitchen / lounge, installing extractor fan in the bathroom.

Aesop

PiggyBankShaker wrote: »

Ach, back again. More floor disaster to re[ort. The dog peed on the floor for a second time. I'm trying to be stoic about it, but its getting harder. I know he wants to pee on it because it smells new and funny to him and he can't help the urge to pee, but... he's not old or incontinent.

http://www.dogchatforum.com/dog-marking-inside.htm

this might help PBS

Aesop

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PiggyBankShaker

Thanks Aesop - Have to look for some stuff to list.

The builder guy gave us his quote for the three jobs that need doing. Over £1,000 ex VAT. I can't believe it. The whole new roof was the same price as that. We haven't got that kind of money, so we'll have to get some other quotes and either revise our plans if they come back the same.

ATS is currently sanding two beams in the living room. He's annoyed with me as he doesn't think he should be doing them. I know where's he's coming from as there are hundreds of parquet blocks still to sand, but I t hink if we don't do the beams now, we'll never do them when the new floor is all finished as we would want to risk the mess and dirt and possible damage.

The mess is horrendous though, for more than I anticipated and it's going to take me a fair old while to clean up.

The floor target if to finsh by next Friday, as we have some friends coming for dinner then and it'd be nice not to be in total choas.

Anyway, I need to look for skirting now, as I need to work out how much to cut off the edge pieces of parquet.