Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

PasturesNew

I couldn't do houses up because I've never lived in a modern family home and have no family .... so it'd be good functional thinking ... for a single person to live efficiently

Half the stuff people put into houses on telly I've never heard of, nor seen. I also find a lot of their choices simply wouldn't work for moi. Things like having an oven.... single people have no need for an oven, when a small combination oven or mini oven will do for all times except Xmas dinner.... and with a bit of planning I know I could even cook a Xmas dinner for four in a mini oven .... not that I know four people to invite over.

I bet I could design the perfect studio flat though

No money in that though is there.

lostinrates

Even as a single I'd want an oven for myself and for entertaining, which IMO is the REAL issue with. A lot of finished properties with inflexible lay out, they are designed for the way someone else thinks you should live. My friend has a tiny one bed flat and it annoys the hell out of me. There is no room to walk around the four six bed, so no good if there are too of you....there is no room to hang or store clothes either, which is crazy, most people wear something at sometime. There is no room for a fridge, but a slimline integral dishwater.......

Spconclusion, single people are slobs who live alone, wearing only track suits, awake or asleep, and eating takeaways which need the cartons cleaning for the recycling?

michaels

No - sadly working - not sure why, doesn't seem to benefit me. but DW and I are now watching it on iplayer and trying to figure out exactly where the St Albans house is.

vivatifosi wrote: »

I don't think michaels is around this morning, but Wanted Down Under, on now on the BBC, is comparing life in St Albans with Australia. Thought he might be interested.

Way too much information.

vivatifosi wrote: »

I have peed in the shower though it certainly wouldn't be something I would do under normal circumstances. I was terribly ill at the time and it was my first shower in ages. I got tangled in the shower curtain trying to get out of the bath in time and then shortly after threw up in the basin. Can I please be excused under such circumstances?

michaels

I was all for mucking about with the upstairs of the funny shower room house but then noticed the eaves come in to play too much which may be an issue with putting the bathroom in the obvious place?

Both here and my last place we added shower rooms about 8x3 with the toilet at one end, the shower (min 900x800) at the other and a basin in the middle opposite the door, both worked really well.

We are looking at a house just round the corner from us sold by the estate. Thinking of getting it for 350, changing the hip to a gable and adding full size loft room (this is definitely possible as house 6 doors down has done this) and add a ground floor rear extension (one 6 doors down had conservatory type) and selling for 500. I will do some floor plans later. What would people expect in a 4 bed semi for families - master with ensite in the loft, 2 doubles plus single and family bathroom on first floor but gf I am thinking entrance hall, lounge, kitchen open plan on to dining/family area with folding sliding door, toilet and small utility area. Only prolem is shared side drive which is where I would want to put the utility/back door. Does a utility add value and help to sell or is it just a nice to have and a study would be better?

michaels

LIR we are really worried about you. What was it that let you get better before? Could it be the stress with FIR that is causing the problems now? Would there be a chance for the two of you to have a decent length away from it all break?

lostinrates wrote: »

Even as a single

Spirit_2

lostinrates wrote: »

If we are talking ironing, I quite like that. And I have my ironing board too high too.

Despite my small stature our ironing board is set up at its highest.
Mr Spirit does all the ironing.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

Conclusion, single people are slobs who live alone, wearing only track suits, awake or asleep, and eating takeaways which need the cartons cleaning for the recycling?

Correct.

Unless you're lucky enough to live in a cheap area, or have a good salary, the space you get to live in isn't enough for what others would consider to be "normal living". Recycling takes up too much space, there's not enough storage space, you rarely get the luxury of a bath (just a dinky shower room), heating is nasty storage heaters, there's no utility room, it's all too small for entertaining (no room for a table anyway) and cooking makes the whole place stink .... and you don't want people coming round anyway as you've only a 2 seater sofa and you like to slob out in your trackies, while your knickers dry on an airer in the middle of the room.... and they also find it bizarre that you've four different plates and no sets.

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

Does a utility add value and help to sell or is it just a nice to have and a study would be better?

No idea ... but the right size/shape/location of utlity means you've got a perfect "coming in from muddy outdoors" area, space to hang washing out of sight, a second sink for putting things in soak or doing odd things in a sink that's not getting in the way of kitchen things, room for dirty hobbies (I don't mean those that involve a fast spinning washing machine), but things arty crafty. I've no need for a study, but I do want space to make stuff, glue things, leave things to dry or to set, room to spread things out and leave them left out....

A utility is on my list of must haves.

I'd accept a utility that was separate from the house, so long as there was a covered verandah style area connecting the two.

Spirit_2

Doozergirl wrote: »

They've got the dimensions wrong on the floorplan, it's not as wide as they're suggesting. Even moving the door so that it is at the top of the stairs, opening outwards towards the stairs so you don't immediately fall down them, would help. Toilet to the left though it would still impede.

But I'd turn the dressing room, clearly too small to be a bedroom, into the main bathroom, return bed 4 to it's original dimensions with little ensuite behind the storage cupboard, turn the storage cupboard to a downstairs loo and the upstairs shower room to storage.

The bedroom4 wall will be studwork, easy to remove. The poo pipe for my new bathroom is already there, as for the new ensuite. So there is additional cost of introducing the plumbing upstairs but it reintroduces the correct proportions, gives you 4 proper bedrooms (it's only being marketed as a 4now - might as well get it right!) and a small but sensibly arranged ensuite with the door in the middle.

I have no design eye at all. Once on consulting an architect on extending our cottage I gave him and my OH a 'rough plan' of what I had in mind. It was badly flawed in that it included a room with no doors. Final plan got knocked back at planning and then my healh nosedived and we did not want the risk of a big change.

We bought a lovely rainfall shower fitting last year. It is in its box under the spare bed as our cottage height ceiling means Mr Spirit would not fit under it if we install it.

Present (and longstanding) design dilemma is how to build on a downstairs loo, an additional bathroom and extend the third bedroom. We have a north facing semi detached cottage on a narrow plot....and simultaeneously loads of ideas and no real idea.

I want Doozergirl's skill set, or even just some of it.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

No - sadly working - not sure why, doesn't seem to benefit me. but DW and I are now watching it on iplayer and trying to figure out exactly where the St Albans house is.

Did you work it out? I was guessing over Marshalswick way as the house would be in keeping but in reality didn't have a clue. I was trying to work out if the posh school where she was a nurse is Loreto College.

Incidentally Herts NPs, have you heard that we are the first county in the country to turn down routine surgery for anyone who is overweight (has a BMI of 35 or above) or smokes? Not sure what I think about this.