No time like the present

missrlr

So mr builder came round and finalised the plans and confirmed the price, we hope works starts 07apr. He had a few ideas and suggestions that make sense and improve the final product.

Revisited the loft and found more items. Also made appt for expert to see a few bits of furniture that could be more than a tenner. I have been putting it off but no excuses now

Piquant_2

Exciting news missrir!

missrlr

Oh dear, why is it when starting a project you always uncover a hidden nasty or 4??? So far we have "found" that the gutters are leaking and have caused damage to the wall which means before we can continue we need to have the gutters sorted and the plaster ripped off plus the whole wall dried out before re plastering can begin. I am awaiting the quote.
Had the man out to quote on the furniture, not as good a prices as I had hoped, and I need to get on with some restoration before I can realise the full potential there. So have purchased the necessary and will be having that as a project this weekend!

*Robin*

Hi Missrlr, :hello:

Just catching up.. You have an amazingly talent for transforming clutter into £££ - just as well, given that your window problem appears to have escalated alarmingly!

Keeping fingers xxxxed for you, hoping that once work starts the builders don't find any more nasty surprises.. :cool:

missrlr

Thanks Robin. I am so disappointed with the additional repair news it knocks the budget firmly on the head. I have the day today to revitalise a couple of bits of furniture. Am tempted to stick some bits on the flea bay place with reasonable reserves to see if I can get more, but the price I was quoted for the lot needs to be assessed first.

Sadly have been back to docs as been really poorly all week, had lots of blood tests and others, suspected C. Diff infection, would explain why I feel like death warmed up! We shall see. Just not eating though means have to be super careful about dehydration.

Similar to dear Robin I have been ISA fighting, trying to get new better rates but also had the doom ladened realisation it will have to go on operation window. So gave the required notice to withdraw. BLERGH!

Spoke ad nauseam to the insurance company seems to classify the window issue as wear and tear thus not covered! Builder has done report but doesn't seem to have swayed them. Have asked if they will send surveyor to assess. Oh well another complaint to add to the list of things to do!

Am not going to achieve much sitting here so have a good weekend all off to make some money!

missrlr

OK back on the road to wellness slowly but surely. Having several self help type things as helped me mentally if little effect so far physically, focussing on eating really well and a huge variety of vegetables, salad leafs with beans and pulses. Have finally finished all medications so can try to rebuild my digestive tract without feeling I am taking one step forwards then three back.

Managed a slow swim this morning to start building back up to a reasonable level of fitness, amazing how much condition you lose so quickly.

We have the official report on the window solution to look forward to .... or not. Once we have this we can get the building work thoroughly underway upstairs. I am dreading every part of the house being infected with building materials, mess and general chaos. Needs must though.

The bay of e has not had much done with it. Sorted one of my furniture projects out, not finished but the hard work is now done and time for the titivating parts.

Am having a slow afternoon so compensate for the exercise earlier on.

missrlr

Three bits of furniture are off to new homes, netted a profit plus I had a refund cheque for CPP so all added to the buoyancy aids!

Those plus the uber uber frugal last couple of months means if we still have to bear the windows cost we can be back on track with phase II in time. I have to say I am sick of blinking lentils and bean salads and casseroles, do I have treated us to a small but plump chicken for Easter not traditional but a butchers bargain! Be nice to have a posh meal again!

Work continues a pace and I think there are 2 more days before it is complete. They have promised to give it a "good not builders clean" have look long and hard at the "white" gloss work through the hallway ..... Sufficient to say I will be buying paint at some point and refreshing this, it does look very sad!

Health wise have had the last set of results back and all seems to be settling down, still suffering post viral fatigue so not pushing as hard. DH is completing a list of jobs today he had some problems with his Teeth and needs a referral.

Right off to walk Doglet and spend a few sneaky minutes admiring the beautiful cottage garden at the end of the lane!

Happy easter all!

missrlr

I have so few items in my loft it is quite an eye opener how much stuff you collect. It is also amazing what people will buy!
At the behest of a friend we were up and at a car boot pre dawn, took loads of little odds and sods plus some stuff I didn't think would shift. £70 profit thank you

missrlr

So Mr Postie kindly delivered me a load of mail (must have been a week's worth as the last thing we got was some bundles of local junk advertising ) lots of which looked like SPAM:cool:.

Being a bit short of time (and having to bit my tongue with DH at the time) I was having a bit too much of a quick flick sorting said delivery into recycling / not junk. Two envelopes, very similar junk looking for DH and I got chucked into the junk section ....

Opened the "not junk" pile and sorted into the recycle the pile (envelopes and spurious additional nonsense included) and then "stuff to do and look at in more detail":( Bit depressed at that pile as it included 2 bills and a notification about the insurance which I really need a quiet hour, a lot of patience and a stiff cuppa (or large gin) to read and understand, it was 3 pages!

Was about to gather up the junk plus recycling piles when I realised there were 2 envelopes the same and there was something familiar about the name on the envelopes. So reconsidered the junk pile - opening and discarding in the main until ......
:A£272 and £182 respectively in cheque form was found within these "familiar looking" envelopes. And so nearly had headed to the recycling plant due to a combination of exhaustion and :mad:

That dear readers is what you get for reading MSE and completing a load of paperwork to reclaim the (pre-:money:) card payment protection plan premiums for DH and I. :T;)
So thanks to that we are now back on course with the funding for house. :rotfl:

I have yet to summon the strength and willpower to read the missive regarding the windows, it will have to be a tonight job as I need to probably get a response to them for Tuesday ..... wish me luck on that score!

missrlr

So .... at the start of this phase 2 adventure I needed
By end Q1 I need £536
By end Q3 I need £2750
By end Q4 I need £2100
Plus a slush fund.

First 2 are crossed off the list. :T:A

Due to a combination of loft emptying (knackering but cathartic and in some respects a little tearful:o) we now have space in the loft and remarkably fewer things plus a chunk towards Q3 goal.

Some items were pieces of furniture and pictures we were holding on to (bit silly as they don't work in this house and realistically our tastes are not going to change that much!;)), some broken and in need of TLC we just never got around to it, and some because we had inherited them. Taking a leaf from dear Robin's book :j I bit the bullet and have sorted, repaired, advertised and sold them.

In the process of coming to terms with the fact I can be a storage unit or I can give items a new home and someone can appreciate them and use them I somehow came to realise I didn't really need to keep a heap of other stuff and so the clearing out bug took hold . I suspect the loft beams are grateful for this weight loss! :eek:

The Bay of Flea made me a tidy sum on some items with the more specialist stuff sold via traders, and some via car boot sales. Combined with the unexpected CPP refund (that I nearly chucked out :rotfl:) we now have a partial total of £1275.20.

IF the matter of the window repairs is resolved in our favour even though we have an excess to deduct from that monies paid out I should be within £100 of the necessary. I haven't actually read the letter, so who the heck knows about that point!

I am due to put in a reading for the gas and electric. As it has been relatively warm and we have been super frugal with the heating (whilst we can) I am hoping there is no need for an additional payment. I have held onto a wee pot of money just in case for this. Hopefully if not used this takes with the windows money to the end!

Well crikey me if the slush fund hasn't been used as fast as it was created! DH had a major tooth drama and this needed money ..... bye bye slush money. So I need to build this up, the way we are colliding from crisis to crisis is frightening but I keep thanking my lucky stars we have the cash to pay for issues, even if the £0 result in the account is

So, an empty and clear loft, I literally don't think I have a thing left to sell there (Christmas decorations anyone?:rotfl:) and total clear out of all cupboards, rooms, shelves, drawers and hidey holes plus a load of building works later and we have a house where the transformation is beginning.

Let battle (re)commence. Goodness only knows where I am going to get any more influx of monies from, these are all one off achievements and probably should have been done years ago. But the mind requires focus at times.