Just bought my first house and regret it

Eejay

Don't think you've said where you are - I know it's unlikely but if you were in Leeds I'd come and help you decorate for a day or two

Our bathroom isn't quite finished but it's not cost anywhere near that amount, and we have got quite decent brands. We bought everything from different places to get the best value. Plumber charged £600, tiler (two walls) £250, having the floor boarded and someone put the vinyl in was about £120 and the bathroom and toilet knocked through and replastered probably cost about £750 in total (had whole house redone so not sure about the specific cost). You can get bathroom suites for a few hundred pounds, or you can pay a fortune.

Have a look around charity shops if you need furniture - decent stuff from IKEA isn't cheap but you can buy quality drawers etc for £50 from charity shops. You don't need to fill all of the space - once the walls are freshly decorated and you can't see outlines where the old stuff has been (might not be like that but ours was) it'll look fine without stuff everywhere. Hang a couple of pictures on the walls if it looks a bit bare.

laughingcow81

Look on ebay for cheap furniture, there really are some lovely things out there for a low cost if you have time to trawl through listings. We bought a huge (and I mean huge) desk from ebay for just £30. It's wood and beautiful so can't complain.

kelpie35

If you have a facebook account check the free sites in your area for furniture.

You will be surprised the bargains you can pick up.

I hope you manage to feel "settled" very soon and this turns our to be a happy and peaceful home for you.

Red-Squirrel_2

I got some great second hand furniture cheaply from a British Heart Foundation shop, they even delivered it right into my living room.

ManuelG

Deep_Pearl wrote: »

The hardest thing is I'm on my own and it's daunting having to do or arrange all the work myself. I have a busy job and it's difficult to find the time or energy to really concentrate on painting and general DIY, and I'm not the most practical person to be honest.

I'm on my own too, and am renowned for being a little chaotic... That said, I've really found the basic things a release. I'm not overly practical but, because I'm not, here's my chance to escape from my job in an evening and do things. Admittedly I've needed my Dad's help to fit a shelf straight(!) but I've dug over the entire garden borders (they were full of weeds) and replaced with fruit bushes. It may sound strange, but I've really enjoyed going out in an evening now, just half an hour, and pulling the odd weed and watering them. The lawn's a mess and will need doing, and I'm aiming to do the patio myself at some stage, having painted the fence... and even replaced a fence panel!

As mentioned, break it down into smaller achievable jobs. So my first was digging one border, then another... then painting one fence panel, then three... and so on. It's amazing how good you can feel when, even if you see the fence stretching out to kingdom come(!) you actually see progress rather than worrying about it.

And if it goes wrong? So what? I've given it a bash and I'll do better next time.

I've felt completely lost with a lot of it, and the house looks completely different without the owner's possessions. There's holes to fill and empty spaces where furniture once was. I'd been living quite minimally before as the last house seemed to suit that, but this one looks empty and I can't really afford much furniture. I guess I'll have to visit Ikea.

ebay is your friend Again, it becamse a challenge to hunt down furniture at the right price and within collecting distance. Admittedly I had to succumb with an armchair and sofa as otherwise it was like living in a crack den(!) but now I have the essentials, it's been one 'treat' a month. I say 'treat' advisedly because a slightly shaky job atm makes me scared to spend *too* much, but this month's 'treat' was a £5 B&Q light, the month's befoe was a steel pole to fix a wardrobe rail in the spare room(!)

But once a month means I always see progress, something changes, and it becomes a little bit more 'mine'.

. I'm not sure how I missed the smallness of the bathroom, but it's tiny and a big comedown to what I've been used to.

Different strokes for different folks, but as long as there's room for me to pee and wash, not overly fussed about the size of my bathroom.

I guess I need to prioritise work but money's quite tight

As mentioned above, maybe treat things as a hunt to find what you want at a decent price. Bargain Hunt writ large!

A lengthy reply but... it'll be fine Just don't expect miracles and be prepared to congratulate yourself on what you do do, rather than focus on what you haven't yet.

Vampgirl

Deep_Pearl wrote: »

the oven needs replacing as it's a fire risk (the door's bent and seals gone so hot air will blow onto the kitchen cupboard next to it). After the initial shock and feeling of sickness at more expense, I had a look around B&Q for a replacement but I'd need it installed too, there was no one around in the kitchens area but I assume their fitting costs are expensive. I've ordered from AO.com before and wonder if they might be a good option this time. I'd probably get a new hob too as the current one is tired.

If you're looking at replacing the oven don't get B&Q/Currys etc. to fit it for you - you're right they're expensive (Currys are £90 I think, I'd guess B&Q are probably around the same). If its a single oven then most of them simply plug into a socket below the worktop so its dead easy to fit it yourself (do check the appliance rating though - I think the limit is 2.9kw). If its a double oven then it will need professional wiring - we paid £60 last year to have ours fitted and that was a last-minute job so we could probably have got it done cheaper if we'd rung around for a few quotes.

ManuelG

Eejay wrote: »

decent stuff from IKEA isn't cheap but you can buy quality drawers etc for £50 from charity shops.

Depends what you're happy to accept, too. I bought bedside cabinets from Argos for a grand total of £12 in their sale. They're not the best but... they'll do.

My kitchen table was a cracking bargain (in my eyes!) from ebay mind you, £40, solid wood, and four chairs thrown in too. Now, I was the only bidder, so maybe it wasn't *that* great a bargain but I like it.

And that's the important thing, maybe managing expectations that I won't have Buckingham Palace just yet but, at least, it's mine and I have control over the style of the furniture, not any partner or landlord

Eejay

ManuelG wrote: »

Depends what you're happy to accept, too. I bought bedside cabinets from Argos for a grand total of £12 in their sale. They're not the best but... they'll do.

My kitchen table was a cracking bargain (in my eyes!) from ebay mind you, £40, solid wood, and four chairs thrown in too. Now, I was the only bidder, so maybe it wasn't *that* great a bargain but I like it.

And that's the important thing, maybe managing expectations that I won't have Buckingham Palace just yet but, at least, it's mine and I have control over the style of the furniture, not any partner or landlord

I'm not snobby about furniture but I've had drawers where the sides have separated after a few years and the drawers collapse into one another - I'd rather buy new drawers that don't do that or buy decent quality secondhand drawers. I have a lot of IKEA furniture but we've saved up for the mid-range stuff because we don't drive so replacing it regularly would be a nightmare.

ManuelG

Eejay wrote: »

I'm not snobby about furniture but I've had drawers where the sides have separated after a few years and the drawers collapse into one another - I'd rather buy new drawers that don't do that or buy decent quality secondhand drawers. I have a lot of IKEA furniture but we've saved up for the mid-range stuff because we don't drive so replacing it regularly would be a nightmare.

Yup, nowt wrong with that. I've never had drawers collapse in yet, but maybe I'm more careful than most... I did have some bright pink plastic drawers for years when renting because they were cheap, so maybe my standards are lowered because of them, and anything's a step up!

moneyistooshorttomention

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Why go to Ikea to buy furniture you don't really need? If you must get furniture try Gumtree or charity shops to tide you over until you figure out what sort of look you are going for.

As for the oven, do you have to replace the whole oven or could you just source a new door?

It should be possible to buy and fit a bathroom for about half that B&Q bathroom.

The only way to get good at DIY is to do it. When I bought my first place I also bought myself a copy of Collins Complete DIY Manual. I found it helpful for tackling bigger DIY jobs myself and explaining to tradesmen exactly what I wanted I wanted done and how.

I'd go with this advice personally.

Re the bathroom too - I'm a bit surprised to hear B & Q would charge that much - because they are a cheapo place.

I had a bathroom fitted - total gutting including replastering and I think it was about £6000. I picked pretty much what I wanted - but it wasn't luxury.