Quit everything , and start again over 50?

dreaming

Pleased that the boiler issue seems to be settled. You will be able to open a window as long as there is other ventilation (i.e. don't close the door) and as LL previously advised get a carbon monoxide detector. Anyway the boiler won't be running all the time, will it, and I thought the room was mainly going to be home gym/storage. Agree it's worth doing the bathroom before you move in but surely a lot of the other stuff could wait? If you had shutters fitted you wouldn't need to rush into curtains for a while, and would the present owner let you have a choice of light fitting if the work is being done this weekend? By the way, did you get a schedule of works so you know exactly what is being done?
Anyway, I'm glad your visit just reinforced your decision to go ahead. Won't be long now.
Freezing cold here, and wet! I know the weather people say it is the first day of Spring tomorrow but Mother Nature seems to be on a different clock altogether, although a few plants have some leaves coming out.

harz99

another_casualty wrote: »

Okay, just been into the property again , with mr. Gas and ms. Estate agent . They both came to the conclusion , that mr. Surveyour was completely wrong in his boiler assessment .
The downside , is that I won't be able to open the window in that room.

If the reason you won't be able to open the window, is because the flue is discharging dangerous gases too close to the window, that would suggest to me that the surveyor was wholly correct with his warnings.


Anyhow, you do seem to be itching to spend a lot of money on a flat which looks entirely liveable at the moment!


Like I said before, do the cabinets and worktop really need replacement or would new doors do the job, and a new worktop if it is needed?


You should get this lot written down and costed up by a reputable builder, I think you will have a nasty shock (unless you can get mates rates from someone in the family) as tradesmen are not cheap in your area and seem to have no shortage of work.


I would think your priority should be the bathroom and painting, as one you need done before you place furniture, and the other would be more disruptive to do whilst living there.


Just be careful in all this that you don't end up spending a lot of money for little gain. You won't be putting much extra value on the place at all.

another_casualty

Thanks again ancient/ dreaming .
Glad you like it ancient . I'm supposed to be in my current abode until end of may . This, in theory gives me roughly six weeks between completion and moving in .
I took a longer look , and tbh if I know what needs to be done , I think it could all,be done before moving in ( except shelving /wardrobes imho). All the inconvenience could be then avoided and things would be much smoother .

another_casualty

harz99 wrote: »

If the reason you won't be able to open the window, is because the flue is discharging dangerous gases too close to the window, that would suggest to me that the surveyor was wholly correct with his warnings.


Anyhow, you do seem to be itching to spend a lot of money on a flat which looks entirely liveable at the moment!


Like I said before, do the cabinets and worktop really need replacement or would new doors do the job, and a new worktop if it is needed?


You should get this lot written down and costed up by a reputable builder, I think you will have a nasty shock (unless you can get mates rates from someone in the family) as tradesmen are not cheap in your area and seem to have no shortage of work.


I would think your priority should be the bathroom and painting, as one you need done before you place furniture, and the other would be more disruptive to do whilst living there.


Just be careful in all this that you don't end up spending a lot of money for little gain. You won't be putting much extra value on the place at all.

Thanks harz
Yes , painting and bathroom tops the list .
Not throwing cash out the door willy nilly. I'm trying to get everything done now, rather than need work in the future and have nothing .
Thanks for the cautious advice. It wont be cheap, and I have to be careful. The kitchen looks run down . Very dark
Lots to,think,about

anna_1977

Hi AC
What is the reason for not being able to open the window?

Do you have enough to pay off ALL your debts as well as the huge amount of work you want to do? As harz has already commented good tradesmen are pricey on the south coast, a whole new kitchen installed will be thousands as will a new bathroom!

I can see you spending all the money on the flat and then still having all your debts which leaves you in the same situation as before just no income

lessonlearned

anna_1977 wrote: »

Hi AC
What is the reason for not being able to open the window?

Do you have enough to pay off ALL your debts as well as the huge amount of work you want to do? As harz has already commented good tradesmen are pricey on the south coast, a whole new kitchen installed will be thousands as will a new bathroom!

I can see you spending all the money on the flat and then still having all your debts which leaves you in the same situation as before just no income

......ditto........

AC. The more I read the more concerned I become. ......

But hey, it's your life, not mine.

If you want the flat then go for it......but don't spend any money on it yet.

Live with it for a while. Pay your debts, get fit, get a job.

Consolidate....and build up some savings.

Only when you have done that should you be splashing money around
On spurious "home improvements"

As a matter of interest my son is just in the final stages of doing a kitchen makeover.

Dark pine, around 20 years old. He has painted it and added new knobs and handles. He has sanded down the worktops to bare wood and stained and oiled them. Emulsioned the walls, painted the woodwork, cleaned the grout to tiles. Sanded, stained And varnished the floorboards.

I bet he has spent less than £200 - it looks fab.

AC. You do not need to spend tens of thousands.....but that is exactly what you propose to do, when there is absolutely no need.

However, you will need that money to secure your future.

lessonlearned

another_casualty wrote: »

Thanks harz
Yes , painting and bathroom tops the list .
Not throwing cash out the door willy nilly. I'm trying to get everything done now, rather than need work in the future and have nothing .
Thanks for the cautious advice. It wont be cheap, and I have to be careful. The kitchen looks run down . Very dark
Lots to,think,about

The kitchen looks fine. Nothing that a coat of paint won't cure.

another_casualty

Thanks Anna / LL:)
I intend to be very careful . I seriously want to avoid the horrendous situation of no money . The reason it looks like I'm throwing money away ,is because this flat is under budget and I want to do things while I have a
little spare. I will go through things again . I may hold fire as suggested .
I will go through everything with a fine tooth comb again later.
The paintwork on the walls is of poor quality imho. The bathroom is probably the thing that does need to be done first . Looks awful, the head height is the bare minimum . One potentially good thing about the timing of the move is that Easter is a good time for this sort of thing .
If it costs too much , then I'll have to reconsider .
If this does happen , I would be in a very strange position of owning a one and a half bedroom flat

anna_1977

Hi AC
I think going through everything is a great idea.

Why not paint the walls yourself? you're not working and it might be a good project. A good decorator will be about £120-150 a day.....

I am a little confused by your comment on the timing of the move being good for things over Easter - more likely to be not so good as people taking holidays etc..

good luck

lessonlearned

AC.

How do you eat an elephant........one bite at a time 😂

Whenever I have a mammoth task which threatens to engulf me I break it down into easy steps. I go for what I call the 1 HR a day rule.

So just paint your flat yourself - one wall per day. You will save yourself a small fortune. What you save will go towards a nice fancy shower.

You won't be working, will have time and it's free exercise.