Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Dahhhhlings

lessonlearned

Humpty.....It really depends on what you want to achieve. A basic bathroom suite doesn't cost much, you could probably buy a suite for less than £500. If it's just a straight like for like swap, ie not having to move pipework, then labour costs really shouldn't cost too much, around two days work if all goes smoothly. You should budget around £150 to £200 a day for labour costs.

You can also tile on top of existing tiles (once) and that would save on labour costs too. Again 1 or two days work. I have done that in the past and ended up with a very nice inexpensive bathroom. A tilers rates will be roughly similar, maybe slightly less.

This time I am afraid my bathroom isn't going to be cheap. It's not a straight like for like swap, ie simply changing the sanitary ware and new tiles etc.

I am having to completely rejig the layout because it is so badly planned, it is very cramped. You couldn't swing a cat......

I will need to change the run of pipework etc. Also removing a cupboard which is neither use nor ornament which contains all the electrics for the shower. So that will entail moving wiring etc but removing the cupboard will really open up the room. A new ceiling, new lighting, proper ventilation.

The electrician is coming next week to price up what needs to be done. I'm guessing it's going to be quite a bit. He will need to rip out the ceiling etc. So you can see why I'm going awol whilst they do the work.....

I will be installing a bath with hand grips and an anti slip surface, plus the loo will be a "comfort pan". Ie set a little higher than the average fit. I shall also be adding underfloor heating.

It might sound like a lot of faff and unnecessary expense but it really will be worth it. It will make the space a lot more practical and more spacious, plus it will also ensure that it will be future proofed. The purpose of this house is to allow me to "age in situ" should I wish to do so ........and hopefully avoid the dreaded nursing home.

Alternatively if I do later decide to resell and move to an apartment then as a bungalow suitably kitted out for elderly or diasabled purchasers, it would attract a premium.

My advice to keep costs down, is to buy your sanitary ware, tiles etc and all components from a builders merchants. If your plumber purchases them for you he might also pass his trade discount on to you. Mine always does.

If you buy from a fancy showroom or even one of the big DIY sheds you will not only pay full retail you will also pay over the odds because you will be paying for their overheads. You could easily make savings of up to 50 per cent on materials and components by buying from a builders or plumbers merchant.

I am very lucky with my guy, whilst I don't exactly get "mates rates" as such, because we have worked together for so long (over 20 years) and because I pass business on to him he always does me a good price. Mind the bacon butties, chocolate biscuits and cake help.....

We have reached a stage now where I can tell him what I want and he will just project manage the whole job for me.....getting in the additional trades such as electricians, joiners, Plasterer's etc. It takes a lot off my shoulders. He doesn't charge me a managing fee.

I just hope he doesnt retire just yet. :rotfl:

seven-day-weekend

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Trying to think how long ago I "knew" this would happen - ie an EU army. I think I was first warned about it about 30 years ago and my first reaction was "Nah - never LOL" - but I changed my mind over subsequent years and thought "They're right you know...".

So those "warnings" must have been there for years and that's how I've been sitting there expecting it.

So - not livid - just "Yeah right - and another reason I voted to Leave just proved right".....

Well hopefully that little comment from Merkel should "light the touchpaper" to shut up those people who keep calling for a second Referendum on this. Perhaps they'll accept our democratic verdict at last and shut up.:cool:

I've been cynically thinking those people trying to push their own personal viewpoint of "Let's have another referendum" have been reading about the way the Welsh voted against devolution by a sizeable majority and "Some people who wanted things the other way" pushed and pushed and pushed and thought "Blow democracy" and had another blinkin' Referendum. As I recall - they lost that one too - but because it was by a small percentage the second time they pushed to have Wales devolved anyway and got their way (for the time being.......:cool::cool::cool:).

That does NOT mean to say "pushers who won't accept democratic verdicts" would manage the same thing again if they keep screaming and yelling their little heads off for another Referendum on this issue.

So - yep...my verdict has always been "We need to get out - deal or no deal".

Mine too, however our PM has sold us down the river. She has successfully vanquished 'The Peasants' Revolt' and I think this has been the intention all along.

seven-day-weekend

Today I am going to be sitting in an empty apartment waiting for nine potential renters to view it. They all have appointments, and I sent them a pre-viewing questionnaire, but only two have returned it, so I think they are the only two that will turn up. Another person, who already shares a house on the same development, is coming too, she can come at any time and on paper she is our favourite.

So....mostly time spent hanging around for people who almost certainly won't show.


Paint. Dry. Watching.

humptydumptybits

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Personally - I believe in democracy...so my response to "won't shut up" is not a polite one to those that don't believe in abiding by our democratic decisions.

At a practical level - once we're out - we don't need a say:)

You seem to have a strange idea of democracy, in fact democracy means I have a right to my beliefs and to express them and not being polite about that says more about you than me.


Did you express your wish to be out of the EU pre 2016? Did that strike you as undemocratic because we had a referendum in the 70s and the democratic decision was that we be members of the EU?


I take it democracy is what suits you at any given moment.

humptydumptybits

Thanks for that Lessonlearned. My bathroom is small and the layout is fine so that part is easy. I have two worries.
1. The tiling, it is completely tiled so I was thinking we would remove all the tiles, probably skim and retile which I think would cost a fair bit so tiling over might be a good idea.
2. Water pressure, fine for everything else but not great for the shower. I think they can install some sort of pump to increase the pressure so I will have to fine out about that.


I envy you being able to hand over the keys and come back when it is done. Bliss. You will understand that with my husband it isn't really possible. We are lucky in that we also have an ensuite so no problems with that.


I hate the idea of the faff but I know it needs doing, the bathroom lets the house down so in the longterm if I want to see I will need to do it so I might as well get it done sooner rather than later.


My son has a good friend who is a plumber, he did our downstairs cloakroom last year, so I have someone reliable, I don't say he will do it cheap but I know I won't get ripped off. I think once Christmas is over I will ask him to have a look, he is usually very busy so it will probably be May or June before he can fit us in but that doesn't really matter.


Have you chosen tiles yet, they seem to vary in price by quite alot so I need to think about that. I don't want anything fancy, I like plainer things generally so hopefully won't be too bad.

lessonlearned

Good morning lovely ladies

Well fencers are here. Just totted up the final bill for tree surgeons and fencers and we have come in at £2252. I had budgeted for £2500 so I'm happy with that.

Going back to the bathroom, thinking about it, I reckon a rough figure of somewhere around the £4k to £5k mark, but obviously I will try and do a few tweaks here and there to see where I can make savings. A lot will depend on how extensive the pipework reroute needs to be and what exactly we need to do with the electrics.

It's tricky though......this needs to be a one off job and I want to make sure I get it right. I don't want to cut corners and "spoil the ship for a happorth of tar". I want comfort and glamour. Definitely going for the wow factor on this one.

In property development terms it's kitchens and bathrooms that sell houses and that's where you tend to spend most of the money. The trick is to make a £5k kitchen look like a £20k one and the same with a bathroom. You gotta add some bling. :rotfl:

TBH You could pay £5k and more just for a bath if you had more money than sense. :rotfl: Most designers will tell you keep the big things simple and neutral and add the bling with the finishing touches.

So in the case of a bathroom, good quality but reasonably priced sanitary ware which you then bling up with nice fancy taps, mirrors, tiles etc. As I said in the champagne lifestyle thread.....the sanitary ware is the LBD (little black dress) and the taps are the jewellery.

It's much cheaper to buy fancy taps than fancy baths.

I did think of reducing the amount of tiling but what I would save there I would have to spend on new plastering, skirting boards and alternative decorative finishes. And the end result it would look as if I'd skimped. It's all swings and roundabouts.

SDW. Hope you find a nice tennant. Although I am on the lookout for a business opportunity I know BTLs aren't for me. I'm sure I'll find something when I'm ready.

Right off to the little shop to buy some milk. Those boys need their cups of tea. One of them is a radiographer and does saturdays as a fencer in his dad's business. Bless him. Both this crew and yesterday's lot work like demons. You have to look after them. I'll get them some choccy biscuits whilst I'm at it.

lessonlearned

Humpty - posts crossed.

Tiles can vary so much can't they. But if you can overtile it will save a lot of money. Of course you can only do it once. Although a lot will depend on the condition of the walls, whether or not you can get away with a simple reskim or whether you would have to strip them right back and then put up new plasterboards first. Unfortunately, you can't know how bad the walls are till you remove the tiles. Catch 22. This is why pricing a job is so difficult, there are often a lot of variables.

Good though that you have both a second bathroom and downstairs cloakroom. A big help. In your shoes I would be inclined to wait until the better weather though. Those big messy jobs are always best done in summer. You can at least sit in the garden and escape some of the noise and mess. :rotfl:

humptydumptybits

Yes I suppose I should look on the wait till May/June as a positive.


I do like the idea of good quality but simple with the accessories adding the bling, that is my style. I think if you get bored of the bling you can change the accessories easily but not so much the actual fittings.


I will definitely talk to him about the overtiling.


I was thinking £3 to £4k so hopefully that will be enough. We are thinking of a new car next year and then there is DDs wedding so 2019 isn't going to be money saving but all nice stuff.


I'm hoping to sell one of my BTL houses next year, will depend on the market but I need to time things right as I really want to sell both of them but can't do it in the same tax year.


I'm chuckling at the idea of the looks on Boris and Jacob's faces when they discover they are peasants.

Ellidee

As a long time lurker on this thread I am disappointed that some newer members have started to bicker and take swipes at others. I'll just leave this here from Buddhist Boot Camp .......

In the same way we keep old birthday cards and souvenirs, bank statements and receipts, clothes, broken appliances, and old magazines, we also hang on to pride, anger, outdated opinions, and fears. And if we're so attached to tangible things, imagine how difficult letting go of opinions must be (let alone opening our minds to new ideas, perspectives, possibilities, and futures). It's dangerous for our beliefs to solidify enough to become the only truth and reality we know, it puts a greater distance between us and anyone whose beliefs are different. That's when we not only feel isolated, but struggle as if the whole world is against us. That's no way to live. I say loosen your white-knuckle grip on your truth being the only truth there is, just go ahead and live your truth instead of spending your life defending it or trying to crush someone else's. Does that make sense?

lessonlearned

Perfect sense Ellidee....thank you.

.I am not religious as such (lapsed catholic, now pretty much an atheist) but I do like some of the teachings of Buddha.

Part of my quest now is to live a Zen like tranquil life, letting go of the pain and angst and just "going with the flow". My kids always say I'm just an old hippie at heart. :rotfl:

If I had to pin a label on myself I would say I'm a Humanist.

Beautiful day now........that sun is now streaming into the garden and the back of my house. The light is amazing. I love it. Well worth the money getting that hedge out.

Who wants to live in doom and gloom.

At the moment the ceiling beams are still dark as are the wooden kitchen cabinets. But once they are painted it will be even better. I can't really justify ripping out the dark flooring just yet so I will put down the new rugs for now (well when the bathroom is done). That should help.

Can't go out today so I'm Going to potter about in the kitchen, sort out the fridge and freezer and go into domestic goddess mode.