SLLM (Single Lady Large Mortgage)

LeighofMar

Happy house anniversary SG. Your extension plans sound wonderful. My dream would be to add a sunroom with a wood stove onto the back of my house. My line of credit can pay for it, but I would prefer if we gave ourselves a small raise first so we can pay off the LoC and still make OPs and savings as well. We will see though. Our 5 year house anniversary is Oct 12. Who knows what can happen by then? 

Sistergold

@LeighofMar
Thank you! 

Sunroom with wood stove does sound lovely! 

Wow 5years! Good for you! Can not wait to be “5years old” in this house! I hope the extensions will be done and lived in by then! 

Xx

Sistergold

clarissa62 said:

Hello ladies, happy saturday evening. The kids are with their dad and I have a bit of free time yipee! 

Not much to report on savings etc however I tackled one very minor task I had meant to do for a while. In the past couple of years I have moved twice and had to change my address on each occasion - this is a major headache in itself. Anyway finally made an electronic copy of all the current companies that have my address. It was written on the back of a scruffy envelope that kept migrating from one pile to the other till finally it made it to the top of the to do list! 

Also had a bit of look on rightmove to see whats available. Found a nice flat that fits the bill but again still out of my price range. I basically need a bigger deposit. But its all motivational atm.  

Hello
Nice to find what you like comes on the market from time to time, which like you said is a motivation to save! Every month you are moving closer to getting the deposit together!
xx

Hazelnutty

Hi Sistergold! I'm returning to this board after a break of a few months moving house and just found your thread I'm recently divorced, also a child of the 70s and have just moved to a new house, which I've bought alone. I have a new OH but they're not able to work due to a long-term health condition so I'm supporting my little family (me, OH, 10yo DD and 2 cats ) on my own. My mortgage isn't as large as yours but it's 3x salary and the current circs have made me more risk averse, so once I've done the work needed, I'll be back to trying to pay it down. Anyway, a belated welcome and looking forward to following your progress!

Sistergold

@Hazelnutty
Oh hello and welcome! Congratulations on your new home and welldone for doing it for the family! 

Always good when more ladies join in as we could do with all of us supporting each other! 

Good that you are now on the other side after the well known bumpy road of divorce which can leave you wondering if you will ever get your act back together! So welldone! 

Xx

Sistergold

Reflections for today
Chronicles of finding an architect. Pt1
Good morning ladies. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend? As for me it was great, children were brought back after 3weeks with their dad. I did enjoy the time alone to some extent but it was quite lonely ☹️ if I should be honest! So yes they are back and yes I am accepting the mess which goes with children as part of the joys for now. 

So the extension plans I really moving ahead and I have been intouch with different architects and I have have the highest quote of £10k and the lowest of £1.2K so far for the plans to be drawn. There are other quotes with in between figures so yes it’s a wide range!  The good thing is I am in no hurry “which they don’t know” and so I am going to be patient and get the right person at the right price. So far I have not met an imaginative architect who can capture my imagination like in “Your Home made Perfect program” or in Kirstie and Phil’s “Love it or List it“ but I will not accept any drawings until I get to that point. I really need an architect who will be able to listen and solve my problems aswell as capture my imagination. 

The first architect who came looked like a cowboy had an earring in one ear, flirted a lot to get the contract, did not listen, did not tell me what he can do for me, was not prepared to send even a sketch or anything “until I am agreeable for him to go ahead where I pay 3/4 of £1200+vat for him to come and measure up and do some drawings and then to release drawings pay the full amount.” Ladies of cause I said no, that I had other architects to see and it’s going to take me seeing a few before I can Commision anyone”. At this point he told me how I had a beautiful smile and how beautiful my eyes were, that a woman needs a strong man on her corner to make right decisions 😳. Well ladies you can imagine how I was feeling at that point. This was a 61yr old man(he told me his age to ague that he had LOADS of experience!) well experience my 🦶. I was firm and told him if I needed his services I will get back to him that I had an architect recommended by a friend whom I will need to see first. He did try and insisted that he feels he should do this job for me that he is the right person! By the time he left I was so fed up!

The second architect was a bit of a surprise. He was quite old probably around 75yrs. I truly had to compose myself and not look shell shocked when I opened the door, was surprised that he was still working. But in the spirit of not discriminating due to age I let him come in and do his thing. He was pleasant but I am not sure really? He was supposed to come on Friday morning but instead very early he delivered a letter by had to say he could not come due to an emergency the we arrange.  I just found this letter dropped through the letter box when I was wondering why he had not come at the agreed time. 

We then rearranged for him to come next day which was Saturday. He did look around and we arranged for him to come again yesterday(Sunday) he spent hours taking measurements, not sure if it’s supposed to take that long but hey I was relaxed left him to do his thing while I watched television. After that he left but forgot his tape measure? This was the thing though at every meeting he would need to look for his pen or one thing and it will be like “I am sure I brought it” etc so I am not sure how he is going to do but I will give him a fair chance. He did bring some proposed sketches on the second visit for me to see. They were not inspiring but hey they were initial sketches so I don’t want to be harsh.

I have an online architect scheduled for tomorrow and I have a lady architect coming this Wednesday. Also have another architect scheduled for next week Wednesday. 

I will basically shop around until I am happy with who to go with. It will be a person who is confident of their work, will capture all my needs and wants in an imaginative space efficient way. He or she will need to be happy to show me advance sketches before they are so keen to get payment. 

Xx

HelloB

Morning @Sistergold and other ladies. 

SG you have been a busy bee! I wouldn't go for the first architect. And the second one I would be hesitant, too. The architect whom was recommended to me was semi retired and he was rather arrogant, didn't listen and went way over budget on planned works.  If I hadn't moved house, I would have gone with other architect.  But as Becksport said before, if I had to do it all over again I would get builders in first and not an architect. Because each builder would have their contacts with architects and the builder would give you realistic quotes.  Also most builders will let you inspect prior work from their past clients.

I'm catching up on all the posts, quite in awe of you and other ladies' wish list. In the sense that I don't have the head space to even contemplate interior decor!

Hazelnutty

Sistergold said:

@Hazelnutty
Oh hello and welcome! Congratulations on your new home and welldone for doing it for the family! 

Always good when more ladies join in as we could do with all of us supporting each other! 

Good that you are now on the other side after the well known bumpy road of divorce which can leave you wondering if you will ever get your act back together! So welldone! 

Xx

Thank you! We've just sent off the clean break order to finalise the finances so fingers crossed it'll all be done and dusted soon. It's been basically amicable but even so the odd thing can really get my goat. He earns more than twice what I do so it's easy for him to treat DD in ways I can't - that's a big one!

Hazelnutty

Just thought - if you don't need someone to 'reimagine' your house and it's a relatively simple redesign, you can go for an architectural designer. That's what I've gone for my ground floor redesign and garden room. I'm paying £800 for the plans, strutural engineer calcs and drawings for submission for building regs. 

HelloB

@Hazelnutty You're so close to finalising the divorce. Sending your positive vibes.