Learning to walk before I run

themadvix

Not pensions, premium bonds are the real gambling for sensible types! Not as exciting ups and downs though.

Will investigate the referral and may take you up on it.

Karmacat

Uh oh, my niece in law is a Scot, and I've been hearing rumblings about the rugby today.

edinburgher

It was the right result KC, but there is a level of expectation around the current Scotland team that must be very hard for them to bear at times. We are a small country with a big heart 

Suffolk_lass

edinburgher said:

It was the right result KC, but there is a level of expectation around the current Scotland team that must be very hard for them to bear at times. We are a small country with a big heart 

...especially when the whole of the backline from the team that were victorious against England in the Calcutta Cup are either injured or out because of Covid. A justification, not an excuse, you understand.

England almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I know it was a bit duller but Clive Woodward but we would like until out of site and then play the riskier, more attractive, more expansive game

edinburgher

Ooh - lots of exciting grown up chat with Mrs E as DD was at a birthday party!

We have agreed that we definitely can't afford to do all of the house at once, but we can easily afford to do the loft, pay off our debts and manage a few other jobs to try and improve our (indoor) kerb appeal in case a 4 bed comes up for sale nearby.

The current plan is to focus on the kitchen, as this is the only room of the house that is a bit yuck (think artex ceiling complete with "electrician grade" plaster repairs), terracotta coloured paint, a scabby old roller blind and nasty lino with holes in it <- I bet nobody thought our kitchen would be the worst room in the house? When we sold our first home (a flat), we didn't do these little jobs prior to selling and while we got a good price, the people who sold after us got a great price and all I could see that was different was a lick of white paint to almost every room.

We are planning to set ourselves a wee budget (say max £3,000) with the aim of giving our kitchen the air of a room that somebody has given a crap about ever. This will hopefully cover something along the lines of:

• Plasterer to skim the artex ceiling, repair electrician wounds and smooth any obvious rough areas around the room
• Company to come out and respray cupboard doors, possibly worktops, replace the 3 or so doors that have delaminated and add a wee "box" around the boiler pipework
  
• Plumber to replace radiator with a modern vertical radiator (we have one already sitting in a cupboard) and sink/tap
  
• Cheap and cheerful vinyl tile replacement for the floor (DIY)
• New blind
• New hinges for built in cupboard doors (DIY replacement)
  
• Repaint (DIY)

Does that sound like a possible/like something that might work? The aim would be to bring room up to "not our taste" standard for potential buyers, as opposed to "we're knocking money off for this"

Karmacat

To achieve what you're setting out to achieve, that sounds *very* doable, Ed, how wonderful!  The difference in profit can be substantial.  Good for you  

Suffolk_lass

That sounds great. I was watching a K&P Love it or List it last night and decluttering and reorganising makes everyone feel so much better about their surroundings. You could accessorise with a few bowls in your taste.

I strongly advise getting a professional to put the staircase up to the loft (and maybe board it out), as there are loft companies that do only this, the labour/builder shortage less likely - and another to do Velux installation maybe like this? 

edinburgher

@Suffolk_lass - you are mad keen for me to get a roof terrace 

edinburgher

It seems to be a lot easier to get contractors for wee jobs:

Plasterer has been out and quoted £240 to sort the last of our wonky Artex. That seemed fine, so agreed to use him on the spot, he had a ton of positive feedback and came across very well. He has advised it's a one day job (we won't even need to move the aquarium) - booked in for a week on Friday.

We've had a quote back from a kitchen respraying company of just over £1,500. Again, this seems reasonable. We're considering asking for a few wee extras (potentially having tiled splashback sprayed as horrible terracotta and maybe worktops), which will bump the price up slightly. I'm going to have a chat with the guy tomorrow to hopefully finalise this. I spoke with one of the fuller refurbishment firms (Dr3@m D00rs), but they told me that their prices would *start* at £5,500-£6,000! At that rate, I'd not be far off cheap new kitchen money...

I've been out for a big grocery shop and we had money left over in our budget for the month that we have carried forward into March. February was a surprisingly spendy month, almost all of which was budgeted for without robbing other budget lines. We'll start paying down debts tomorrow with some PB money, have left it until the next draw. £100 paid off CCs.

Karmacat

So that respraying is also about replacing 3 doors, and boxing in some pipework?  Does it include the worksurface, Ed?  And how many kitchen cupboards are there?  Of course, I couldn't assess your answers, to be honest, I've no idea what the right ballpark is - but if it was simply spraying some doors, it sounded expensive (thats why I went back to your post to look).  OTOH, it's what my glazing guy is charging me for 3 windows in 2 places.