Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

Right. Room emptied, floor hoovered and cleaned, remembered that I painted in a rush for the start of online teaching and (a) only did one coat, and (b) painted round some of the furniture 🙄😂😂

I've brought the carpet in to check it fits, and of course it doesn't quite reach the edges by the fireplace 🙄 Doesn't really matter - we're going for warmth and cheapness here. It does make the decision about the bookcase though - if it doesn't quite reach the wall under the desk/sofa, there's no point breaking my back to make it fit perfectly under the bookcase. I'll do what I can, and use a bit from under the bookcase to patch by the fireplace. 



Feels warmer already 😂😂

Going to leave it to rest a bit, although I don't think those fold lines are going to come out completely 🙄 Need to have more of a read up on 'how to fit a carpet' while I have my dinner 🙄😂

Cheery_Daff

More progress! Carpet grippers have all been cut into 6 inch mini-strips (to help them stick better), and stuck down. Cutting took longer than sticking 🙄 Had to have a trip to the DIY shop as we could only find one sealant gun thing, and it was the smaller one which wouldn't fit the glue in 🙄 I suspect the other one is at Mr Cheery's dad's, but the replacement only cost £6 so not too bad.

Also picked up my knee kicker thing, which looks like some kind of medieval weapon 😱 

Just had leftover homemade minestrone soup from yesterday, very tasty. About to have the last of the stewed apples (well, the ones I didn't freeze) with some yogurt, then I'll get the underlay down, which will hopefully go very quickly. I've laid a couple of pieces out already and it is SO warm to stand on 😁😁😁

Once that's done, I'll lay the carpet over it all to see where I'll need to patch. 

Glue takes up to 24 hours, and I didn't get it down til about 6pm, so carpet may have to wait til Sunday, we'll see. If so, I'll try to get the ceiling finished tomorrow for a nice achieve-y weekend!

Cheery_Daff

Hmm, underlay is a bit more of a nuisance than I thought 🙄 I've broadly cut all the pieces, but because it's wool felt, rather than foam, it's harder to get a nice clean cut and I've ended up doing it with scissors. All fine, but it's fiddly, and I'm sick of being on my knees now. Going to stop there and do the rest in the morning (I can have the windows open to use the spray adhesive too).

Still, very impressed with today's progress! Despite what I put on my list, I did half suspect I wouldn't have even emptied the room by now 🙄😂😂

beanielou

I take my hat off to you!

EssexHebridean

That sounds like a huge amount of progress for day 1 Cheery - well done you! 

Cheery_Daff

Thank you! 

We have been standing in the room scratching our chins (and watching the thermometer rise to a heady 18 degrees - I don't think it's ever been that warm in that room! 😂)

Mr Cheery has proposed not only dismantling the bookcase, but also completely getting rid of it 🤔 I'm considering it... It is truly massive 😂 and while there are books on every shelf, it is really deep, so it takes up twice as much room as it needs to...

It would mean we could put the sofa against a different wall, and when it was pulled out into a sofa bed, it wouldn't take up the entire room... Some books will be going upstairs into what will be the new craft room anyway...

Hmm... needs a ponder. Part of me just wants to stick to the original plan... And the books would end up sitting somewhere temporary for a few weeks/months... But it would make it easier to do the carpet (still wouldn't properly reach the wall, but it would be under the sofa), we'd be able to paint the wall behind it 🙄😂 

Hmmmmmmm.....

KajiKita

Totally relate to the medieval weaponry nature of carpet kickers! 😂

Bravo for all the progress!! 😊👏

KK

beanielou

Whispers. Ditch the bookcase.

greenbee

beanielou said:

Whispers. Ditch the bookcase.

whispers a bit more loudly... 

LadyWithAPlan

scandimore said:

I'm strangely excited to hear how this self fit carpet malarkey turns out. I'm sure you'll get it done and be lovely and cosy in your study very soon x

I am with you, this is all very exciting and great you can immediately feel the temp difference. I had to google what a knee kicker is! Of course now you own one you will be plastering and laying carpets for all the family 

Well done, I do also really like your tiles. Will the underlay come off easily in the spring?

I am not winter proofing ... but I definitely will need  that heated throw (waiting for Black Friday), draught excluders and window sealants, possibly curtains in the bedroom as only blinds in there and I have a juliette balcony full length window.