Home renovations, where to start?

FreeBear

FFHillbilly said:

Little.Miss.Sunshine_5 said:

1. Windows need replacing 

Can be done anytime really, window fitters don't need scaffold they will do them from inside. if there's going to be a massive gap between window fitting and plastering you can get them to fit white PVC cover trims to tidy it up, or you might find if you say that this isn't required as you will either get the plastering done straight after or are not bothered by the asthetics of torn wallpaper and broken plaster for a period of time, they will do the fitting slightly cheaper as theres less work for them to do.

uPVC filler strips look piggin' !!!!!! (my opinion). Some window reveals are lined with timber (mine are), so having uPVC filling the gaps would look even worse. For me, removing the timber trim made it a lot easier to fit the new windows - The fitter still managed to catch the plaster around one window an knock a big chunk out. Not a major problem as I'm going to be insulating that wall and cutting new timber for the reveals.

If the reveals are plastered, it is not that difficult to repair any damage. Lime plaster is pretty forgiving, and doesn't go off very fast (most likely, the original plaster is lime). Gypsum plasters take a little practice, and is not that hard if just a small area. The alternative is to use something like Knauf Fill & Finish. When dry, it can be "wet sanded" with a damp sponge float to get a very good finish even by a beginner.

ChilliBob

Do you have side access? If so, good, if not, like us, then do think if you need stuff done in the garden or out the back, obviously much better to do before shiny new stuff goes In downstairs.

Also too to bottom would work well, so make the upstairs rooms nice then downstairs, finally, front door!

Time of year is a consideration too, any outside work on in winter can be delayed for obvious reasons, or if done, may not be done to the same standards. 

Electrical stuff, if rewiring, will kill decoration, so don't decorate first!

If you do it windows first then keep the film on whilst yiu render then plaster etc, may help a bit! 

Bigphil1474

OP, you may not need a re-wire to add additional sockets. You should speak to your  electrician about what you can add on the existing ring/circuits. They may be okay. Our electrics were are at least 30 years old - we bought the house in the 90's so no idea what happened before then - and we had a new consumer unit fitted last year. Electrician was a mate of a mate, and he told us our wiring was fine, and we could have additional sockets on one of the rings and it wouldn't cause any problems.