Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

savingholmes

Thanks Blackcats.

Strangely the clean laundry made it upstairs but not the heavy hoover. You're spot on. It's just it's a dark carpet on the stairs and landing and I have a white cat. I will see if there is a way to tidy sufficiently to put the robot hoover to work upstairs.

My handyman list:

1.      Change locks on front and back doors -

2.      Fit video doorbell

3.      Put electrics through into utility and garage and add a light to the understairs cupboard - Put in temp light

4.      Fit external lights – FITTED 5, possibly 2 to go when other electrics resolved

5.      Fit new lights for garage, hall, lounge, utility, dining area, art area

6.      See if sliding patio door fixable – He recommended someone for replacement door – I need to follow up

7.      See if tumble dryer fixable – NOT. Replaced

8.      Fit new blind to work from home space and used privacy film for landing.

9.      Hang a very high picture in the stair well

10.   Move triple wardrobe combo from my WFH space into my bedroom and move 6 drawer unit into bedroom 2 for now

11.   Fix the utility floor - ON HOLD

12.   Advise on & the fit new stair rail and make existing one safe (it wobbles!) - ON ORDER

13.   Ideally fit extra spindles to the stair balustrade so it's compliant – ON ORDER

14.   Fit some grab bars to downstairs WC.

15.   Advise me on mirrors - Hung existing. Ordering a new one for bathroom

16.   Change the tubular catch on a few doors -

17.   Possible canopy by front door (c£90 on Am****) = ON HOLD

18.   Possibly extend canopy to the side and back of the house – ON HOLD

19.   See if can fit castors to some of my existing furniture to make it easier to move around – Done one set, others still outstanding. I need to order more

20.   Fit hose pipe holder

21.   Fit rotary washing line

22.   Depending on flooring decision – ON HOLD

Possible plumbing & related joinery / plastering / tiling work

23.   Review pipework - so can move tumble dryer and washer - awaiting deliveries

24.   Box in soil and other pipes

25.   Lag pipes in the garage as needed (these seem to be my heating pipes!)

26.   Tidy up pipes under radiator in lounge

27.   Take bath out - tile underneath and behind (where part missing - roll eyes) using spares left by the seller - refit

Other structural & joinery work - NOT STARTED On hold as likely to be part of the garage conversion if I go ahead

28.   Get advice/quotes on converting the garage properly and related costs

29.   Get new lintel put in for utility area (part converted garage) and widen the doorway

30.   Fit architrave and missing skirting boards

31.   Current utility area has an ugly boarded ceiling - check if that can just be skimmed  

Garden – NOT STARTED

32.   Remove bamboo and grasses

33.   Severely prune bay tree - possibly remove

34.   Consider improving the lighting

35.   Consider improving the paving – I’ve asked for a quote for Indian Sandstone

Plant additional borders - as a minimum existing back grass area needs aerating as water logged – I’ve asked if he can 

lucielle

That’s done list and you’re getting through it. Step away from the vacuum!  That’s an order. Hopefully a family member or friend could do it for you. 

L

savingholmes

On top of my original list the handyman has also:

1. Fit new satin chrome light switches throughout downstairs
2. Hung pictures
3. Filled in holes and plaster cracks and sanded down
4. Mended my bathroom fan - and cleared out lots of debris 
5. Refitted the shed lock so it lines up and the key actually works!
6. Put up new curtain rail and hung bedroom curtains. Really pleased with how it looks.
7. Put up a couple of art shelves
8. Been in my loft and measured for a new loft hatch and integral ladder
9. Confirmed my garage door really isn't fixable
10. Bought locks for my bathroom and downstairs loo ready to fit

He's been cheerful company - and looked out for me for which I am very grateful as family have been too far away to be much practical help. (Only DD was close by before so not a huge difference).

The previous person bodged virtually everything he touched - which was throughout the house. Therefore potential future jobs include:

1. Outstanding items from above lists
2. Moving a plug socket
3. At some point getting rid of busy tiles in wet room and replacing where needed with those special boards - he's going to get a price for me. Think white with sparkles
4. May need to take up all the bathroom floor tiles to see why the wet room has poor drainage
5. Move some of the shower and bath attachments - so they are actually useful and logically placed
6. May replace kitchen counter - he's recommended a supplier so will go and see how much they are
7. Fit future floor after someone else screeds - and related prior furniture moves!

I think I'll hold off the AVCs due to both illness and the amount of handyman work needed so that I don't deplete my lump sum too much.

savingholmes

lucielle said:

That’s done list and you’re getting through it. Step away from the vacuum!  That’s an order. Hopefully a family member or friend could do it for you. 

L

Thanks Lucielle. Wise advice. Unfortunately DD packing to move, DS too far away and other family not likely to come for a while... I may see if I can get a one off clean next week from a company.

KajiKita

Re the white fur on the stair carpet, how about one of those sticky roller thingies - would tame the fur and not be as heavy as a full blown vacuum cleaner. I also have one of those scratchy metal tools for scraping up fur. Either would be annoying to use on a full floor (hands and knees job) but would keep the stairs tidy looking with a lot less effort. 

I’ve just done a quick google on potassium salt supplements (won’t link to any here). Looks like there are loads of options but you would need to know if it’s potassium citrate or potassium chloride that you need. Perhaps a question for the GP tomorrow? 

Hope it goes well tomorrow. 

Hugs x

savingholmes

Thanks KK - That's a fantastic suggestion on the lint roller type thing. I have some somewhere or could easily buy some tomorrow. That would be a lot easier than hoovering!

I'll ask the GP online and see what they come back with. Initially when I was ill I was losing a pound a day - that's slowed to 4lb over this last week.

beanielou

Hope GP visit is helpful. 

badmemory

With a list like that no wonder you are feeling stressed.

savingholmes

Thanks Beanie and BM

badmemory said:

With a list like that no wonder you are feeling stressed.

And that ignores the missing flooring now hidden by cardboard and rugs in the lounge - and by folded up underlay and cardboard in the hall!

I wanted a quote for a garage conversion, possibly widening a doorway, taking out a wall and screeding the floor. I didn't get any takers for my job so need to relist it. 

beanielou said:

Hope GP visit is helpful. 

It's not a visit as such at the moment - there's just an online portal where you can ask for things and they decide whether or not you need an appointment etc or whether they can resolve without! It's only open a few hours of the day so you have to be organised... 

I've felt really nauseous today. I managed the ham and some grapes. A tiny bit of salad. I tried making porridge but only managed about 3 spoons worth. If I was doing SW I'd be thrilled with this kind of weight loss - but feeling sick constantly is wearing. Food has always been a pleasure - a guilty one - but still a pleasure. Now it's more of a worry / fear in case I exacerbate my symptoms. My brain also feels foggy most of the time. My pain has been low level / barely there today so that's a huge improvement. I have to keep saying to myself this will eventually pass!! 

My flooring refund still hasn't arrived. If it's not there tomorrow - I will be strongly complaining and writing negative reviews!! Getting beyond a joke considering I asked for it to be cancelled 5 March - and we are talking over £3.1K. Luckily I got a 0% spends card - so I paid off the balance of the one due to be refunded from my main bank account - but created a balance on that instead. It's at nearly £1.4K as I don't want to pull £ out of savings unnecessary. Once I get the refund I'll decide whether to put it back into savings and earn interest (stooze) or whether to clear the latter. I don't want a slippery slope situation though...

savingholmes

Just checked one of my pensions and it's up £1.2K since Oct 2022 - and most of that has been this year. I've put in just under £8K - so it's close to £9.1K. Similarly since I moved it my small SIP around Sept 2023 it has made £0.5K so is now at around £4.1K. Given that prior to this year it's been losing money for a while - that's a real positive. It makes me torn about delaying AVC increase as it is doing so well currently.