Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

savingholmes

It's a relief that I don't have to mentally earmark £ for medical expenses. However I'm still debating what to do if the builder's remaining quote for the garage conversion comes in too high. Do I

1. Try again on the Check place to get some quotes? 
2. Abandon the whole idea for now and put it in the too difficult basket? 
3. Get a new garage door for now and postpone the decision (potential abortive cost)? 
4. Do number 3 and get a door knocked through from the inner room to the garage so it's more usable and so I can have an electronic garage door?
5. Go ahead with knocking down the wall between the lounge and the back area to let in more light? And put in extra glass doors between the back middle room and the kitchen dining area. 
6. Screed the floor?
7. Do 5 then 6? How important is having uniform flooring throughout and is the cost really worth it? With the cat's propensity for attracting fleas and my allergies - I prefer hard floors. Having matching rugs in the front room has helped though.
8. Get the driveway done - which I am finding irritating as are guests as its either short or there's concrete missing?
9. Resolve the electrical fuse box and related wiring in the inner store and garage?

On those who mentioned using an extension lead for the washing machine etc wasn't ideal - I agree - and the plan is to move the tumble dryer and washing machine into the kitchen area. That will then free up a lot of that inner store room although it will displace other stuff. I also need to do something with point 9 at some point but was hoping to resolve it as part of the garage conversion. If I convert the garage though I will lose some useful storage so will need to consider alternatives for that too.

I'm not necessarily expecting answers from you guys on the above - just seeking to clarify my own thinking and have a reference to come back to. 

jwil

Hope work isn't too bad.

Maybe it's worth thinking about which jobs are essential and which are nice to haves that you'd like to do 'sometime'.  Potential dodgy wiring is a fire risk though, so if it were me, I'd be prioritising that.

Does your local trading standards have a list of approved traders?  It might be worth checking there for options.

KajiKita

I’m with jwil and prioritise the safety related / critical tasks. Is the wall between the lounge and the back area structural? If it is it will need an RSJ / lintel installing. 

Good luck with the increased hours. Be kind to yourself this week and don’t expect too much of yourself around work. 

KK

lucielle

Lots to work through on that list. Off the list which things cause you the most issues/stress?  Maybe go back and give each one a rating out of 10 and that might help you decide?
I hope DD manages to get you a trial pass, it would be nice for you to have a change of scene. 

L

TallGirl

That is a difficult one as it sounds like really substantial work but you also have the added issue of wanting to upgrade the electrics to make further improvements elsewhere. I agree with rating the jobs to what you is causing you most stress but also think about what a difference it will make once done. Do you need the space that a garage conversion will give you or could you declutter more to get space from somewhere else? Loss of easy accessible storage is a biggie for me. I have sheds and cupboard but it is a pain to get things out of where as a garage you can just pull the door up and walk to get it from a shelf or hanging up. You have not been in the house that long it takes times to work out what you really want. Other things might irritate you more come the warmer weather.

Would it be worth getting a quote just to upgrade the electrics from a electrician that might give you more ideas. Ask what it would cost without doing the full conversion.

Finding trades is hard I was lucky last time my hairdressers son is a carpenter and via him we got all the trades we needed. I also used another friend to do the main building work. Can you not ask on a local facebook group for recommendations. Obviously only from people who has had work done themselves? 

MovingForwards

Sorry to hear the quote wasn't as expected. Doesn't help material costs have increased a lot. Replacing a fuse box doesn't cost much, so get that done.

Forget the check place and ask around for personal recommendations, walk round your local area and see if anyone has had work done, ask them or slip a note through the door with a specially set up email address.

I think you're pushing it to do so many hours / days rather than adjusting them every couple of weeks.

Until you're able to form a routine that works for you, a cleaner for 2h will not be enough due to all the extras you need help with; ignoring the fact of moving.

Great news about not needing an op. It's not a bad price for the hydro pool and worth seeing if the numbers work or have it as a once a month relax.

Do your neighbours have apple trees or is yours self- pollinating?

WelshmansDaughter

The first thing I would suggest you do is obtain a medicine cupboard and put it in a high traffic area. I would also put a picture of medication on the front so you have a visual reference.
If you can plug the washing machine etc into a wall socket then none of the items on the list are need to have. I would therefore stop for at least a week to calm your mind down before you make any decisions.
You haven't been in this house long, you've had a major illness and you need to slow down. You're wearing yourself out and you can see that in how you're forgetting more things and falling more. 
The gym feels like a barrier because your entire focus is on house stuff. Check if hussle do a day pass.

Lecture finito.  

badmemory

A medicine cabinet is an excellent idea.  I use a bathroom cabinet, not in the bathroom as the moisture is rarely good for meds.  Mine is an old one from the time of having kids around so it locks.  It actually is freestanding on a chest of drawers.  I also have a dosette box as I take different meds each day also I always break nails getting them out of those blister packs, so that way I only break them once a fortnight.

I read your list and all I could think was whoa, slow down.

short_bird

(delurks)
Also, with meds, do any have to be kept below certain temperatures? That might affect the location of the medicine cabinet.
For the form: are you having to relocate furniture or electricals due to falls and spillage to keep yourself safe and reduce expense on replacement items? Also, is any of this due to meds or lack of them?
Good luck.
(back to lurkdom)

savingholmes

Thanks Jwil, KK, MF, WD, TG, Lucielle, BM and @short_bird

The wiring in the garage and utility has been stripped out - so it is not a fire hazard unless I overload the sockets via the extension lead(s). But the handyman is worried about the fuse box itself and says it does not have 30 minute fire protection. I suppose I could ask around for an electrician. I don't really know people yet though so not as easy as it sounds. I ordered myself a fire blanket and mini extinguisher today.

KK - I don't have a clear answer on whether that wall is structural as when the builder quoted he didn't properly check he just priced it in case it was - but still said structural engineer and building regs on top... 

Lucielle - I will have a go at scoring the jobs.

• The tricky thing is that I still have gaps in my flooring in my lounge and hallway and kitchen entrance which are annoying and trip hazards - hence the screeding question as I would still prefer wood floors. 
• The back kitchen area has dips and is bowed in paces. Plus the whole back of the house has had its laminate flooring laid on a insulating layer that's the wrong way up. 
• If I was going to screed and refloor though - I'd want it all to match downstairs - hence I'd need to have made a decision on whether or not I was going to take out a wall or not. The garage wouldn't require screeding. 
• The garage feels urgent as the door doesn't shut properly and doesn't lock. Although there's nothing of value in there it still feels a security issue. I'm currently parking very close to my garage door to mitigate the risk. I don't want to spend money on the door - if within a year I'd brick up the door and put in a window as part of a garage conversion. The internal store/utility area I'm currently using needs its electrics and its floor sorting. The suspended floor doesn't go all the way to the wall despite the walls being beautifully plastered. The ceiling is also wood cladded and I'd want it plastered.
• The drive has lots of trip hazards (and a car suspension pot hole hazard)
• It takes months to get on a builder's waiting list and therefore it feels more urgent. If I'm not doing some / all of the above - I want to put more into pension while I still can - so want to make a decision on my plans sooner rather than later.