House Anxiety

FreeBear

Ksw3 said: Sadly, I have to draw the line at clamouring on the roof and taking out walls, although I'd consider a plastering course...

I too have given up on shouting from roof tops. A few choice words whispered in the right ear can be much more effective

Working at height, I much prefer using scaffolding, and invested in a lightweight scaffold tower a few years back. Was invaluable when doing the stairwell & landing ceiling. Will also use it outside when I tackle some of the higher level tasks that need doing.

My local adult education department run various short courses from time to time covering brick laying, carpentry, tiling, and plastering (all free). Did the plastering course, and it gave me the confidence to do a bedroom (walls & ceiling). So well worth doing if you can find a course.

Annemos

FreeBear said:

My local adult education department run various short courses from time to time covering brick laying, carpentry, tiling, and plastering (all free). Did the plastering course, and it gave me the confidence to do a bedroom (walls & ceiling). So well worth doing if you can find a course.

That's amazing FreeBear. Well done! (Re the plastering. I seem to have a problem quoting! Does not always show!) 

barnstar2077

Not sure if you will find it inspirational or not, but a colleague of mine once told me about how his garden used to flood when it rained hard as he was near a hill.  His solution was to dig a trench across the garden at the back, which he filled with gravel (and presumably some kind of liner. )  The trench fed water into a buried plastic container with a pond pump in the bottom of it.  Whenever it rained heavily he switched the pump on from the house and it pumped the water into a nearby drain.  I remember being pretty impressed by it at the time.

Owning your own home can be anxiety inducing at times, but the first few years are the hardest.  It won't be long until most jobs have been done and you can take comfort knowing that it is still probably cheaper than renting!  Even if you don't factor in eventually paying it off and freeing up a massive amount of income every month. 

mark_cycling00

I took moved into my dream house and had endless panics about it.. after a few years though I can say that all the "nightmares" were fairly minor things to fix.

1. Two rooms had terrible condensation and damp. This turned out to be a slow leak from a bathroom pipe. No condensation at all now.

2. Argh water dripping in! Yes small repair to the roof and it hasn't happened again.

3. Rats!!! Well just a noisy mouse. Local pest man filled a small hole. Never had them again.

Cracks down come and go in plaster due to moisture changes and tiny movements if the walls are fixed with lime cement.

But keep an eye on them 

A good idea is to find trades people through neighbours and local Facebook groups. They might understand the house and local environment much better than finding someone on the internet. In the countryside it's all about being passed a name and a number to call. If you have problem X you call person Y and they fix it for 1/3rd the price. 

Also just talk to everyone nearby. Be as friendly as you can be. Then ask about your house and you'll either get "we get that all the time, nothing to worry about" or you'll get good advice based on experience but not panic. The internet will make you panic. Google searches will give you anxiety!

Beeblebr0x

I'd personally be wary of Facebook recommendations. It's hard to tell if people are just recommending their family members who might be just handypersons rather than someone who specialises in a particular trade.

twopenny

There are things you can do about clay based flooded gardens that aren't difficult - just annoying to have to do but once done any minor adjustments aren't so tedious.

I just put 'ease flooding in a clay garden uk' and lots of results came up. You could choose.

Congrats on the raised bed,  much the quickest and easiest on a clay soil. You can make a feature of them re different sizes and heights or build a seat into one.

Have you made a sitting and relaxing area in the garden? Something to plan. An arbour and a bench? They can be made quite cheaply

It;s important to have a bit of something you enjoy in your house and garden to bolster you up while you tackle the not so enjoyable as you must to turn a house into a home.

Remember to stop and appreciate what you've done, not just worry about what has to be done. I've seen too many people who just keep going and going on renovations and not stop to take pleasure in it.