Tales from the city
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Don't worry Ani. As a wise forumite once said to me "What's for you won't go by you".
Fortune xMortgage: 86% paid Mortgage Neutral: 100% Emergency Fund: 100%
A Better View 🌄 'Being on the edge isn't as safe, but the view is better' - Ricky Gervais0 -
Ay-men to that:D
There will be more carpets/tables/buyers for your expensive 'thing'...........no need to rush and make mistakes - been there;)
Thanks Igamogam, I needed to hear that when I'm jumping head first into this. I'm worried that I won't even want to stand on the carpets though, they're so old and manky.I'd advise waiting until you're in before you start buying things for the new flat. Once you're living there you might find you want different things to those you'd envisaged. Plus having the space to get work done and give the place a really deep clean is always a bonus in the first few weeks! You don't want your 'new' stuff getting damaged/dirty, or to be constantly moving boxes around.
Trust me ... I've been living amongst my renovations for 3.5 years now!
3 and a half years? That's a long time, how are you managing? You're so right about keeping the amount of stuff down, we did need a bed to sleep in and a couch to sit on though. We have no other furniture, not even a coffee table. Oh, almost forgot the ridiculously large dining table...Fortune_Smiles wrote: »Don't worry Ani. As a wise forumite once said to me "What's for you won't go by you".
Fortune x
I think that's a Scottish saying Fortune, I love it. Still no word from the buyer, incidentally. I think that opportunity has gone, and I was hoping for one less thing to carry during the house move!
Our plan is to have a week's overlap between getting the keys to the new place and moving out of the old flat. We'll have time to get the electrics sorted, clean properly, move stuff in and tidy it away in the 3 big walk in cupboards, thank goodness for our minimalist declutter earlier in the year.
Me and OH are really starting to feel the strain now and reminding each other daily that everything will be ok. Despite the fact that buying this house has been very straightforward compared with other peoples' experiences, it is still a stress. I'm beginning to think this year will be the end of me. Finishing my course and all the work involved in that, buying a flat that needs so much work, getting married, and trying to do it all on the cheap, I must have been banged on the head or something.
Still, onwards. Have a wonderful debt busting day everyone.
If you know you have enough, you're rich.
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Better when the builders aren't here than when they are!3 and a half years? That's a long time, how are you managing?You're so right about keeping the amount of stuff down, we did need a bed to sleep in and a couch to sit on though. We have no other furniture, not even a coffee table. Oh, almost forgot the ridiculously large dining table...
Definitely wait. Bed, bedding and something to sit on to start with. You can use boxes as bedside tables/coffee table etc, and take your time to find things you love.
I ripped out ALL the flooring in the week between getting the keys and moving in as it stank of dog and was filthy. Most of the kitchen came out in the first couple of months, and the rest not long after!
I have floorboards upstairs, so these are lightly sanded, colour-washed and varnished, and I have old persian carpets/rag rugs/idea rugs where I need a bit of warmth in winter (but wood is generally warm underfoot). Downstairs is concrete, so friends and acquaintances have donated unwanted carpet and underlay, plus some old persian carpets - it's a bit of a patchwork, but warmer than concrete and a LOT warmer now that I've also got underlay (also donated and patchworked!). A friend who works putting up exhibition stands found vinyl that was being disposed of to do the kitchen/utility/dining room, although that's pretty chilly.
The utility room was kitted out from ikea just before my first Christmas here so I had some storage and a sink. The kitchen currently has a second hand (unreliable) cooker, an ikea kitchen trolley, a 'rustic' storage unit made from old potato crates and a couple of narrow tables against the walls. Stuff is kept in crates under the tables or on some random shelves I've stuck on the walls.
I've done the heating, roof, loft insulation and windows, which was the important stuff. And most of the electrics. One bathroom went it two years ago, and last year I did the ensuite, four bedrooms landing and moved the stairs (which meant putting in a new staircase). I've had nearly a year of peace and clearing up - and the builders are due back shortly to do downstairs - screed the floors, do the electrics, decorate each room and put down flooring. Hopefully they'll also be installing a new kitchen as I've sourced one second hand (just waiting for a date, as it's being replaced) and then I'll be getting a working cooker
In the meantime, I've been spending a lot of time in the garden when the weather has been suitable, and slowly finding the right bits for the rooms that have been finished. Lots of it is second hand from friends and family, and I got a great wardrobe from a local house clearance place (I need another one really).
Take your time, and be patient. You're creating a home and you don't want to fill it with stuff that you then end up getting rid of.0 -
We have no other furniture, not even a coffee table.
For our first house we bought a new bed. Someone gave us a WM and a fridge. I got a table - old teachers desk out of a barn from where I was working at the time and a couple of chairs. The cooker came with the house and we had 2 deck chairs in the LR. Coffee table was an upturned tea chest for a while until OH made one at an OT class after he had an injury to his hand.........and nothing bad happened in that we still had people round for dinner/parties/to stay and we still had to go out to work and to pay the mortgage/bills
I dont know - different times/attitudes I guess:o The carpets where in situ and fine - I guess we would have pulled them up and had bare boards or got them cleaned had they not been! When we moved 2 years later we had gained a new sofa we had bought in sale, 2 wooden famed arm chairs from a skip and a rabbit. We took the sofa,bed, rabbit, table and arm chairs with us.The tea chest had been re purposed as a bed side table for OH and then used as a packing case for the move.We left everything else for the friend who bought the house from us as new house was coming with fridge freezer cooker, WM DR table and a greeehouse.Oh and 3 cats:D On our third move we 'swapped' houses which is a tale in itself but we left behind the fridge freezer and the barn table and chairs. The rabbit was no longer with us but cats came and the faithful coffee table, sofa, arm chairs,greenhouse and tea chest and we gained a much bigger house, garden,mortgage, bills and 3 chickens. Eventually had we 2 kids to fill the space too.............and now we have soooo much stuff.......we are reducing it, responsibly, every spare minute.
What I am trying to say is that dont rush into thinking everything has to be 'done' straightaway. Not everything has to be brand spanking new/latest colour/fashion/design. I think some one has already posted its best to move in somewhere and live in it and then you will know how it will work for you. Hire a carpet cleaner to start with! Save your money and buy good quality - 'buy cheap buy twice' and all that. It has taken 30 years to build up our 'stuff'. We are only on our second sofa now because we bought top quality having saved for it. We still have the coffee table OH made - now in conservatory and the DR table from the second house but thankfully the tea chest is no longer;)Be the change you want to see -with apologies to Gandhi
In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death. ~Sam Llewelyn
'On the internet no one knows you are a cat' 0 -
Those stories are brilliant greenbee and Igamogam. You're making me think this is entirely possible and completely within my capabilities. I especially love the livestock you collected along the way, Igamogam, I'd love a rabbit or another cat or 3.
Not much news on the debt busting front. Everything's ticking over as it should be. Payday next Thursday. I've been walking to work and taking packed lunches, so has OH, we'll need to stay right on this now that we're almost house owners.
We got the survey report back so it looks like we're going to sign our mortgage agreement on Saturday. Very handy that they open at the weekend. We have a few bits of ID to hand over, and need to close the help to buy isa, then we're almost there. I don't know how I will stand the wait until we get the keys, so exciting.
My assignment is going well and I'll be getting some help with it next week. All on track.
Thank goodness it's Friday. If you know you have enough, you're rich.0 -
It's all perfectly possible - just remember it doesn't all have to be perfect NOW. Living in the house and working out how you use it is great advice - I've changed my mind on so many things multiple times before having to reach a decision due to timescales! Some things I might have done differently, and furniture is constantly churning as rooms are vacated for renovation and then start to take shape. I know that I won't really know what I need in terms of furniture until it's all done, and even then I'll need to to develop organically.
You can get real bargains in 'antique arcades' and similar, as 'brown' furniture is out of fashion, so there is some lovely (if rather well loved) good quality furniture available if you're not worried about following current fashion (avoid the house magazines - save your money!). You can buy an well-made victorian or georgian chest of drawers for the same price as a flat-pack from ikea 'Furniture warehouses' and house clearance agents are a good bet - you have to pick through the stuff to see what is worth buying, depending on your renovation skills, but it's good to get to it before the shabby-chic brigade chalk paint it without repairing it first...
I love the fact that some of my furniture is from my grandparents, some from my parents, my godmother, friends etc. It all has a story - even the table lamps (I need more of those, but am reluctant to buy anything at the moment, as I want something that will complement what I already have).
Pity you're not local to me as I have a few spare (mismatched) kitchen chairs in the garage at the moment!
Second hand curtains are usually a good deal. When I lived in London and had HUGE Georgian sash windows I got a whole lot from a curtain exchange. A friend recently got hers from a CS and as she's not great at sewing, tacked good quality (new, washed) dust sheets over the top of nice thick, interlined but ugly, curtains. So she had a neutral look but nice warm draught-excluding curtains!
Enjoy making your home, going to car boots/junk shops etc together and taking your time.
Spend money on decent plumbing, heating, windows, insulation etc. The rest can come later.0 -
Greenbee, that was very inspiring to read. I love the tips for getting things cheaply, it's exactly how we want to do it. We also had a big minimalist declutter earlier in the year and are now thinking about how much furniture we could do without while still making our flat homely. It's all so exciting, but we do have an idea in our heads about how we want it to look so maybe we should put that to one side and see how we feel once we're in there and living in it.
Ooh I can't wait!!
On the debt bustng front there is not much to report. I'm sure I've lost my buyer for the expensive thing, he hasn't been in touch all week.
Ah well.
The table arrives today and god knows where we will put it. Slightly worried about this.
We've managed without overspending but still need to pay the flat deposit this week. It will feel very strange having NO savings once the flat is bought and the wedding is paid for. I definitely got used to the comfort of having a good amount of money in the bank. So the next target will be an emergency fund. But first things first.
Happy Sunday everyone. If you know you have enough, you're rich.0 -
It's payday tomorrow and it can't come soon enough. I'm entirely skint right now.
We're waiting to hear about the electrics today, we have an electrician checking the place over. Fingers crossed it's good news, who knows, maybe nothing will need done. It would be like winning the lottery.
Everything is just ticking over, waiting for pay day, for moving in day, working on my assignment. Oh, and I'm going to have my wedding dress fitted today, that might be fun.
Happy debt busting everyone. Keep on keeping on. If you know you have enough, you're rich.0 -
If you DO need anything doing to the electrics, bite the bullet and get additional sockets put in each room. Even if it doesn't need anything doing, check the number of sockets in each room and consider having more added before you start decorating. Electricians make a LOT of dust. Plus you have to move stuff out of their way, so much better done when you don't have much stuff
Most places need more sockets - my last house had ONE in each bedroom and a double socket in the sitting room and kitchen. This house had 2 double sockets in each room, and as a minimum I'd doubled this so there is a pair in each corner, giving more flexibility in how the furniture is arranged.0 -
I agree with greenbee. Each room in my house only had sockets on one of the walls.Mortgage at 01.01.14 £119,481.83:eek: today £0 Emergency fund £5.5/5.5k & £200/200 cash.:jWeight 24/02/19 14st 7lb now 11st11lb determined to stop defining myself by my mistakes. Progress not perfection.:T100%through my 1% mortgage challenge. 40.25% through my pb challenge.0
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