tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42768086678000729262024-02-07T11:37:32.454-08:00My Bungalow RenovationDescribing the modernisation of a 2 bedroom bungalow in Ipswich whilst living there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-18407843691021478222013-01-07T11:28:00.001-08:002013-01-07T11:28:44.274-08:00Main Bedroom - The Last Room<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the main bedroom was the last one to be done. There was a certain amount of plastering needed to fill in all the work from the new electrics. I also had to mend the fireplace and create something as a feature there (I don't really like it when you just have a plain bit of wall sticking out) and paint the walls and the ceiling.<br />
<br />
That is now all complete and the carpet is going in tomorrow so I will add some pics when that is down and the furniture is back in.<br />
<br />
Hopefully the house will be back on the market in the next week :-)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-49452068422117644302013-01-07T11:25:00.003-08:002013-01-07T11:25:57.048-08:00Uploading Images<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK so it seems that Google have increased the amount of images that can now be stored on your online account, so once again I can upload images :-) This does not correct the problem that deleting images doesn't reduce what you already have though so I am still not impressed at not getting an answer to this!<br />
<br />
So anyway, here is the collage of the Lean-to as a work in progress.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSpX31cJMc4AR_iGMviBEX5jbRPhgBDnb6i6-RenBpQA7OtcA9JftkQcBSub6xPd8OwNc1jzoTJnv5_VlmBnpqZ0eBbAn4c5mwhihKY9eqMmHPBleYWPaJ8xaSdLH1EuInSU7cTpLI8IL/s1600/Primrose+Hill5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSpX31cJMc4AR_iGMviBEX5jbRPhgBDnb6i6-RenBpQA7OtcA9JftkQcBSub6xPd8OwNc1jzoTJnv5_VlmBnpqZ0eBbAn4c5mwhihKY9eqMmHPBleYWPaJ8xaSdLH1EuInSU7cTpLI8IL/s320/Primrose+Hill5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I managed to finish it all just before Christmas and it now looks like this:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_JkbsIsVd1UYlIJN8Q3DsCpJYOwpBcfdjmbhSe9G3gmKSTPGX4uCdQ3lzY1AKlMQCIfxJSmP38a2YyVetH_WIkSTO2D-bK84U_eT4d_wKjsjNgk-CnCMPNpSm68mU4lU_o9mxFRazd9T/s1600/DSCF2854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_JkbsIsVd1UYlIJN8Q3DsCpJYOwpBcfdjmbhSe9G3gmKSTPGX4uCdQ3lzY1AKlMQCIfxJSmP38a2YyVetH_WIkSTO2D-bK84U_eT4d_wKjsjNgk-CnCMPNpSm68mU4lU_o9mxFRazd9T/s320/DSCF2854.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's a huge improvement on what it used to look like and makes it a much more usable space.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-42673164694303433502012-12-02T10:08:00.000-08:002012-12-02T10:08:37.684-08:00More work on the Lean-to<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So this weekend I worked (with some help) on the Lean-to. We managed to get all the old felt off the roof but unfortunately with cold and wet weather it was not possible to lay the new rubber roof so I have had to put tarpaulin over it for now. Some of the batons holding up the guttering were rotten so they will have to be replaced but the guttering itself seems to be OK.<br />
<br />
We also started building the frame to fix to the wall to attach the plasterboard to. So far two walls are done and part of the ceiling, it then needs to be fixed to the walls.<br />
<br />
I'm going to have to attempt to put in the new window this week I think - it looks like the weather will be clear so that will help but it will be a bit of trial and error for sure!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-31739313803589735872012-11-28T04:02:00.000-08:002012-11-28T04:02:12.087-08:00Hitting Problems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK so I had ordered all the plasterboard and wood for dry lining the lean to, which I was going to do at the end of this week with the help of a friend. However, this morning I noticed that there was a leak in the roof. This was not wholly unexpected as there was pretty much no felt on it! However, as it was made of concrete I was hoping that would keep it reasonably watertight for the time being.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this means that there is no point in doing the internal lining so that has to be put on hold. I have now ordered all the stuff I need to do the roof (from rubber4roofs) and hopefully that will arrive tomorrow. The weather is due to be cold but clear so hopefully that will give us the chance to get the roof done at the end of the week instead of the internal walls. Then I need to figure how to do those or who to get to help me!<br />
<br />
So tomorrow I need to try and remove all of the old felt if possible and maybe just leave a tarpaulin over it just in case. Not best to do this during the winter but needs must.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-82638005532026898102012-11-22T10:02:00.002-08:002012-11-23T08:34:46.412-08:00Working Outside & Sorting Out the Lean-To<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Albeit that it is winter, there have been a few sunny days recently so I have started on the work needed to do the outside of the house at the back and the inside of the lean-to. Firstly I painted the outside of the lean-to which looks infinitely better than it did. The Dulux Weathershield paint goes on really well - better than the B&Q paint that I bought for the front of the house I would say. In fact I almost wish I had painted the front cream as well but never mind!<br />
<br />
I also stripped out the inside of the back of the lean-to. I think it was originally one of those old brick buildings out the back of your house that had an outside toilet and another room for storage or coal - there definitely used to be a wall down the middle anyway. The room was covered with polystyrene tiles which obviously needed removing as they are a fire hazard. There were also some cupboards that I took great joy in taking a hammer to!<br />
<br />
The window of the lean-to is missing the bottom pain of glass and the wooden sill is pretty shot so I have a bid in on a double glazed unit on eBay that should be the perfect size to replace it. At £8 (assuming I win it) plus about £10 for a courier, that is hopefully a good deal.<br />
<br />
I will be dry lining the walls and adding some insulation so I need to get the batons and the plasterboard ordered. Unfortunately B&Q do not deliver that stuff so I will get it from Wickes who do.<br />
<br />
There were some holes in the lean-to walls that needed filling so I got hold of some of that expanding foam stuff - I'd been wanting to find an excuse for using that for years so now I have it! It really does expand quite a lot lol! And it is really difficult to clean the nozzle but I think I have have managed it - have to be careful as the stuff is pretty toxic. I also used it to fill some holes in the back wall of the house that were sending a cold draft straight into the kitchen since the plumbing had been upgraded.<br />
<br />
Today I also started painting the back of the house and that too looks loads better. Just need a few more sunny days to finish it off as it was getting quite cold by the end of it!<br />
<br />
Ok I am going to have to add the photos tomorrow as it says I am out of space. Have deleted a bunch so maybe it needs some time to refresh!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-48926407184475212712012-11-06T14:48:00.002-08:002012-11-06T14:48:50.133-08:00Living Room Finished!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today the carpet went into the living room. Some friends helped me move the furniture out and then back in again afterwards as there is no way I would have managed it myself. The carpet is just neutral but I think it looks pretty good. Luckily I could use the exiting underlay although I did need to patch a few bits up from the underlay that was in the hall that I no longer needed (as I will be putting laminate flooring down).<br />
<br />
It's really difficult to get a picture of the whole lounge so I have roughly stitched together a few photos - very rough but hopefully gives you the idea!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3Y-uvO_55Bcl-A8usO8MGz3H6gHL_5Sb7q1OdAv-vbxXIqiQhdqWbbk27hjkMArFX1RHARxH8N9l4RtSO7GDA0eCkW6FgsfNQr-Yj15IbTxxdXW5dwm-CxL_860o8p41FRPshgHf5KbM/s1600/LivingRoom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3Y-uvO_55Bcl-A8usO8MGz3H6gHL_5Sb7q1OdAv-vbxXIqiQhdqWbbk27hjkMArFX1RHARxH8N9l4RtSO7GDA0eCkW6FgsfNQr-Yj15IbTxxdXW5dwm-CxL_860o8p41FRPshgHf5KbM/s640/LivingRoom.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-62984988565387727102012-10-27T05:41:00.001-07:002018-05-14T02:01:22.356-07:00Chimney Breast Plastered and Wallpapered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So it was not a totally easy job to plaster up the fireplace but I gave it a go. I knew that the plastering did not have to be completely perfect as I was going to wallpaper the chimney breast so that gave me the leeway to actually do it myself rather than getting a plasterer in to do a perfect skim job. I have to say I didn't really enjoy the plastering but I got the job done. I will say that I probably won't bother trying that again myself!<br />
<br />
Anyway, I had one roll of wallpaper which in theory should have been enough just to do the chimney breast. I got it in the sale so there was no other option but to do it right as if I messed up there was no spare! In my last house I had wallpaper with a big pattern and I messed one length of that up and had to go and buy another roll just for that at a cost of £17 so needless to say that this time I was going to be triple checking everything!<br />
<br />
This one also had a biggish pattern on it and although the label said that the repeat was at 26.5cm, I am not totally sure how they measure that as when I measured it, it was double that!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHv3l6vrF2i-6w9JRRz-i1ukyuva9_D7MCqU8W6b9rQQhgXpPfgmqBeHTvUn-vB5Fopvm8rBTKe1MyDReLmGi-OVdN9rVXXHFDG6pFFfoxO4saJwsH9wnvAAOhKCuyCBAbhjrrO5dudtA/s1600/DSCF2731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHv3l6vrF2i-6w9JRRz-i1ukyuva9_D7MCqU8W6b9rQQhgXpPfgmqBeHTvUn-vB5Fopvm8rBTKe1MyDReLmGi-OVdN9rVXXHFDG6pFFfoxO4saJwsH9wnvAAOhKCuyCBAbhjrrO5dudtA/s320/DSCF2731.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
So, although it was a bit stressful matching it all up and making sure I cut it right, at the end of it, the wallpaper did look pretty good and I managed not to mess it up! I still need to do the skirting board pieces that will go on the front and then I can fix the fire on to the wall once the new carpet is in.<br />
<br />
This is what the chimney had originally:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFR2XEAuKmriEin9548SEawxr6ikZ9PoD5ge43WooZmelNAiQK1Co06YcMH4Dq3vBcizYXQks4-zWH-gv1fTx8-0BUnjWQQ2Wf25tpBpLcTQmKr68Cas4AtMl5tOOKqZ0yL4pAnHKjsgIQ/s1600/Primrose+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="800" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFR2XEAuKmriEin9548SEawxr6ikZ9PoD5ge43WooZmelNAiQK1Co06YcMH4Dq3vBcizYXQks4-zWH-gv1fTx8-0BUnjWQQ2Wf25tpBpLcTQmKr68Cas4AtMl5tOOKqZ0yL4pAnHKjsgIQ/s320/Primrose+Hill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-45567489451872200812012-10-23T07:28:00.003-07:002012-10-23T07:28:48.264-07:00Renovation Update!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK so it has been a while since I have updated here. I think this is because now that the main things have been done like the kitchen and the bathroom, it is the annoying and time consuming things that are left! There are plenty of those.<br />
<br />
So, in the past few weeks I have started painting a lot of the woodwork. That is going to take a bit of time as a lot of it needs to be stripped back first before it can be painted. I have done probably about half that is needed on the doors and some of the door frames.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHxXNap_SkuwCpUfrfKJm8nrfTrUjV_5lm9sj5yv0KIP4LyfA8b1m5geEYJCwE13fi6Lp66aKNdO4uzwLQgZaUzxQFE9uB8KDei5H3Y2wTe-fVGrZqJJb38gY0DwMobSyphK63uLN6hGq/s1600/DSCF2728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHxXNap_SkuwCpUfrfKJm8nrfTrUjV_5lm9sj5yv0KIP4LyfA8b1m5geEYJCwE13fi6Lp66aKNdO4uzwLQgZaUzxQFE9uB8KDei5H3Y2wTe-fVGrZqJJb38gY0DwMobSyphK63uLN6hGq/s200/DSCF2728.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom 2 - Nothing exciting but at least it is finished!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Also, as of last week the second bedroom is complete. I got a carpet fitted (neutral tones of course) and have now set it up as my office. With this done I moved a lot of the stuff that was in the bedroom, into the lean to, so it is now all clean and tidy. the lean to is also more organised with decorating materials and tools on a big shelving unit.<br />
<br />
The main lean to off the kitchen is currently being used as an art studio and eventually this will have to be shifted out when that gets a make over, but for now it does me quite well as it does not matter if I mess it up!<br />
<br />
I have also been working on plastering the fireplace in the living room and will hopefully be in a position to put wallpaper on the chimney breast in a few days time. Then I can get the living room carpeted (with some help from friends to move out all the furniture hopefully!).<br />
<br />
There is still a lot of work to do in the garden. Like all gardens it doesn't matter how much you weed, they still come back! I need to continue cleaning the paving slabs as well but I feel that winter may now get in the way of some of the outdoor plans.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-83416359776347516592012-10-04T14:06:00.000-07:002012-10-04T14:06:06.780-07:00Kitchen Painted & Central Heating Connected<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7Q_JrIakdnN6uHIZAEZAe8monXuYoVSvgIhdUTad8Rcn6bIHKr3rlHsRSNpFVPHFVTGWYiaSq4-CqVdBHg7BrkQKljmh905SzoZJODoxHbXzZLK1k4ZlluYpZ5fmS5ILN2zPfeGFQUXC/s1600/DSCF2720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7Q_JrIakdnN6uHIZAEZAe8monXuYoVSvgIhdUTad8Rcn6bIHKr3rlHsRSNpFVPHFVTGWYiaSq4-CqVdBHg7BrkQKljmh905SzoZJODoxHbXzZLK1k4ZlluYpZ5fmS5ILN2zPfeGFQUXC/s320/DSCF2720.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
So this last week I have painted the kitchen and some internal doors (looks like those are going to need 3 coats each). I chose a light olive green colour for the kitchen and I really like the way it has come out. Now I just need to get the floor down and that should happen in the next couple of weeks, then the kitchen will be finished.<br />
<br />
Also this week all of the work on the central heating was finished and the pipework connected to the boiler. All I need now on that front is for the gas supply to get connected which will happen tomorrow morning. National Grid put in the pipe and the meter box last Friday and Eon will be putting in the meter tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Once the central heating is up and running and I have hot water at last I will carpet up the 2nd bedroom. That is all decorated (although might need a touch up now that the builders have finished) and then I can make that into a proper study. It will be nice to have that room finished, which will add to the bathroom which is pretty much done except for painting the door.<br />
<br />
So, there is still plenty of work to do and sometimes it seems never ending but at least I can see progress happening. I am going slightly over budget as the kitchen cost a bit more than planned so that is a worry but I'll just have to find the cash, get it finished and get it back on the market.<br />
<br />
There was a bungalow up for sale down the road for £139,995 and that now appears to be sold but it does have a conservatory and a garage so maybe I am looking at £130-135k as a potential sale price.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-69463213216646707832012-09-28T07:05:00.001-07:002012-09-28T07:05:29.481-07:00New Gas Supply<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today I got the new gas supply. This has been ongoing for a while and I believe that National Grid put my application on hold by mistake at one point leading it to take 3 months to get the work done rather than the 3-4 weeks I was promised initially. The guys came and dug up the road and the garden and put the connection through to the outside wall where they installed a white meter box.<br />
<br />
The only problem was that I had not thought about the fact that I would have to request a meter (and gas connection) from a supplier. I phoned e.on yesterday and unfortunately there is a 6 working day wait for this (at least it is not weeks or months!) so the gas won't get connected until next Friday, and hence no hot water or heating for another week. I have an electric fire in the living room and a fan heater in the bedroom so that is OK but will have to keep boiling the kettle numerous times to get a bath! Either that or go swimming a bit more often!<br />
<br />
Having gas central heating and a new boiler will I think make the house more saleable in future as well as bringing it into the 21st century!<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-9426118164418502482012-09-25T01:39:00.003-07:002012-09-25T01:39:58.417-07:00Kitchen and Bathroom Finished!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK so the kitchen and bathroom fitters worked pretty damn hard to get both rooms as finished as possible at the end of last week as I was having people round for a barbeque on Saturday. They then came back yesterday to do the final touches and to put in more pipes for the central heating.<br />
<br />
The bathroom is finished and just needs me to paint the woodwork around the door and the door itself. Here are the before and after pictures of the bathroom:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q7IDM0M0CVy24VaWQm7QcZRLIDjQnikRNibdnzPYyiJyU1vEcH2RbHly9L-kjqGQ9DulANGbcFRhiETWahtvtKPW5EqOiS7NdURFJEf4zq89dsg4T7OnIIfSBVIw3PremROo9PcwDdE3/s1600/Bathroom-old-new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q7IDM0M0CVy24VaWQm7QcZRLIDjQnikRNibdnzPYyiJyU1vEcH2RbHly9L-kjqGQ9DulANGbcFRhiETWahtvtKPW5EqOiS7NdURFJEf4zq89dsg4T7OnIIfSBVIw3PremROo9PcwDdE3/s400/Bathroom-old-new.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The kitchen now just needs the walls painting and some flooring added, which will be done after the rest of the heating pipes have gone in under the floor. It looks like I didn't take great 'before' pictures of the sink area but you can see the remains of the larder cupboard that was taken out together with all of the pipes to the tank in the loft (which was taken out). Also there was a false wall at the other end that needed removing and every wall needed replastering.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3IxuhS-oslzmfW4_XXazr5z2VMKvJretRFtDQoPZZExlPVoofzE9Omphgy2yC9JiwIUotu4XRjvBwRSepqYYx-UNig6e8d4wywE_zXuyZKQ1Tjkr9Qhr7daCKGVA_zf3_26Z38O39R77/s1600/kitchen-old-new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3IxuhS-oslzmfW4_XXazr5z2VMKvJretRFtDQoPZZExlPVoofzE9Omphgy2yC9JiwIUotu4XRjvBwRSepqYYx-UNig6e8d4wywE_zXuyZKQ1Tjkr9Qhr7daCKGVA_zf3_26Z38O39R77/s400/kitchen-old-new.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-79817049582754490122012-09-17T10:54:00.002-07:002012-09-17T10:54:25.491-07:00Dust, dust and more dust!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today work started on the kitchen (at the same time as the bathroom!). ALl of the units have come out apart from the sink and the channeling has been done for the electrics. Unfortunately this has created a ton of dust which i only realised after getting in after being out for a few hours. So, nothing much was covered and the whole of the lounge is covered in a massive layer of dust :-( So, dust sheets now on for the rest of the mess and I'll just have to wait until it is done before I can clean it all up.<br />
<br />
So the kitchen is stripped and looking like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK3T8gZ_B4899UhEtVP5hq7PTlVym9ygljBf9StqMyOc17iPwxC7gx7_aQ3jf2s_bkYT5Z5ourtQCyOJR02lp4KLni4nuacAs3wdMVwnilq1oD8eN20-PlaYfSpy0T_mdbNwNqCLk_Ov_/s1600/Primrose+Hill3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK3T8gZ_B4899UhEtVP5hq7PTlVym9ygljBf9StqMyOc17iPwxC7gx7_aQ3jf2s_bkYT5Z5ourtQCyOJR02lp4KLni4nuacAs3wdMVwnilq1oD8eN20-PlaYfSpy0T_mdbNwNqCLk_Ov_/s400/Primrose+Hill3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-77864691086253904882012-09-13T09:21:00.002-07:002012-09-13T09:21:24.720-07:00The Bath is In<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK so a bit more progress on the bathroom, the bath is in along with most of the pipework so it is mostly a case of getting the basin in and changing over the toilet to the new one then tiling the whole room.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMPVXQHRS5WixeN30FKvlVL3XRHxTHQykAoMKezb2m1hQp-F-5xyiugT6BAD8iInWm2mZVYL2mD4LpzNAKzpU8HF4cXGv6sKyzwZWl5scTw1T1lIFOLxciT8y7JTSXBXH3sgg4BM4sC-4/s1600/bath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMPVXQHRS5WixeN30FKvlVL3XRHxTHQykAoMKezb2m1hQp-F-5xyiugT6BAD8iInWm2mZVYL2mD4LpzNAKzpU8HF4cXGv6sKyzwZWl5scTw1T1lIFOLxciT8y7JTSXBXH3sgg4BM4sC-4/s320/bath.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-52676281472310116572012-09-10T12:07:00.001-07:002012-09-10T12:07:55.990-07:00Work Started on the Bathroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the bathroom fitter started work today and started knocking off all the old tiles, removing the sink and redoing a lot of the pipework. He had to hold off on changing the toilet or else I would have been a bit stuck but tomorrow the bath should get in with a temporary shower as the boiler is not getting connected until the gas comes on 28th September.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_36H1sG6nFAxNS7qSdYXNdlS5_BcmnkPLhlW_Q67jPzPSwmbKGNJzRv9pkv2_E8NAguSQb-GKXfw-52Zx6nmhPq-StmEeebKokNTG3FTu6HKL1YpJevHbzbYOLzW9so3cHBNSmUWx6imd/s1600/DSCF2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_36H1sG6nFAxNS7qSdYXNdlS5_BcmnkPLhlW_Q67jPzPSwmbKGNJzRv9pkv2_E8NAguSQb-GKXfw-52Zx6nmhPq-StmEeebKokNTG3FTu6HKL1YpJevHbzbYOLzW9so3cHBNSmUWx6imd/s320/DSCF2692.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-29862210836150438662012-09-08T10:19:00.000-07:002012-09-08T10:19:23.824-07:00Lots of work in the garden today<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So yesterday I managed to put on the complete top coat on the front of the house so that it is now white (must get a picture update for that). I still need to do some bits round the door which are going to be a bit of work but I need to do that in shade so with a sunny day like today I decided to work on the back garden. There was one big raised border that was full of grass, brambles and weeds and I managed to get rid of those. Plus I got rid of the snail sanctuary that had been created by some paving slabs, so it is all looking a bit tidier. There is still lots to do in the garden but this was good progress and very hard work for about 5 hours! These pictures are not great but you can kind of see how I have removed all the weeds from the back area!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU722KJDEHxxlsSO6F-l_3M3P2aKBCQt03tilxELuiWwYVHuHlma4b-LRunbTO8aDWjA5gJdpQb_0GN-yIMHs1uFTnLkLr2kcim-f9zepcukR4WmjFc1-by_RJCQEy9PmgJ8Ie9n14vnU/s1600/Primrose+Hill2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU722KJDEHxxlsSO6F-l_3M3P2aKBCQt03tilxELuiWwYVHuHlma4b-LRunbTO8aDWjA5gJdpQb_0GN-yIMHs1uFTnLkLr2kcim-f9zepcukR4WmjFc1-by_RJCQEy9PmgJ8Ie9n14vnU/s640/Primrose+Hill2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-33034917990042543532012-09-05T05:40:00.004-07:002012-09-05T05:40:47.328-07:00First Coat Finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the first coat of the outside is done, just about had enough paint! It was quite tiring to do because of the textured bricks so the next coat may have to wait until next week as I have lots going on. Hopefully the weather will be OK to do that!<br />
<br />
Excited that the bathroom is being installed next week together with the central heating system although the gas will not be installed until 28th September.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTFg1mnzigXmqbrEr3L62CSgt8ZKMrZavvNF9LKwQxj4Koi1JnWAsNUigxJA6LNcWUmBwOS0irZnDaCPS4ESWGCrH9LcSyCcH1xllzfdslJZbYNv-jwcC0FpIyKZcbFzFqb45rCUiQoQS/s1600/DSCF2679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTFg1mnzigXmqbrEr3L62CSgt8ZKMrZavvNF9LKwQxj4Koi1JnWAsNUigxJA6LNcWUmBwOS0irZnDaCPS4ESWGCrH9LcSyCcH1xllzfdslJZbYNv-jwcC0FpIyKZcbFzFqb45rCUiQoQS/s200/DSCF2679.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-60437655442977351572012-09-03T09:56:00.001-07:002012-09-03T09:56:14.177-07:00Great Weather for Painting the House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today it was 25 degrees and sunny so I thought it would be a good idea to start painting the outside of the house. The house is painted in a kind of maroon colour at the moment and it looks like that was done quite a while ago so it needs a bit of freshening up. I wanted to paint it white and have already bought some paint to do it so I started in the porch where I had already began by cleaning and filling it.<br />
<br />
When I began painting I realised that I might need more paint than I had as the bricks had small zig-zag indentations in them that meant they would take a lot more paint. I also realised that because the house was maroon it might need more than one coat to cover it. Luckily there was a big tin of cream masonary paint left in the back lean to when I got the house. In fact it was a full 5 litre pot. Anyway, I thought that I could use that as a base coat for the white to cover the maroon.<br />
<br />
So, I made a bit of progress today but as I had the car I also needed to take some stuff to the dump so I didn't get to spend all day on it. This is as far as I got...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrV9i2DBvCalOGqWP2ggWz4rhOFsTD3xQ2QfuWg76nOeNQKnyI7gEVB3tSg0k_66a30Afa-Y2Q3sljXIYZvLHDLBBjDvJFgc-KsNGO6l9L1UcvSCNv3evhq4hA_rR9CBgOeAEqrA5HgOdw/s1600/Primrose+Hill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrV9i2DBvCalOGqWP2ggWz4rhOFsTD3xQ2QfuWg76nOeNQKnyI7gEVB3tSg0k_66a30Afa-Y2Q3sljXIYZvLHDLBBjDvJFgc-KsNGO6l9L1UcvSCNv3evhq4hA_rR9CBgOeAEqrA5HgOdw/s320/Primrose+Hill1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-3687522722167138272012-08-31T04:06:00.001-07:002012-08-31T04:06:14.937-07:00A Couple of Days Off!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So over the last week I have been working on the plastering and also painting. I have painted about 3/4 of the living room so it is starting to look much better. The amount of dust in the house was getting excessive so I spent a few days cleaning up so that the place is a bit more liveable. It's nice to get a reasonably tidy house back again so I have decided to have a couple of days off from the work to rest a bit.<br />
<br />
The guy is coming in on the 10th September to install the central heating system and the bathroom so that will be a bit of turmoil again so I am preparing for that too! It will be so nice to get the bath in and have a brand new bathroom, very exciting.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-42440462781799355302012-08-23T05:46:00.002-07:002012-08-23T05:46:44.039-07:00Hitting the wall (metaphorically)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today I have kind of hit the wall with all the filling and sanding. It just seems endless! After the first big fill I need to do a finer one but then that needs a big sand and a final fill before any painting and there are loads of channels to do that on so it is going really slowly. I guess everything I do is progress and once all this is done things will go a bit more quickly (hopefully).<br />
<br />
On other news I phoned the council about painting the front of the house white and they said there are no restrictions on doing that so I guess I need to schedule that in when the weather is OK. I have the paint so I can get on with that any time.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-87810894323740427832012-08-22T13:54:00.000-07:002012-08-22T13:54:17.431-07:00Delay on gas installation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So National Grid are supposed to be installing a gas supply to the house as it doesn't have one. The surveyor came round on 11 July and said they could start work within 3-4 weeks. However, having not heard anything I phoned them last week and they said it was on hold as the house wasn't ready. I said that was wrong and the surveyor had already been round.<br />
<br />
So, it looks like they misplaced my application somewhere and now I have gone back on the bottom of the pile. They phoned with a date for me on Monday of 28th SEPTEMBER!!! Which is 11 weeks from when the surveyor came. This messes up my central heating installation which is being combined with my bathroom installation. SO the plumber will do as much as he can without the actual gas supply and will have to come back to connect and sign it off. Hopefully it won't get too cold before the end of September as I won't have any heating :-(<br />
<br />
In other news I am making progress on filling in all the holes that the electrician made for the new wiring. I got a whole lot of stuff at B&Q at the weekend so that I could save 20% and actually managed to save £90. I need to finish the spare room and hopefully the living room by the time I have my BBQ on 22nd Sept and also I need to fill, sand and paint all of the areas that will have radiators on them so that I don't have to paint behind them.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-48248221802982866522012-08-17T05:38:00.000-07:002012-08-17T05:38:15.510-07:0020% Discount at B&Q this weekend!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So B&Q have introduced something called the B&Q club and it is giving a 20% discount on purchases this weekend if you join (all the details on <a href="http://www.diy.com/" target="_blank">their website</a> I'm sure :-) - so this means that I really need to decide on whether to pick up my bathroom furniture this weekend. I think you can get a toilet for about £50 and the sink unit with cupboard underneath that I want is about £110 I think so that would save me £32 already. Plus I need plaster and a few other bits and bobs and I also need to decide what to do about the fireplace - do I put in an actual fireplace or just some kind of feature? I'm veering towards the latter as it seems unnecessary to have a fire after I have put in perfectly good central heating... Anyway, I'll have to write a list of stuff to get so that I can save as much as possible as it is not often that B&Q have 20% off.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-74001206294729311172012-08-17T03:38:00.002-07:002012-08-17T03:38:57.278-07:00Plastering up the new sockets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So all of the new sockets and light switches have gone in along with a new consumer board. So now I need to plaster up all the channels and big holes that the electrician had to make to get the new cables in. I guess if I had paid more I could have got someone who did this too but of course this is all about money saving if possible so I am going to try and do this myself. If it doesn't work then I will get a plasterer in!<br />
<br />
There are some quite deep channels to fill so to start off with I am filling with a bit more hefty mortar and then I will use a finishing plaster to top it off. I think the difficult thing will be to get it completely flat around the back of the sockets so we'll see how that goes.<br />
<br />
Here are a few pics of some of the sockets that need doing and a couple I have started already.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCWAYWYSKjm1rCTyyOcPOiO0JnbzURPPBLTI1KZCC43rHm5ou5jrtfGi7sgfxLAiz8jij7RxbQ8MsXwpQxZHbyLbeHTANaNJSReQMukX1-JFD83c44Gfut3ERKkWNEPpm4Cw4JDJjoQdz/s1600/Primrose+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCWAYWYSKjm1rCTyyOcPOiO0JnbzURPPBLTI1KZCC43rHm5ou5jrtfGi7sgfxLAiz8jij7RxbQ8MsXwpQxZHbyLbeHTANaNJSReQMukX1-JFD83c44Gfut3ERKkWNEPpm4Cw4JDJjoQdz/s320/Primrose+Hill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-13845888196195065792012-08-14T11:35:00.002-07:002012-08-14T11:35:50.975-07:00Electrical Work Nearly Finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So the electrical work is nearly done - a new RCD box has been put in to replace the old one. All of the cables have been recessed into the walls and new sockets have been put in and recessed instead of being on the surface of the wall so it all looks better. Added to that the storage heaters have been disconnected and removed ready for the central heating to be put in. Am still waiting for the gas supply to be put in which I was told would be 3-4 weeks and I think that was over a month ago, must check up on that.<br />
<br />
So now I need to plaster all the bits of walls where the cables have been channeled and the sockets have been recessed which is going to be interesting!<br />
<br />
Also need to sort out a design for a feature where the fireplace was, I think it will just be a kind of decorative. Also need a new box in the hall to cover the electric meter and units.<br />
<br />
Have filled, sanded and painted another section of the living room so that is slowly getting done. May do a feature wall on the chimney breast.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-9447231397892531512012-08-07T09:09:00.002-07:002012-08-08T02:00:32.543-07:00The Mess Starts!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So today the electrician started work. Mike had given me a good quote and seemed like a genuine guy and so I was happy to give him the work. He also cleans up after himself which is great! You can find him here: <a href="http://www.mskelectrics.co.uk/">MSK Electrics</a>. I had forgotten how much mess this would create as he needed to channel out the lines for the new sockets and light switches. Work started in the bedrooms and I think all of the channeling has been done in those. Also the storage heater is out of the main bedroom.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQx2MnKVfhyjx3d6S0K7MeOjB4TOrI1qHtK1KhdZbcMScP-D6dUEVNi-7WKi2WrQgoHtXMYe4acrnZ1mh8cb313Y1bPS3sX-y23s2J5RI0ahpD8f_aVEiIi2XhtUbffyZYryzq-mXfuqk/s1600/DSCF2644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQx2MnKVfhyjx3d6S0K7MeOjB4TOrI1qHtK1KhdZbcMScP-D6dUEVNi-7WKi2WrQgoHtXMYe4acrnZ1mh8cb313Y1bPS3sX-y23s2J5RI0ahpD8f_aVEiIi2XhtUbffyZYryzq-mXfuqk/s200/DSCF2644.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOURZoyoPJ-sFc8Fc-iAgSRklLTW7iUAcTlwwphE_vyrgBpjRA2AdxbDA-1dbqcmM7H-BhCYucSSG9EpYgrxIchPD7igO_GiKE0Cccx7FZEm8sr-qX7SAZCxFDZZ0zEQI9at5mBGzuFsz/s1600/DSCF2645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOURZoyoPJ-sFc8Fc-iAgSRklLTW7iUAcTlwwphE_vyrgBpjRA2AdxbDA-1dbqcmM7H-BhCYucSSG9EpYgrxIchPD7igO_GiKE0Cccx7FZEm8sr-qX7SAZCxFDZZ0zEQI9at5mBGzuFsz/s200/DSCF2645.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfI0UQzAbQGV74X1TZcYlKUHVz91GCkY0s3xKRclH0w66czi6UuaDMUeXcUPwXqvRWWDgVaEm5_I7xvxbtlPwd4g_g7eEY9dqrfvKfmAm6lpJ8eGkZMsaLADH0FHqy1-J3OhMLIuxlE9-/s1600/DSCF2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfI0UQzAbQGV74X1TZcYlKUHVz91GCkY0s3xKRclH0w66czi6UuaDMUeXcUPwXqvRWWDgVaEm5_I7xvxbtlPwd4g_g7eEY9dqrfvKfmAm6lpJ8eGkZMsaLADH0FHqy1-J3OhMLIuxlE9-/s1600/DSCF2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfI0UQzAbQGV74X1TZcYlKUHVz91GCkY0s3xKRclH0w66czi6UuaDMUeXcUPwXqvRWWDgVaEm5_I7xvxbtlPwd4g_g7eEY9dqrfvKfmAm6lpJ8eGkZMsaLADH0FHqy1-J3OhMLIuxlE9-/s1600/DSCF2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfI0UQzAbQGV74X1TZcYlKUHVz91GCkY0s3xKRclH0w66czi6UuaDMUeXcUPwXqvRWWDgVaEm5_I7xvxbtlPwd4g_g7eEY9dqrfvKfmAm6lpJ8eGkZMsaLADH0FHqy1-J3OhMLIuxlE9-/s200/DSCF2643.JPG" width="150" /> </a></div>
Whilst the electrician was working I was stripping off the wallpaper in the living room - I made quite good progress as it came off pretty easily, some of it even without the steamer. I am leaving the paper on the ceiling and above the picture rail as it looks fine (just needs a coat of paint). The walls are OK with some tiny hairline cracks that will just need a kind of plaster/pva wash as they as so small.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QEI99Gg3e2f0uWQo9GixMbpWIqKho_ko04hmsZVSGDYP5Jm1_3QZpLCBUDhtTYnU2Fhyphenhyphen3R76pG00LvAKmcieaxqr-uoEds7__2Rn8682wBCDxxSivY1miuc8kujhgxkf9YRGKHgOR8A8/s1600/DSCF2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QEI99Gg3e2f0uWQo9GixMbpWIqKho_ko04hmsZVSGDYP5Jm1_3QZpLCBUDhtTYnU2Fhyphenhyphen3R76pG00LvAKmcieaxqr-uoEds7__2Rn8682wBCDxxSivY1miuc8kujhgxkf9YRGKHgOR8A8/s320/DSCF2646.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276808667800072926.post-61000511617684144002012-08-03T08:18:00.001-07:002012-08-03T08:18:55.976-07:00No Quote, No Business!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So over 2 weeks ago I had an electrician from a local company (CJ Electrical) round to give me a quote for the various work that I needed doing. It's not like it is a particularly small job so I expected them to be reasonably keen to get the work. So nearly 2 weeks after they came round I still hadn't received a quote. I phoned but was too late to speak to anyone in that department so left a message asking where my quote had got to. That was 3 days ago and I still haven't heard anything back.<br />
<br />
So today I tried to call another local electrician but there was no answer. If they had an answerphone I could have left a message but nothing. People, get the basics of your business right and you might get more work, it's not rocket science!<br />
<br />
Anyway, 3rd choice guy came round. Seemed like a very trustworthy and decent guy so I gave him the job. He starts on Tuesday.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0