[Closed] Another house renovation, but not professional!

Lounge. Not bad, needs new window, more than 2 sockets, and a radiator in the right place under the window.

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And this awful fireplace removing.

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At least the plastering is ok.

Dining room. Pretty much the same as the lounge!

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Bedrooms ok in general, again need more sockets and rads moving and decorating and front rooms need new windows.

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Bathroom not too bad but still needs replacing.

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Back of house looks over woods, it's really nice.

Rads under the windows is the most stupid design idea ever!
Not one in my house is there - all either nice tall pipes or skirting.
Nothing worse than drawing your curtains at night and paying to heat the cold air behind them.
Or worse - tucking the curtains in behind the radiator.

In my experience rads away from the windows create a warm half near the rad and cold round the window, even with decent glazing.

This^

Not if they are placed correctly rather being stuffed behind a door, etc.

Anyway, the real reason we can't move in is this kitchen, which I honestly think some sort of horror film was set it.

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It looked like it was from the 50's, with made to measure units, but not decorated since. Looked like some chip pans fires had happened or worse. Polystyrene ceiling, all brown and stained, everything filthy and stinking.

Of course we had the "oh we will just knock through and put a new kitchen".

Oh yes we smiled. We dreamed, we thought no problem.

Not smiling now. :/

rads only end up under windows as its usually wasted space otherwise. its not a good place for them.

i have one there in my living room - ended up fitting a big deep sill to stop the heat going up inside the curtains.as you can actually see the curtains lift in winter when the heating comes on and the airs rising.

anyway - we did the same as you in 2012.

We just this year got the plastering finished in every room bar the kitchen and bathroom which we have not yet tackled - they are servicable.

my advice - focus on the fabric of the building early on - get the heating and electrics up to date/spec early before you start organising shit or chaos will ensue ime.

Dont even rush with the kitchen till you have that sorted !

Hammy - they were all behind the doors!!

TR - this is 2 months ago, getting up to date soon.

behind doors as generally thats the shortest run of copper pipe needed.

The advent of poly pipe has made heating a dream to fit and maintain 😀

did you leave the door open Rob? .......

So I made a plan. Fail to plan, plan to fail eh? 😉

I would install all new rads and remove all the old lead pipe. I needed a plumber in to move a gas pipe anyway but if I did the rest it'd be cheaper. I've done central heating changes of rads before.

Electrics - need more sockets in every room, so I would chisel out for those and install back boxes ready for electrician

Repair some roof tiles

Replace windows and doors.

Biggest job was the removal of the wall between the dining room and kitchen, the one with the rad on in the pics above. I wasn't prepared for how hard this would be. First of all to prepare for the kitchen going in I had to remove all the black lime plaster from the kitchen, remove the ceiling and the rads attached to the wall to be removed. It took most of a day to remove the existing kitchen with a friend as it was installed almost as part of the building, with wedges into the brickwork to screw the unit sections into.

Also the cost was mounting. To get permission from the leaseholder I had to pay £400, £300 for structural calcs and £200 for building control. So £900 in and nothing had changed yet!

Yeah, i once went to look at a place in the UK with a kitchen like that.......
So badly ventilated and looked after that the walls had gone spongy.

Carried on renting for another few months and bought something else!

My builder was good though and we eventually had this delivered....

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So we could do this....

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This is when things started to get expensive. Before the plumber came I uncovered loads more plumbing issues which meant I wasn't sure about tackling as much myself. I decided to get the plumber to do all the work which meant 3 days removing ALL existing pipework pretty much and replacing it all with Hep2o pipe in a much better planned way. He also plumber in all the rads which I now realise would have been beyond me in all honesty. He did it all in a short period which may have taken me weeks. Most of his bill was parts too which I still would have had to buy.

The electrician was there at the same time and I found that I'd need a new consumer unit to match current regs. I wanted sockets in the workshop and one outside as well as the new ring for the kitchen with all the bells and whistles that go along with that.

This was a low point, my mate pictured here helping me thank goodness as this part nearly broke me, spending 14hrs a day doing hard labour in the kitchen.

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The biggest problem, and one I would use as a warning to others, is that when you're ripping a place apart you finish the day every day with a house that looks worse than when you started which is really disheartening. I at least made sure everything was cleared and tidied and swept up each day even if it was going to get mucky again. Don't underestimate how hard this bit can be on your outlook about a project.

Old doorway being bricked up.

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Coool!

While I had a skip I thought I would remove both of the awful fireplaces downstairs. Thankfully there was a lintel in place above both of them but it was AMAZING how much rubble came out of such a small thing. I honestly don't know how it all got in there and if I hadn't have pulled it out myself I would not have believed it.

Lounge

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Dining room

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So eventually the first fix electric was done in the kitchen (done by me but supervised by electrician), then a friend came round and helped me plasterboard the HORRENDOUS walls which were all over the shop.

Looking a little better but slightly like a CSI murder scene.

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Seems a shame to have boxed in the chimney in the kitchen. Couldn't you have fitted a nice oven in it?

Thought long and hard about it to be honest. It wasn't deep enough to put an appliance in it, so it would have stuck out a fair bit and we would have to have a bodge of cupboards around it. I would have had to raise the lintel too. Other option was to remove completely but that would have been very costly due to previous changes above the fireplace and even if we had done that we would have only gained 40cm of worktop either side of the kitchen as you see it in the photos.

Had the discussion with my builder and sparky and family and friends and no-one could come up with a solution that worked any better which wasn't very expensive.

We are only having wall cupboards in the wall facing the window, going to keep it nice and open along the window wall.

Nice [i]little [/i]project you have going on there. Interested to see how things progress over the winter.

Any man who bricks up a door way with actual bricks is a man who has time on his hands 😉

Radiators should be under the windows because they are convectors and they then circulate the warm air near the ceiling across the room and back to the radiator. Put them away from the window and you will be pulling the cold air across the floor.
As has been mentioned usually dead space too, and you also don't get convection staining under the window.
As for curtains pulled in front, or tucked behind then I'm sure that is a form over function argument. Or get blinds or the right length curtains?

wrightyson - we had hundreds of bricks from taking the wall down between the dining room and kitchen - why buy wood or blocks brand new and throw more bricks in the skip? Best recycling!

Bear - that's what I always understood.

I am really wanting to make a trail from the back garden over the wall at the end of the garden and into the woods round he back of the house. But everyone says having somewhere to cook and wash is more important.... bah. 😉

So all the rads in bar one, need to get the bath in so it can be tiled, so this was me in the bedroom putting the bath together at 11pm one night!

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This room has been prepped completely so we were trying out colours to see what works hence the patchwork wall.

Old 70's reinforced concrete fireplace in lounge was removed a couple of weeks ago by me and and a friend, time to make good before the plasterer arrives.

Halfway through installing the HardieBacker board.

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Finished and filled in!!

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Spent one evening putting electrics in the workshop....

Not an exciting picture, sorry.

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Update!

Lounge is done. New windows fitted - they look amazing and even though they have more vertical bars in them the room feels so much lighter. And quieter.

Fireplace all ready for a wood burner but we can't afford one right now. New rad and electric sockets, all original wood restored in doors and window surround and skirting. Carpet in too!

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This is an ace thread. Please keep this going.

I like the colour in the lounge too.

Great work!

I've just bought a 3 bed doer upper 3 weeks ago.

Same early stages here for me uncovering problems I hadn't accounted for! Such as a water leak under the ground floor floor boards coming from a cracked drain outside, meaning lots of digging to install a new manhole and change the run.... I hate digging.

Good job. Its made me realise how much work i'm going to have to do with the one i'm hopefully getting the keys for on Friday.

This is the main bedroom, now got carpets and curtains (not shown) in now.
4.5m2 - pretty big

The windows at the back of the house like this one were ok, just needed a cleaning and resealing.

Lovely view out over the woods.

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We want lounge, 1 bedroom and bathroom done before we move in and we are nearly there!!

Bathroom is nearly finished. Went for an Edwardian style which matches the house age. Inset Bristan shower and taps etc. Went for dark grey grout (which looks black and the tiler HATES dark grout!) and it looks ace.

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Floor now down and new column radiator in. I love a nice warm bathroom so this one is a bit big for the room but it looks ace, got it for £150 new but online they are £400 at their cheapest so a bit of a bargain.

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very nice mate. I've recently replaced some rads with vertical rads and they look great.

This is the main bedroom, now got carpets and curtains (not shown) in now.
4.5m2 - pretty big

That's a lot bigger than 4.5m2, unless you're referring to the window?

Nice work, though! Really do need to do a bit of work to my house, but god I'm lazy 🙂

Super! Seeing all those pics takes me back to 2006 when we first moved into our house. We did a similar amount of work to you but only had 4 weeks to do it all in. One advantage of living in the former German Democratic Republic though is all my friends had to learn a trade before they could study so I had a trained plumber, electrician, decorator all running around like mad things helping us. Managed though but was the most stressful 4 weeks I can remember!

looks good, where in west yorks are you?

I put a shelf up last night. I bet you still get "finished" finished before me. You know what they say about a builders house etc...

That's a lot bigger than 4.5m2, unless you're referring to the window?

I meant 4.5m by 4.5m length by width!

looks good, where in west yorks are you?

Huddersfield

I meant 4.5m by 4.5m length by width!

Ah, that makes a bit more sense! So 20m2 🙂

For the first time I'm actually looking forward to moving in. There has been some very dark days when I seriously did not think I would ever move in, especially when I had no running water, no kitchen, no bathroom etc etc.

I've only employed a plumber for £1k (inc £450 worth of pipework!) to re-plumb the house - could have done 80% myself but it would have taken weeks rather than the 3 days it took him. I had to employ an electrician to install a new ring for the kitchen and put all the cables in for the extra sockets I put in every single room (I chased out, did 1st and 2nd fix on all the sockets (checked by electrician) and did all the repairs afeterwards to make good) and the new dist board. I have now got multiple sockets in my workshop now though and an outdoor socket (which is awesome BTW!).

I restored all the interior doors myself and installed new handles and catches, installed all the bathroom and all rads.

£400 for a plasterer, £3500 for new windows and composite door, £350 for builder to remove supporting wall and install lintel.

I have learnt and done 1st and 2nd fix electrics and plumbing, rendering, plasterboarding, wood restoring.....

And how to self medicate physio for a ruined back - not surprisingly!!

Me working on the kitchen:
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Bit different from this!!!

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Just found this thread.
Read the OP and was expecting to find lots of horror stories through the thread, but it seems to have gone well!
Finished result is certainly looking good.

Well done!

£350 for builder to remove supporting wall and install lintel.

You're ****ing shitting me?

Kid you not, I was quoted £3800 last week for the same job, drawings and warrant already done. Oh, and none of the electrical work included.

Actually, that was off the books, if I wanted to do it on the books it would be £4200. Plus vat.

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We have some similar photos. 5 years on and still not quite finished the kitchen, not even started on some of the other bits, although we did manage to mostly do a bathroom.

"You're **** shitting me?"

Well skip was £200 (used that for other stuff too though) and beam was £120 on top. Plasterboard was probably £100 I did that myself and plastering was probably £150 for the bit where wall was removed.

I removed electrics and plumbing that were in the way.

Calcs were £300 IIRC and regs application was £200 I think
EDIT: builder says it was a 5 day job for 2 people but as i prepped it all beforehand and laboured for him it only cost me 3 days for one person.

Ah right, fair enough, even with the other stuff though it's not £3800 worth.

DIY Kitchens?

Yes DIY Kitchens, impressed with quality to be honest but they messed up delivery a bit but they did sort in the end.

The bathroom has been very trying. I've never put an inset shower in before, I've had leaks all over (nothing major though) and the sink tap was faulty and took me ages to sort out.

However the sink is now finally usable. I don't know why I struggle with sinks so much but they seem to hate me. Toilets in comparison are easy!

Quite chuffed with how it's turned out so far.

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Looking good. Its so rewarding doing up houses.

Radiators placement - there are two clear schools of thought on this - under windows is less efficient but you get more even heat across the room, opposite windows - less heat loss but you get a heat gradient across the room and it sets up convection currents which feel like drafts

Fanastic thread. Thanks for all the posts newrobdob. Keep it up - you're doing a great job.

Nice one Cyril. Impressive.
I've found that if you show the trades you're willing and able , decent folk help you out..
In our last place we didn't have a kitchen&lounge for 6 months. 😐
The "new" one is unlikely to be finished until I win the lotto. 😯

fwiw , I also believe the warm air convection created by a radiator under a window works fine - blinds though , rad. not covered.

Senor J - I tend to take time off to help the professionals. I have a chat with them and say I am there to help them as much as I can and be there to make decisions so they don't have to assume things which later I don't like.
I always say I like working with them to learn things myself but I don't correct them - just ask questions. With the builder I said in advance I would be there to labour for them and we had a good time doing the work in the end - I have learnt most trades like to take the mick constantly so I set myself up to be the butt of their jokes!!

I've read a lot of threads on here from tradesmen who explain what annoys them about clients and tried hard not to be one of those annoying clients!!

I reckon with this approach I get a really good job done, save money and gain knowledge. Even being nice and helpful to people like cable installers (Virgin) can help - I got a much neater install in my house helping them out.

Saved me a lot of money in the end - at least £2k - and gained a couple of friends and sources of advice!

I'm happy helping most tradesmen out but the cheeky sod that started getting uppity when I was wiring in the boiler (to help him get home quicker) and telling me to hurry up unsurprisingly never got a job off me again.

Yeah, though it was DIY, exact same units and doors as us but ours are black. Nothing less than impressed with the quality so far (except the sink which the plug has fallen apart on)

Excellent progress! I know the feeling when your covered in dust/rubble/sh*t and you never think you'll finish. I took down a lath and plaster ceiling in a house in Liverpool and all sorts of stuff dropped down on me! The roof insulation was about 2 inches of shredded newspaper and I found a whole one from the 1930s.

Kinda makes me want a little project now!

By the way, is it an optical illusion or is the shower plate not level?

It's not perfectly level but it's better than it was. I had to cut 2 holes through the hardiebacker board and they were tiled around and it turns out they weren't perfectly vertical. I can't get it any better but in real life it looks ok.

Like the colours. Ours is almost done. The loft has gone from this [img] [/img]

To this [img] [/img]

It looks a lot smaller..... 😉

My wife is an artist so I leave all colour decisions to her. She could be an interior designer, it always ends up looking amazing.

Spent until midnight last night trying to finish bathroom. So many small niggly bits to ensure everything done. Looks no different but I spent 4 hours tracking a small leak and replacing the CRAP speedfit connections with Hep2O ones which I love.
Repaired missing grout (might not use that tiler again -hmm).
Sealed round edge of floor with clear silicone
Cleaned window with UPVC solvent - wow that stuff makes you happy but it works amazingly.
Sealed up shower plate.

Also sealed off chimney in lounge properly (it has a vent so don't panic) to stop droughts.
Annoyingly I bought some slate sealer for the hearth I put in the lounge. Works fine but when I opened it and smelled it it is obviously boiled linseed oil in a fancy bottle which they charged me £7.50 for. Hmmm. Lesson learnt!!

It still looks good - I just find myself always looking at horizons and verticals since I took up photography!

Deleted duplicate post.

Bathroom is sooooo close to being finished. Just have to put bath panel on (which will need routing out on back for bath legs, grrr, and it doesn't look easy to fit either). Pretty chuffed with how its turned out.

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Looks very professional, but all that glaring white... think morning after, you need a quiet moment to consider the error of your ways, maybe that last glass of wine wasn't such a good idea... I'd keep some sunnies by the basin 8) 😆

I like bright bathrooms, and I rarely drink anyway 😉

I like the floor! What is it, genuine floorboards, engineered wood or that fancy wood effect vinyl stuff?

Cushioned vinyl floor. It's nice and warm and looks far better than I expected. Decent quality stuff but still less than £150 fitted.

Lovely.
It brings back horrible memories of doing our house up.
Worth it in the end to get the finish you need and want.

wow looks like it's going to be amazing and totally worth the effort. good luck with that till the end! i'm in the middle of some renovation at home as well, but is was mostly about the walls and ceiling, nothing crucial

Crappy stuff going on in last few days. I had to drill 2 holes through the side of the house for the washing machine waste and drier hose.

Oh
My
Word

I've got a big SDS drill and diamond core drills but it took me 3 hours to do each one. The double brick on the inside of the house wasn't too bad but there was another 20cm of the most solid Yorkshire stone I've ever come across I think maybe because the house is 3 storeys this bit I drilled through (right at the bottom of the 3 storey wall) is extra thick to take the weight.

Hoefully never again but at least I have a working washing machine!!!

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The taps above are going to be moved. They are only temporary - at one point they were the only place to get water in the whole house. :/

your lounge reminded me a bit of Erich Maria Remarque's house [url= http://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/editors-picks/from-depp-to-dali-four-celebrity-properties-currently-on-the-market/ ]http://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/editors-picks/from-depp-to-dali-four-celebrity-properties-currently-on-the-market/[/url] the windows and the fireplace, or the colour i don't know but to me they have something in common. now i'm thinking i'd like to have something of the kind some day too