How long have you been in your home and what have you not got round to yet?

[Meltingpot]

i've been here for six and a half years. I need to have a clear out as I moved from a much bigger property and have got a lot of stuff (read "clutter") for a small place, and I'm one of those people around whom books and tapes (much cheaper secondhand than CDs) somehow seem to accumulate.

Some cleaning needs doing too.

 

[marty21]

the bathroom needs a bit of re-tiling tbh, after a slow leak which wasn't spotted by the plumber eventually brought down the ceiling of the bathroom in our neighbour's flat , the plumber eventually took the shower out leaving a hole which needs to be re-tiled, and the bath surround panelling needs to be replaced, only been waiting about 2 years to get around to that, never actually got around to putting up a shower curtain when we did have the shower

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Of course, it could really do with a new boiler too, as our old back boiler - well they don't make spares for it anymore and the dude from BG reckons they might have supplies for 3 years or so. It would make sense to get this done when we get the new kitchen, which would hopefully be later this year, but I know my nerves couldn't take the upheaval just at the moment.

Heh, posted that while you were posting about your boiler marty

How much hassle was it?

I recall reading somewhere that there was a bit of a scam going about boiler parts, they tell you they can't source them any more because the model is obsolete and talk you into buying a new boiler, which they probably get commission for securing orders.

Ask them specifically what part is needed and try to source it yourself from a plumbers and builders merchants or the internet.

Although, of course, an older more inefficient boiler is likely to cost more to run... but if you can't afford to shell out for a boiler, check for spare parts elsewhere, don't believe the chaps who get commission for selling new ones.

 

[geminisnake]

Been here for 14 years very soon and I'm still working on the garden. I thought it would be a 5 yr project But it IS getting to how I want it

It took me about 6 months to report a broken window strut to the council and I'm waiting for the joiner to get back to me on that. He said something about ordering a bit last Thursday.

 

[Cloo]

Yeah, the garden's work in progress. We inherited it looking quite nice, but just not well 'organised'.

Since about Easter gsv's cut down 4 of the 7 rather manky evergreens that were making the back really dark and killing the grass near there by draining everything, and we've torn up excessive greenery in the side bed that's far too wide. Unfortunately, too late in the year to plant anything up, but next spring we aim to repopulate that bed, get rid of the other three trees left in the corner, lay turf to cut the width of the bed in half, plant up and make some kind of raised bed where the trees were, as at the moment it just sort of slopes down to the lawn. I've been giving some thought to shoring it up with railway sleepers

 

[Pip]

Oh I forgot my humble garden. I'm growing a few things, but need to drill brackets into the balcony so I can stick my troughs up there.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Six and a half years.

I'm only just about to start getting round to renovations.

* Need to move the front door out by about three feet, so my hallway will be a bit bigger, and incorporate the old bin chute void into my flat (it hasn't been used for a couple of decades I think), and turn it into a cupboard for coats and shoes, to help stow away clutter.

* Need new double glazing. I wouldn't let the council's cowboy contractors do it, because I'd had so many problems with dodgy workmanship on previous jobs.

* Need new central heating. I wouldn't let the council's cowboy contractors do it, because I'd had so many problems with dodgy workmanship on previous jobs.

* Need to gut the kitchen and refit it, but this will involve a redesign, as I think I can use the space more cleverly with a bit of planning. " " "

* Need to gut the bathroom and refit it, thinking of moving a wall and creating a shower cubicle, but not sure whether that's do-able yet. " " "

* Need to refloor sitting room, there's carpet at the mo, I'd really love parquet flooring, but not sure whether it can be sufficiently sound-proofed.

* Need to rip out cr@ppy homemade shelves the previous peeps put up in one of the bedrooms, they're ugly, and this will mean plastering. I want to install shelves in the old built in cupboard/wardrobe. Hope to turn that bedroom into a dining room/study.

* Need to get round to redecorating the other two bedrooms, but they've had a lick of paint fairly recently.

* Need to sort out the balcony. It did used to look quite cute, white-washed, with a lloyd loom chairs and a table and some big terracotta pots with red geraniums. But then the pigeons took it over. The furniture had to be chucked, and now it's just completely bare.

 

[Pip]

^ phew! That's a lot of work, but it will be worth it. I wish I had a bin chute void. My flat's great because it's 1930s pre chuck em up fast, pre building restrictions, which means it's nice and solid and a good size (by one bedroom council flat standards). The pay off for that though, is having only one very small cupboard to store all my crap in

ETA: anyone know where that post a picture of your home thread went?

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Oops, yeah, better save it for the photo thread...

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

^ phew! That's a lot of work, but it will be worth it. I wish I had a bin chute void. My flat's great because it's 1930s pre chuck em up fast, pre building restrictions, which means it's nice and solid and a good size (by one bedroom council flat standards). The pay off for that though, is having only one very small cupboard to store all my crap in

ETA: anyone know where that post a picture of your home thread went?

Yeah, mine's a similar era. Really nice biggish rooms. Solidly built. But yeah, they didn't think much about storage space in those days, did they?

The built in wardrobe isn't deep enough to have a pole going horizontal, you wouldn't be able to close the doors as it's not deep enough for the width of hangers. The rod is in the middle and runs forward and you'd probably be able to hang up fewer than a dozen items. I'm going to put shelves in and have it as my 'office' instead.

The only other storage space is the now defunct coal shed, but I'll probably rip that out to make my bedroom bigger. I just keep old paint pots and bits o carpet and paint rollers and stuff in there. Too scary. Too many spiders lurking.

Yours sounds ace, I love the furniture you're getting for it as well. That cabinet for your kitchen looks lovely. Not that I've been stalking you round the boards or anything, it's just that my ears prick up at mention of furniture and decorating and I just love the property p0rn you've been posting!

 

[Pip]

Don't be too hasty taking your photos down, I might have dreamt that thread
You can always start a new one and save me getting a reputation as house-happy

 

[gentlegreen]

25 years and all I've done is demolish most of the things that needed demolishing - and one or two things that didn't.

I'm hoping to sell it in 6 to 11 years' time so I have something to live off in (early) retirement ...

 

[geminisnake]

YUnfortunately, too late in the year to plant anything up,

Que?? How is it too late to plant stuff?? It's only the start of June

 

[citygirl]

I've been in 6 1/2 years.. and i've done absolutely NONE of the stuff i want to do

It's all i can do to keep on top of the washing up/washing/shopping... it just takes up all of my "spare" time

Why can we not have like 9 day weeks or summink??

 

[FridgeMagnet]

about a year and a half now

the hoovering

 

[softybabe]

16yrs...needs a new roof but not badly cos I keep having bits redone instead of having the whole thing re-tiled

 

[gentlegreen]

16yrs...needs a new roof but not badly cos I keep having bits redone instead of having the whole thing re-tiled

My roof leaked for 20 years before I finally had it done.

I spoke to contractors who wanted to completely re-engineer the whole roof, but I soon realised the original timbers were better quality than you could buy now and the south facing ones weren't going to bow any more, and in retrospect I can't believe some of the "experts" wanted to use interlocking concrete tiles on an old house with lime mortar walls.

I eventually went for re-"felt"ing, original clay tiles, and a high-tech lead valley with neoprene expansion joints.

 

[Epona]

I've been here for 8 years on and off. I haven't replaced the carpets or the kitchen flooring (although I do now have more kitchen cabinets - they don't match the old ones but beggars can't be choosers and all that!) My other half moved in 3 or 4 years ago now and hasn't unpacked yet, I used to have a spare room but it's been full of boxes for so long that I've forgotten what it looks like

 

[Epona]

* Need to refloor sitting room, there's carpet at the mo, I'd really love parquet flooring, but not sure whether it can be sufficiently sound-proofed.

I had really nice wood parquet on the sitting room floor of my last flat, a deep honey colour. I loved it, the pattern is interesting when you can see all the wood grain going in different directions, and it's really really easy to keep clean. I never had any complaints from downstairs, I expect there was a layer of something under the parquet which acted as a dampener but because it was there when I moved in I don't know how it was laid. Also I think because it is small blocks rather than long sections it probably doesn't amplify the sound so much anyway - because when you walk on it the vibration from your footfall doesn't get a chance to spread out. At least that's my theory!