Nicki Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Well, as promised, here are the first pics of the house...Some pre work photos:Garden:Rear of the house:Kitchen - post B&Q visit...Main bedroom:Main bedroom - wardrobes/airing cupboard:Spare room - Mondrian: (will be going I'm afraid)Spare room fitted wardrobes:Garden (view from upstairs):(Notice how cute & tidy my next door neighbours shed is - its even got curtains!)Some progress pics - some of the stuff we've uncovered so far has had as astounded, some confused and some completely stumped. How to start the day the builders way:The wall that used to have brown flowery paper on...That wall took bloomin' ages to strip! It was painted, then papered, then painted again and then papered with the brown flower paper that came apart and left the backing behind when I tried to strip it. You would not believe how long it took to strip!On the 2nd morning, we decided to pull up the carpet in the main bedroom and we found this underneath the carpet & underlay. Yes, its a self adhesive laminate jigsaw puzzle with missing bits. No idea why. Stripped the wall next to the brown wall and it started lifting the old paint off as well. Decided it would be easier to take it back to plaster and then to seal it and paper it again. Obviously, we'd need to get all the paint off otherwise it might show through the new paper. This wall was painted, painted again (I was lifting 2 different colours of paint), papered and then painted again...Mum came round & cleaned the bathroom from top to toe for me. Whilst cleaning, we took the extractor fan off the ceiling and found this:Don't think it'd ever been cleaned. Then we noticed the plastic cover for the fan had been painted over at somepoint (badly) and looked like this:Stripping progress continued and it was time to take the radiator off to strip the paint/paper/whatever else off behind it. All well & good except that as Dad tried to get the radiator undone, the valve twisted on the pipe and it started emptying its contents all over my nice laminate jigsaw floor... This is the offending valve, after we'd drained the system, taken the radiator off, cleaned the valve up a bit & put it back:Naughty valve!In the end, I gave up trying to get the paint off the other wall & Dad attacked it with Nitromors:So, 3 days later and the bedroom is now pretty much ready to be decorated and the room is about an inch wider thanks to all the paint/paper I've stripped off! More genius DIY modifications by the previous owners to come... plenty more in pretty much each & every room so far... Oh & here's the B&Q 3D model of what my new kitchen is going to look like: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigz™ Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Brilliant!Bet you are properly excited? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted September 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Hell yeah! I'm also absolutely knackered! Its been 4 very long, very tiring days but completely worth it! (Apart from the stupid radiator valve!)Can't wait for the kitchen now though - going to look so much better! I'm cheating though, getting B&Q to fit it for me (although Dad & I are going to do all the prep work & rip out the old kitchen and will be doing the tiling & flooring ourselves).Forgot to get a pic of the front of the house, but I'm sure I will at some point!Going to spend my evenings this week sanding down the woodwork in the bedroom and will paint the ceiling & coving next weekend. Going to move in as soon as my room is decorated I think as the kitchen is going to be a good couple of months wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Congratulations Nicki! It looks fab. Keep posting pics as you're making progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 House party Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Mint I love that B&Q filled the sink with a liquid which has the same colour and texture as your worktop ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lupo pete Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I love that lamate flooring (thats fooking funny) Enjoy your new home and have happy timesI am sure it will all done just in time for christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyA Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Exciting times, pleased for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver! Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 That is way cool. I'm gonna do our dining room the same. Well done Nick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted September 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Thanks all! Going round tomorrow evening to do a bit of sanding (so much woodwork, so little time!) Not going to get much done this weekend unfortunately as we're going car shopping for Dad thanks to a lorry deciding to side swipe him on his way to work just over a week ago and writing the 307 off. Might take another couple of days off work soon to get some serious elbow grease into the house again. Sorted out my Sky tv/phone/broadband tonight so thats another job off the list. Went to the council yesterday & got an exemption from paying council tax until I move in as its unfurnished which is a bonus. Also registered for my sole occupancy discount when I do move in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melonman Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Looks quality, i bet you cant wait to have it finished! I reckon your neighbours shed is for when he gets in trouble with the wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treblet Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I'd offer to come and help with your DIY etc but it's a little too far to come just to strip wall paper and use a paint roller The place was looking great anyway Nicki, it'll look a whole lot better when you're finished and invite us all round for a party though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one litre wonder ;) Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 nice house nicki right anyone want to open a book on this one,Tigz Vs mitch on whos going to finish there project car first Tigz Vs Nicki on whos going to finish there house first 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lupo pete Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 I put my bet with NickiONLY if she cuts the plug off her telly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunalupi Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Looks good Nicki, you've been busy. What's the planned colour scheme? Very jealous of the house buy (although not of the mortgage!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted October 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 Thanks Nic! Bedroom is going to be cream, brown and teal - plain light cream (well, "calico" according to Dulux) walls with a cream/teal feature wall behind the bed. Headboard is chocolate brown and furniture is as yet undecided... I'm thinking light furniture, but I'm not 100% sure yet. Kitchen will be oak as in the 3D picture from B&Q and I'm thinking pale blue with pale blue tiles and a dark tiled floor. Paid for the kitchen today so will be getting a phone call in a couple of days to book it. Not sure if it'll be done before or after Christmas yet - will see what dates they have available & how it fits in around work.Front room is cream and chocolate brown at the moment, but the chocolate brown is *horrid* so its going. I've ordered a plum coloured sofa (hehehehe!) so I'm thinking I might paint the brown wall to coordinate with the sofa when it arrives.Bathroom is just going to be plain white with blue accessories.Spare room is going to be white & turquoise. I can't have the desk I originally planned as it'll be too big and I won't be able to fit in a sofabed as well, so I've had a rethink and come up with a better plan which might mean I can buy an actual bed for the room not a sofa bed. We'll see though as I may put some bookcases/shelves in instead... More pics in a minute... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted October 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 Here's the next update:Seeing as I want to move in once my bedroom is decorated (ie before the kitchen is done), I thought I better give the current kitchen a good clean. Oh. My. God. Here's the kind of thing I found in most of the cupboards:This is across the top of the top cupboard. I have no idea how you manage it though as I would imagine you'd have to spill something above the cupboards in the small space between the cupboards & the ceiling...This is what they looked like after a couple of hours scrubbing:Bit better!While I was cleaning the kitchen, Dad was hard at work:He finished painting the ceiling & coving:The small cupboard in the bedroom (aka "the shoe cupboard" ) wasn't flush to the wall and hadn't been put in very well - lots of missing plaster and a general mess behind the wallpaper. Dad's managed to get it looking like this with some work:After painting the frame up and sanding the polyfilla back:When I was cleaning up the dust from all the sanding, I noticed that the wall below/behind the radiator in the spare room hadn't been painted - how lazy can you get?!?Oh & here's the first evidence of me starting to move in...Not exactly an exciting update I'm afraid, but its the prep work that takes the time! Will be painting the woodwork in the bedroom tomorrow with the first coat and then giving it a 2nd coat on Monday. No work this weekend as we're off to a family function in Eastbourne for the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99hjhm Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 (edited) We have a Calico lounge Edited October 8, 2009 by 99hjhm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_M Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Congrats on the property!.....Once you get to the end and finish decorating and moved in it will start all over again. Its like a never ending circle Keep up the good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted October 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Haha! Yep, that's exactly what we've done at my Mum & Dad's house.Hopefully because we're sorting out a lot of the problems as we go along, if I do decide to redecorate in the future, it will be a whole lot easier than this time round! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001gti Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Very nice You have the best shed btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clairey Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Wicked stuff Nicki Always wanted to do my own house up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt~black Posted October 10, 2009 Report Share Posted October 10, 2009 I'm loving the home improvement threads, I'm going through t house buying process at the minute I couldn't believe how long it takes i could buy and sell 3 cars in the time it takes to buy a house lol my house is wonky at the minute due to subsidance 80 years ago but will be gutting it completely inside before we can move in I can't wait to get started good luck with yours when you hoping to be in by? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Posted October 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Cheers I'm aiming to move in at the end of the month - basically as soon as my bedroom is decorated. Once that is done, the rest of the house can be done around me living there. Not sure what to do about my kitchen at the mo - they could fit me in before Christmas and that would fit around work better, but I'm tempted to leave it until after Christmas as it will give us longer to do the prep work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unheard Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 That Mondrian is cool why get rid of it You may want to watch the neighbours. Curtains on the shed, either they are incredibly sad or they have someone locked up down there. Either way it's slightly worrying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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