Yep, I must be mad! [pics]

[rt18]

Maybe I'm mad, but my wife and I have an 8 week old son, and we've just bought ourselves a house that needs some serious work. First of all, I'm going to have to fit a new kitchen, and as part of that I want to install replacement wiring as what's there right now looks burnt out and frankly dangerous. Then it'll need a new bathroom and seperate downstairs toilet. Furthermore, the house has an oil fired boiler, and that looks condemnable, so, being a man who likes a gas hob for cooking, I'm having a gas supply fitted. Coupled with this I want to replace the boiler with a spanking new gas combi boiler (i got one of those in our current house and I just love it ) But I'm no fool (I don't think), this is more than a little DIY job

Nevertheless, I'm an (over-)ambitious DIYer and, besides needing to save money on workers, want to tackle the job myself and can't wait to get my hands dirty!

DIYNot.com is my bible, Screwfix is my reference dictionary, and I'm hoping you kind people will help me? (Or perhaps deter me )

We haven't got the house just yet, but I want to start preparing now for everything I'm going to need to get this renovation sorted as quickly as possible! I notice a few people keeping Projects pages on this forum, so thought I'd put my two pence in and start one myself. Maybe the odd kind piece of advice can stop me from killing myself, or making things worse, on the way

Here are a coupla pics of some of the worst rooms, showing just how nasty it all is. (The pics actually brighten up the bathroom so it doesn't appear too bad, but I promise you, it's a mess in there!)

Hopefully we'll actually get the house soon, and I can start ripping things out! Until then, I'm off to the Electrics UK threads now to post a question on equipment for "chasing".

Signing off - Richard.

 

[wanabechippie]

Jeysus! I think the previous owner went to the same 'avacado bath suite' store that ours did! Mmm, 70's chic!

Not one for the easy life are you!

congrats with the wee one, welcome to the forum, now go get yer head examined!

Having done something similar myself in the last year, I'd strongly reccomend not moving into the house whilst the majority of the work is being done (if at all possible). With it empty, you can totally gut the place, have new electics, water, gas and C/H run; walls moved/skimmed if needed; floorboards hoiked up (if needed) all without having to move your furnature around or live out of boxes and pick rubble from your cornflakes! You can also get the bathroom sorted with out having to worry about changing the toilets over like some demented Formula 1 pit crew!

I'd bet that having a bairn around the place will complicate matters to no end as well!

Have you had a chance to get quotes / line up gas and 'leccy monkies to do the work that you're not going to do? (gas & electrics - really worth getting someone in to do them).

With my house (2 bed, 1930's semi), I got in the gas & sparkies right at the start. Had all our stuff at a friends house so we were basically camping in one room. They bashed away at the place for 3 days and were done. New electrics, new combi boiler, piping and 5 rads + gas fire. £2200 for gas and £1500 for electrics (N. Wales - 9mths ago).

Anyway; all the best with it! Take loads of piccies/digi vids to remind yourself of how far you've come (and to let us 'seasoned amatures' pass judgement upon your toil! )

 

[rt18]

Thanks wanabechippie, and you're absolutely right about not moving in before most of the work is done! We'd already decided that my wife will live with her dad, taking the baby with her (thanks for the congrats ), while I rip about like a tasmanian devil for three weeks in the new house

Unfortunately, being over 300 miles away, it means I won't see my son until the work's done, but at least I'll have the greatest incentive to get it sorted as quickly as I can.

Had considered getting in guys to do some of the work, the leccy and gas as you recommended, but for some reason it's impossible in this town to get hold of one!
Some friends of ours recently called around to get quotes for central heating installation in their two-bed semi. Only one CORGI engineer bothered to respond, he gave a half-decent quote, but now doesn't pick up the phone or respond to messages. Two years ago I had exactly the same difficulty trying to get an engineer in to install my combi. Took a long time to convince someone to quote for us, then another eon getting them to do the work they promised. Seems no-ones interested in single domestic jobs anymore, so I'm resolved to trying this myself.

I'll try to keep the forum thread alive, with regular pics of the progress etc. We'll see how it works out

 

[Softus]

Richard, my advice (having been in a similar situation) to you is to finish the kitchen first at all costs. If this means getting in professionals for part of it, then do it.

The rest of the house can follow at whatever pace you choose, but the kitchen is the hub of the home, even more so with the new baby.

 

[bernardgreen]

Richard, my advice (having been in a similar situation) to you is to finish the kitchen first at all costs. If this means getting in professionals for part of it, then do it.

The rest of the house can follow at whatever pace you choose, but the kitchen is the hub of the home, even more so with the new baby.

Having built an entire house from green field while living in a small caravan I almost totally agree with Softus. Kitchen first provided the bath and toilet are kept functional.

 

[Thermo]

ill give you another peice of even more valuable advice having done a few. DONT let it take over your life and enjoy your new son before he gets to old too quickly. Once youve got the basics in and its safe do it a steady pace and take time off for the family. Darn sight more important than bricks and mortar.

 

[rt18]

Glad to know I've got something right then, I'd planned from the beginning to start with the kitchen and then deal with the bathroom. I couldn't agree more that the kitchen is the hub of a home

And I'll certainly consider getting in professionals if that's what it takes, but I'm gonna give it a damn good go myself first

 

[Lupa Monkey]

Oh my head is pounding just at the thought of all the work in store for you RT

We got our priorities straight at the beginning and plumbed in a dish washer months before we actually had a kitchen sink!!! It was a Godsend!

Good luck with it all. Try and take piccies as you progress and load them up on here

 

[Lupa Monkey]

Hi Softus

 

[Nige F]

Maybe I'm mad, I'm an (over-)ambitious DIYer
DIYNot.com is my bible,



[

Just watch out for BOB SCROLL and the 3 other horsemen of the Apocalypse

 

[rt18]

OK, finally got the survey report in. Nothing too much to worry about, didn't reveal anything I didn't already suspect.

Surveyor questioned the electrics, suspected issues with the waste pipes and virtually condemned the oil boiler. I'm not surprised though, it certainly looks as old as the hills, so I'm hoping to remove it while I'm there . There's an immersion heater switch in the airing cupboard, and with a bit of luck that'll provide me with all the hot water I need while I'm there on me tod.

...still waiting for the local searches to come in, then we can sign the paperwork, pick up the keys and get this show on the road!

 

[rt18]

Wow. Well, we finally got the house in October, months later than we expected , and my wife (with baby) already moved to her dad's place back in September, so it's been a long time without them already.

However, I've been getting stuck in, and made some real progress with the house. Been at it for about three weeks now, and so far I've got the new kitchen in, new wiring sorted, the old bathroom suite out and a new boiler 'virtually' in (bracket on wall, pipework installed, holes through brickwork etc.)

As things stand, the old oil boiler is still in place (the new boiler is sited elsewhere) but I'm not supposed to use it (strong suggestion from the surveyor). It's therefore freezing in 'ere right now! Got a coupla 'lectric heaters, but they're poo, and cost the earth to run, so the sooner National Grid bring me a gas pipeline the better!
The carpets were fitted recently, but the painting's not complete, so now painting is much slower progress, trailing large sheets everywhere you go and watching each footstep for dribbles of paint
The new bath suite is to go in, but the WC has a close-coupled pan, so when positioned over the waste pipe in the floor the cistern sits a cool 11 inches from the wall! . Guess I'm gonna have to build a frame around that and turn it into a feature surface somehow...

Haven't had the ol' computer out of its box until tonight so can finally get some pics uploaded for this project thread

Tore out the kitchen and screed the floor,

Old kitchen wiring (only one 6mm line for cooker, no ring main)

New kitchen wiring (new 6mm line for cooker, and a completely new ring main)

My current kitchen (yes, that is bacon being fried in a saucepan. When needs must...)

The new kitchen! (already completely overrun with everything to clear space for the carpet fitters)

The best investment I ever made (chasing is soooooo easy with SDS)

A frequently uninvited guest (I like cats, but he leaves me plenty of long brown presents in my garden) who finds his way in every time I leave the back door open

The garden (containing mostly the old kitchen)

And my dad helping me out. This is the bathroom. The flooring is old chipboard. Here it was compeltely rotten. In fact, I went right through it with a wrecking bar, and punched a hole in the hallway ceiling. So that all had to come up, and now nice new tongue-and-groove in there instead. In this pic we're adjusting the old pipework.

That's all I got for now. Let the comments/criticisms come rolling in!

 

[Bahco]

Its coming on nicely and WILL be worth it in the end.

Good luck to you and your family.

 

[scousespark]

Those Sockets in the kitchen look too close to the hob. You don't want any flex near your hob, for what should be obvious reasons.

When you say the electrics are sorted, did you DIY or find a spark?

Do you have the knowledge required to plan and install on a rewire and have you notified your LABC as regards your electrical and plumbing work?

Hope the job gets done quickly, so you can enjoy your new family life.

 

[rt18]

Those Sockets in the kitchen look too close to the hob. You don't want any flex near your hob, for what should be obvious reasons.

The box directly on the left of the hob is the cooker switched FCU, and the one directly on the right is the extractor FCU. No sockets. No flexes

I'm not trained, scousespark, but very good at research (am a researcher by trade) and feel I've checked each and every reg thoroughly. Maybe I've missed something, but I'm happy with what I've done. And having seen some of the work done for my old friends by a local tradesman, I'm doing a far safer and better job than theirs!

Yes, LABC to be notified when the time comes. No worries there, won't be putting my family in danger, there's always a chance I missed summink . Thanks for the reply!