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The House Thread


dann2707

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  • 3 weeks later...

Started some DIY on the house...we decided that a loft conversion probably isn't the best idea just now so we're putting it on ice until we know we can comfortably pay our mortgage and bills before getting out any other loans. 

Instead we're concentrating on just making the house ours (which is weird as technically it isn't ours yet) and I'm starting by making the spare room into an office. Since doing my vlogs I've never had a proper office space, just a desk shoved into my tiny room in my old flat so to have a space I can actually have a proper desk and storage plus a sofa (bed) and TV will make organizing all my equipment and editing a whole lot more streamlined plus I get a place to chill and play games etc. Jane is going to have the dining room as her space to do Yoga and teach online movement classes.

So far I've stripped most of the 50 year old wallpaper, pretty tedious as it's been painted over so the steamer doesn't work as well but it's almost done and fortunately the plaster underneath is in great condition. Next I'll sand it and paint it with some plaster sealing paint and replace the carpet...never really done any DIY before so I'm feeling very manly right now

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18 minutes ago, Ali C said:

...never really done any DIY before so I'm feeling very manly right now

Wait till you have to relocate a toilet :D

edit: one caveat is that manliless feelings only persist if the toilet doesn't leak everywhere afterwards....

Edited by forteh
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6 days in, wallpaper is all off, imperfections filled, walls have been sanded (including sanding down two big lumps from the fitment of the air vents), walls prepped with a plaster sealing primer, woodwork scrubbed, carpet removed and some paint tested…it’s coming along!

 

 

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Im quite a negative nancy at the moment....

 

Room looks great - work ethic is phenomenal! Not sure if this has been said in the thread yet and i can't remember how old the house is - but have you had the electrics checked out ? I just notice (possibly) that one of the sockets is a single and potentially quite old ? Be a shame to decorate in full and then have to run new cables etc ...

 

 

 

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I asked Jane about this the other day…it’s old decorating so I was worried it was old wiring too, Jane’s brother is an electrician and could do the house if needed but he hasn’t mentioned anything about the wiring which I hope is a thing (or possibly avoiding the subject so he doesn’t have to do it :P ) 

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Yeah, we've got red and black throughout, a fuse board and no consumer unit, well there is one but it's not connected to anything and the fuse board looks older...

We're starting in the house extension in the next month or so and have earmarked a couple of grand from the budget to get the wiring checked over and renewed if needed. God knows how much needs doing or how much it's going to cost though!

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Solid green here too

 

Finished painting the walls in the office, just need to go over the gloss and it’ll be finished.

started work on the hall in the mean time, wallpaper stripped and holes filled, just need to sand it smooth ready for primer. We’re going to get the carpets done at the same time which is why we’re tackling them both now

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If it is pre 77 I would get Jane’s brother to have a look specifically as a job before you get too far through renovations. If it’s over 40 years old it probably needs at least a check periodically.

electrics are pretty much the only thing I get someone in for and do things by the book mainly because we have sooo much stuff plugged in.

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Until we get the electrics looked at I’m just carrying on, I replaced the plug socket with a triple with USB, saves an extension cable and charger adaptors…are house wires usually doubled up like this? Apparently the house was built by a very reputable company known for quality houses (they’re still going strong today) and I’m wondering if they’ve just done extra quality on the cables or if this is normal?

I’ve now finished painting the office and all the gloss, very happy with it. I also fitted new vents and wardrobe handles, again very happy and will match my desk nicely.

Ive also got the first coat of paint in the hall, just needs one more and it’ll be good to go.

Got carpet fitters coming to measure up on Tuesday and once that’s fitted I can start furnishing it all.

 

After that we’ll start on the lounge and dining room (which will be Jane’s fitness room) which involves removing a big fireplace, it’s going to be messy!

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The wires are doubled up because you loop from one socked to the other and back to the board for a "ring main" most houses have the sockets in a loop. People are starting to do radial sockets with thicker cable now.

I recently found out the reason we use ring mains is because there was a shortage of copper during the war.

Looking at those wires I'd 100% say the house needs a rewire to bring it up to modern standards.

I'm sure it will all work and be fine but its definitely due an overhaul.

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