2018 projects

[JoceAndChris]

Hello old friends and new! Hope all are well and, belatedly, wishing all a very happy New Year.

What are everyone’s projects this year?

I’m having a frustrating time as there are rooms I’d like to do but we set a “one room at a time” rule when we moved in. Trouble is Chris won’t finish the bathroom! We are now 14 months into the bathroom project!!! Still no shower ( I use the hose on the bath taps) but I do at least have a loo and some really super panelling.

I’d like to move onto the attic bedroom which we’ve never touched. Ideally it needs the full works! Plaster off and rewiring and a new dormer window!!

Good luck with all the projects.

 

[skier-hughes]

My aim is to finish the bedroom conversion from one gigantic room to two double bedrooms before my son got married, that was two years ago................ no it wasn't, it'll be 3 years this year.... oh no
I do intend to finish this year though, at some point............

 

[Abi Cott]

I've got the top floor to finish and decorate. It sounds like a big job, but when you consider the total footprint probably isn't much more than 15' x 17' it's not that bad.

Two more windows to have renovated. A bathroom to fit. Loft insulation to complete. A bit of lime plastering to do but I've now managed to source a local plasterer.

Then it's "just" flooring, architrave, skirting, decorating.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol:

Nice to see I’m not the only one with a hefty to do list! And I do so understand the pace Graham! When we moved here we were very focused, now ( nearly 10 yrs on :shock: ) we definitely prioritise other things like holidays and relaxing! Maybe it’s the difference between mid 30s and mid 40s? But actually I think it’s tough to only do renovations. Unfeasible. Today I might have been tackling those attic steps that need some restoration - instead I’m trying on dresses and shopping! :lol:

 

[mims&pip]

We've sold up in the West Midlands (have exchanged contracts and complete next week ) and will hopefully be moving to South West Wales, taking on a much smaller, but even older, cottage......so loads of new period projects on the horizon for us in 2018!

Good luck to everyone with whatever projects you are tackling this year

 

[malcolm]

:lol:

Nice to see I’m not the only one with a hefty to do list! And I do so understand the pace Graham! When we moved here we were very focused, now ( nearly 10 yrs on :shock: ) we definitely prioritise other things like holidays and relaxing! Maybe it’s the difference between mid 30s and mid 40s? But actually I think it’s tough to only do renovations. Unfeasible. Today I might have been tackling those attic steps that need some restoration - instead I’m trying on dresses and shopping! :lol:

Good attitude there I managed an actual holiday a couple of weeks ago - sunshine and everything! I've not done a thing on the house in a year. I've been earning money and have earmarked this summer to 'finish' the project. All of the structural and exterior stuff is already mostly finished, so just the interior to do. I ought to plan it so I don't leave half the house in first fix electrics at the endd of the summer like I did last year.

 

[Bevmarley]

We hope to finish the hall and stairs this year which we started in 2016

 

[Andys]

A new sole plate for us this year, to replace the one made mainly of compost which we have at present. Also hoping to finish knocking out the one-to- three-millimetres-thick grey cement pointing covering the original nice buff lime-pointing.
We've had most of the main timber joints repaired on the north elevation over the past three or four years and had the north-east corner post lengthened last year so it actually reaches the ground. The result so far is a bit patchwork-y but it should all blend in over the next couple of centuries

 

[Flyfisher]

2018 brings our project into its 11th year but we also still have a hefty 'to do' list.

The problem (well, it's not really a problem as such) is that having finished all the serious structural stuff as well as having (99%) finished the kitchen, sitting room, bedroom and bathroom we can now live quite comfortably, which rather takes the edge off any urgency to finish the remaining rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. I can, though, recommend hosting a wedding reception (marquee on the lawn, not in the house) as an incentive to finishing things like exterior painting, rendering, paths, terrace and general landscaping - nothing like an immovable deadline!

When we moved here we were very focused, now ( nearly 10 yrs on :shock: ) we definitely prioritise other things like holidays and relaxing! Maybe it’s the difference between mid 30s and mid 40s? But actually I think it’s tough to only do renovations. Unfeasible. Today I might have been tackling those attic steps that need some restoration - instead I’m trying on dresses and shopping! :lol:

Hear hear (though I've not been trying on dresses :wink: ), and why we didn't really set a firm deadline. Plus, if that's your conclusion between 30s and 40s, imagine the mindset when reaching 60! These days, we're probably spending more time planning holidays than planning DIY. Having said that, my main focus this year is to finish the bathroom next to our bedroom as Mrs FF would really prefer not to have to walk through the unheated areas of the house to get to one of the two working bathrooms, whereas my view tends to be that two bathrooms should be enough, why do we need three? :lol:

 

[Zebra]

Nothing. Not a thing. It's all done. I know this'll sound mad because I so looked forward to the day it was all done, but that was two years ago now and I miss having pointing to do, plastering, carpentry, something or other on the go..... the sense of focus and drive it gives you when there are holes in the wall and only one tap!
The only house-related thing on the to-do list is get a dishwasher, since with Giraffe's nosebags and haynets as well as mine, it's piling up!

Trying on dresses? Come come Flyfisher, not even one?... :wink:

 

[Feltwell]

Windows. Try as get as many of the sashes on the front of the house refurbished as possible, weather permitting, now the big bay window is done. That's the main focus, anything else is a bonus. Oh yeah, holidays. Must have holidays. Whit week booked and 3 weeks in August booked, can't wait.

However so far it's being the year of domestic appliance repair - oven packed up at the weekend, dishwasher packed up tonight.

Oven part arrives tomorrow and will hopefully cure that, spent much of tonight taking the dishwasher apart, think the PCB has gone. Happily have found somewhere that claims to be able to repair appliance PCB's, rather than just having to replace them, at a cost of about £60 rather than £120 for a new one - we shall see if they can!

 

[livias]

Staircase. Its the only BIG project left to do on the house thankfully, after a very busy 3 years. I saw that Grand Design of a young couple with a steambent oak house and got inspired. I can do thatI said optimistically So it is work in progress ... Yaargh ... assymmetrical steam bent s shaped stairs are complicated I discover. But I am sure it will be worth it. Meanwhile the rope and ladder will suffice

 

[Me!]

Oh don't mention staircases! Ever since seeing this one I've wanted to have a go at making something similar -
http://www.localporto.com/wp-content/uploads/beautiful-bookstore-world-porto-lello-irmao-1.jpg
http://portugalresident.com/sites/default/files/styles/node-detail/public/field/image/4542378138_48f40e6bc9_o-1.jpg?itok=gqHhEH7-

Trouble is that is completely the wrong style for our house, so I may need to build another house as well just to put it in!

 

[Tc345]

We're only a mere 20 odd months into our project so there's still plenty to do. What gets done this year has many dependencies, money, time, agreement, getting an architect to actually reply to us etc.

So with those caveats my wishlist would be:
- Paint the front of the house
- Get some secondary double glazing of some sort on some windows
- Finish decorating the rest of the upstairs rooms
- Renovate all external doors so that there arent as many visible gaps for the wind to whistle through
- Remove the rest of the (now dead) ivy from our outbuildings and repair the chimney stack and replace any lost/loose tiles
- Get plans drawn up, LBC and planning to modify the rear bit of our house so that it's better connected upstairs (a new corridor of sorts to the back room), heated and what's currently my workshop becomes another room for the house (I have no idea if this will get done...)

The first four are very feasible, the last one who knows? I agree about having time not doing the house, this took me a few months of working 12 hour days all weekend to work out but it's just not sustainable otherwise. You've just got to get used to the fact you're surrounded by stuff that needs doing and know that you'll get to it in time. Fortunately we now feel more like we're in charge rather than the house being in charge of us!

 

[Anonymous]

Morning and happy new year to everyone... curious...., a list of jobs for 2018, dividing up in to years eh ? that'll never catch on....
So since we restarted in ernest (well something approaching ernest) last weekend the list looks a bit like this;

. Move electric supply cable & fusebox - (trade doing that)
. Remove modern infill to inglenook (restore inglenook) - (trade doing that)
. Remove cement "render" to left hand side of inglenook (external wall)
. Rebuild "missing wall" where cement render has been removed
. Remove plasterboard on Dining room / living room wall exposing original oak door and oak plank wall (I mean why would you cover that up?)
. Rebuild / repair dining room / living room wall
. Lower dining room floor (removing cement and damp proof membrane)
. Get cental heating pipes moved
. Lower far end floor joists in living room (I replaced 3 of them in December but they're about an inch too high)
. Plasterboard between joists in living / dining room

That's January / Feburary's job list

 

[JanJonWestWales]

Indoors....
Finish the stairs - we started last Autumn, but finish at least to the half landing this year
Fit a new woodburner in the living room. The existing fire was a cheap interim solution from several years ago, that only give about 4kw, not nearly enough to heat the whole room, so we have been supplementing with an electric fire at the back of the room. Before winter we will invest in an ESSE 700 Vista - 10Kw


Outdoors...
Patch the lime-render on the front elevation, where it has blown off, then re-limewash (after the last frost !!!)
build the BBQ plinth and Pizzqa oven (ready for the summer)
Build a frame for new Rasberry canes in the Fruit cage
Build a composting bin area

Save for the extension, so we can have an indoor toilet !!!

http://blaencwmbychan.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[JanJonWestWales]

We've sold up in the West Midlands (have exchanged contracts and complete next week ) and will hopefully be moving to South West Wales, taking on a much smaller, but even older, cottage......so loads of new period projects on the horizon for us in 2018!

Good luck to everyone with whatever projects you are tackling this year

Let us know if you need any help !!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Woah I’m now exhausted reading everyone’s to-do list! What a lot of huge jobs! Good luck everyone!

Zebra - I’m sorry you miss your project, you’re very different to me, who would dearly love everything to be palatial right now and spend my time in more hedonistic ways! Would you take on another house project? Or is yours the forever home?

We hope to finish the hall and stairs this year which we started in 2016

Good luck! Never tackled my stairs! Often looked at them and now just about decided to leave well alone, even though they’re TERRIBLE.

Hope we are all done and dusted by 2019 :wink:

Now is that sale still on in Hobbs?

 

[mims&pip]

We've sold up in the West Midlands (have exchanged contracts and complete next week ) and will hopefully be moving to South West Wales, taking on a much smaller, but even older, cottage......so loads of new period projects on the horizon for us in 2018!

Good luck to everyone with whatever projects you are tackling this year

Let us know if you need any help !!

Thank you

 

[Drayton]

Happy New Year from someone who has been a browser since the later stages of The Merchant's House (I'm not going to frighten myself by checking how long ago that was).

I am finally posting as, in theory at least, 2018 is the year this house starts to get the treatment it deserves. While it would be great to continue just browsing and learning I suspect there might be the odd scream for help even though/because I am not doing the work myself (at least until I get to the decorative bits, or the parts of them that I can do now I share Penner's affliction). So I thought it would be it a good idea to start to get the moderated period out of the way now rather than when I really need your knowledge and support asap.

The house? 1840 mid terrace, sort-of a smaller much less distinguished or covetable version of Nigel Watts', built cheaply for renting out, currently with saturated rubble walls and all the associated problems plus a to-be-replaced back extension, coastal, facing north-ish into the salt-and-sand-blasting westerly gales. No pictures for the moment (no, I know, not the best way to start, sorry) though there may well be some interior ones, at least, later.

Unless it all goes utterly smoothly, of course! :lol: