2018 projects

[MikeG]

.......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........

This is pretty much exactly what the stocks were designed for. Twelve hours and a bucketful of rotting veggies later, I'm sure he start to see things your way.

 

[JoceAndChris]

This is pretty much exactly what the stocks were designed for. Twelve hours and a bucketful of rotting veggies later, I'm sure he start to see things your way.

There are other ways to coerce your husband that require less of a set-up...

I suppose really I should plumb in the shower myself, all it needs is a few metres of pipe. But I haven’t Zebra’s skills!

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:

Welcome Drayton! Have you read my eleventy billion posts? Poor you :lol: Sounds a very nice house project, it’s insanity taking these on, but good. Saturated walls dry out nicely with proper heating. If the cement is gone. An expensive if!

 

[Drayton]

Thanks Joce, and yes, I have followed your progress from the start (I was here long before I actually registered - though even I was stunned to see it has taken me 6 years to get round to posting!). It was great to have lots of the important things in life - textiles, colours and hens - appearing alongside more structural issues. When I was a young child we had no electricity (and then a generator) and throughout my childhood no mains drainage but I struggle with the idea of being permanently without mains water, it must be so frustrating at times. I am not on any of the now-multitudinous Other Places so thanks for calling back every so often.

Cement render, check. Though even with it on it is amazing how ripping off interior surface finishes, especially the hidden polystyrene, dries things out as long as the wall isn't directly under a leak. I don't expect it to ever be totally dry, given both a basement and the weather hereabouts, but the advantage of starting from a really bad place is that there must surely be lots of scope for improvement!

Proper heating? Or, for most of the house, any sort of heating? The stuff that dreams are made of....
Very excited!

 

[TheRoost]

Happy new year all.

Our 2018 to do list for the interior will be the same as 2017's, as the garden works took so long we barely touched the inside last year. So..

Start work on the front reception room - wall and cornicing repairs, new skirtings, fit proper fireplace, sand floorboards, ceiling rose , decorating etc etc.

Front chimney stack repointing, new leadwork, install reclaimed chimney pots.

Look at replacing awful upvc entrance doors/transom light with sympathetic timber built entrance. Need to try and design something that looks right, decide on spec, then find a joinery firm that can create what we want.

After that, there's another 5 rooms to do plus hall stairs and landing, side garden paving of some sort, replace manky decking, should be busy for several years to come!

 

[Feltwell]

Our 2018 to do list for the interior will be the same as 2017's

No why does that sound familiar? :wink: (As we enter year 11 of our 3 year plan)

Just remember, it'll all be done by Christmas - just never *ever* specify which Christmas and you'll be fine.....

Actually maybe I could bring that up to date by saying it'll all be done by the time Brexit negotiations are complete and we've got that great deal the politicians assure us of. Or HS2 is complete. :roll: :lol:

 

[Zebra]

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?

Dilemma there, Joce. Yes, I'd take another one on, for sure, but love this one too much to leave.

 

[Salty]

As i am Another recent owner (since October 2017) and my main aim is to get the house weather tight, and as much done indoors in the kitchen before i get distracted by nice weather and spend the time in the garden that i should be working on making the house comfortable.

 

[MikeG]

This is pretty much exactly what the stocks were designed for. Twelve hours and a bucketful of rotting veggies later, I'm sure he start to see things your way.

There are other ways to coerce your husband that require less of a set-up...........

Yet they don't seem to be working........

 

[JoceAndChris]

This is pretty much exactly what the stocks were designed for. Twelve hours and a bucketful of rotting veggies later, I'm sure he start to see things your way.

There are other ways to coerce your husband that require less of a set-up...........

Yet they don't seem to be working........

:lol: I’m too soft hearted! And, it’s freezing. One has to have mercy in these wintry freezes.

Anyway, DH is saying I should have a functioning shower tomorrow! Will be amazing if so. This house has NEVER had a good shower. The previous owners just had an occasional bath! We put in a very cheap running from the bath taps thing which was always one of those trickly things that you can’t get a good temperature on very easily. This new one is actually a PROPER SHOWER. I can’t wait!

Zebra - it doesn’t sound like it’s remotely time to be thinking of moving on, in that case. Maybe you just need another complex hobby!

Drayton - thank you for your support, and wishing you the very best of luck! Exciting times!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Photobucket doesn’t work any more does it? How do we upload photos these days?
Thanks xx

 

[MikeG]

Imgur.

 

[Kearn]

Oh go on then, if only as a scary note to self for all the things outstanding...!

Entrance hall:
lay reclaimed brick paver floor and tile porch.
Install rads
underpin a 350+ YO wall
Remove false ceiling
Re-wire spaghetti junction of cables currently above false ceiling.
Re-route pipework running across false ceiling.
Remodel existing modern internal doorway to accept an original plank door.
Remove 1st floor Victorian chimney stack butted onto corbelling of original Inglenook.
Complete pointing repairs to rear of Tudor stack once exposed.
Build cabinet enclosure for boiler and water softener.
Lime plaster.
Decorate.

Elsewhere:
Repair and repoint two early Georgian fireplaces now exposed, and lay hearths.
Source appropriate Oak wide boards for gap in bedroom floor.

Outside.
Remove redundant Victorian chimney adjacent to original Tudor stack.
Repair resulting hole in roof.
Repoint Tudor stack, repair flaunching and replace flue liner.

Garden:
Landscape garden to level a sloping lawn.
Remove a concrete hardstanding area and decrepid shed.
Create new sunken patio area, with electric powered shed.
Build brick BBQ and potentially a pizza oven.

I think i could've completed half those jobs in the time it has taken to type it...!

Good luck everyone!!

 

[JoceAndChris]

:shock: Kearn!! Surely that’s 10 years worth, at least?

Thanks Mike for imgur - yes - that looks easy to use. Very timely as I have some questions.

 

[JoceAndChris]

https://i.imgur.com/SWwVf31.jpg

Test

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hmm so that works if you click the link. What about making it appear? Any ideas?

 

[JoceAndChris]

.

 

[Abi Cott]

Use the little picture thing at the top of the reply box, above the smilies. It generates the bb code for you. It needs to look like this.

[.img]link here[/img]

But without the fullstop

 

[Me!]

Or you can upload a photo directly to the forum as long as it is a small file size -



I use a program called PrintKey which is free to download and allows me to drag a rectangle around anything I can see on my screen and to save it as my choice of file type. The key here is to choose "gif" as the file extension which is a low resolution type that makes the files small enough to upload as long as the area of the picture isn't too big.

 

[Kearn]

:shock: Kearn!! Surely that’s 10 years worth, at least?

At my current pace, yes! Entrance hall isn't more than 4 weeks dedicated work - should've been done before Christmas.

Wiring is one of the things that I won't touch, so that's not on my list!

The hard work opening up the two other fireplaces is already done, so finishing them shouldn't take too long.

The chimney stack removal and roof repairs I'll be drafting in some help, at the same time as the flaunching on the Tudor stack. Which will speed things and force me to get on with it!

And the garden will be others with just my labour added in really.

So, there's my self convincing done! :lol:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thank you very much Abi, I think this may work.

Kearn - great you have some help. So much for one person!