Basically, I get clobbered with an overwhelming sense of gloom every time I step through the front door.
I should be all "YAY!" because the wallpaper steaming is finally done. Yes, even the awkward bits that involved stanley knives and mega awkward upside down scraping whilst getting my face boiled off by steam. DONE.
But I'm not yay. I am Little Miss Feeling Sick because scraping all that wallpaper off has revealed some extra damp patches and some fairly monstrous cracks and awful ceilings that need boarding out. Urgghhhhhh, it looks like such a mess at the moment. Plus I can't do anything now. I'm itching to get in and start actually decorating but I can't decorate until it's been plastered and oh yeah, there's still no electricity because they have to wait till the plastering is done before fitting the switches and sockets and guess what? Plasterers are the bane of my life at the moment.
I went back yesterday and looked at my diary entries from the house-hunting process at the start of the year. Want to know what I wrote? "I don't mind something that needs decorating but I don't think I can cope with something that needs loads of repairs."
*hollow laugh*
I've found interesting things underneath all the crap though.
Mary Poppins in the plaster
Parquet flooring!
And a record of how tall Sarah was in 1977 (not very)
I'm off to give someone an actual month's salary to fix all the walls and ceilings. My plan is to not go back there till that's done and it looks like a proper house again.
I should be all "YAY!" because the wallpaper steaming is finally done. Yes, even the awkward bits that involved stanley knives and mega awkward upside down scraping whilst getting my face boiled off by steam. DONE.
But I'm not yay. I am Little Miss Feeling Sick because scraping all that wallpaper off has revealed some extra damp patches and some fairly monstrous cracks and awful ceilings that need boarding out. Urgghhhhhh, it looks like such a mess at the moment. Plus I can't do anything now. I'm itching to get in and start actually decorating but I can't decorate until it's been plastered and oh yeah, there's still no electricity because they have to wait till the plastering is done before fitting the switches and sockets and guess what? Plasterers are the bane of my life at the moment.
I went back yesterday and looked at my diary entries from the house-hunting process at the start of the year. Want to know what I wrote? "I don't mind something that needs decorating but I don't think I can cope with something that needs loads of repairs."
*hollow laugh*
I've found interesting things underneath all the crap though.
Mary Poppins in the plaster
Parquet flooring!
And a record of how tall Sarah was in 1977 (not very)
I'm off to give someone an actual month's salary to fix all the walls and ceilings. My plan is to not go back there till that's done and it looks like a proper house again.
Ouch! But nice parquet!!! X
ReplyDeleteWorth it for the parquet though, Alex! It'll all work out in the end...
ReplyDeleteIt's hard work now but you'll forget all about it in no time. I guarantee that you will LOVE looking back over these photos and seeing the difference you've made. The main thing is that's it's yours. Forever. And that's pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteHellish at the moment but...when it's finished. Better smart practising your smug face!!
ReplyDeleteAnd parquet flooring? A nugget of gold in amongst the mayhem; what a find!
(Or parakeet flooring as I once called it! yeah...only the once, I hasten to add!)
Z xx
OMG - this looks just my neighbour's house. A dear sweet young woman has just bought her first house next to me and everything she touches to refurbish just falls apart. Plaster falling from ceilings, pipework leading nowhere - the total cowboy builder experience. Her father and brother who work half the country away, have done their best to help but are becoming stressed by the total shambles that they are faced with. And then today, having taken the day off to wait in for a Homebase delivery, the new bath she ordered arrived but the panel was broken by the delivery men. I feel for you both. ( And now very nervous of my online order of a new washing machine.)
ReplyDeleteOh there is nothing worse than one job creating half a dozen more, poor you but on the plus side parquet flooring!!!
ReplyDeleteYou will get there and it will be worth it.
Oh God : ( I feel for you. Everyone says "think of how lovely it will be in the end, it's worth it" but you just feel like you can't take one more minute of it and want your house back. On the bright side that floor looks kinda fabulous though!
ReplyDeleteIt will get there. It's definitely hard when it seems there is an ever growing list 'to-do' but keep going. The result will be worth it.
ReplyDeletex
Oooh parquet!!! You gonna keep it? My OHs dad found parquet in his new house and gave it a bit of a makeover, looks quite fab now (never ever thought I'd say that! Lol).
ReplyDeleteWe still have lots to do in our house- the kitchen is nowhere near perfect. Plasterers were too the bane of our life as well. Hope you get it sorted soon x
Love the parquet. The rest is such a faff but will be worth it. Saw this on buzzfeed
ReplyDeletehttp://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/31-easy-diy-upgrades-that-will-make-your-home-look-more-expe
and thought of you.
x