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The Neverending (House) Story

Friday 17 October 2014




I last updated on the house a month or so ago. At that point (seems like a long, long time ago) I had had the plastering done and was deep in the middle of painting. I should be approaching the final stages now, right? Well, hmmmm, ish. Everything is taking such a very long time to do.

Post plastering everything was disgusting. So much cleaning to be done. All the cleaning.



We boshed on with the wallpapering.Can't wait to actually be there in the daylight to take some proper photos. It's so pretty!





After a prolonged discussion with the electrical engineers (I kept my temper. Barely) the electricity got fixed so the lights now work! That's been a huge help. We had one inspection lamp running off an extension lead and let me tell you, trying to wallpaper at 9pm with just that to help you see is not ideal.





I feel like I now know every single inch of the house rather intimately.  If it's wooden, I've probably painted it. Skirting boards, door frames, doors... lashings of lovely white paint have transformed them from grotty to gorgeous.






In my last post I mentioned how shit Frogtape was. This is what it does to the ceilings. Hours I spent up the top of a ladder, two tiny paintbrushes in hand. I think this Painty Barefaced Tramp look may be even better than Decorating Smurf.





Floors have been scrubbed and mopped and had bitumen chipped off them, revealing lovely (but impractical) quarry tiles underneath. We won't talk about what's happening upstairs though.




Lovely new blinds have been put in.


I met the cat from next door. I've christened him Bandit.


Having finally finished the walls and woodwork, this week I've been merrily occupied with wardrobes and cupboards. They're amazing spaces and I can't wait to stash all my stuff in them but they look horrid. With the aid of much expensive primer and paint, I'm gonna make them look lovely.





The place still looks like a total building site, even after many, many runs to the tip but I have a faint (probably misguided) hope that it'll all come magically together this week.




Want to know the funny thing?  I kinda need to move in next weekend (25/26 October). *hollow laugh*

What's still to do?

  • The neverending painting should hopefully be concluded this weekend. Those wardrobe and cupboard doors need painting now they've been primed.
  • Kitchen and bathroom need sprucing up but someone is coming to do that because I've lost the will to live when it comes to decorating.
  • The electric works needs finishing off and the shower hooking up. That's being done on Monday. Woop!
  • Parquet floor needs doing but that's booked for 27th October. Would have preferred it before I moved in but he's a busy man so I've taken what I can get.
  • Carpets/flooring. Still haven't picked what I want. Argh. I'm hopefully doing it tomorrow but will they be able to come and fit them within a week? Who knows!
  • The real stumbling block is that the plumbers who fitted the boiler etc have gone totally AWOL. Can't get in touch with them at all. The radiators need to go back on the walls and I have a fitted but not-working boiler which needs firing up. And I can't get the flooring fitted until the radiators are back up. Helpful eh?

10 comments:

  1. Fantastic stuff, well done! It's so good doing a place up from scratch (as we did with our boat Willow) - like you say, you just KNOW it so much better, even if you hate bits of it for being so awkward, but it's a good feeling. You've done loads, and it will come together, it's already looking fantastic (love the wallpaper!)

    Amy
    nb Willow

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  2. OMG it looks like it's been a TASK, but I can't wait to see the finished thing. It looks amazing already though, loving your wall paper choices :) Good luck with the rest x

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  3. I'am so impressed with all your DIYing, I hope you're feeling proud of yourselves because doing it yourself is an incredible achievement. My other half has only just got a drill! The wallpaper you have chosen is beautiful and I can't wait to see your next update! :)

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  4. Keep going Alex, you will get there! I know what you mean about knowing every inch of a house. I hope you haven't paid the AWOL plumbers yet, you need that boiler working as it'll soon be cold - I hope they reappear pronto.

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  5. Looking good, keep at it, my parents had those bathroom tiles in the 70s with a sky blue suite - bring back colored bathroom fitings!!

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  6. Keep going, it is hell but you will do it!!!!! You have done amazingly so far! The wardrobes are immense!!!! I am envious!! Ooooh, you've got the same bathroom tiles as my Grandad's house has! X

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  7. Your house looks amazing - I love the chandelier and the wall paper.

    Lizzie's Daily Blog

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  8. Alex - what a house to be proud of. A labour of love, but the house will be just perfect when you're done and exactly how you wanted it to be. Believe me you will reach the end and you shall be very happy/exhausted/emotional I expect! But this is a good thing I am more than sure xxx

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  9. What a lot of work (done and still to do). We were very lucky with our extension that it was all organised for us (painters, electricians, builders, joiners, plumber etc). Aside from the painter who was a bit difficult to get on with (funnily enough had a funeral EVERY Friday we saw him and then he went off to marry a 'bought' bride) and his work was surprisingly crap considering this is his job and he apparently has a large client base (so he kept bragging), but the sheer amount of people we had at some stages was mind-boggling, you literally couldn't move because the floor was up, the electricity was switched off, there was a hole in the wall and a dozen folk wanting tea and home baking! Nightmare, glad it's over though we've still not sorted out all the rooms. Loads to do but we needed a break. Keep at it and hopefully it'll all come together before you know it and you'll have Christmas in your new place : )

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  10. Oh god, poor you. Chin up chick it will all come together and it will all be worth it.

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