Yet Another House Renovation Thread
Discussion
skintemma said:
Good work on the house. I do hope you're keeping that dangly light thing in the kitchen!
Err, in a word, no. 
We have built up quite a collection of dodgy lighting as we've rewired. Probably need a good ebay session at some point.
Thanks for the suggestion of Round up Bi-active we'll have a look for it.
Spent all weekend strippig wallpaper. I hate woodchip with a passion.
Took 2 days, but at least its done, so the lounge and dining room looks in better shape now.
But we like a challenge. So sod it, lets move the lounge radiator to under the bay.
And let's have a smaller more modern radiator in the dining room.
Meanwhile, in the office, the parquet floor starts getting it, so that we can move the radiator to under the bay.
Today we got some deliveries. 75m2 of 11mm underlay (thanks to the Underlay Underlay thread on here!)
And the first lot of AV cabling - 1220m of cat6 and 305m of audio. Thanks to toxicnerve and VEX for their help and advice so far on the AV side of things.
It's going to be a busy weekend. We move in next week
Took 2 days, but at least its done, so the lounge and dining room looks in better shape now.
But we like a challenge. So sod it, lets move the lounge radiator to under the bay.
And let's have a smaller more modern radiator in the dining room.
Meanwhile, in the office, the parquet floor starts getting it, so that we can move the radiator to under the bay.
Today we got some deliveries. 75m2 of 11mm underlay (thanks to the Underlay Underlay thread on here!)
And the first lot of AV cabling - 1220m of cat6 and 305m of audio. Thanks to toxicnerve and VEX for their help and advice so far on the AV side of things.
It's going to be a busy weekend. We move in next week
A busy Friday, the last full weekend before we move in. Erp!
Lottie has been concentrating on the garden. She's removed a few little stones.
Meanwhile I'm throwing a quick bit of patio down infront of the bike shed.
The chasing out is done, including a comedy "spy hole" between two of the bedrooms where the breeze block has gone all the way through.
New rad finished in one of the guest rooms.
New rad in lounge, moved from the wall to under the bay.
New rad in the dining room showing just how much smaller the new rads are.
Starting the AV wire. Thanks to some great help and advice from toxicnerve and VEX, we've planned out some whole house video and audio distribution, mixed in with a bit of Sonos, and a Media PC that I will build. VEX came over today to help finalise the CAT6 and COAX wiring, then kindly arranged for his recommended aerial guy Greg to come over and get the dish and aerials installed.
First step was to work out the cable run from the aerial point to the AV cupboard which was about 22m, so then we measured out 5 runs of 22m twin shotgun WF-100 cable to feed the 8-way LNB in the dish, a DAB radio aerial and a TV aerial.
Greg's done a lovely neat install just under the eaves and all the cables are routed across the loft and down into the AV cupboard.
I'm back at the house tomorrow at 6am to start pulling CAT6 and get the study/home cinema and lounge wired up. Hopefully the plasterer can pay a visit next week as we really do need to start making some of the rooms habitable
Lottie has been concentrating on the garden. She's removed a few little stones.
Meanwhile I'm throwing a quick bit of patio down infront of the bike shed.
The chasing out is done, including a comedy "spy hole" between two of the bedrooms where the breeze block has gone all the way through.
New rad finished in one of the guest rooms.
New rad in lounge, moved from the wall to under the bay.
New rad in the dining room showing just how much smaller the new rads are.
Starting the AV wire. Thanks to some great help and advice from toxicnerve and VEX, we've planned out some whole house video and audio distribution, mixed in with a bit of Sonos, and a Media PC that I will build. VEX came over today to help finalise the CAT6 and COAX wiring, then kindly arranged for his recommended aerial guy Greg to come over and get the dish and aerials installed.
First step was to work out the cable run from the aerial point to the AV cupboard which was about 22m, so then we measured out 5 runs of 22m twin shotgun WF-100 cable to feed the 8-way LNB in the dish, a DAB radio aerial and a TV aerial.
Greg's done a lovely neat install just under the eaves and all the cables are routed across the loft and down into the AV cupboard.
I'm back at the house tomorrow at 6am to start pulling CAT6 and get the study/home cinema and lounge wired up. Hopefully the plasterer can pay a visit next week as we really do need to start making some of the rooms habitable
The plan is to get one room livable in by the move in date. We'd love another month but the tenants that are going to rent our current house really want to move in on Bank Holiday weekend so we need to be gone the week before to allow for cleaning.
We have two border collies, one of which is quite highly strung, so we wanted to get all the "dirty" and "noisy" stuff out of the way before we move in. It will be a bit tight but we should be ok.
We have two border collies, one of which is quite highly strung, so we wanted to get all the "dirty" and "noisy" stuff out of the way before we move in. It will be a bit tight but we should be ok.
Thanks. I was really impressed with it too. There's no way I wanted to try and explain to Sky's Moves Team what I wanted to do, and thankfully I didn't need to. VEX came over in the morning to go over my wiring scheme and help with a few bits and bobs and said he'd sort the aerial install for me. A few hours later, Greg turned up! It's great talking with people who don't look at you as if you're mental just because you want to run 9 Coax's from a mast across your loft and into a cupboard.
Started pulling the Cat-6's today. I'm glad VEX recommended 4 different colours - it's made the labelling a lot easier.
Started pulling the Cat-6's today. I'm glad VEX recommended 4 different colours - it's made the labelling a lot easier.
Some progress as we speed towards the weekend of 18/19 August which is our moving in weekend!
I've been doing battle with the textured wallpaper in the hall after work. It's mind numbingly boring but got to be done. I was pleased to see white walls under the wallpaper as that's the colour we wanted to go with for the hall (which is a bit dark) and it gave us a bit of a lift to start to get some feel for how the white wall / oak doors / oak floor look may turn out.
Thanks to VEX, some toys have started to arrive.
Ceiling speakers, with the templates so that we can decide whereabouts to mount them and get them installed.
The cable pulling has nearly finished in the office. This is going to be our temporary lounge when we move in, so VEX has configured a satellite to feed the room temporarily. Like a hero, he was busy splicing cables at 9pm in the dark (we have no leccy on yet) wearing his head torch.
Bedroom 3 which is going to be the main guest room, but our temporary bedroom when we move in, is pretty much ready for plastering. The cable pulling and first fix is done, and the chases are capped.
TV wall all ready
Bedside wall - power and data ready
Pleasterers should be in there today prepping and PVA'ing. Walls and ceiling to be skimmed. Should be dry for Sunday which will be our first night sleeping in there!
Bedroom 4 is not a million miles off being ready for plastering. Just got to finish capping the chases.
The comms cupboard in bedroom 4 is getting a little busier.
Got to find some time to start packing boxes in the current place, but still got a lot to do at the new place. And have to do the day job (which fortunately ends next Friday). Why aren't there 48 hours in a day?
I've been doing battle with the textured wallpaper in the hall after work. It's mind numbingly boring but got to be done. I was pleased to see white walls under the wallpaper as that's the colour we wanted to go with for the hall (which is a bit dark) and it gave us a bit of a lift to start to get some feel for how the white wall / oak doors / oak floor look may turn out.
Thanks to VEX, some toys have started to arrive.
Ceiling speakers, with the templates so that we can decide whereabouts to mount them and get them installed.The cable pulling has nearly finished in the office. This is going to be our temporary lounge when we move in, so VEX has configured a satellite to feed the room temporarily. Like a hero, he was busy splicing cables at 9pm in the dark (we have no leccy on yet) wearing his head torch.
Bedroom 3 which is going to be the main guest room, but our temporary bedroom when we move in, is pretty much ready for plastering. The cable pulling and first fix is done, and the chases are capped.
TV wall all ready
Bedside wall - power and data ready
Pleasterers should be in there today prepping and PVA'ing. Walls and ceiling to be skimmed. Should be dry for Sunday which will be our first night sleeping in there!
Bedroom 4 is not a million miles off being ready for plastering. Just got to finish capping the chases.
The comms cupboard in bedroom 4 is getting a little busier.
Got to find some time to start packing boxes in the current place, but still got a lot to do at the new place. And have to do the day job (which fortunately ends next Friday). Why aren't there 48 hours in a day?
E36GUY said:
mattdaniels said:
Is anyone actually following this thread or am I just talking to myself?
I'm following!! And I did get your email last week Matt and replied but I have not heard back from you since. You've clearly been busy but if you want to do a good job of the lighting you need to be first fix wiring it now with everything else before you go to plaster or it will be a nightmare!Popped over to the house tonight to see how the carnage is looking.
Plasterers have PVA'd the office and sorted the cracks.
Upstairs in the guest room they have sorted cracks, PVA'd, and got the first coat of plaster on the chases and cracks.
Tomorrow they should be filling the office, then the two rooms will be ready for skimming.
Meanwhile, Lottie has been busy in the garden attacking the wilderness that was at the end of the old shed.
I've got our two sheds up and just need to finish off a bit of patio then get some turf down and a low dividing fence that is the "dog side" of the garden done.
Now, we really do need to start packing up our current place. I pick the van up on Friday morning to start moving.
Plasterers have PVA'd the office and sorted the cracks.
Upstairs in the guest room they have sorted cracks, PVA'd, and got the first coat of plaster on the chases and cracks.
Tomorrow they should be filling the office, then the two rooms will be ready for skimming.
Meanwhile, Lottie has been busy in the garden attacking the wilderness that was at the end of the old shed.
I've got our two sheds up and just need to finish off a bit of patio then get some turf down and a low dividing fence that is the "dog side" of the garden done.
Now, we really do need to start packing up our current place. I pick the van up on Friday morning to start moving.
Any runs under the floor boards are through a hole in the joists. But the majority of runs are up into the roof and along. At the moment they are just laid across the joists but I'm going to put them in cable trays once I know how big I need the trays to be :-) VEX provided the cable - it's "CAT6 Cable, HNC Pro +, 305m drum".
I can recommend his tip for getting 4 different colours (if you are having a data point with 4 cat6's in it) - it helps with the labelling. Each TV point (apart from the Office/Man Den/Home Cinema room and the lounge) comprises :
1 x double gang power socket (grey cable)
1 x single gang with 2x COAX (black cable)
1 x double gang with 4x CAT6 (red, yellow, green, blue cable)
The lounge TV point has 2 extra coax and extra power sockets, so that, for example, a Sky box could be situated locally (ie. as per 99% of Sky installs)
The Office has a switched fused spur coming off of the double power socket, running upwards in a channel and coming out of a brush plate as an IEC plug ("kettle lead") for a TV. Also coming out of the brush plate are 2 x CAT6, 2 x COAX, 2 x HDMI and 1 x screened audio (purple cable) which run over to the A/V unit next to the sofa where the amp / Xbox / Blueray etc. will live.
I can recommend his tip for getting 4 different colours (if you are having a data point with 4 cat6's in it) - it helps with the labelling. Each TV point (apart from the Office/Man Den/Home Cinema room and the lounge) comprises :
1 x double gang power socket (grey cable)
1 x single gang with 2x COAX (black cable)
1 x double gang with 4x CAT6 (red, yellow, green, blue cable)
The lounge TV point has 2 extra coax and extra power sockets, so that, for example, a Sky box could be situated locally (ie. as per 99% of Sky installs)
The Office has a switched fused spur coming off of the double power socket, running upwards in a channel and coming out of a brush plate as an IEC plug ("kettle lead") for a TV. Also coming out of the brush plate are 2 x CAT6, 2 x COAX, 2 x HDMI and 1 x screened audio (purple cable) which run over to the A/V unit next to the sofa where the amp / Xbox / Blueray etc. will live.
Well, what a busy 4 days. 265 miles and about 5 round trips in the van, and we are moved in. The electric meter operating company have fitted an isolator to the meter, the earth and tails are upgraded, the electrician has put a temporary consumer unit in and we have working power sockets in the study and the guest bedroom, and working lights in the hall, cloakroom, bathroom landing and guest bedroom.
Lights in the kitchen would have been nice, but you can't have everything so we had to improvise with a bedside light.
(apologies for the poor camera phone pics)
So Sunday night was our first night in our new home, with the plaster still drying and no curtains.
On Monday I built the bed and the room looked slightly more livable in.
One of the tradesmen obviously fancies himself as a bit of an artist. Or maybe it's a hint that we need to clean up a bit.
Chases in the office all plastered over, ready for skimming.
Lottie has been busy in the garden laying turf.
And the postman brought presents today - screwless faceplate samples.
Only 3 more days at work this week then my contract finishes so hopefully I can spend a bit of time on the house whilst job hunting and make some more progress.
Time to go and tend the BBQ. It's basically BBQ night every night as we have no electric in the kitchen for the oven.
Lights in the kitchen would have been nice, but you can't have everything so we had to improvise with a bedside light.
(apologies for the poor camera phone pics)
So Sunday night was our first night in our new home, with the plaster still drying and no curtains.
On Monday I built the bed and the room looked slightly more livable in.
One of the tradesmen obviously fancies himself as a bit of an artist. Or maybe it's a hint that we need to clean up a bit.
Chases in the office all plastered over, ready for skimming.
Lottie has been busy in the garden laying turf.
And the postman brought presents today - screwless faceplate samples.
Only 3 more days at work this week then my contract finishes so hopefully I can spend a bit of time on the house whilst job hunting and make some more progress.
Time to go and tend the BBQ. It's basically BBQ night every night as we have no electric in the kitchen for the oven.
Cheers guys and gal.
The faceplates clip on to a gasket and surround which screws in to the backbox. Apparently there are screwless faceplates and there are screwless faceplates - these are Schneider Electric which are supposedly the best available but even then they can be a bugger to fit unless the wall is completely flat. We shall see, once we've decided on the colour we want.
The faceplates clip on to a gasket and surround which screws in to the backbox. Apparently there are screwless faceplates and there are screwless faceplates - these are Schneider Electric which are supposedly the best available but even then they can be a bugger to fit unless the wall is completely flat. We shall see, once we've decided on the colour we want.
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