First time refurbishment 1960's flat
Discussion
And another weekend done thankfully gives some more progress.
The GF wasn't feeling too well sos didn't manage to get that much more done unfortunately, but, the electrician was in last Thursday to mark up all of the chases into all of the old walls for the Cat 5E, Power points, Sat points, coax etc leaving me to cut the chases in the old walls.
Typically I forgot to photograph anything else - far more chases cut in the bedroom!
Beyond this some walls have now been ply lined to hang the basin/rad's, the bathrooms are now fully fitted (1st fix plus) and I have even built out the under-sink shelving using marine ply so it is full strength, the pipework can be run to the basin counter prior to tiling.
Have had a call from the electrician who is back on-site and cracking on to ensure that first fix electrics will be done buy the end of the week. With a garage full of plasterboard and acoustic rockwool and 50% of the ceiling bulkheads left to put up I've got a lot to do! - I gave up drilling on Saturday after I'd melted the tip of my last bit (must have hit a steel support within the concrete) - picked up a few new concrete drill bits yesterday so can now continue later.
Hopefully it'll be in ok shape for a plasterer to be brought in from next week!
re. budget, I'm still below the magic £10k barrier (forecast £15-20k), the spend to date includes things like tools, appliances and PPE.
Only major things left are trades (electrician, heating, plastering and I think I'll get a pro to fit the kitchen), kitchen worktops then standard paint and finishes.
The GF wasn't feeling too well sos didn't manage to get that much more done unfortunately, but, the electrician was in last Thursday to mark up all of the chases into all of the old walls for the Cat 5E, Power points, Sat points, coax etc leaving me to cut the chases in the old walls.
Typically I forgot to photograph anything else - far more chases cut in the bedroom!
Beyond this some walls have now been ply lined to hang the basin/rad's, the bathrooms are now fully fitted (1st fix plus) and I have even built out the under-sink shelving using marine ply so it is full strength, the pipework can be run to the basin counter prior to tiling.
Have had a call from the electrician who is back on-site and cracking on to ensure that first fix electrics will be done buy the end of the week. With a garage full of plasterboard and acoustic rockwool and 50% of the ceiling bulkheads left to put up I've got a lot to do! - I gave up drilling on Saturday after I'd melted the tip of my last bit (must have hit a steel support within the concrete) - picked up a few new concrete drill bits yesterday so can now continue later.
Hopefully it'll be in ok shape for a plasterer to be brought in from next week!
re. budget, I'm still below the magic £10k barrier (forecast £15-20k), the spend to date includes things like tools, appliances and PPE.
Only major things left are trades (electrician, heating, plastering and I think I'll get a pro to fit the kitchen), kitchen worktops then standard paint and finishes.
sealtt said:
That's so much progress, enjoying watching your thread. I'm really impressed how much you've done for the money.
I've got loads to do to a house I'm remodelling and seem to spend a fortune on everything. I spent £20k just doing job 1 which was a front wall & electric gate!! Any tips for how to keep costs down, especially when finding guys to do the work?
Thanks,I've got loads to do to a house I'm remodelling and seem to spend a fortune on everything. I spent £20k just doing job 1 which was a front wall & electric gate!! Any tips for how to keep costs down, especially when finding guys to do the work?
I'm a little particular perhaps but when it comes to sourcing the big bits e.g. kitchen I read as many reviews as possible to compare the relative quality of each supplier. I order, plan and play each supplier off against each other (if wren etc) but in actual fact it was DIY kitchens that I preferred. Chose to order when there is a "sale" on (you can always delay delivery) using quidco for cashback where possible. Almost everything has come from online.
Other big bits e.g. basins picked up based on reviews for quality (at a price) and then dressed up with branded taps when on sale/offer (amazon).
For the trades I am lucky enough to have some good contacts;
The electrician is an employee of my dad's golf buddy's electrical contractors business so I've got mates rates.
The heating/plumbing has been done by another good friend of the GF's and mine, he owns a pretty sizable commercial HVAC business and given brexit delays to work has had a few guys spare. He's fitted me in around other jobs when work is slow and is charging me cost. He has also been handy in suggesting other trades/giving me detials e.g. plasterer.
Beyond this my dad is a professional QS/development manager so I use him to discuss/plan things when I have no idea and screen costs
Hope this helps?
Another busy weekend....
Electiritan managed to do the first fix last week so I had hoped to finish the ceilings and then start the plasterboarding apace.
Having the bigger rooms to do and limited time (had to fix the motorbike on sunday), coupled with a broken hammer drill meant only the ceilings got completed in the end.
Nonetheless plumbing, heating and electrics are now at first fix, hopefully I'll get the walls/ceilings boarded this weekend, the door frames in after that and the plasterer in shortly afterwards - we are getting there!
Some bad quality progress pictures:
Main bedroom:
Living/kitchen:
Electiritan managed to do the first fix last week so I had hoped to finish the ceilings and then start the plasterboarding apace.
Having the bigger rooms to do and limited time (had to fix the motorbike on sunday), coupled with a broken hammer drill meant only the ceilings got completed in the end.
Nonetheless plumbing, heating and electrics are now at first fix, hopefully I'll get the walls/ceilings boarded this weekend, the door frames in after that and the plasterer in shortly afterwards - we are getting there!
Some bad quality progress pictures:
Main bedroom:
Living/kitchen:
Managed to get another hour and a bit in this evening whilst waiting for the plasterer to come in and quote, didn't get too much done, just finishing off the chasing and building half the ceiling in the spare room.
Thankfully the plasterer wasn't too late and the quote came in a good chunk under what I'd thought. All rooms fully plastered including all ceilings (more complicated than most due to perimeter bulkheads for the lights), he thinks it'll take a good week - £1k
For London I'm not complaining!
Only issue now is I've got to have all walls/ceilings finished, all door frames in and fully boarded by Monday 23rd!!!
Nothing like a little challenge!
Thankfully the plasterer wasn't too late and the quote came in a good chunk under what I'd thought. All rooms fully plastered including all ceilings (more complicated than most due to perimeter bulkheads for the lights), he thinks it'll take a good week - £1k
For London I'm not complaining!
Only issue now is I've got to have all walls/ceilings finished, all door frames in and fully boarded by Monday 23rd!!!
Nothing like a little challenge!
Edited by kiethton on Wednesday 13th July 11:30
Quick question....
I have two now redundant gas pipes (look steel) that I need to remove ahead of the plasterer. The main on sits partially proud of the wall in the spare bedroom and there is a corresponding pipe coming from the concrete floor on the other side of the room (pipe going from the meter to the old cooker location).
I do not have an angle grinder.
Any other (one use) tool that will do the job of cutting these out? - I'll likely be able to get a hacksaw on the smaller upright as its 100% proud of the wall but can't see it working on the main pipe?
Typically carried on googling and found a "cold chisel" given its just pipe I presume that a bit of brute force should do the job (doesn't have to be 100% flush with the floor)
I have two now redundant gas pipes (look steel) that I need to remove ahead of the plasterer. The main on sits partially proud of the wall in the spare bedroom and there is a corresponding pipe coming from the concrete floor on the other side of the room (pipe going from the meter to the old cooker location).
I do not have an angle grinder.
Any other (one use) tool that will do the job of cutting these out? - I'll likely be able to get a hacksaw on the smaller upright as its 100% proud of the wall but can't see it working on the main pipe?
Typically carried on googling and found a "cold chisel" given its just pipe I presume that a bit of brute force should do the job (doesn't have to be 100% flush with the floor)
Edited by kiethton on Wednesday 13th July 15:02
Accelebrate said:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-BT-AG-500W-Angle-...
Cheap angle grinder? They're useful things to have around. Alternatively a pad saw with a metal/hacksaw blade in it for the pipe with limited access.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-27161-Mini-Hack...
I didn't realise angle grinders were that cheap, thanks for that one should be with me asap via prime Cheap angle grinder? They're useful things to have around. Alternatively a pad saw with a metal/hacksaw blade in it for the pipe with limited access.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-27161-Mini-Hack...
Now just need the disc's - metal & might as well get a tile one as I've got a shed load of tiling to do shortly
Been a little while since I updated this.
Sparky has finished the first fix as has my friend that's doing the plumbing, only issue is the mains input valve seems to be leaking...shut off for now but not ideal!
Plasterer was meant tone starting tomorrow morning but we haven't finished boarding out yet, so much more to do than I anticipated! We are getting there though, main bedroom and en-suite done (barring the pocket door covering - ply)
Will let the pictures do the talking...
Bedroom:
Laundry cupboard:
<a href="http://s465.photobucket.com/user/leu07kal/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr12/leu07kal/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg"/></a>
En suite is now storage...
Living room/diner has the half wall built and boarded, half the ceiling done:
Bedroom is the worst of the lot - need to empty the crap out of it and dot and dab the walls over the course of the week:
Then it's just a case of fitting the kitchen that arrived earlier this week - have had a quote of £900 to fit the kitchen (5 base units, 3 wall units) and hang and make good 5 doors (labour only), not sure if it's a good price so will get some more quotes!
More pressing is finishing the boarding for the plasterer who now starts next Monday!
Sparky has finished the first fix as has my friend that's doing the plumbing, only issue is the mains input valve seems to be leaking...shut off for now but not ideal!
Plasterer was meant tone starting tomorrow morning but we haven't finished boarding out yet, so much more to do than I anticipated! We are getting there though, main bedroom and en-suite done (barring the pocket door covering - ply)
Will let the pictures do the talking...
Bedroom:
Laundry cupboard:
<a href="http://s465.photobucket.com/user/leu07kal/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr12/leu07kal/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0875_zps0nngulsr.jpg"/></a>
En suite is now storage...
Living room/diner has the half wall built and boarded, half the ceiling done:
Bedroom is the worst of the lot - need to empty the crap out of it and dot and dab the walls over the course of the week:
Then it's just a case of fitting the kitchen that arrived earlier this week - have had a quote of £900 to fit the kitchen (5 base units, 3 wall units) and hang and make good 5 doors (labour only), not sure if it's a good price so will get some more quotes!
More pressing is finishing the boarding for the plasterer who now starts next Monday!
With the plasterboard nearly done now and the plasterer in next week attention now turns to the finishing side of things - Skirting and architraves.
If I'm getting a carpenter to fit the (DIY Kitchens) kitchen I might as well get them to the other woodwork too (I hate 45* angles!)
Have found this stuff which I like:
However, £430 for the lot (14 door openings counting both sides) and about 42m of skirting seems a little steep.
Anybody know where I can get this style (or very similar) for less? - don't mind un-primed, will give Cindy some more work to do!
If I'm getting a carpenter to fit the (DIY Kitchens) kitchen I might as well get them to the other woodwork too (I hate 45* angles!)
Have found this stuff which I like:
However, £430 for the lot (14 door openings counting both sides) and about 42m of skirting seems a little steep.
Anybody know where I can get this style (or very similar) for less? - don't mind un-primed, will give Cindy some more work to do!
Edited by kiethton on Wednesday 27th July 12:14
So the refurbishment continues, have decided to just stick to the standard chamfered skirting/architrave for cost reasons - £250 saving! but as it's being painted I'll be getting it in the slightly more expensive primed MDF finish to save time and effort.
The plasterer was meant to start on Monday, however had been pushed back to today/tomorrow and I haven't heard from him so I presume this now means Monday, no bad thing as I'm still working hard to get the plasterboard spot on before being taped and edged - reporting season hasn't helped my evenings but thankfully is just about over now.
The spare bedroom has been emptied and is now done barring the plasterboard on the ceilings, the main bedroom, both bathrooms and en-suite are also ready for the plasterer (save the gaps above the doors and taping/edging).
The kitchen has also arrived courtesy of DIY kitchens and is now in storage off-site, have decided to get a joiner to install it alongside making good the door frames, hanging them and doing all of the skirting/architrave to speed things along. He even offered to fit the wooden floors for an extra £100 - be rude not to take him up on that! - so all in it's costing me £1,200 but will save me weeks in time on jobs where final finish is vital (I was borderline on trusting myself!)
I'll update with pictures as and when I can but now the rest of this week's evenings and the weekend is looking rather busy, beyond sorting the last of the plasterboard as above I've got to finish all of the boxing around the sanitaryware to allow the tiles to go on, build the main bathroom sink unit and go on a shopping spree: I need all the tiles for both bathrooms, wooden floors for the kitchen/hall, lino for the utilities cupboard, the skirting/architrave and all of the related ancillaries.
On underlay for the carpets I'm thinking the Cloud 9 stuff but torn between Cumulus and Cirrus (bedrooms) and need pointers toward some decent (but reasonably priced) sound deadening underlay for the wooden floor - the neighbour below is a nightmare enough without annoying him further!
Other query is the shower above the bath - the plumber has wired the bathroom taps but doesn't seem to have run the pipes in the wall for a shower - I presume that these can be spliced from the bath taps as neither would be used at the same time and run in the wall behind the board (before tiling)?
The plasterer was meant to start on Monday, however had been pushed back to today/tomorrow and I haven't heard from him so I presume this now means Monday, no bad thing as I'm still working hard to get the plasterboard spot on before being taped and edged - reporting season hasn't helped my evenings but thankfully is just about over now.
The spare bedroom has been emptied and is now done barring the plasterboard on the ceilings, the main bedroom, both bathrooms and en-suite are also ready for the plasterer (save the gaps above the doors and taping/edging).
The kitchen has also arrived courtesy of DIY kitchens and is now in storage off-site, have decided to get a joiner to install it alongside making good the door frames, hanging them and doing all of the skirting/architrave to speed things along. He even offered to fit the wooden floors for an extra £100 - be rude not to take him up on that! - so all in it's costing me £1,200 but will save me weeks in time on jobs where final finish is vital (I was borderline on trusting myself!)
I'll update with pictures as and when I can but now the rest of this week's evenings and the weekend is looking rather busy, beyond sorting the last of the plasterboard as above I've got to finish all of the boxing around the sanitaryware to allow the tiles to go on, build the main bathroom sink unit and go on a shopping spree: I need all the tiles for both bathrooms, wooden floors for the kitchen/hall, lino for the utilities cupboard, the skirting/architrave and all of the related ancillaries.
On underlay for the carpets I'm thinking the Cloud 9 stuff but torn between Cumulus and Cirrus (bedrooms) and need pointers toward some decent (but reasonably priced) sound deadening underlay for the wooden floor - the neighbour below is a nightmare enough without annoying him further!
Other query is the shower above the bath - the plumber has wired the bathroom taps but doesn't seem to have run the pipes in the wall for a shower - I presume that these can be spliced from the bath taps as neither would be used at the same time and run in the wall behind the board (before tiling)?
Edited by kiethton on Wednesday 3rd August 17:09
Well, today was an expensive but non-productive day!
All tiles for both bathrooms now ordered and arriving this week - 1 ton! - well worth the trip to weybridge to scope out the place and see them in person. Gone for a grey Brazilian slate in the main bathroom and then a limestone/white tile in the en-suite, should hopefully look top notch when done.
Also ordered the wood flooring - went to golders green to check samples and then order -all's good!
Now just have to finish the boarding and tape it all tomorrow ahead of the plasterer on Tuesday!
All tiles for both bathrooms now ordered and arriving this week - 1 ton! - well worth the trip to weybridge to scope out the place and see them in person. Gone for a grey Brazilian slate in the main bathroom and then a limestone/white tile in the en-suite, should hopefully look top notch when done.
Also ordered the wood flooring - went to golders green to check samples and then order -all's good!
Now just have to finish the boarding and tape it all tomorrow ahead of the plasterer on Tuesday!
Another busy weekend!
Thinking the plasterer wasn't due until Tuesday/Wednesday we decided to take a day shopping - getting the tiles & flooring
Tiles were sourced from Mandarin Stone, we could have ordered online but wanted to check the colours/textures etc in person prior so a trip to their closest store (Weybridge!) entailed a brilliant 90 minutes slog through S Croydon and a busy M25...
Needless to say, the store was great and we now have the tiles for both bathrooms, although my card is crying!
Decided on brazilian slate in the bathroom - 600x400 on the floor, 600x100 on the walls and a textured slate around the bath/shower. To keep the room bright and save cost we'll be leaving the one wall plastered and painted (white).
Bath:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/317/black-s...
Walls & floor:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/311/nero-ri...
The en suite will be a bit more normal - grey limestone (300x400) on the floor with a matching tile in the shower enclosure, couldn't justify the cost of limestone mosaic (£700!) for only a few sqm so have gone for 200x100 tiles which should work just as well. To compliment this we've also gone with a plain white tile for the remainder.
Feature tile/floor:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/38/blenheim...
After that was a trip over to Golders Green to sort out the floor - I had ordered some engineered flooring but wasn't too keen on the quality mentioned in reviews and when I actually got to see it in store so have cancelled that B&Q order, electing instead for some UV Laquered engineered flooring from Wood & Beyond - due to arrive on Wednesday and can be acclimatised for as long as possible before being laid by the Carpenter a week today (living/kitchen & hallway).
So Sunday was set to be a busy day finishing the plasterboard, after a non-productive morning after a few too many bottles the night before we had managed to do little before the plasterer called and said he should be able to start today!
I have never had a busier afternoon! - we've now got 99% of the boarding finished, got the corner edging strips up and got it all taped! The friend that's doing the plumbing was called to ensure a tap could be fitted to give the plasterer water and to fix the slow-dripping mains input that was wetting the hallway downstairs and the reason why the water was off...
Thankfully his guys are in today fixing things and hopefully the plasterer will just have a materials dump this afternoon, because....I forgot to install the vent pipe from the en suite to the vent point in the bathroom - needs to be be done before the ceilings are plastered. Only issue is the ceiling gaps are only ~75-80mm and most vent pipework is 100mm.
Current plan is to take off a baord this evening and fit 68mm drainpipe, coupled with a 100-68 reducer at each end to run within the bathroom ceiling, splitting the vent point there, should then allow the vent to be fitted without issue. Lets all hope all's done shortly!
In the rush I still have no update pictures, will do my utmost to get some more this evening
Thinking the plasterer wasn't due until Tuesday/Wednesday we decided to take a day shopping - getting the tiles & flooring
Tiles were sourced from Mandarin Stone, we could have ordered online but wanted to check the colours/textures etc in person prior so a trip to their closest store (Weybridge!) entailed a brilliant 90 minutes slog through S Croydon and a busy M25...
Needless to say, the store was great and we now have the tiles for both bathrooms, although my card is crying!
Decided on brazilian slate in the bathroom - 600x400 on the floor, 600x100 on the walls and a textured slate around the bath/shower. To keep the room bright and save cost we'll be leaving the one wall plastered and painted (white).
Bath:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/317/black-s...
Walls & floor:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/311/nero-ri...
The en suite will be a bit more normal - grey limestone (300x400) on the floor with a matching tile in the shower enclosure, couldn't justify the cost of limestone mosaic (£700!) for only a few sqm so have gone for 200x100 tiles which should work just as well. To compliment this we've also gone with a plain white tile for the remainder.
Feature tile/floor:
http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/38/blenheim...
After that was a trip over to Golders Green to sort out the floor - I had ordered some engineered flooring but wasn't too keen on the quality mentioned in reviews and when I actually got to see it in store so have cancelled that B&Q order, electing instead for some UV Laquered engineered flooring from Wood & Beyond - due to arrive on Wednesday and can be acclimatised for as long as possible before being laid by the Carpenter a week today (living/kitchen & hallway).
So Sunday was set to be a busy day finishing the plasterboard, after a non-productive morning after a few too many bottles the night before we had managed to do little before the plasterer called and said he should be able to start today!
I have never had a busier afternoon! - we've now got 99% of the boarding finished, got the corner edging strips up and got it all taped! The friend that's doing the plumbing was called to ensure a tap could be fitted to give the plasterer water and to fix the slow-dripping mains input that was wetting the hallway downstairs and the reason why the water was off...
Thankfully his guys are in today fixing things and hopefully the plasterer will just have a materials dump this afternoon, because....I forgot to install the vent pipe from the en suite to the vent point in the bathroom - needs to be be done before the ceilings are plastered. Only issue is the ceiling gaps are only ~75-80mm and most vent pipework is 100mm.
Current plan is to take off a baord this evening and fit 68mm drainpipe, coupled with a 100-68 reducer at each end to run within the bathroom ceiling, splitting the vent point there, should then allow the vent to be fitted without issue. Lets all hope all's done shortly!
In the rush I still have no update pictures, will do my utmost to get some more this evening
Harry Flashman said:
We have used Mandarin for a lot of stuff: various tiles in marble, limestone and granite, as well as some ceramic, and a solid stone washbasin. I managed to source stuff in the sales, and their service is excellent.
I am less of a fan of their massively irritating habit of quoting all their prices ex VAT, and not giving a great deal of visibility on delivery costs. And for more standard stuf (e.g. ceramic metro tiles) they are laughably expensive. Got various colours of Victorian metro tiles from Walls And Floors for about a third of what Mandarin charge.
Yep, mine weren't too bad at all (the split face slates were pricey but expected!) and all apparently came from the "classics" range making them cheaper. The white tiles in the perfect size and finish (no distortion, gloss) came in at ~£14psm inc. VAT so didn't think it too bad - far easier to source all in 1 place - £1,200 has sorted out all tiles in all bathrooms so it could have been worse.I am less of a fan of their massively irritating habit of quoting all their prices ex VAT, and not giving a great deal of visibility on delivery costs. And for more standard stuf (e.g. ceramic metro tiles) they are laughably expensive. Got various colours of Victorian metro tiles from Walls And Floors for about a third of what Mandarin charge.
Delivery is a funny one - its done on pallets & based on weight, £41 per pallet up to 1 ton, our initial order came up 25kg too heavy and they wanted £150 - managed to shave some off to scrape under the 1t cap...
Well I've been typically s
te with remebering to take pictures/it's been far too dark when I've got there after work but things are now coming together!
The plastering is now complete and the place is transformed! - just a totally different flat!
The carpenter is now on site, he put down the engineered oak flooring on some 7mm acoustic underlay yesterday and will be installing the kitchen base units today (DIY kitchens) followed by doors, skirting and architrave over the rest of the week
The level of attention to detail he has shown (to date) is perfect, pointing out my new kitchen divider stud wall is 40mm out of square at the end of a 2m span, when working where to set-out the floor from. For £1,200 for all the above (London) I don't think its too bad!
As he also does tiling (from previous jobs to a very high standard) I may also take him up on that one, don't fancy laying a (literal) ton of slate/limestone tiles.
The electrician is back for second fix come next week and my friend doing the plumbing/heating is due on site tomorrow to second fix the bathroom and potentially rotate the boiler to make the vent pipework neater
Then it's just on me to decorate and we're done! - considering we got the keys at the beginning of May and I've been working around my 60 hour P/W job its not been too bad time wise either.
So with light at the end of the tunnel, with any luck we'll be in come the first week of September (although kitchen worktops are likely to take longer - stone still to be ordered post unit fitting for templating).
Budget isn't holing up too badly either, admitedly I've still got the carpenter, plumber and half the electrical costs to pay (and worktops, carpet and paint to buy) but we are at £15.5k (total) or £13.8k true cost (excludes tools, PPE & furniture) so should come within the £20k budget....touch wood!
I'll source some pictures asap! - sorry!
te with remebering to take pictures/it's been far too dark when I've got there after work but things are now coming together!The plastering is now complete and the place is transformed! - just a totally different flat!
The carpenter is now on site, he put down the engineered oak flooring on some 7mm acoustic underlay yesterday and will be installing the kitchen base units today (DIY kitchens) followed by doors, skirting and architrave over the rest of the week
The level of attention to detail he has shown (to date) is perfect, pointing out my new kitchen divider stud wall is 40mm out of square at the end of a 2m span, when working where to set-out the floor from. For £1,200 for all the above (London) I don't think its too bad!
As he also does tiling (from previous jobs to a very high standard) I may also take him up on that one, don't fancy laying a (literal) ton of slate/limestone tiles.
The electrician is back for second fix come next week and my friend doing the plumbing/heating is due on site tomorrow to second fix the bathroom and potentially rotate the boiler to make the vent pipework neater
Then it's just on me to decorate and we're done! - considering we got the keys at the beginning of May and I've been working around my 60 hour P/W job its not been too bad time wise either.
So with light at the end of the tunnel, with any luck we'll be in come the first week of September (although kitchen worktops are likely to take longer - stone still to be ordered post unit fitting for templating).
Budget isn't holing up too badly either, admitedly I've still got the carpenter, plumber and half the electrical costs to pay (and worktops, carpet and paint to buy) but we are at £15.5k (total) or £13.8k true cost (excludes tools, PPE & furniture) so should come within the £20k budget....touch wood!
I'll source some pictures asap! - sorry!
Thanks - been hard work but hopefully all will be well worth it!
I (again!) forgot to take pictures yesterday evening as I just stopped by to check tradesman progress - boiler was being rotated by the plumber for easier flue running, the kitchen continues to go in and the skirting/architraves are going up.
Biggest job ahead now is just tiling - thinking to get the guy that's in currently to do it as long as the cost isn't too steep! - starting to run out of cash :/
Plan would be to get the place valued when we are done - firstly as we'll need to re-mortgage to get a better rate and to take out some cash to repay my credit cards that have been funding the work.
I was 50/50 on flipping it and getting a proper house, but, something tells me it would be wiser to take 2 years living here (that and Cindy is shattered and just wants somewhere to live). I've got to crack on at work a bit more truth be told as the project is draining my energy for the day job, that and I've been registered for next year's CFA exam, with it being a few years since I did the last ones it'll take some time to get back on top of the material come June - something I couldn't do if working on a new project!
I (again!) forgot to take pictures yesterday evening as I just stopped by to check tradesman progress - boiler was being rotated by the plumber for easier flue running, the kitchen continues to go in and the skirting/architraves are going up.
Biggest job ahead now is just tiling - thinking to get the guy that's in currently to do it as long as the cost isn't too steep! - starting to run out of cash :/
Plan would be to get the place valued when we are done - firstly as we'll need to re-mortgage to get a better rate and to take out some cash to repay my credit cards that have been funding the work.
I was 50/50 on flipping it and getting a proper house, but, something tells me it would be wiser to take 2 years living here (that and Cindy is shattered and just wants somewhere to live). I've got to crack on at work a bit more truth be told as the project is draining my energy for the day job, that and I've been registered for next year's CFA exam, with it being a few years since I did the last ones it'll take some time to get back on top of the material come June - something I couldn't do if working on a new project!
So I think, primarily driven by cost, I may have to look at doing the tiling myself. With 998 kg's of tiles (mostly natural stone) its a bit of a job!
Firstly the rooms - there is the bathroom - fairly complicated with a fair number of cuts around boxing - using 600 x 100 natural slate tiles on the walls, split-face moasic slate around the shower/bath and 600 x 400 slate on the floor...
If I went for the pre-mix adhesive:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/evo-stik-superior-streng...
The correct spacers:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/vitrex-tile-spacers-2mm-...
and armed myself with one of these (and plenty of blades):
http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb336tcb-500w-til...
And these:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/tile-nippers/15507
Could I make a good enough go of it to not be classes as amateurish?
I presume that I'll need some external corner trims to look after the external corners too.
Firstly the rooms - there is the bathroom - fairly complicated with a fair number of cuts around boxing - using 600 x 100 natural slate tiles on the walls, split-face moasic slate around the shower/bath and 600 x 400 slate on the floor...
If I went for the pre-mix adhesive:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/evo-stik-superior-streng...
The correct spacers:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/vitrex-tile-spacers-2mm-...
and armed myself with one of these (and plenty of blades):
http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb336tcb-500w-til...
And these:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/tile-nippers/15507
Could I make a good enough go of it to not be classes as amateurish?
I presume that I'll need some external corner trims to look after the external corners too.
Thanks for all of the pointers guys - have bought the tools - then bumped Into the carpenter at the flat working away so wasnt able to do anything today - didn't want to be working on top of him!
As he does some high quality tiling I've asked him for a quote - if reasonable he can do it...
Was commenting on some bits though - where it's been plastered the (admittedly not perfect) door linings have moved/warped slightly so he's having great fun! - also seems I stuffed the walls around the laundry cupboard with too much sound insulation and its bowing slightly in the cavity - pushing out the board/plaster - another headache he's fixing :/
I did mange to get some pictures though - middle of him working with one room being used for storage:
Bed 1:
Bed 2: (storage currently)
Living room/kitchen:
Plan is to give the plaster their first coat of paint tomorrow and sort out the holes for the spotlights
As he does some high quality tiling I've asked him for a quote - if reasonable he can do it...
Was commenting on some bits though - where it's been plastered the (admittedly not perfect) door linings have moved/warped slightly so he's having great fun! - also seems I stuffed the walls around the laundry cupboard with too much sound insulation and its bowing slightly in the cavity - pushing out the board/plaster - another headache he's fixing :/
I did mange to get some pictures though - middle of him working with one room being used for storage:
Bed 1:
Bed 2: (storage currently)
Living room/kitchen:
Plan is to give the plaster their first coat of paint tomorrow and sort out the holes for the spotlights
corradokid said:
Great thread op! Interested to see how this finishes up as I'll shortly be in the same boat as you, full interior refurb of a two bedroom flat not far from you on Bromley hill. Expecting all the same issues regarding concrete ceilings and having to rewire the whole place and we also have to install a complete central heating system as it's currently all electric. Any recommendations you have for local suppliers and tradesmen would be most appreciated.
Can I ask how comes you only dropped the ceiling around the very edges rather than the whole span and also what you plan regarding the lighting? We intend to run down lighters all round but are having trouble finding sensibly priced low profile units so we don't have to loose to much ceiling height. i see you have run all the pipe work to ceiling height are you not concerned about any potential maintenance required in the future?
Thanks all - the bulkheads have come about for a couple of reasons:Can I ask how comes you only dropped the ceiling around the very edges rather than the whole span and also what you plan regarding the lighting? We intend to run down lighters all round but are having trouble finding sensibly priced low profile units so we don't have to loose to much ceiling height. i see you have run all the pipe work to ceiling height are you not concerned about any potential maintenance required in the future?
We talked through and sorted out our lighting via Guy on here (E36GUY) who did the lighting plans for the whole place and has supplied some top quality fittings at a very reasonable (for what they are) prices. The lights were placed around the edges to properly illuminate the area/light the walls a bit, guy knows the technical reasons
With the lights going around the edges and a standard floor to ceiling of only 2450mm I didn't want to make it feel too low/cramped by dropping it the full way round - thought it would open the rooms to light a bit better and be a little different (ala top end hotels) even though it's just a 100mm drop inc plasterboard & finish.
I do have a couple of recommendations for two guys that I've found, a plasterer that plastered the whole place to a top standard for a very reasonable price, the current carpenter/handyman/tiler has OCD and is a perfectionist, complaining that a wall at the end of a 2m span was 4mm out of square...very nice romainan chap that works with his dad. He's impressed me so much I've decided to get him to tile my bathrooms - blowing the budget now!
The elctritian is good and is an employee of a family friend's electrical contracting business - not the cheapest but a very thorough no hassle job.
PM me for contact details
So this weeked had little progress - turned up to work there on Saturday and the carpenter was there working away, decided to order carpets instead...
Went back today and have now done the first (watered down white) coat over the plaster in half the flat - 15l of pint down already.
Carpenter should be done by tomorrow (fitting kitchen, doors & architraves) and will be cracking on with my tiling later in the week - well worth blowing the budget (£2.8k!) to ensure I don't A - create a s
tty finish to ruin the place, and B - don't ruin my tiles through inexperience...For the cash he's also doing all my boxing-in, boarding and laying a full rubber membrane floor to fully water seal
2-3 weeks and hopefully we'll be in!
Edited by kiethton on Monday 22 August 07:25
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