London 1930s semi renovation
Discussion
Does look good! The one criticism I'd make: the bathroom tiles look exactly the colour of the contents of a baby's nappy. I would never be able to disassociate them from that smell...
Have to say I had very good luck with English tradesmen - used the same builders and electrician on both houses, in the late 1980s then early 2000s. Got them through personal recommendation. First time round, I quizzed the boss man of the building firm about his meticulous attention to detail, having seen how he'd gone to great lengths to get absolutely everything 100%. His response, in gruff Carshalton tones, "Two ways to do things. Prop'ly, or no' a' all". Bricklaying, plastering, RSJs, internal demolition, replacing ceilings, the lot - everything with the same ruthless intolerance of slack practice. Sadly, the last time I spoke to him, nearly a decade ago, he had an 18-month waiting list, and I don't know if he's still in business - he'd be past 60 now. At the same time as he was working on this place, the local cowboys were doing two other houses in the street: he and his employees viewed their slack practice, slow work and sheer ineptitude with a mixture of open disdain and barely-concealed anger.
Have to say I had very good luck with English tradesmen - used the same builders and electrician on both houses, in the late 1980s then early 2000s. Got them through personal recommendation. First time round, I quizzed the boss man of the building firm about his meticulous attention to detail, having seen how he'd gone to great lengths to get absolutely everything 100%. His response, in gruff Carshalton tones, "Two ways to do things. Prop'ly, or no' a' all". Bricklaying, plastering, RSJs, internal demolition, replacing ceilings, the lot - everything with the same ruthless intolerance of slack practice. Sadly, the last time I spoke to him, nearly a decade ago, he had an 18-month waiting list, and I don't know if he's still in business - he'd be past 60 now. At the same time as he was working on this place, the local cowboys were doing two other houses in the street: he and his employees viewed their slack practice, slow work and sheer ineptitude with a mixture of open disdain and barely-concealed anger.
Edited by RoverP6B on Sunday 23 October 04:21
Decided against marble in the end as it is fragile and takes a stain easily. So a 3m slab of beautifully patterned granite went in today. Really pretty in the flesh with lovely lava swirls. Dark finish gives a different look to the kitchen, so decoration of the room needs to be replanned...
Looks great all round.
Just psyching myself to draw up fresh plans for ours as we've got the garden looking so nice now we've decided to make our kitchen a garden room with open doors out to the garden and move the kitchen to the other side of the house...
If it looks half as good as yours, I'll be happy.
Just psyching myself to draw up fresh plans for ours as we've got the garden looking so nice now we've decided to make our kitchen a garden room with open doors out to the garden and move the kitchen to the other side of the house...
If it looks half as good as yours, I'll be happy.
Harry Flashman said:
Decided against marble in the end as it is fragile and takes a stain easily. So a 3m slab of beautifully patterned granite went in today. Really pretty in the flesh with lovely lava swirls. Dark finish gives a different look to the kitchen, so decoration of the room needs to be replanned...
Great island unit what with that sink and the cut-outs for stools.In my last place the developer before me missed that trick - looking forward to getting one build like that in the new place.
Harry Flashman said:
Decided against marble in the end as it is fragile and takes a stain easily. So a 3m slab of beautifully patterned granite ...
IME granite can be fragile too...be careful with the edges. Many years ago I took a chip out of the edge of some I had with the base of a whisky tumbler!Looks great though.
Good question. It's a personal preference, really. I prefer natural materials to re-constituted materials: so I tend to prefer the patterns in natural stone to that in Silestone and similar. So standard quartz work surfaces do nothing for me, despite being very practical. Also, they cost the same as natural stone anyway.
Silestone do a Carrara marble effect work surface, which would have been perfect as I like the look of white marble. But when I saw it up close, I could see the difference between it and the real thing easily. And that would have bothered me endlessly. And no reconstituted stone I saw can recreate the stunning, detailed lava swirls in the piece we installed. It is like having a natural piece of art as the focus of your kitchen, frankly.
A lot of the tiling in the house is stone - the entrance way is white marble/grey limestone chequer, the kitchen is tumbled limestone, and one of the bathrooms is also a marble/limnestone chequer. One of the sinks is made from a single piece of travertine, and whilst the parquet floors are engineered as this allows better stability, they come with a thick oak layer of 8mm, so I can sand/refinish them over the years, like a natural wood floor. The hearths for the fireplaces are slate.
Natural materials need more care - it is true that porcelain floor tiles and silestone work surfaces are zero maintenance, whereas stone needs cleaning and resealing every so often. But I far prefer being surrounded by the natural stuff.
I also think than natural materials, properly done (so no gloss black galaxy granite floor tiles, for example) tend to be pretty timeless and trend-proof. In terms of kitchen surfaces, for example, Corian was all the rage for a while. It now looks a but tired and dated, and Silestone is the new thing. Wood and stone have never really been "on-trend", but they are never really "off-trend" either. And I want a house that will age well. Things like kitchen cabinet doors can be repainted, but floors and work surfaces have to go the distance!
Silestone do a Carrara marble effect work surface, which would have been perfect as I like the look of white marble. But when I saw it up close, I could see the difference between it and the real thing easily. And that would have bothered me endlessly. And no reconstituted stone I saw can recreate the stunning, detailed lava swirls in the piece we installed. It is like having a natural piece of art as the focus of your kitchen, frankly.
A lot of the tiling in the house is stone - the entrance way is white marble/grey limestone chequer, the kitchen is tumbled limestone, and one of the bathrooms is also a marble/limnestone chequer. One of the sinks is made from a single piece of travertine, and whilst the parquet floors are engineered as this allows better stability, they come with a thick oak layer of 8mm, so I can sand/refinish them over the years, like a natural wood floor. The hearths for the fireplaces are slate.
Natural materials need more care - it is true that porcelain floor tiles and silestone work surfaces are zero maintenance, whereas stone needs cleaning and resealing every so often. But I far prefer being surrounded by the natural stuff.
I also think than natural materials, properly done (so no gloss black galaxy granite floor tiles, for example) tend to be pretty timeless and trend-proof. In terms of kitchen surfaces, for example, Corian was all the rage for a while. It now looks a but tired and dated, and Silestone is the new thing. Wood and stone have never really been "on-trend", but they are never really "off-trend" either. And I want a house that will age well. Things like kitchen cabinet doors can be repainted, but floors and work surfaces have to go the distance!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Tuesday 15th November 12:33
I like it - I have two of those (have them in my flat too). Up close, they are a lacquered raw metal finish, and look quite beautiful. Big things too, at over 2m tall.
Also, sticking it on that stub wall got it away from a main wall, giving space for a sofa.
I do wonder if I should have got them in white, though - less controversial. I love the bare metal, but not everyone will!
Also, sticking it on that stub wall got it away from a main wall, giving space for a sofa.
I do wonder if I should have got them in white, though - less controversial. I love the bare metal, but not everyone will!
TA14 said:
Harry Flashman said:
I do wonder if I should have got them in white, though - less controversial. I love the bare metal, but not everyone will!
It's your house. I like the contrast that the 'bare' metal gives.This, nothing much worse than a slab of white in an otherwise tasteful and costly renovation - white (especially non-designer) is a low cost, I've given up option
I have half a dozen of the same MrCentralHeating rads in our house - and have specced them on clients jobs. They are phenomenal value for money. Mine are all the raw metal ones like yours, and they really take on the colour of the room they are in. I did a lounge for a client, all gold curtains and carpet and the rads ended up blending in perfectly.
I bought them from Mr Central Heating for my flat, where they sit against stripped brick walls and look absolutely superb. They are great value for what they are, compared to most "designer" rads, and beautifully built. They are made by a British company called Revive.
I have some normal high efficiency double panel rads in the upstairs bedrooms - being more efficient they give you more heat out of a smaller package. But all the common areas in the house have these raw metal jobs, as they look so good.
I have some normal high efficiency double panel rads in the upstairs bedrooms - being more efficient they give you more heat out of a smaller package. But all the common areas in the house have these raw metal jobs, as they look so good.
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