The story of #48
Discussion
Hi!
Thought I'd dip my toe in the water and see if there is any interest in how I came to buy my first house and what I've done, and will do, with it. Houses are not something I'd really given much thought on until 5 or so years ago, but now I find this sort of thing fascinating, so hopefully I'll not bore you!
About 5 years ago I realised I really needed a place of my own (had been living with folks, which was great, but not ideal). So the saving started in earnest and I started browsing Rightmove regularly. I really wanted to stay in the same area, and with having a limited budget there was not a lot of choice. The most common type of house I was looking at were Victorian terraces with the front door opening straight into the lounge, with kitchen behind that and then a ground floor bathroom, with two bedrooms upstairs. Thing is I really didn't fancy that - I prefer an upstairs bathroom, a hall so the lounge stays warm when the front door is opened. A garden would be a bonus.
Move on to 2 years ago.
Saw an interesting property on that there interweb. Made appointment to view. And didn't I just go and fall in love with it... They say when making a large purchase you should never buy the first one you see, I've now broken that rule twice.... (the other was my Mk1 Eunos Roadster, which has been a brilliant little machine!)
Anyhows, this house. It had a porch and a hall. It had a bathroom upstairs. It had a bloody conservatory! It was well off the road, and that road was a quiet backroad anyway, very little traffic. It also had two things I never thought I may be able to have - it had a view! It overlooked a park that is floodplain so is never going to get built on. And it had a garage and workshop.
It wasn't all rosy though. Even though it was a fairly recent build (2000), it needed a bunch of stuff doing to it. The previous owners were an elderly couple so the decor needed changing top to bottom. The lady had limited mobility so there was a stairlift to come out, and a small-bore toilet in the understairs cupboard that also needed to be removed. The bathroom was a wetroom of dubious design and no bath. The front garden was a sea of gravel with a dead tree in a pot, and the back garden was just concrete slabs, weeds and a manky whirly washing line.
Anyway, I'm sure you're all shouting at me to stop wittering and post some pics!
For Sale
Sold!
Looking back towards the front door.
Looking t'other way..
The back 'garden'..
Garage and workshop..
The view!!!
Thought I'd dip my toe in the water and see if there is any interest in how I came to buy my first house and what I've done, and will do, with it. Houses are not something I'd really given much thought on until 5 or so years ago, but now I find this sort of thing fascinating, so hopefully I'll not bore you!
About 5 years ago I realised I really needed a place of my own (had been living with folks, which was great, but not ideal). So the saving started in earnest and I started browsing Rightmove regularly. I really wanted to stay in the same area, and with having a limited budget there was not a lot of choice. The most common type of house I was looking at were Victorian terraces with the front door opening straight into the lounge, with kitchen behind that and then a ground floor bathroom, with two bedrooms upstairs. Thing is I really didn't fancy that - I prefer an upstairs bathroom, a hall so the lounge stays warm when the front door is opened. A garden would be a bonus.
Move on to 2 years ago.
Saw an interesting property on that there interweb. Made appointment to view. And didn't I just go and fall in love with it... They say when making a large purchase you should never buy the first one you see, I've now broken that rule twice.... (the other was my Mk1 Eunos Roadster, which has been a brilliant little machine!)
Anyhows, this house. It had a porch and a hall. It had a bathroom upstairs. It had a bloody conservatory! It was well off the road, and that road was a quiet backroad anyway, very little traffic. It also had two things I never thought I may be able to have - it had a view! It overlooked a park that is floodplain so is never going to get built on. And it had a garage and workshop.
It wasn't all rosy though. Even though it was a fairly recent build (2000), it needed a bunch of stuff doing to it. The previous owners were an elderly couple so the decor needed changing top to bottom. The lady had limited mobility so there was a stairlift to come out, and a small-bore toilet in the understairs cupboard that also needed to be removed. The bathroom was a wetroom of dubious design and no bath. The front garden was a sea of gravel with a dead tree in a pot, and the back garden was just concrete slabs, weeds and a manky whirly washing line.
Anyway, I'm sure you're all shouting at me to stop wittering and post some pics!
For Sale
Sold!
Looking back towards the front door.
Looking t'other way..
The back 'garden'..
Garage and workshop..
The view!!!
So.... I've got the keys, and it's time to start work. First up these have to go!
I know, it's slightly on the wonk. At the time I only had a cheap drill, and it didn't have a hammer action, so my holes were a bit crap. I could sort it out, but it was the first job I did on the house, and a marker to how my diy skills have improved over time, so it's staying on the wonk!!
And now - what about the rest of the house?!
A good friend told me about the Pinterest website, and that was a great source of ideas. When I started the process, there were just two main factors. I had to have carpet everywhere, I'm not a fan of hard floors. And the colour of the interior wood was terrible. I love wood, but only when it's natural, and this dark brown stain was just horrible.
So, looking for ideas I found this -
Similar paint, and with a straw/oaty colour carpet may be the way forward!
Starting with this -
Soon became this -
But because the stain was so dark it of course needed two coats..
Looking so much better already..
One bit of good news was that all the ceilings were in very good nick and didn't need doing.
May 2017 saw a massive change to the house. With all the old doors off, and with all the dark wood becoming light, and also the fresh paint, the house had become way brighter.
I know, it's slightly on the wonk. At the time I only had a cheap drill, and it didn't have a hammer action, so my holes were a bit crap. I could sort it out, but it was the first job I did on the house, and a marker to how my diy skills have improved over time, so it's staying on the wonk!!
And now - what about the rest of the house?!
A good friend told me about the Pinterest website, and that was a great source of ideas. When I started the process, there were just two main factors. I had to have carpet everywhere, I'm not a fan of hard floors. And the colour of the interior wood was terrible. I love wood, but only when it's natural, and this dark brown stain was just horrible.
So, looking for ideas I found this -
Similar paint, and with a straw/oaty colour carpet may be the way forward!
Starting with this -
Soon became this -
But because the stain was so dark it of course needed two coats..
Looking so much better already..
One bit of good news was that all the ceilings were in very good nick and didn't need doing.
May 2017 saw a massive change to the house. With all the old doors off, and with all the dark wood becoming light, and also the fresh paint, the house had become way brighter.
BlueHave said:
Crikey, year 2000 new build decor was bloody miserable, cream and peach walls and dark wood doors and skirting.
Our new place in Scotland has dark window frames, skirtings, doors, wall colouring wasn't quite peach & cream but it's heading that way. Grubby beige carpets too. Built in 1999 when Prince was partying....TBH you need light walls when the woodwork is so dark. One advantage of dark stained skirtings is you don't need to paint them.
We have changed some of the windows and the insides of the frames are now white, changes the room completely. Working our way around with new light kitchen, repaint, new flooring throughout, new en-suite etc
So all the while I'm cracking on with painting I'm also setting up other stuff. I'm a fan of cool tech, and my idea is to have a bunch of smart features in the place. None of which will work without having the internetz. Fortunately, Virgin had already prepped this area so I could have a decent network capacity. I decided to get their TV package as well - I'm not a big fan of Sky - and the man maths of having a shiny new TV package meant I had to get a shiny new TV as well!
So this happened -
55" Samsung 4K UHD beasty! I was extra pleased with the stand. It was a relatively inexpensive jobby from Argos, but set the tone from a furniture point of view. I wanted wood finish, and quite a chunky look, so this fitting those criteria and only being about 50-60 quid was awesome!
Anyhows, carpet folk had been round to measure up, and a British Gas fella came round to install the Hive stuff.
By the middle of June most of the painting had been done, and I was thoroughly sick of the sight of brushes and rollers!
The next awesome thing to happen was carpets! From bare board floor as seen above, to this, what a transformation!!
Only snag was they'd completely overlooked the hall! They had measured it, but somehow in the planning stage it had not been transferred into the work schedule.
What was the 2nd bedroom, and what will be my office/den/man cave/study. Internet, Hive and carpet!
Now painting and carpets are mostly done, it was time to furnish! I'd not be bringing much furniture with me from my old place, so I pretty much had a blank canvas. My idea had always been for the walls and floor to be neutral and let the fittings add the character. I found a great sofabed in a surplus/discount place, big and chunky and a lovely colour.
Trouble is, the sofa is massively heavy, the two blokes delivering it really struggled, and they were big chaps! They also managed to take some bloomin' big chunks out of the sitting room doorframe. Humph.
The coffee table was a great find - the only item in OakFurnitureLand that wasn't oak! It's mango wood, and I love its simplicity...
Another major win for the room are the curtains. They are a deep blue crushed velvet, and my granny made them many years ago, and they'd been hiding in a drawer at my Mum's place. It's almost as if my Granny custom made them for me because they fit perfectly
In the next instalment of the Story of #48 it's time for the saga of the bathroom!
So this happened -
55" Samsung 4K UHD beasty! I was extra pleased with the stand. It was a relatively inexpensive jobby from Argos, but set the tone from a furniture point of view. I wanted wood finish, and quite a chunky look, so this fitting those criteria and only being about 50-60 quid was awesome!
Anyhows, carpet folk had been round to measure up, and a British Gas fella came round to install the Hive stuff.
By the middle of June most of the painting had been done, and I was thoroughly sick of the sight of brushes and rollers!
The next awesome thing to happen was carpets! From bare board floor as seen above, to this, what a transformation!!
Only snag was they'd completely overlooked the hall! They had measured it, but somehow in the planning stage it had not been transferred into the work schedule.
What was the 2nd bedroom, and what will be my office/den/man cave/study. Internet, Hive and carpet!
Now painting and carpets are mostly done, it was time to furnish! I'd not be bringing much furniture with me from my old place, so I pretty much had a blank canvas. My idea had always been for the walls and floor to be neutral and let the fittings add the character. I found a great sofabed in a surplus/discount place, big and chunky and a lovely colour.
Trouble is, the sofa is massively heavy, the two blokes delivering it really struggled, and they were big chaps! They also managed to take some bloomin' big chunks out of the sitting room doorframe. Humph.
The coffee table was a great find - the only item in OakFurnitureLand that wasn't oak! It's mango wood, and I love its simplicity...
Another major win for the room are the curtains. They are a deep blue crushed velvet, and my granny made them many years ago, and they'd been hiding in a drawer at my Mum's place. It's almost as if my Granny custom made them for me because they fit perfectly
In the next instalment of the Story of #48 it's time for the saga of the bathroom!
Good work. I hate dark stained woodwork too, it's made to think it was still going in at the turn of millennium! I also have a mango coffee table off eBay, and my bedroom curtains as a teenager (still up to this day) mum made for her student days and dug out when I complained I did want cartoon zoo animals anymore.
Daniel
Daniel
DozyGit said:
Brilliant, whereabouts approximately in London?
I am guessing you are single especially with that curtain lol
Not in London, actually just about as far away from London as you can get and still be in England!I am guessing you are single especially with that curtain lol
Yup, am single, and the cool thing about that is I can be utterly selfish and do the house exactly as I want!
PositronicRay said:
Looks bonza, it'll be warmer and dryer than any victorian terrace. The view and garage are a real bonus.
Aye, it's an extremely cosy house. Being the middle of three helps massively, but it also has a ridiculous thickness of insulation in the loft. It costs very little to keep warm - even in the coldest bits, use the Hive's boost function to run the central heating for half an hour and that's it good for the evening. Every morning as I roll over and open the curtain I tell myself that I'm a lucky man, the view is a priceless thing.
Schmeeky said:
PositronicRay said:
Looks bonza, it'll be warmer and dryer than any victorian terrace. The view and garage are a real bonus.
Aye, it's an extremely cosy house. Being the middle of three helps massively, but it also has a ridiculous thickness of insulation in the loft. It costs very little to keep warm - even in the coldest bits, use the Hive's boost function to run the central heating for half an hour and that's it good for the evening. Every morning as I roll over and open the curtain I tell myself that I'm a lucky man, the view is a priceless thing.
Apologies for the quality of the photos!
The bathroom as it was was pretty nasty, imho. Also not a proper bathroom as there's no bath! Fair enough, it was practical for the previous owners, but I needed something a bit nicer.
A big influence on me was the memory of a basin at my Grandpa's house, a big square thing, very traditional. I didn't want a totally old-school feel to the room though. Que lots more time skimming through Pinterest and various catalogues. I hit paydirt when I found this picture on Pinterest -
I try to do as much as I can on the house myself, but this needed the skills of a professional. I'd found everything I needed at B&Q, so decided to use them for the build as well, and they were great! The lovely Maureen helped with the design and CAD, something she'd only used a few times before. Her excitement when she discovered how to add a potted plant to the render was priceless!
Bits arrive!
Work starts!
It's a proper bathroom now!
Floor goes down
Tiles!
More tiles!
Yet more tiles - and grout!
Basin and throne
The fabulous shower
And complete!
One thing I'd forgotten was paint, and the guy who did the install offered to do it. When he asked what colour I said I'd leave it to his judgement, and went out to get the shopping. On the way back I passed a picture framers and spotted a great picture in the window. I had to get it, even though I didn't know where I was going to hang it. Anyhows, it turns out the paint and the picture are a perfect match!
Of course the colour doesn't show up that well in this photo, but the walls have a very gentle lilac-ish tint of the same tone as the print.
The install guy (whose name I've forgotten sadly) did an absolutely superb job, and I am just super happy with the result. Every day it is a pleasure to use.
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