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Archive for the ‘DIY’ Category

Late last year we decided that the house we moved into back in March 2007 was in need of some fresh decoration.  With us both being very busy at work and not having being particularly successful with previous decorating attempts ourselves, we wanted to get the professionals in.  We therefore invited a number of local painters and decorators around to our home, to give us a quotation.  One such company was Wall to Wall Interiors who had recently opened a new store on Grape Lane, York.

Sarah Simpson from Wall to Wall Interiors gave advice on colours, styles and textures which was very good and when we made clear that some items of our existing furnishings were not for changing, she always took those parameters into account.  We even decided to go with Sarah Simpson’s recommendation on carpeting.  When included in the overall fixed price we finally agreed for the project, this represented very good value.  It was probably the price for the carpets and good quality underlay that clinched the deal.

The contract was placed and a small deposit was made by credit card.  I used a credit card at this stage, because I could not find through my normal channels of research, much company information on Wall to Wall Interiors, other than a couple of addresses in Doncaster, so until I got to know them, I wanted to be sure when putting down a deposit, that it was safe.

Several weeks passed before the work actually started, because they needed to schedule in the six weeks effort that our home would take but finally in early November this year, the tradesmen arrived from Wall to Wall Interiors of York and the work got under way in transforming our home.

For the next six and a bit weeks, we moved furniture from room to room while the painters and decorators on site worked away behind us.  During this period, every area of the house seemed to be covered in constant dust (which is normally during any kind of decorating) and in the end we were getting a bit tired of the disruption it caused, however the guys on site were very cheerful and friendly and it was therefore easy to carry on with a relative normal life, while they were around.

In the end the project was finished only a few days over the estimated time, but because we had agreed a fixed price, it did not cost us any more money.  There was a slight problem with the final finishing though, because as time slipped by, the guys on site started to take some short cuts and the quality of the paintwork suffered a little as a result.  However to their credit, as soon as we mentioned any snagging, they immediately promised to rectify. The wall papering itself, was excellent but we were surprised that the surplus paste was not washed away.  The carpet fitting was excellent and despite the size of some of our rooms, there were no joins at all.

In summary we were pleased with the overall job and despite appearing to be slightly anarchic when it came to the paperwork, Sarah Simpson project managed the job to our satisfaction.  It was not the high end finish we had set our hopes on, but was good value for the price we paid, delivered by people we came to trust.

Pryordurkin rating 3 stars,

As you may recall, we decided to replace all the windows in our house while decorating, for new Everest Double Glazed units with an ‘A’ Energy rating, so that we would 1) Have a house whose windows didn’t leak when it rained and 2) Have a home that was easier to keep warm.

With three days of constant effort by the two installers from Everest over, we now have new shiny windows in each room.

We are really impressed with the windows themselves and as we expected from Everest they are of a very high quality, but what has taken by real surprise is the professionalism of the install.  Where we thought we would have to repair damage to walls, there is none.  The windows have all been fitted with no damage to any of the walls, even those that had just been wall papered.  The installers cleared up behind themselves and even took all the old windows away leaving the outside around our home as clean and as tidy as it was before they arrived.

We are very happy and would not hesitate to recommend.

Pryordurkin rating 5 stars.

The decorators will be arriving on Monday and before then we are under strict instructions from Sarah, to have the house stripped as much as possible.  So, I have booked up George (you know how I like to delegate), and he will be coming along on Saturday and Monday to help with the lifting (and skipping) of all the current carpets and then helping move furniture into the middle of the rooms.

When I called by Wall to Wall Interiors yesterday to put more money into the kitty, they suggested I take photographs of the house and its rooms, before the big event.  And of course, when the decorating is complete, take the same photographs again, giving us a before and after view. What a good idea I thought, so today, with the sun shining bright through the windows at the moment, I will be taking lots of pictures today. The only thing that we haven’t worked out, is how we are going to continue to live in the house for the six weeks the decorating will take to complete. Anyway, wish us luck and we’ll keep you posted on how it all goes.

OK.  I give up.  I organised the electrician, so that he would come in next week to finish the mammoth job of replacing all the electric switches and sockets in the house, with new ones to match the chrome look and feel we have adopted as part of our decorating spree.  When I got up this morning, I looked at my handy work from the day before. While I was doing this, Paul pointed out that the door handle I had replaced in the lounge didn’t look straight.

I have decided to add joinery to the list of DIY activities that I am simply hopeless at and moved it to the list of jobs that from now on will always fall into the Get Someone In (GSI) bracket.  I have contacted George, our former neighbour and handyman. George will hopefully come round next week to sort out the remaining joinery.  I also plan to ask him to clean the outside gutters before winter sets in. I am not sure he does this, but if not, maybe he will know someone who does.

Incidentally, I have decided I don’t like the four pairs of door handles I fitted yesterday anyway, so have decided to return the unopened ones to Screwfix and have ordered twelve pairs of the one shown in the picture.  They are about 250% more expensive each, but given the point of this decorating exercise is to raise the standard of finish across the house, I think it is worth it.  I am also working on the principle that a better finish will put value on the house.

OK.  So having got all the new parts in and changing my first switch/socket, I’ve decided the best option going forward is to get someone in to do the other 70+.  It took me nearly an hour to change just one double socket.  All those blue, green/yellow and brown wires.

It was hard work and trying to push them into such little holes before screwing in to place was the last straw.  Paul also reminded me that electricity is dangerous and faulty wiring can cause fires!

So, I’ve therefore booked James, our electrician, to spend a couple of days next week replacing all the old sockets and switches with the bright shiny new chrome ones that are scattered around in various boxes in our garage.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite look like the bloke on the left, but at least we trust him.

The house makeover will complete in October so I have taken the chance, before the workmen arrive, to update some of the finer finishing in the house. I wanted to change the window catches, door furniture, electric switches and sockets.  So I have now started swapping them over from the current brass or white ones to a new chrome variety.  I wanted to do this before the workman arrive, because when changing window catches, door handles and sockets in particular, you sometimes cause damage, so it is best to get it done now, before they decorate.

I have discovered though that once you start on this particular course of action, there is no stopping it.  I have just taken delivery of my third order from Screwfix.  This one has, chrome bathroom fan isolation switches, TV sockets and telephone points.  So what started as a simple idea of swapping over door handles and light switches has now extended itself to cover all those other little things you never take much notice of, until of course you start changing things around them, and suddenly they start sticking out, screaming when you walk past “Change Me”.

This is starting to remind me of the time I rubbed a brown spot on the kitchen ceiling of my first house in Cambridgeshire one day.  I had to them rub around it, because the bit I had cleaned stood out so much.  And yes, the result was I ended up painting the house top to bottom.

But as I often say to those around me.  It’s the little things that count.

Now that we’re getting into the decorating, big style, we have been buying quite a few bits and pieces for around the house.  The original windows put in by the builder had brass fasteners which over the two plus years, have started to break, so we needed to get some replacements.  Moving to chrome instead of brass as the colour of choice we ordered up from Screwfix Direct and as promised the items arrived bang on time.  So impressed am I with their service I have placed a second order.

Their website is so easy to use even I can get around it without much hassle.  The best thing as well, is if you order too much or need to return an item, you can simply take it to the local branch which in our case is at Clifton Moor in York.

A fantastic company whose prices are in my view, very good value indeed.  Comparing the exact same parts to those from B&Q or Barnitts in York, there is often a 25% saving to be had.

I’m a fan.  And with their current ‘Don’t be a Spanner, check your nuts Campaign’ I’m even more impressed with their attitude and social responsibility.

Pryordurkin rating 5 stars.

As part of our recent efforts to freshen up the house, we have spent some time changing the front door furniture from the old cheap brass rubbish the builders put on, to something a little more modern.  So last weekend, a new door handle and letter box were installed in nice shiny Chrome.  The letter box took eight hours to install, but that is a whole different story to painful to recount.

Anyway, above our front door since moving in, has been a cheap plastic light that although functional makes the entrance to the house less than impressive. So a little while ago I set about looking for a new shiny outdoor light.

B&Q and Homebase offered up nothing interesting and what they did have all seemed to be made of plastic.  So I hit the internet and found on the John Lewis Website the Montparnasse Outdoor Light priced at £130.00.

Made of sturdy stuff with a good design it was just what we needed. Before ordering though I searched the internet for other stockists and found a company in London (Sparks Direct) who could supply for only £87.00+vat.  As it turned out, they were only a couple of tube stops away from where I usually work, so with just ten minutes browsing effort, I saved ourselves nearly £30.

Delivered by the nice courier man today, we just need to figure out how to install it without electrocuting ourselves.

We suspended our cleaner the other week because we are starting to decorate.  We’ve had a few men come round to give us some estimates and we now have three in hand but are shocked to discover that most of them can’t actually fit us in for at least a couple of months.

We therefore have a dilemma. Do we do it ourselves?,  do we wait and clean the house ourselves until the decorators have been, saving some money?, do we ask the cleaner to come back while we wait for the decorators? or worse than any of these options, do we decorate ourselves?

This question is going to take some time to resolve, so we have decided to focus on choosing carpets instead.  The first attempt not being too successful.  Apparently the one I chose is old fashioned and has too much of a pattern for the conservatory.

Hey ho.  Watch this space

We’re on the look out for volunteers, professionals, family and friends who fancy helping us decorate our now three year old house, which is now desperately in need of an up update and fresh lick of paint. We’re thinking painting, wallpapering, new furniture and cleaning the curtains we put up when we first moved in.

So if you’re bored, looking for a challenge, fancy earning some pennies or just want to help out two poor souls who only ever argue when it comes to DIY, then give us a call. We’ve got a lady coming around in a weeks time to advise on wall papers, but don’t let that hold you back.. Call us now….

PS. If you look like this bloke on the left, then all the better!