Empty, bland entrance... into bright, practical and charming Mudroom!
Christian Builders Margate Ltd
7 years ago
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Most boring launge ever - SOS!!
Comments (168)Looks great - nice to see your igonred most of the anne twacky ideas ! But would suggest get way bigger pictures. I get mine from charity shops, car boot sales etc and paint the frames or replace the picture. You can knock up an abstract in two mins. Use any left over emulsion paint or buy matchpots to paint out the existing picture which gives you your background and paint a blob of colour anywhere on the canvas ( or whatever it's made of. ). If you are going to paint the frame matt is nice and I use clay based paint. I KNOW its expensive but it goes a looooong way and looks and feels mega. You may find some nice abstract stuff as well. For example I got a unframed canvas ( feels like canvas ) with nine squares on it all a different colour with contrasting, lit, light bulbs in each square. It was It was about 90 cm x 120 cm and I turned it around the wrong way. i.e so the bulbs looked to be sticking out rather than standing up. Very loud and brrrrright. Cost £12.00. I also go to local auctions. I cannot tell you the amount of things I have obtained from them for next to nothing. General household sales are the best for bargains. e.g. cabin trunk for £12.00, metal top hat box £8.00 both now painted. Few years back, I furnished a two bed flat with two receptions, kitchen and bathroom for £200. I like old furniture and I can also paint ! Therefore, it is my suggestion that you go for really nice wood or nice shape. Unfortunately, you don't usually get both together. I got a demi lune table really solid from a car boot sale for £4.00 also painted and looks good under the window. Mirrors car boots, auctions, charity shops and although there are not so many these days, jummies ! ( jumble sales ). Strange. I sense a big yawn coming on so I hope I did not bore you too much but your place has so much scope and did I mention Brick Lane Market, Portobello Market ? and every other London market. Also in Spain I got large white with blue roses on massive curtain for 10 euros way before the big rose thing became trendy. France is good for street markets. Good luck. Goodbye....See MoreWhat is your biggest property turn-off?
Comments (103)I have always bought wrecks - I love renovating: and I completely agree with overpaying for a new renovation that is rubbish and soulless: I won't even view a house that has obviously been done up by one of the many "property developers" that infest London. I can cope with anything (have rectified asbestos, removed wood chip, put back period features and replaced everything from roof to digging up a floor to install underfloor heating in the past), but my absolute nos: dodgy neighbours/road, lack of off-street parking (London), a floor plan I can do nothing with, lack of potential to add value myself. I have seen (and met) some real horrors whilst looking for houses! Also, I have to have a period house: 1930s or older....See MoreVictorian Renovation in London - Part 2
Comments (201)Thanks guys - we did a lot of experimenting and testing on some old floorboards before deciding on this stuff. The Osmo oil gives a deep and rich finish on old pitch pine that looks very different to varnish - deeper and with more of the grain being brought out. It's more like a beeswax finish from olden times, without the backbreaking labour and maintenance. Interestingly on the new boards (in the top bedroom), it makes far less difference: the new pine just looks yellow and shiny, much as it would if varnished. But the oil should be tougher and lower maintenance. We decided to restore these floors rather than replace as they were actually in remarkably good condition: this house has never had fitted carpets fitted, nor central heating fitted until 2014, and when it was installed it was installed with regard to keeping the floors intact (many systems installed in past decades saw the boards sawn up and hacked about). I wanted look that is obviously original, and can't be mistaken for engineered wood. I did think about a limewashed finish, but bottled it at the last minute and went totally traditional, as I thought less risk of a finish done to a trend that would be hard to reverse....See MoreHuge shortfall in budget.. what would you do?
Comments (22)I suspect what I’m suggesting is not in fact equal to knocking the house down and starting again- and may well be a £20k -£25k saving. Assuming the new wing has new footings it can be built at a lower level for little difference in cost, you are lowering ground level outside the front door already. Changing the height of the hallway could be inexpensive but that depends on if it’s a solid floor or timber raised off the foundation. Lowering the floor in the former kitchen again depends on the original construction but since you are rewiring, re plumbing and re plastering much of these costs were already in the plan. So by my reckoning you save £25k by not building a first floor dining room, £10k for not building a roof terrace, £5k because of not needing a sprinkler system. Then you need to add £2k for an additional aperture on the entrance level, £4k for new floor joists, £8k for replacement stairs (and I bet you had already planned to spend some money on your existing stairs) and likely £3k of fees. So overall a saving I do understand that the first floor has good views but equally that means the entrance level has garden access and more privacy. And I think style wise the split levels wouldn’t be missed in fact the big glazing, open staircases and vaulted ceilings defines its 60s origins more than the split levels. And in my opinion it will feel bigger for having fewer changes in levels....See MoreChristian Builders Margate Ltd
7 years agoV.I.P Walls Interior Specialist
7 years agoChristian Builders Margate Ltd thanked V.I.P Walls Interior Specialist
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