Badly cracked raised bed wall
Ian Wilkinson
3 years ago
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Comments (6)
Bibiana Castagnini
3 years agoRelated Discussions
design ideas for a very small house
Comments (43)hi, I agree that turning the kitchen into ensuite bedroom is a smart move, as the current layout means that you have to walk from the kitchen (with the meals) through the bathroom? Or maybe there's another access, but still open plan kitchen / sitting / dining room would work better. They often say, when buying furniture for a small space, choose the ones with built in storage (bed base with sliding drawers, puffs that open up, built in wardrobes if possible, etc.). Also when choosing tables, don't go for chunky pieces, but buy the glass ones, with thin legs, so they create the effect of bigger space. fix few mirros on the walls? Maybe large wall to floor mirror in one place (if you can stand them!). Plenty of shelving, tall, but slim units would work best. Also have you got a loft in the house? you can keep some of the stuff there. Last port of call is always just to rent a storage unit (you can find surprisingly cheap ones these days), and store the stuff you don't use every day. Lovely house and location btw!...See MoreNeed inspiration for the front of my house and driveway!
Comments (43)This is a handsome house. First...symmetry. Can you make the front pillars the same height. I would lower the LH one to match RH. A strong iron railing along the LH side and in the small front piece LH. Keep front door a strong colour....dark green/blue, navy, whatever, and paint the iron railigs the same colout. Avoid lots of small pots...messy and lots to water. You could i) have a narrow raised bed along the RH wall between you and the next property planted with a mix of small evergreen shrubs and trailing plants..small Choysia Ternata, etc., There is a trailing euphorbia (Amagloides ?) which is sculptural but relaxed. ii) Acquire or have built two or three large tree pots. When they are empty, position them in various places, with bamboo canes, to see where they would work best, and how many you want. I would suggest something deciduous with autumn colour and blossom, like a prunus autumnalis; a crab apple; a quince on dwarf stock; a columnar flowering cherry,Prunus Amanogawa....the choice is huge. Avoid cottagey annuals and too much patchy, mixed planting. I would keep pots square, in harmony with the raised bed. This house is formal and urban. Keeo it elegant and with strong lines broken by the foliage and trailers. I needs beauty, not prettiness. cheers...See MoreRenovation of Conservatory/Sun room
Comments (16)Thanks Jonathan So for me it will be Essential 1) Strip the whole house down 2) Then rewiring 3) Heating, radiators and combi boiler 4) Replace conservatory roof, with a better, all year round roof 5) Take down the wall between the kitchen and diner, to create an open diner. Insert a RSJ in place of the original wall 6) New kitchen, designed and provided by Wren ( yes I know, loads of negative comments) with 0% finance and a promise of 20 years guarantee from Wren, to repair/replace any damages. From all my google searches, it seems that a kitchen depends more on the fitter than the material used. A great fitter would even make Wren look good! 7) Skirting and internal doors. 8) New flooring all through the property, carpets in lounge and bedrooms 8) Decoration and painting ------------------------------------ Non essential or second round, if I am still standing!! a) Utility room b) Bathroom c) Upgrade conservatory, windows etc Seems like a plan?...See MoreFull refurbishment advise please
Comments (10)Hi Jonathan, Thanks for all your advise, as usual , worth it's weight in gold I am usually at home only on the weekend and as my day job is rather hectic, combined with an L5 slipped disc, will restrict what I could do physically to help out. I would rather divide the refurbishment jobs into those which are like A) ‘destruction’ or just ripping things out. Versus those which need B) re-construction or as you mentioned, the finishes. I would also divide the available tradesmen into A) Those with no reviews, who can start work at a short notice and are cheaper and B) Those who are expensive, have a web presence/reviews and would take 1-2 months to start a job Using your timeline which you gave me in August, I would list the jobs in the following chronological order Jobs A) to be done by a builder who has no reviews and can be available at a short notice 1) Strip out the house. I would strip out carpets, skirting boards, wall cladding, partition by the stairs, kitchen, unwanted curtains, internal doors and architrave, the fire hearth, I will need a gas engineer too to disconnect the fire and hob. 2)-- Dispose of all the stuff, using 6/7 skips. 3)General builder to take down the wall between the dining room and kitchen. As it’s a non-weight wearing wall, I would persist with my cheaper builder A? 4) My dining room and kitchen ceilings will probably come down at this stage?? Again, persist with my cheaper builder A?. 5) heating engineer and electrician to start rewiring and central heating. —I have shortlisted a couple of electricians, who have excellent reviews and could start work in 2-4 weeks. 6)Consider TV/broadband/alarm at this time for a tidier result—Will have to contact Sky 7) replacement windows and internal doors, will give this to the established builder B- Hopefully by this time, it will be like 4 weeks down the line and he should be available to start work 8) external repairs such as roof tiles and gutters- Again builder B. 9)/ additional insulation to the loft- Builder B 10/ plaster boarding where necessary, coving, plastering. - ** Here I have a query, do I give this job to the good builder? Or try and outsource it to another plasterer? Is plastering more difficult or important than painting? 12/electrician - ceiling lights, second fix sockets. 13/ joiner- new doors, architrave, bannisters, skirtings. If wood floor skirting to be fitted after. 14/ decorator - emulsion ceilings and walls, woodwork primed and finished with eggshell, external decorating as necessary. My tradesmen would do this 15/ floors fitted, radiators hung 16/ kitchen installation Plan to get the raw materials/ design from Wren and then get an independent kitchen fitter to fit it. Unless the independent kitchen comes up with a better alternative. Have emailed a couple Builder B, or the established one, to do all the works as mentioned in the survey, plus the RSJ on the padstone and the conservatory, along with a new roof. I probably leave the plastering to him, including the doors, carpets and new floors Does this sound like a plan? to recap It would leave at least 20-30K worth of jobs to be done by the main builder B I could get some no- interest loan from Wren for their kitchen Use the builder A for stripping and ripping things out, Tradesmen such as electrician and heating to do individual jobs Any advise would be much appreciated Regards Mel ps regarding the conservatory roof, switching over from a glass to an all year round. Do I have to get building reg permission prior to starting work? How long does it usually take? Also, if the original roof is removed, would it not leave the building exposed to rain etc, until the new roof is installed?...See MoreDaisy England
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