Show us yer house and house-related meddlings

[cybershot]

How do people actually find trustworthy tradespeople to do these things? I have a whole list of stuff I need to get sorted but it's really problematic getting anyone out to quote.

Local facebook community, any local 'newsletters' that get pushed through the door, that generally have more adverts in them than actual 'news'

The more local the better as they will give a shit about reputation. CheckAtrade type websites are useful if you want to check ratings and existing work.

 

[miss direct]

Some progress today. Pleased with my cheat tiles and paint choice. Looked good once it dried.

 

[Looby]

How do people actually find trustworthy tradespeople to do these things? I have a whole list of stuff I need to get sorted but it's really problematic getting anyone out to quote.

If I can’t get a recommendation, I use rated people or checkatrade. I don’t trust the Facebook or Nextdoor recommendations because as someone else said, it’s always their mates.

We haven’t had building work done but have hired electricians and a carpenter without any issues.

 

[RubyToogood]

I think the main problem I have is people not responding, not turning up, turning up to quote and then not quoting... It's like a massive research process with a really high attrition rate.

 

[kabbes]

Rated people and checkatrade are no more or less reliable than sticking your finger in the digital equivalent of yellow pages. The ratings are worthless.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

If it makes you feel any better I only started painting my bedroom last week. I moved in 7 months ago!

Painted 1 wall in about 8 years here!

I've done one room in about 20 years (it's all a bit complicated - i rented the place from a BTL merchant, then he wanted to sell up at about the time i wanted to buy somewhere) - at that time, i was working a lot of hours, then had a spate of being ill, then acquired a lodger so there was even less space, then started a job that involved commuting to london. and have too much stuff now.

it's time i moved...

If anyone in S London wants to recommend me a builder/brickie to at least repoint and probably rebuild a step area, hit me up.
And a fencer, electrician, plumber, roofer...

which bit of S London?

if you're brixton-ish there is a specific thread

mum-tat is more SE London (grove park-ish) and had a front fence / gate done by these people and was reasonably impressed. their website says they do 'the entire south east and greater london' although another page on their site lists the SE, CR, DA, BR postcodes.

for electricals, there's urban's own sparkybird - she's done a couple of things for mum-tat, but mum-tat's a bit outside her usual working area.

 

[equationgirl]

Good progress on the wardrobe Cloo I see what you mean about it dominating the space.

For temporary solutions what about a clothes rack and some hanging shelves? Argos and IKEA both have a selection.

 

[shakespearegirl]

How do people actually find trustworthy tradespeople to do these things? I have a whole list of stuff I need to get sorted but it's really problematic getting

I've done one room in about 20 years (it's all a bit complicated - i rented the place from a BTL merchant, then he wanted to sell up at about the time i wanted to buy somewhere) - at that time, i was working a lot of hours, then had a spate of being ill, then acquired a lodger so there was even less space, then started a job that involved commuting to london. and have too much stuff now.

it's time i moved...



which bit of S London?

if you're brixton-ish there is a specific thread

mum-tat is more SE London (grove park-ish) and had a front fence / gate done by these people and was reasonably impressed. their website says they do 'the entire south east and greater london' although another page on their site lists the SE, CR, DA, BR postcodes.

for electricals, there's urban's own sparkybird - she's done a couple of things for mum-tat, but mum-tat's a bit outside her usual working area.

Spark bird has retired!

 

[sparkybird]

I've done one room in about 20 years (it's all a bit complicated - i rented the place from a BTL merchant, then he wanted to sell up at about the time i wanted to buy somewhere) - at that time, i was working a lot of hours, then had a spate of being ill, then acquired a lodger so there was even less space, then started a job that involved commuting to london. and have too much stuff now.

it's time i moved...



which bit of S London?

if you're brixton-ish there is a specific thread

mum-tat is more SE London (grove park-ish) and had a front fence / gate done by these people and was reasonably impressed. their website says they do 'the entire south east and greater london' although another page on their site lists the SE, CR, DA, BR postcodes.

for electricals, there's urban's own sparkybird - she's done a couple of things for mum-tat, but mum-tat's a bit outside her usual working area.

Thanks so much for the recommendation Puddy Tat but yes it's true, I hung up my toolbelt at Christmas.
Always happy to try and advise urbs if possible though.

 

[shakespearegirl]

Thanks so much for the recommendation Puddy Tat but yes it's true, I hung up my toolbelt at Christmas.
Always happy to try and advise urbs if possible though.

sadly only two of the 8 electricians I contacted got back to me, both to say they’d retired!

 

[colacubes]

On ours people either recommend their boyfriends or someone who is surely brilliant but unobtainable.

If anyone in S London wants to recommend me a builder/brickie to at least repoint and probably rebuild a step area, hit me up.
And a fencer, electrician, plumber, roofer...

I can recommend you a Brickie for pointing who also does roofs. Drop me a message to remind me

On ours people either recommend their boyfriends or someone who is surely brilliant but unobtainable.

If anyone in S London wants to recommend me a builder/brickie to at least repoint and probably rebuild a step area, hit me up.
And a fencer, electrician, plumber, roofer...

I can recommend you someone for repointing/roofing who lives bottom of my road. As you know our place is a constant repointing project and he does ours Drop me a message to remind me and I’ll send you number.

 

[miss direct]

I have some questions about carpets. Possibly silly questions but never done this before so here goes.

Can I get different carpets in different rooms/parts of the home, or is it better to have the same carpet throughout?

How do I choose a good colour? Bedroom will be light blue walls and navy blue bed, living room is taupe/neutral - I haven't got furniture yet but thinking dark red/mustards theme.

Should I get deep pile? A friend of mine recently got it and it's nice to sit on and comfy to walk on, but furniture leaves dents.

Have to decide really quickly! Would appreciate any tips.

Also vague ideas on price would be useful. I've heard something from £1,000-£1,500 (only a small place.)

 

[Epona]

You can get different carpets in different areas.

They come in different types for different wear - in high traffic areas like your hallway, you want a tough carpet that can withstand the regular back and forth as you come and go. In your bedroom you may well want a softer carpet for a bit more of a softer luxurious feel. Deep pile there would be fine (it doesn't matter if your bed legs dent the carpet if you never move your bed) but avoid it in the hall as it is going to get trodden down and look old quickly.

Don't go for too pale a colour in areas like the hall as in areas like that it will get grubby quicker and you don't want it to look grubby too regularly between cleanings!

Cost varies widely, really depends what you go for - check out a few carpet websites, you'll see that there is a wide variance in prices and types - synthetic, wool etc. Very cheap carpet isn't going to feel wonderful. If you can get to a carpet shop to have a feel, that is IMO for the best.

 

[clicker]

You can get different carpets in every room if you like. An overall colour may look more cohesive.

Saxony carpets are longer pile, good for anywhere you want a bit of softness. Any furniture will mark carpets....you can get round things to stand sofa legs in for example...can't remember name.
Twist carpet good for heavy wear areas.

Would be handy to go to a shop as so much choice.

 

[moose]

I think the main problem I have is people not responding, not turning up, turning up to quote and then not quoting... It's like a massive research process with a really high attrition rate.

I thought it was a Macclesfield thing. I generally drop 6 people invitations to come round and quote, and end up going with the only one who shows up. If they bother.

 

[Hellsbells]

View attachment 281815View attachment 281814
View attachment 281816
Some progress today. Pleased with my cheat tiles and paint choice. Looked good once it dried.

Lovely 'tiles' (who cares if they're not real) Also, don't get rid of the wallpaper in the living room - it looks like a Klint painting - & is really nice

 

[Cloo]

Good progress on the wardrobe Cloo I see what you mean about it dominating the space.

For temporary solutions what about a clothes rack and some hanging shelves? Argos and IKEA both have a selection.

We also have a big sue ryder shop round the corner with lots of furniture so will definitely look there at weekend as we can literally carry stuff from there to our house (have done so a few times over the years!)

 

[WouldBe]

I have some questions about carpets. Possibly silly questions but never done this before so here goes.

Yes you can have different carpets in each room. Don't worry about furniture leaving dents as a run over with a steam cleaner will revive the pile.

As to cost carpets can start from about a fiver per square meter upto £100+ per square meter. Depends on your budget and taste. Colour is down to you but may help if you can take a paint sample with you on a piece of card or something so you can see what they look like together.

 

[sparkybird]

sadly only two of the 8 electricians I contacted got back to me, both to say they’d retired!

I've just sent you another number shakespearegirl
But with the caveat that everyone is so busy at the moment, so waits of 1-2 months even for smallish jobs are standard for good trades. Maybe I should come back out of retirement

 

[shakespearegirl]

I've just sent you another number shakespearegirl
But with the caveat that everyone is so busy at the moment, so waits of 1-2 months even for smallish jobs are standard for good trades. Maybe I should come back out of retirement

A builder who is working on another house on the street is going to do it for me…thanks for the suggestion though. And yes, I think you would be super busy if you un retired!

 

[teuchter]

A builder who is working on another house on the street

This is often quite a good way of finding someone actually

• low effort for them to come to you to look at the job and decide if they want to quote
• they already know the street/area, parking restrictions, etc etc
• you can see their work (and their site - does it look well managed and do they clear up properly)
• you can potentially talk directly to the householder they are doing stuff for (instead of relying on references that they cherry-pick for you)
• might be attractive & easy for them to shift all their site set-up directly to your job if they've not got something else already lined up afterwards

 

[bimble]

miss direct are you planning on getting a cat *? If this is likely, or even a possibility, it might be wise to let it influence your choices in all things carpet / upholstery.
*recommended

 

[Epona]

Very true, one of my sofas looks like someone got very upset with it while holding a chainsaw, the other (which is older) looks somewhat less shredded - the one that is more intact has heavy canvas type covers, the one that is shredded is a fun-to-dig-their-claws-in-and-have-a-go waffle weave fabric cover.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Thanks so much for the recommendation Puddy Tat but yes it's true, I hung up my toolbelt at Christmas.

oops - if you'd said so on here, i hadn't noticed

sadly only two of the 8 electricians I contacted got back to me, both to say they’d retired!

mum-tat had similar with plumbers a while ago, think she may have a tame one now (again the SE side of london) - can ask if you want.

Can I get different carpets in different rooms/parts of the home, or is it better to have the same carpet throughout?

@miss direct are you planning on getting a cat *? If this is likely, or even a possibility, it might be wise to let it influence your choices in all things carpet / upholstery.
*recommended

indeed. do you get a carpet that matches the cat (or vice versa) so the hairs don't show, or a contrasting one so you're less likely to tread on kitty?

 

[sparkybird]

oops - if you'd said so on here, i hadn't noticed

No dont worry, I hadn't said. Words getting out now though!

 

[miss direct]

I may well get a cat at some point. Good point.

Bed coming on Friday and doesn't look like carpets will be done by then. Therefore I guess no nice new carpet in the bedroom..just an old slightly smelly thin one which now has paint stains on it.

Bed is arriving on Friday, helpfully at some point between 8 and 6. I have so much work to do that I can't really afford to spend the entire day waiting there (if only I had a proper Internet connection!) Also apparently they only deliver to the building entrance, which isn't remotely useful as there are steps and fire doors to get through, then navigating up the stairs. Why is everything so complicated?

 

[cybershot]

More paint related questions. I have these sliding doors on built in wardrobe thing. Probably been here for years and have gone that sort of yellow piss stain colour that plasticky type things go after many years. What’s the best paint to use to bring them back to life as assume normal Matt type paint will just not go on very well and flake eventually? I’m not even sure if they are plastic or vinyl or what. Video below of my giving them a bash. Don’t really want to remove them because more effort than I can be arsed with and will probably then never get them back in so was hoping to avoid spray paints.


View attachment IMG_7621.MOV

 

[WouldBe]

More paint related questions. I have these sliding doors on built in wardrobe thing. Probably been here for years and have gone that sort of yellow piss stain colour that plasticky type things go after many years. What’s the best paint to use to bring them back to life as assume normal Matt type paint will just not go on very well and flake eventually? I’m not even sure if they are plastic or vinyl or what. Video below of my giving them a bash. Don’t really want to remove them because more effort than I can be arsed with and will probably then never get them back in so was hoping to avoid spray paints.


View attachment 282044

Cupboards / wardrobes are probably melamine coated and you can get special paint for melamine. You may need to use a melamine primer first.

 

[Epona]

I may well get a cat at some point. Good point.

Bed coming on Friday and doesn't look like carpets will be done by then. Therefore I guess no nice new carpet in the bedroom..just an old slightly smelly thin one which now has paint stains on it.

Bed is arriving on Friday, helpfully at some point between 8 and 6. I have so much work to do that I can't really afford to spend the entire day waiting there (if only I had a proper Internet connection!) Also apparently they only deliver to the building entrance, which isn't remotely useful as there are steps and fire doors to get through, then navigating up the stairs. Why is everything so complicated?

Most people change carpets while they are living in a place with furniture, your bed arriving before the carpet is not insurmountable

 

[shakespearegirl]

I may well get a cat at some point. Good point.

Bed coming on Friday and doesn't look like carpets will be done by then. Therefore I guess no nice new carpet in the bedroom..just an old slightly smelly thin one which now has paint stains on it.

Bed is arriving on Friday, helpfully at some point between 8 and 6. I have so much work to do that I can't really afford to spend the entire day waiting there (if only I had a proper Internet connection!) Also apparently they only deliver to the building entrance, which isn't remotely useful as there are steps and fire doors to get through, then navigating up the stairs. Why is everything so complicated?

Is the bed coming un assembled? You could move the bits around various rooms till carpet done? We are constantly doing the room shuffle of stuff whilst trying to paint and it is a pain. Deliveries are random here. Last week cooker and hob turned up with an hours notice and insisting I was there to sign as order in my name. Husband keeps getting random phone calls in Portuguese saying ‘delivery on friday/tomorrow/next week’ but we’ve ordered so much stuff we never really know what’s turning up!