Revealing the bare bones

Enough of the planning and measuring - it's time to start clearing out the old and getting ready for the new. I've spent a few days now pulling up old carpets in the living room and main bedroom and I'm happy to report that the floorboards are largely sound and healthy. Unfortunately they're not good enough to be sanded down and used as the actual floor.
The big bedroom carpet is rolled up, waiting for a friend to pick it up. She's going to put it on her allottment as a weed blanket. Recycling at it's best! Meanwhile I've got some carpet samples to help me decide on the best replacement.

Next there are the dado rails - in both main bedrooms and the living room. What were they thinking? A hangover from the Victorian era in a 1960s house? They'll have to go as well. The ones in the second bedroom came off easily, but the master bedroom is proving a lot trickier. What the neighbours must think of all that banging as I gradually pry the rail from the wall with the help of three blunt chisels, a mallet and a clawhammer (for when I can actually get at a nail).

The bathroom

Probably the biggest challenge in this house is the bathroom. It is tiny! Plus it's downstairs. I had toyed with the idea of putting a bathroom upstairs, but that would have meant sacrificing a bedroom. Or we could have built a new extension, but that would be too expensive and we'd lose money. So I shall have to get creative with the space I've got.

First I will replace the standard bathtub with a space-saver bath that will be narrower at the window end. This will give me an extra 20cm. It may not sound like much, but it's just enough to fit in a cabinet under the sink. The old stuff will be replaced with a new, minimalist toilet and sink and all the pipes, cistern, etc will be hidden away in fitted units to give a nice clean finish. Finally the radiator by the door will be replaced with a shiny new towel rail/radiator.

Well, that's the theory. Unfortunately special bathtubs aren't cheap, so I may try to save money by doing my own tiling. My Mom used to do it, so it's worth a try. Of course, I first have to get the old tiles off. And then there's the floor... but we'll worry about that another day.

This is my first posting on my first blog - ever. It all came about because hubbie and I bought a house that's barely habitable and are planning to renovate it. Of course all our friends and family want to know what's going on, so I decided that a blog was the easiest way to let you see what we're doing.

At this point I should probably apologise to anyone who has stumbled upon this blog and expected a fascinating Grand Designs-style makeover. You will get bored! This is an ordinary 3-bed semi, not some great mansion, and we have a rather limited budget.

So what does this project entail? Well, the house was built in 1960/61 and still has many of the original features - like the wiring. An extension with a new kitchen was added in 2002, but this was done on the cheap, as was almost every other "improvement" to the house. This means we need to:
- rewire the entire house,
- put in a new central heating boiler and update the whole system,
- replace the bathroom fittings,
- replace the kitchen units,
- put down new flooring in every room with the possible exception of the kitchen,
- redecorate everything.

We've given ourselves about five months to get it all done. Obviously I'll need to hire a plumber and electrician for the tricky work, but how much other help I can afford depends on the budget. I'm going to be very busy.
That's all for now. More details (and photos) to come.