General Chat

We are in the process of having a new kitchen installed and the house is one big mess upstairs and downstairs. Kitchen is unusable just walls - no sink - no nothing !! Dining area now houses the fridge and freezer. Lounge settees on top of each other with dining table next to them. We were planning bbq's for our evening meal and guess what - we have rain and thunder. After two nights of eating salads and cold meats me think tonight we will go out for a meal. I am in the process of doing my ironing in our bedroom. Just made myself a cup of coffee whilst having a play on the computer and it made me realise how I take things for granted. But no dount it will all be worth it in the end.
Love Mary xx

Hiya Mary... yep, we certainly take it for granted! It's the little, automatic things, like filling the kettle from the tap in the kitchen...... when there is no tap in the kitchen, and you try from the tap in the downstairs loo... guess what.... kettle won't fit under!! We seem to cope with any massive changes... but too many silly little inconveniences and we are sunk!! Well, I am, anyway.

But it really will be worth it when it is all done.

Love

Daff xxxxxxx

We had a new kitchen fitted about 10 years ago and I said then - "Never again".

We went to a firm who are supposed to be one of the best in the area and anything that could go wrong did go wrong!! It should have taken a week to finish (which included removing all old tiles and re-tiling floor to ceiling).

In fact it took 3 weeks and we lived on takeaways and sandwiches and couldn't move in the house as our house is quite small so any work done causes havoc.

Kath. x

I said those famous two works 'never again' when we had a wall taken down between lounge and dining room in our house in Birmingham - I remember standing in the kitchen crying my eyes out and saying if I knew it would have made this much of a mess I would not have agreed to this. I could stand and look up in the boys' bedroom and tell them to get into bed and go to sleep without going upstairs. Happy days !!!
Daff had to laugh at the kettle not fitting under the tap in the bathroom - guess where my washing up is - in the bidet !!
Still I suppose when we get back from France my new kitchen will be complete - fingers and toes crossed.
Love Mary xx
ps still trying to finish ironing in the bedrroom !!!

My OH wants to have a new carpet laid in the 'front' room as it is the only room other than the kitchen that we have and so is in constant use. The whole idea totally appalls me, as there is nowhere to put the furniture if the carpet is laid. Some how, I'll have to try and talk him out of this foolish escapade, or I will be tearing me hair out.
Julia in Derbyshire

And the trouble is Julia that so many carpet fitters insist you move all the furniture yourself.

get a shed and move stuff into it.**M**

Sorry Merlin, havn't got room for a shed. Ann, you are so right, they want you to move everything yourself.
Julia in Derbyshire

We are in the process of a complete rewire in our small (5 room) bungalow, supposed to take one week. Now into its 5th week and not finished. Anything that could go wrong has, electrician put foot though ceiling, cut gas pipe, creted water leak, plastered chasings and then had to get a proper plasterer out to completely skim all walls and redo his attempt at fixing hole in ceiling.
He also did not put dust sheets down when chasing walls, so breeze block dust ingrained into carpets, air unbreathable as he originally attempted to sand down his bad plaster attempts on the chasings. What about this for cheek, we had some church candles at decorative items, he lit them and burnt them down, presumably for light when sanding! Gail has had to move out.

I think he will end up having to pay us for damage caused instead of us paying him.

A couple of years ago, we had a chimney breast taken out in the kitchen and major work done in the lounge which involved a new RSJ and lots of wall demolishing. The builders were great - they built temporary partitions which kept out the dust, luckily we have quite a large house so it was bearable. Confused the heck out of the dog though!!

Snap Mary we are also in the midst of having kitchen refitted and oh I vow it will be a move into a new property next time if there is a next time.

Nearly took the end off my finger last week helping OH to strip old double oven cooker down so that it would go through doors. I'm on anti-coagulants so blood was gushing like a tap, lucky surgery is only across the road from me and nurse put sterile stitch strips on for me.

I hope I'm about 2 stone lighter after all the running up and down stairs to wash up and get water etc.

Wishing you luck with your kitchen.

Frances

We need new carpets or linoleum in all the 4 rooms, but there is nowhere to put contents while it is done. Prbably finish up doing it ouselves. Would have preferred to settle for the original tiles which are thermoplastic, but frequent tenant changes over the years have made them a mess. Any ideas on how to clean the residue of carpet backing which has stuck to the floors?

Jean.... wet well with warm water and washing up liquid mix... leave to soak in, then use a paint scraper to scrape the residue... time consuming and hard work, but it can be done..... was it foam backed carpet? I wouldn't suggest any other chemicals, cos am not sure whether nasty toxic fumes would result.

Love

Daff xxxxxx

Or try this... Goo Gone... google it, it seems to be pretty good.

Or look at this

http://www.tipking.co.uk/tip/3544.html

Love

Daff xxxxxx

Karen, I am still abroad, Gail has to deal with it all, she wont be pleased if he presents a bill at the end of it.

Some hair raising renovation stories on here - you are probably right Karen I should alter the heading. Hopefully, I will not experience a horror story - but who knows. Anyway come Sunday I am off on holiday for 9 days so I am hoping new kitchen will be waiting for my return. Then all I will have to do is clean up all the dust and mess etc. Any offers of help !!
Just thought good job Ladylol Puss is not on here she would put me on the naughty step for all the swearing. - lol
Love Mary xx

Hubby being a decorator was amazed at number of people who expect him to move the furniture.
He doesnt mind the odd bit or will help them move large pieces but it really got to him when they expected him to empty wardrobes and move them himself.

The other one is he gave them a time and date to start and would turn up and nothing had been cleared away or they wer egetting materials and still hadnt got them, the times i had to put up with him moaning when he got in, that is a good point aout him looking after me he cant moan about custmers anymore instead he moans about us making the mess.

Oh Dear, this sounds like par for the course!
I have 5 lights and 12 sockets which took 2 men 3 days to fit.
I was asked for torch, plaster, hoover, various other tools,,,,, they sat eating Kebabs in my front room while they waited for their tools to charge up on my electricity.
I had moved anything fragile into the garden as best I could, as my back was very frail,and of course they phoned to say they couldnt start until the following week, so most of it is still out there, as I dont have the heart to move it.
I found the boy standing on my bed to change the light fitting.
Yes I'm still finding grit etc, Holes with no plugs, Holes going into the flat above mine { she can sit in the loo and look down on me !} Upside down switches, and worse still no certificate of installation, required by law!

They left me with no lampshades , and I cant reach up to replace them , wobbly carpets, where they cut away the underfelt and threw it away { in the wrong bin}
and when I went out in the rain I opened my umberella and got showered in plaster, as they hadnt moved it when putting in the fuse box.
Electricians, don't you just love 'em !

My kitchen sorely needs replacing but I couldn't face the thought of the disruption, it can stay as it is !