The wall spikes are just for the back of the property which is secluded and backs onto an overgrown lane, I don't want it to become Fort Knox but I don't want a welcoming opportunity for more intruders. These are a temporary fix until we move in...
First Home - Renovation Project
- Thread starter Brozart
- Start date
The wall spikes are just for the back of the property which is secluded and backs onto an overgrown lane, I don't want it to become Fort Knox but I don't want a welcoming opportunity for more intruders. These are a temporary fix until we move in...
Some updates on the bathroom,
We fitted the mirror this weekend, I was impressed with the quality of the demister function and on/off sensor at the bottom - its well worth paying a little extra for one of these!
Also started fitting the shower panels:
I managed to source single part white aluminium corner and trim which is harder to get but much better quality, most shops were trying to sell me the weaker two part plastic ones:
Here's a close up of the corner to give you an idea on how good the seal is (it will also have a bead of silicone in front for another layer of protection)
We fitted the mirror this weekend, I was impressed with the quality of the demister function and on/off sensor at the bottom - its well worth paying a little extra for one of these!
Also started fitting the shower panels:
I managed to source single part white aluminium corner and trim which is harder to get but much better quality, most shops were trying to sell me the weaker two part plastic ones:
Here's a close up of the corner to give you an idea on how good the seal is (it will also have a bead of silicone in front for another layer of protection)
I used I-Sells for all the extractor fan parts, their tagline sounds like a dodgy corner shop but their pricing and customer service has been really good. I bought a Greenwood Elite 150MM kitchen fan and a Manrose MF125S Mixflow fan with a separate Manrose MAN1361 humidistat for the bathroom.
Don't worry I can relate to this, mine wants glass stair railings which are completely overpriced and don't go with the age of the house... imagine all the hand prints after a few months!
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No its all gone quiet to be honest, the police are hopeless with these situations and I can see why people take it into their own hands instead. All I can do for now is secure my property. I recently had a stonemason over to see how much it will cost to rebuild the retaining wall out of Welsh blue pennant stone, not cheap but he's very skilled.
It's high gloss PVC T&G panels, these are the finished product. I know they are a bit boring but they are a sound investment from a functionality point of view, I don't have to worry about the grout or silicone failing with this design.
Update?
I'm on the train - can't wait for the next pictures! Hope all is well
I was waiting for the plumber and tiler to finish before I posted an update but here's a sneak preview
Supplies - I had to focus on flexible adhesive and grout that was technically suitable for plywood flooring which are prone to some vibration:
Mapei Ultraplan Self-Levelling Compound
Mapei Ultracolor Plus flexible grout
Bal single part flexible adhesive
I bought the shower panels from ipsluk which I really regret, DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! The shower panels came well packaged but on further inspection the internal packaging had coffee rings everywhere and every panel was crushed or damaged on the edges. As soon as I rang them they were fully aware of these problems and offered me 40% discount or collection straight away - this must have been a daily occurrence for them, a complete joke.
I ended up keeping them because I was in a rush to get them fitted, it took us around 3 hours longer just to re-cut all the damaged edges properly.
Here is their quote, they could only sell me plastic corner trim in white or chrome but they warned me that white doesn't match the shower panels...
I ended up buying the internal corner and trim elsewhere as I managed to find strong aluminium corner and trim in high gloss white. The company is called ceiling2floor (Wetrooms Distribution Ltd) who also do shower panels - I wish I went with them for it all, great customer service, quick delivery and I was able to pay with Paypal through their website - Just remember to register first or the 25% discount doesn't come off (I learn this the hard way).
I love these updates!
Nice work, you must feel happy when you see the individual rooms making such great progress?
Yeah it's a great feeling when they start to take shape, it's pretty much what keeps us going
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The Hikvision cameras are brilliant, go for one with an EXIR design such as the DS-2CD2332-I or DS-2CD2T42WD-I5 (EXIR prevents any IR bleed and has very good night image quality). I went with the dome design for the added anti-vandal properties.
I've also bought a Huisun 10X camera with PTZ functionality which has a stripped down Hikvision GUI, this is amazing value for money:
Thanks all
Shenzhen Huisun Technology Co on Aliexpress, the firmware is not as mature as Hikvision but this is the best mini ptz on the market.
10 X Zoom
4 X Zoom (wider area coverage)
Shenzhen Huisun Technology Co on Aliexpress, the firmware is not as mature as Hikvision but this is the best mini ptz on the market.
10 X Zoom
Code:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/HUISUN-2-0MP-Waterproof-1080P-Full-HD-PTZ-IP-camera-full-functions-bullet-PTZ-camera/1248007_32379755297.html4 X Zoom (wider area coverage)
Code:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/HUISUN-Manufacture-2016-New-Model-2nd-generation-2MP-4X-with-POE-IP-Bullet-PTZ-Camera-CCTV/1248007_32612428681.html
I think we'll end up digging up the top soil as it's been exposed to so much broken glass and rusty nails etc.
Who owns the bit of scrub behind those fence panels?
I was thinking that rear wall would look great with the bricks removed and re-built with stone, as its a bit patchy at the moment.
Nice bathroom
It's an overgrown lane that the council doesn't want to maintain...
Yeah that's exactly what we are planning to do, replacing the red brick and block with some nice face stone that we've saved. From there we are going to take down the old red brick wall on the right and level off with flagstone like the rest of the wall - this will promote symmetry and give us the foundations to fit a wooden fence on top. We did consider replacing the fence with a stone wall but it wasn't worth the money and we didn't want to turn the garden into a prison - I think a nice half stone wall and wooden fence is the best bang for buck and will look decent. I'll have more detail on this shortly.
You've been a busy bee
It was a good excuse to get out in the sun for a bit, I think we'll be quite bored once the house is finished and will end up looking for the next renovation project
Back garden - finished clearing the rubble
Yale locks fitted on the front door, looking into further security such as decorative window grilles for the side panels and maybe a kickstop bar for reinforcement.
Also ran some CAT6 cable for a porch camera (on its way)
High gloss doors from Ikea fitted in the bathroom
Yale locks fitted on the front door, looking into further security such as decorative window grilles for the side panels and maybe a kickstop bar for reinforcement.
Also ran some CAT6 cable for a porch camera (on its way)
High gloss doors from Ikea fitted in the bathroom
I'm keeping it Victorian as it gives the house character when done right. We are going to restore and reinforce the door soon - looking into period door furniture, security hinges, subtle reinforcement bars to address weak spots and decorative grille for the glass on the sides.
This is a great thread, excellent work!
Great work and a fantastic thread
Thanks both
No updates for ages
How are you getting on OP?
Haha its been a busy month, sorry for the delay
I've fitted the porch camera - very impressed with the quality and now I know when the postman has been 
My server cabinet has arrived, I went with a Videk Rack - 42U 600x600 - this was horrible to carry up the steps, I should have ordered it flat packed.
I also discovered that my previously fitted speaker cable was junk (CCA):
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29424438
So I've bought some decent cable from a German manufacturer called DCSkabel. I'll be doing a lot of cabling over the next week - rewire speakers (Dolby atmos 5.1.2 setup), a couple of Cat6 runs for Unifi Access Points and one point for the last CCTV camera which will over look the front steps and car.
My server cabinet has arrived, I went with a Videk Rack - 42U 600x600 - this was horrible to carry up the steps, I should have ordered it flat packed.
I also discovered that my previously fitted speaker cable was junk (CCA):
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29424438
So I've bought some decent cable from a German manufacturer called DCSkabel. I'll be doing a lot of cabling over the next week - rewire speakers (Dolby atmos 5.1.2 setup), a couple of Cat6 runs for Unifi Access Points and one point for the last CCTV camera which will over look the front steps and car.
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You'll be inviting me around for a cup of tea when you're done
I'll fetch some (upper middle class) biscuits
If you are ever in the valleys give me a shout
This month we are focusing on the outside:
The scaffolding has gone up around the house and our builder has started preparing the walls for new render on the gable end and around the rear - getting rid of the old defective render, racking out the cement/lime pointing and allowing them to dry out. The front of the house is getting a freshen up too with new cement pointing, chemical stone cleaning & sealing and paint stripping & restoring the sandstone window bay.
I went with the Universeal range for the stone cleaner, sealer and stripper:
The garden wall was built onto the side of the house before they rendered it! So we've taken it down for the new rendering and will replace it with a stronger (and extra secure) one
We also dug up footings around the patio area for a new drainage channel that will divert surface water away from the house:
Small update
Some of the sand and cement has arrived for the render:
The lead flashing needs to be replaced, previous roofers cut corners by using 3lb lead instead of 4lb lead - this has caused micro tears over the years from bad weather.
The front has been raked out:
The last of the old render has been taken off the utility room.
The bathroom vent has been fitted - a short run going straight through the wall instead of fitting it through the roof and worrying condensation falling back down the pipe during the winter.
The windows have been fitted with bead/drip
Some of the sand and cement has arrived for the render:
The lead flashing needs to be replaced, previous roofers cut corners by using 3lb lead instead of 4lb lead - this has caused micro tears over the years from bad weather.
The front has been raked out:
The last of the old render has been taken off the utility room.
The bathroom vent has been fitted - a short run going straight through the wall instead of fitting it through the roof and worrying condensation falling back down the pipe during the winter.
The windows have been fitted with bead/drip
The house has finally been rendered Very happy with the outcome, it will be completely watertight once the pointing has been completed tomorrow.
Stone cleaner, sealer and paint stripper:
I want to wait around 4 weeks before I start painting to allow it time to dry out properly, I'm still debating whether to use a primer or not as the surface isn't very sandy/dusty.
Very happy with the outcome, it will be completely watertight once the pointing has been completed tomorrow.
Stone cleaner, sealer and paint stripper:
I want to wait around 4 weeks before I start painting to allow it time to dry out properly, I'm still debating whether to use a primer or not as the surface isn't very sandy/dusty.
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The pointing has been finished and I sealed the stone with Universeal Rain-Off 'a water based, technical synthetic resin emulsion' which is stain resistant, water repellent and prevents moss and algae growth.
We ended up going with Dulux Weathershield Trade paint in Pale Slate which complimented the house nicely and wasn't too sickly as we had so much to cover. We used sheep skin rollers in a medium/long pile and watered down the first 2 coats 5:1 and the last coat 10:1 - the coverage and overall finish was perfect. It took us 4 days to complete...
We ended up going with Dulux Weathershield Trade paint in Pale Slate which complimented the house nicely and wasn't too sickly as we had so much to cover. We used sheep skin rollers in a medium/long pile and watered down the first 2 coats 5:1 and the last coat 10:1 - the coverage and overall finish was perfect. It took us 4 days to complete...