What improvements are you planning to make to your home?

[Participant]

I thought this could be a thread for things you're planning to do, as opposed to things you've already done!

Personally I've got the following on the horizon, some short-term and some long:

- Re-do both bathrooms with modern tiles and units and underfloor heating. Neither are that bad but they're slightly getting on, and I love modern bathrooms.

- Fit downlights in master bedroom and wardrobe.

- Level front lawn, improve drainage and get rid of weeds.

- Re-plaster living room (currently covered with wallpaper, but I don't particularly like wallpaper).

So what have you got lined up?

 

[Derek W]

Almost finished the first part of my bathroom. Fighting with a power drill to fit the bath shower screen.

Next up will be re doing my garden. Started removing some of the pink chippings last night.

After the garden ill be decorating the kitchen. At some point ill be removing all pine doors, facings and skirtings cos its just plain awful! Minor bits and bobs all over but mainly bathroom, garden and kitchen.

 

[physichull]

The cut down version of my list for the immediate future:

• Replace laminate in hall way
• Fix light fixture to third bedroom/study
• Take up laminate in converted garage (soon to be dining room) and put down carpet
• Paint dining room
• Buy table and chairs for dining room and light fixtures
• Paint Hallway though to landing
• Buy a door for the lounge and fit said door
• Dismantle Wendy house and buy a shed to put in its place
• Dismantle lean-to shed
• Get curtain and rail for second bedroom and buy sofabed
• Build raised bed for garden
• Buy light fixtures for lounge, bedroom 2 and landing

In two years time:

• Refurb ensuite
• Refurb main bathroom to include shower
• New carpets on stairs and landing, bedroom 1, bedroom 2, bedroom 3 and lounge.

So not much really!!!!

 

[valve90210]

Having only moved into this house 3 months ago and it being a fixer-upper my list feels pretty much endless but as my girlfriend and I keep reminding ourselves there is no rush to get everything done!

Off the top of my head
Lounge:

• Decorate
• New carpet
• Build shelving and cupboards
• Install home cinema kit

Kitchen:

• New flooring
• Decorate
• Refit kitchen

Rear Utility area:

• Brick up open areas (currently really poorly boarded over)
• Install proper back door (currently is a metal rusty monstrosity)
• Raise floor
• Refit downstairs toilet
• Sortout storage cupboards

Back Garden:

• Level lawn
• Build BBQ
• Build Decking
• Re do exisiting patio area
• Build new side gate

Front garden:

• Install parking grid
• Fencing

Under stairs:

• Build cupboards and storage

Bathroom:

• New carpet and general tidying up of exisiting cupboards etc

Loft:

• Install power points and lighting
• Install aerial wiring for distribution to all rooms
• Install network wiring for distribution to all rooms
• Raise loft joists and board loft

Bedroom one:

• Empty by putting boxes into the loft
• Decorate and turn into a spare room.

Bedroom two:

• sort out storage and build custom dressing table etc.
• Decorate
• Install media centre

Bedroom 3:

• Nothing!

General:

• Replace exisiting radiators with new slimline more efficient ones
• Replace various carpets

Phew, quite a list and makes me want to cry!!!

 

[Solemn]

Still in the process of Buying,
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...?premiumA=true

But before we move in we plan to:

• Replace the lounge carpet with Laminate
• Replace bedroom 2 carpet with Laminate (Office1)
• Replace bedroom 3 with Laminate (Office2)
• Have a secure doggy door put into the dinning (games) room's exteria door

In the Future

• Put a door in the downstairs hallway, to allow direct access to the garage
• Build a BBQ in the back garden, likely on a raised platform
• Build a retro arcade which will be in the Games room
• Mount a Projector onto Lounge ceiling

 

[brightside229]

Just about finished my bathroom in my house, should have finished it at end of last month but because i have been lazy its fell behind, its up for sale at the moment, and it did sell but it fell through so its back up on the market.

If i decide to stay a bit longer and take it off the market then i plan on putting a new kitchen in, new boiler, removing the fitted wardrobes in my bedroom and buying cupboards, putting a new electric fire downstairs and then finishing off with a new carpet on the stairs and landing.

Problem is im pretty sure this will add no value to the house and when i come to sell it in the near future it wont be worth any more then if i didnt do this work, even though its probably going to cost a good £6-£7k

At least thats what the valuer's said when they came to view the property but i guess it will make it more desirable and sell faster, but seems a waste of money if i do come to sell it.

 

[physichull]

Replace the lounge carpet with Laminate


In the Future

As long as you are getting a rug then that will be fine.

Out of my own experience, sitting on a sofa for long periods of time whilst resting your heels on the hard surface of the laminate is really annoying and makes your heels ache.

valve90210, that is one helluva list and mine pales into insignificance in comparison!

 

[valve90210]

As long as you are getting a rug then that will be fine.

Out of my own experience, sitting on a sofa for long periods of time whilst resting your heels on the hard surface of the laminate is really annoying and makes your heels ache.

Couldn't agree more! We had laminate in the flat we sold recently and to be honest I really can't see why everyone loves it so much. Ok it looks nice but it's much more of a pain to keep clean as every bit of dust and dirt shows, it's cold, it's much harder for walking on and as you say it hurts your heels when resting them while sitting down! Give me a nice warm cosy snuggly carpet any day!!!

valve90210, that is one helluva list and mine pales into insignificance in comparison!

Yeah and that's just off the top of my head, I have a feeling we were somewhat blinded by the big rooms and all the space when we viewed it compared to the tiny places we had been looking at and somehow didn't realise quite how much needed doing. That said it is a lovely, properly built (ie no paper-thin partition walls etc), with plenty of space and will in time be a lovely home!

I just need to get my diy skills up to scratch and find time and money to do the jobs! Slowly but surely it will get there and it will be great!

 

[Solemn]

We have two dogs and two cats, and laminate is much easier to keep clean with regard to animal hair and spills.

As for the sofa thing, myself and the other half also sit with our feet up on the sofa. I dont actaully know many people that sit up straight in sofas!

We will have a rug though I love Rugs! and I do agree 100% that laminate is very cold compared to carpet

 

[physichull]

Laminate does have its places though. I'm going to replace some old laminate in my hallway this weekend. It's perfect for the hallway as its where you come into the house with wet of muddy shoes, so its a lot easier to keep clean than a carpet.

After living in a rented house where EVERY room was laminate, bedrooms, study, lounge, etc, I would only ever put laminate in limited places.

 

[physichull]

We have two dogs and two cats, and laminate is much easier to keep clean with regard to animal hair and spills.

As for the sofa thing, myself and the other half also sit with our feet up on the sofa. I dont actaully know many people that sit up straight in sofas!

We will have a rug though I love Rugs! and I do agree 100% that laminate is very cold compared to carpet

It's not too bad in terms of being cold, not in comparison to stone tiles, but your heels will thank me!

 

[gillywibble]

The missus wants a Jacuzzi Shower Bath. Admittely, they do look nice if not a tad expensive.

Kitchen work top needs replacing. I've got a jig and router for the job.

Utility needs re-decorating.

 

[boxman2000]

Well, as I type this the last of the massive hedge in my garden is being ripped out with fencing going up in its place which will enable me to crack on with the garden.

- Garden: erect new shed, move/decorate play house, entertainment/bbq area and get seating sorted, wire up outdoor lights, rip up hideous 'crazy' paving and re-lawn, patio slabs put into lawn to get to shed and washing line

- Master bedroom: discovered fire damaged floorboards were never replaced (20 yrs ago) so have to replace those, new skirting, plaster work, decorate and fit new carpet

- Study: same fire damage issue so boards to be replaced, decorate and carpet and get a carpenter friend to build me an oak desk

- Kitchen: rip out built in unit currently housing larder fridge, decorate, treat pine kitchen units/worktop, get new fridge

- Kids bedrooms: general remedial decorating work, installing retractable attic steps

- Utility: new units for washing machine and tumble dryer, decorate, fit spotlights

- Hallway: Fit spotlights

I guess house will need painting again and need to finish off the network cabling to the kitchen/shed.

That's some of my list, dread to think what the missus has for me to do!

 

[Woogie]

Short Term 1-5 yrs

• Have all windows and external doors in house replaced with double glazing.
• Have the house rewired and Networks points installed + Speaker cable pulled into Living room, Dining room and Kitchen/utility ready for when
• Have central heating sorted and potentially completely replaced
• Plaster all walls that get borked by speaker cable and house rewire
• Decorate every room in the house (3 bedrooms, dining room, living room, utility and halls)
• Redo drive way

Long term 5+ yrs

• Build extension on back and side of house to extend living room, kitchen, bathroom, 3rd bedroom and to create an office
• Replace bathroom suite
• Replace Kitchen
• Potentially convert loft

I'm sure there is more but I cannot for the life of me remember

 

[A.N.Other]

Moved into our house just over a year ago now. Quite a fair amount done, but new baby has slightly impacted the speed of the progress

Completed:
- Put central heating in throughout.
- Strip & decorate upstairs.

Under way:
- Re-fence, and put turf and new patio into back yard. Put in raised beds and shed.
- Board the loft.

To do:
- Re-carpet / wood floors upstairs and downstairs.
- Decorate downstairs.
- 1 new window to complete double glazing. New front door.
- Sort out the electrics.

To do, but expensive:
- Move the kitchen into the garage conversion. Turn the kitchen into a utility room & block off from lounge.
- Put in new bathroom to include a shower. Replace downstairs toilet to match.

 

[valve90210]

new baby has slightly impacted the speed of the progress

Oh tell me about it!!! We can't get anything done unless we can palm our little boy off on grandparents as he just wants to see what is going on, grabs anything he can reach, throws anything he grabs etc etc. It does make it very hard to crack on and do anything!!!

 

[TheKnat]

Been in my house for about 18 months now, so starting to make some progress with my limited budget. Hoping to get some funds to sort some of the more expensive items out shortly. Currently have the following to do:

Bedroom:
Repair walls
Paint

Bathroom:
New suite to be fitted
Move bath position
Re-tile
Paint

Kitchen:
Whole new kitchen needed

Downstairs Toilet:
This is out the back of the house and never gets used so its going to be converted to a utility room to free up more room in the kitchen

Garden:
Removed old shed and replaced with more space efficient storage
Main portion of the garden to either be decking or artificial grass (haven't decided)
Side passage to be gravelled

Everywhere:
New flooring

Completed:
Repaired damp in the front room
Removed old electric fire and surround from front room
Replastered and painted front room
Boarded up under stairs storage entrance in kitchen and moved it to front room (more space for kitchen cupboards in the future)
Remove urine soaked carpet from bathroom and replaced with cheapy stick down tiles
Painted front of house from vomit yellow to white
Painted front door and replaced all door furniture with nice stuff including lock
Removed pointy concrete plant holder from back garden to make it more child safe
Removed all the dead plants from front and back of house
Redecorated childrens bedroom

 

[utajoker]

ours is a new build and is now 6 months old, we are getting married in September so all our money has gone into that.

once we are back from honeymoon in October we plan to paint everything and get rid of this horrible magnolia.

then we just have little jobs like put up some pictures etc to make it more homly.