First week and a bit
Sep. 9th, 2009 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
same_differenceI'd meant to get this written on the weekend, but things have generally been too busy.
I'm not sure why, but moving in hasn't felt like a big transition, though I suppose it'll have something to do with how long I've been working on the house. Of course living with Rachael is amazing and I'm definitely happy with the house. It just feels right, the area feels nice to just walk around in and the main road isn't as busy as I'd thought. Plus we have shops close, and there all a walk along the flat away. You don't really hear the road noise at all unless we have windows open at the front.
I'm glad we've got![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
valient_starr as a lodger. He's been very good about the state of the house and all that we've had to make do with. I'm really glad with the attitude he's taken about the whole thing. I've gone from being initially a bit nervous with having someone else in my newly almost done home, to feeling comfortable to trust him to get on with things correctly. I've also had some good chats with him so I've got to know him a lot better too. So yeah it's good. Oh and occasionally amusing to come home to him almost lurking on the stairs in his first attempt at face paint for his new character. Came off more ghoul/undead monstrosity than raccoon, but I think the three of us have worked out a better way for him to do it which is good.
Generally living there has been manageable, though limiting in some ways. We all have to be careful to avoid splashing while having baths, and won't be able to have showers until that's all fitted. At least we now have a pull cord for the lights in there, better than what we had to do at the start of last week which was balance a desk lamp on the sink to use as a light source.
We've been doing all our washing up in the small basin sink, which really limits what you can use. It's not a very big space for a loo, so the basin is likewise small and so we had to limit ourselves to using only things that could fit in it to be cleaned. So breakfast bowls are OK, but it's been paper plates and takeaways otherwise.
All our meals, have been eaten around a very small fold-up table sitting in a corner of the lounge, which has been up until recently also doubling as the storage area for the few items we could use. The lounge was also where we've been keeping our fridge until the kitchen was ready and wired for it.
Clothes are currently being ferried down to my parents to use their washing machine, but there only a couple of minutes away so that's not a big inconvenience. Well for us at least.
Overall mores got done since we've moved in so each day has made things easier generally. Though the pace of work on the house is obviously not as quick as when I was off work.
Last week Rachael spent some of her time organising things as best she could with the limited storage space we have at the moment. I did a small amount of tiling in the bathroom, building on the start my Dad had made to show me how to do it properly. There was also general cleaning done as well. Obviously the broadband came as I've already mentioned on Tuesday which is good. Almost scary how much I rely on the internet for various things these days.
On Sunday the electrician came along and mostly finished up the electrics. This basically meant fitting the new fuse box, finishing putting on the sockets and network data points, wiring up the boiler and the controls for it and putting in place the wiring for the water softener. Having power at all the points, and not having to run extension cables everywhere to use everything has been good. Towards the end of the week the electrician had come and done some wiring so it wasn't as stark a transition as it might have been. Him coming along did at least mean we could move the fridge to where it belonged in the kitchen.
As of Monday morning we had our driveway surface completed. We'll change it to be an overall better slope eventually, but it'll do for now. It's good though as it means I can actually park in the driveway without scraping the bottom of my car. Before I'd end up in the situation with the front wheels on the road, the back wheels part way down the slope with one in the dip where the gravel had been added to not quite the level of the driveway, and the bottom of my car catching the slight bump where the drive meets the pavement.
Yesterday we had the plumber and the gas man come along and pressurise the system fully so we could use our central heating and boiler properly rather than relying on the immersion heater in the tank. Unfortunately this resulted in the two main bedroom radiators leaking and the water getting to a couple of the newly plastered walls downstairs. On the plus side the gas man finished the connection we'll need for the gas fire place and also got the cooker connected up. We also got the water softener in, which is another big plus as that meant our kitchen sink is now all connected. At the same time our builder got the kitchen most of the way done, though he accidentally drilled the handle holes in the wrong place on one of the cabinet doors, so we'll be waiting for a replacement to come though. The kitchen does look really good though, he's done an excellent job fitting it, and Rachael and I made the right choice when we picked it and the floors (and the lights, and most things we've chosen for the house over the last few months).
Last night was spent with Rachael and I doing a lot of cleaning and sorting things out in to the cupboards. Tonight I'm looking forward to cooking in my new kitchen for the first time.
It'll be a change from takeaways, in the last week, we've had 2 meals of pizza, one of Chinese, one of fish and chips (or fish and bread in my case) from the local chippy, a meal out at TGI's of just the three of us and a couple of meals at my parents. So getting to cook my own food is kinda exciting. Having the kitchen sink connected is also a big deal, because the lack of wash space is no longer a limiting factor.
So yeah I'm excited about being able to wash dishes and cook food...
So yeah to continue the previous format here's what's left:
Kitchen - Pretty much useable. We've gone a long way towards getting all of the stuff into it. We still need to fit the blinds, paint behind the radiator, touch up the paints, get the dishwasher installed and get the cooker hood vented. Still it's not far from being done now.
Lounge - No change, though the gas pipe for the fireplace is all done.
Hallway - No change, really.
Under stairs loo - Still fitted, except we've discovered the cistern for the loo and a very fine crack in it, which leaks, so we're going to have it replaced.
Bathroom - No change other than some more tiling. Still need to get the mirror in place.
Front bedroom - Finished except for skirting boards, and a bit of a tidy in the cupboard which can now be done since all the wiring/plumbing that needed to go through it has been sorted. All ofvalient_starr's furniture has been built, but we might buy him some more if it turns out he needs it.
Rear large bedroom - No change, still needs skirting boards. We need to get wardrobes, but that proving a little complicated.
Rear small bedroom - No change, still needs more decorating and carpets fitted.
Driveway - Done, woo!
General - Rear and porch lights have been fitted. We need to sort our wiring to the garage so we can put a freezer and washing machine out there until we've got the rear downstairs loo bit redone into more of a utility pantry style area. Also I really need to see to the gardens, as they've been neglected with all the internal works that's needed and still needs to be done.
So not there yet, but still making progress. I except I'll be busy for a little while to come. Hopefully will be able to see more people soon though.
I'm not sure why, but moving in hasn't felt like a big transition, though I suppose it'll have something to do with how long I've been working on the house. Of course living with Rachael is amazing and I'm definitely happy with the house. It just feels right, the area feels nice to just walk around in and the main road isn't as busy as I'd thought. Plus we have shops close, and there all a walk along the flat away. You don't really hear the road noise at all unless we have windows open at the front.
I'm glad we've got
valient_starr as a lodger. He's been very good about the state of the house and all that we've had to make do with. I'm really glad with the attitude he's taken about the whole thing. I've gone from being initially a bit nervous with having someone else in my newly almost done home, to feeling comfortable to trust him to get on with things correctly. I've also had some good chats with him so I've got to know him a lot better too. So yeah it's good. Oh and occasionally amusing to come home to him almost lurking on the stairs in his first attempt at face paint for his new character. Came off more ghoul/undead monstrosity than raccoon, but I think the three of us have worked out a better way for him to do it which is good.Generally living there has been manageable, though limiting in some ways. We all have to be careful to avoid splashing while having baths, and won't be able to have showers until that's all fitted. At least we now have a pull cord for the lights in there, better than what we had to do at the start of last week which was balance a desk lamp on the sink to use as a light source.
We've been doing all our washing up in the small basin sink, which really limits what you can use. It's not a very big space for a loo, so the basin is likewise small and so we had to limit ourselves to using only things that could fit in it to be cleaned. So breakfast bowls are OK, but it's been paper plates and takeaways otherwise.
All our meals, have been eaten around a very small fold-up table sitting in a corner of the lounge, which has been up until recently also doubling as the storage area for the few items we could use. The lounge was also where we've been keeping our fridge until the kitchen was ready and wired for it.
Clothes are currently being ferried down to my parents to use their washing machine, but there only a couple of minutes away so that's not a big inconvenience. Well for us at least.
Overall mores got done since we've moved in so each day has made things easier generally. Though the pace of work on the house is obviously not as quick as when I was off work.
Last week Rachael spent some of her time organising things as best she could with the limited storage space we have at the moment. I did a small amount of tiling in the bathroom, building on the start my Dad had made to show me how to do it properly. There was also general cleaning done as well. Obviously the broadband came as I've already mentioned on Tuesday which is good. Almost scary how much I rely on the internet for various things these days.
On Sunday the electrician came along and mostly finished up the electrics. This basically meant fitting the new fuse box, finishing putting on the sockets and network data points, wiring up the boiler and the controls for it and putting in place the wiring for the water softener. Having power at all the points, and not having to run extension cables everywhere to use everything has been good. Towards the end of the week the electrician had come and done some wiring so it wasn't as stark a transition as it might have been. Him coming along did at least mean we could move the fridge to where it belonged in the kitchen.
As of Monday morning we had our driveway surface completed. We'll change it to be an overall better slope eventually, but it'll do for now. It's good though as it means I can actually park in the driveway without scraping the bottom of my car. Before I'd end up in the situation with the front wheels on the road, the back wheels part way down the slope with one in the dip where the gravel had been added to not quite the level of the driveway, and the bottom of my car catching the slight bump where the drive meets the pavement.
Yesterday we had the plumber and the gas man come along and pressurise the system fully so we could use our central heating and boiler properly rather than relying on the immersion heater in the tank. Unfortunately this resulted in the two main bedroom radiators leaking and the water getting to a couple of the newly plastered walls downstairs. On the plus side the gas man finished the connection we'll need for the gas fire place and also got the cooker connected up. We also got the water softener in, which is another big plus as that meant our kitchen sink is now all connected. At the same time our builder got the kitchen most of the way done, though he accidentally drilled the handle holes in the wrong place on one of the cabinet doors, so we'll be waiting for a replacement to come though. The kitchen does look really good though, he's done an excellent job fitting it, and Rachael and I made the right choice when we picked it and the floors (and the lights, and most things we've chosen for the house over the last few months).
Last night was spent with Rachael and I doing a lot of cleaning and sorting things out in to the cupboards. Tonight I'm looking forward to cooking in my new kitchen for the first time.
It'll be a change from takeaways, in the last week, we've had 2 meals of pizza, one of Chinese, one of fish and chips (or fish and bread in my case) from the local chippy, a meal out at TGI's of just the three of us and a couple of meals at my parents. So getting to cook my own food is kinda exciting. Having the kitchen sink connected is also a big deal, because the lack of wash space is no longer a limiting factor.
So yeah I'm excited about being able to wash dishes and cook food...
So yeah to continue the previous format here's what's left:
Kitchen - Pretty much useable. We've gone a long way towards getting all of the stuff into it. We still need to fit the blinds, paint behind the radiator, touch up the paints, get the dishwasher installed and get the cooker hood vented. Still it's not far from being done now.
Lounge - No change, though the gas pipe for the fireplace is all done.
Hallway - No change, really.
Under stairs loo - Still fitted, except we've discovered the cistern for the loo and a very fine crack in it, which leaks, so we're going to have it replaced.
Bathroom - No change other than some more tiling. Still need to get the mirror in place.
Front bedroom - Finished except for skirting boards, and a bit of a tidy in the cupboard which can now be done since all the wiring/plumbing that needed to go through it has been sorted. All of
valient_starr's furniture has been built, but we might buy him some more if it turns out he needs it.Rear large bedroom - No change, still needs skirting boards. We need to get wardrobes, but that proving a little complicated.
Rear small bedroom - No change, still needs more decorating and carpets fitted.
Driveway - Done, woo!
General - Rear and porch lights have been fitted. We need to sort our wiring to the garage so we can put a freezer and washing machine out there until we've got the rear downstairs loo bit redone into more of a utility pantry style area. Also I really need to see to the gardens, as they've been neglected with all the internal works that's needed and still needs to be done.
So not there yet, but still making progress. I except I'll be busy for a little while to come. Hopefully will be able to see more people soon though.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-09 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-10 06:12 am (UTC)glad to hear everything is coming along well ^.^
no subject
Date: 2009-09-11 11:32 am (UTC)Glad it's all going well :)