My House DIY Thread (Woohoo Photo's!)

Hi All,

As some of you may know m wife and I moved into a new house in October last year and since the new year I have been renovating as it is a "do-er-upper". We bought a Victorian terraced house in Glasgow.

We had saved up a descent amount of money before moving in so we could get the workies in to do some much needed upgrades. However since moving in we have discovered the roof was leaking and got a very reputable company out (who carried out work on last property that we were very pleased with) to carry out repairs. Once on the roof they took many pictures and told us we need a new roof. We have since had a few other companies out who have all said the same thing.

The house is also in a conservation area (not listed thankfully) and for those not in the know it means we have to get planning permission for any work that is required to the exterior of the house we need planning permission from the local council.

When we moved in there was no TV aerial and no Virgin Cable in street so we had to go with Sky. However (get this, makes me laugh) when SKY came out to install everything they installed phone/broadband without a hitch however they have to put the dish on the roof (conservation thing) but have no ladders big enough to reach roof and do not use scaffolding!!!

Unfortunately when they went to look in loft for skylight we discovered it has been nailed shut from the outside (cannot make this up!). So I have been watching TV through laptop connected to TV which is okay but need proper TV.

In the attic there are two stain glass windows in the ceiling above the stairs and the batthroom. However some bright spark also removed the attic roof light windows so they are in eternal darkness.

We have, as part of the roof planning approval, requested to re-instate the two roof lights and the skylight.

However this roof work is eating into all our savings. So the work we had planned to get done by professionals is going to be done by me as much as I can. The plan being I will do the labour intensive work, the dismantling and then for the harder jobs and more complex get some pros into finish the last 10-15% where their expertise will hopefully make a difference.

However I have bored you enough with my ongoing work in the house. I have tried to take pictures of the house when we moved in, things have changed a little but not much since we moved in but here are some photos for you all to enjoy:

My plan is to update this as often as I can, however as most of the work is being done by myself progress will be slow. I also work long hours, trying lose weight (2.5st so far lost) and exercise more so progress will be slow... Bear with me though.

 

Next are two purchases that we have made since moving in and I love.

One is my scaffolding I got of ebay and it has been a good send since moving in. Even SWMBO thinks it was needed and knows it was a great purchase. The picture is the day I got them, It is a lot dirtier and "worn-in" now

Second purchase has only been used twice but in my opinion this has been one of the reasons for having a house. It is a BBQ and is something I love having. But having stayed in a flat and no garden, to me this house will allow us to really enjoy long summer days and nights in our garden with friends and family... But more importantly me and my lovely wife:

 

Don't you think that the "reputable" roofing company you asked told you that you needed a new roof because they want the money? Be careful. . I know you said that they were reputable but doing a new roof is a big job and I know that they would be straight into it.

 

Okay since the new year we have decided to renovate the livingroom which was decorated with a lovely fetching dark navy blue carpet and curtains and the walls, woodwork and cornice are painted in either blood red or orange... Yeah I know magnificent!

SWMBO wanted the carpet removed and the wood stripped back to its natural colour with the plan then to apply a wax. On top of all this SWMBO wanted the cornice stripped so we could see the ornate decor which has been lost with all years of paint. Finally she also wanted the floor sanded and varnished.

We got some professionals into give us an idea of cost and for all the wood stripping, restoring and repair work the quoted us £3K which was way out of our range since the problems of the roofs were identified.

However they did give us some useful advice on how to do the bulk of the work myself. There is a local wood shop in Glasgow called Smith and Rodgers which is over a 100 yrs old that makes its own paint stripper. It is way more powerful than Nitromors and burns skin on contact, which has done to me a few times, the worst one being on my leg when I spilt some and laugh my leg in it... Ouch!

I also have listed another brilliant purchase (well done me) which are mini files I have bought from B&Q. They break on a fairly regular basis and are about £5-£6 a pop for the pack but they are worth their weight in gold as they are very effective.

I did have another thread with these pictures on it but wanted them all in the one place now.

I have stripped all the wood shutters round the window and all the skirtings. However with everything else that has been going on it has taken me about 5 months to get this far (woeful I know!).

 

I hear you but our roof is leaking like a teabag and even with the repair works it is still leaking. and that is because the roof has never been replaced since it was installed nearly 130 yrs ago. It has gotten to the point it needs to be done (unfortunately) however as I said we are also taking this opportunity to reinstate some features and roof access points that will bring light to parts of the house that need it.

 

The plan next is to strip the cornice and ceiling rose. I investigated this and it seemed the best product to use was Peel Away. I originally bought Peel Away 7 as I thought it would do the job however it turned out to be a bit weak.

I have since purchased the more powerful Peel Away 1, which I have to neutralise but from the test patch I tried things are looking good. I have covered about 15% of the cornice I needed to before I used up an entire 15kg tub. I have ordered more which arrived today.

For those who have not seen or used Peel Away it smells fishy (not nice but goes away not long after lid is removed) and is a bit like Polyfilla in its consistency. You smear it on fairly thickly, then cover with a poultice blanket and leave it for about 3 or 4 days. Then peel off with a spatula. This should remove all paint and any Peel away left on cornice you can wipe down with a damp sponge taking care not to saturate the plaster as it can damage the plaster. Then neutralise (it is an alkaline product) with an acidic spray (smells like vinegar) and test wih PH paper.

However before I do any more here are more photos of the test patch and the bits awaiting to complete.

Once I complete this stripping work I need to strip the carpet glue off the wooden floor. There is also a picture rail that we may remove but I will take guidance from SWMBO on what I need to do with that.

I have taken a few more pictures since my test patch and have now done about a 15% of the stripping I need to do but do not have the photos of that yet as I have not taken them off my phone.

 

Another couple of pictures I have taken were to do with another problem that we knew about before moving in. rising damp! this cost about £2K to put right but we discovered that the damp was partly coming from our next door neighbour who had a blocked drain that was causing water to be sitting on his conrete base which happened to be the same height as our kitchen floor.

However it is all sorted now. I sadly only have 2 pictures of this work. which are in the thumbnails below.

My wife also does an upholstry class and she has just completed a chair that is a crocodile patterned fabric with crystal studs... Very cool. She has also managed to get a chaise lounge which she needs to do up. I have included these as I think they are cool. We also got 3 x Cinema chairs from Inverness that are over 100yrs old (circa. 1909) and my wife has done these up, however I also need to get these photos uploaded from phone so... Watch this space.

 

Hey.... Just went back to "General Chat" and seen that 188 people are viewing this thread

Thanks for everyone just looking... Although do not think I could keep up with everyone if you all posted

I will try and keep you up to date with progress as I go along but that is about 6 months worth of work... Not much I know!

 

I'll be following this, I am really getting into the DIY thing. At first, I just tried to do too much too quickly, particularly as the house we have is fine, but too small to be a permanent solution. You are (from the looks of it) in the enviable position of having a house that will be yours for years to come, so take your time and make sure its just how you want, rather than rush through compromising as I have done.

We have a 1860s, 2 bed small mid terrace cottage, complete with all the features and problems you get, but we work with them, rather than try to hide them. Liking the restoration you are doing of the decorative features Looks like your house will be eclectic too with your wife making furniture, but that is tops in my book.

I look forward to more progress updates.

 

Thanks dude.

I really enjoy DIY, however I am not very good either man. When it comes to it I would describe myself as earnest and willing. But removing, ripping out, stripping are my forte but putting back together, installing, repairing are not things that come naturally to me.

Eclectic is defo a word I would describe our taste as well as trying to mix old with new and retro.

 

I picked up a stunning antique pine cooker unit from eBay for £50, and dropped a stainless steel Neff gas hob and oven in (again, £50 the pair from preloved/eBay). Looks fantastic, works 100%. We just went on the basis of finding items we really feel strongly for and making them work in our place. There has to be a slight concession regarding usability, so as an example again in the kitchen (where we literally took EVERYTHING out, floor to ceiling and put in gas/electric) I've put in some work surfacing. Took me 2 years to realise we actually needed it to make our lives so much easier, but again it really fits in with our mix and match style.

Each to their own, thankfully myself and my wife have no great desire for a showhome with matching sofas, furniture sets etc.

I have tried more DIY in the last 2 years than the previous 29 of my life, and am getting more and more confident. The rule I have adopted is simple; if I can do it, and by going wrong it wont cause any immediate damage I'll have a go. With the internet, so much infomation is available straight off the bat, so its easy to research first. The tiling in the kitchen is my next job; never done it, but its not going to cause any damage, and its not rocket science.

Best example is bathroom taps. I changed the taps for the sink, fairly simple access and I figured if I couldnt do them, I could nip quickly to the plumb shop and get some caps, which would at least prevent leaking until I got a plumber. With the bath taps, I had to get a plumber in as the washer was so tight, I figured I may bend the pipe out of place or thread the washer to such an extent I would have to turn all the water off at the stop tap. It also required a new length of pipe for the hot supply. Having watched a pro do it, I would know feel semi-confident to take on the job myself if they ever need doing again.

I'm sure you know most of this, but its just a simple way of thinking. Whats the worst that could happen? If it wont endanger you or your family, or cause unnecessary anguish, go for it

 

Good luck with it, it looks like an ideal building for a but of fixing-upping The ceiling height, cornicing, flooring and windows will all look great when you're finished.

Don't beat yourself up about the DIY thing, we all go through it. And then when you're finished you forget about all the times you burnt yourself, fell off ladders, glued yourself to something and painted yourself into a corner!

I didn't have a clue when I moved into my first house, but by the time I was finished I was bugging the missus by doing jobs that didn't need done. "Oh, y'know how the sealant on the living room window isn't well finished? I think I'll just re-do the whole house".

Whereabouts roughly is it in Weegieland? I can't think of any Victorian terraces in the East End.

 

Thanks. We stay in Dennistoun & there are quite a few Victorian terraces as well as proper massive victorian mansions nearby.

 

Ah, got you now, I was thinking further East. I lived in Gartcosh, used to pass through Dennistoun daily on the bus. I'd put my crash helmet on there before we got to Ruchazie/Garthamlock/Craigend

 

nice thread mate - will be following this!

 

Great thread. Got a bit worried when you said strip the cornicing but glad you just meant the paint.

Love these threads as we're also doing up a house. Great to get ideas too.

 

Dennistoun is not bad - in fact it is quite posh - no West End or Even South Side but defo posher than surrounding areas. So take the crash helmet off and go buy some organic bread from Tapa

However I hate Glasgow buses and woud not wish a trip on the buses on anyone. They are terrible, badly maintained and constantly getting wrecked by the local yoofs!

 

No, sorry, I didn't mean I put the crash helmet on for Dennistoun - I meant I put it on there so I was ready and prepared before the bus got to the dodgy areas! The yoofs at Ruchazie fashioned a rather ingenius catapult one night which didn't just propel a rock at the bus, it nearly fired said rock out the other side.

I've got a few friends who stay in Dennistoun and my missus worked at the Princess Royal Maternity so I know the area reasonably well. I wasn't aware of Tapa, Celino's was the place to go in Dennistoun when I lived up the road!

 

No offence was taken.
I stay close to the Royal & Princes Royal.
Celino's is nice but Coias on Duke Street is tremendous - its got everything - but is great for Italian.

 

Here are the pictures from the weekend with more peel away put on and stripped off... Progress is getting there with this but will take me the next month or so to get this complete

 

I see what you mean about the scaffolding being less than pristine now

 

Yip its a DIY Veteran with a couple of tours (of the room) under its belt!

Got some photos of the garden/yard to upload but just realised I have no before pictures but it was a mess!

 

Hi All,

I never had a chance to post up what I did last week or at the weekend as things were a bit hectic. I managed to put more Peel Away on the fireplace wall cornice as well as the cornice above the bay windows. However I never took pictures of this work after I had done it and only took pictures tonight when I had taken some of it off. But as I did not have time to remove peel away from above bay window you can see this awaiting my attention.

I have also been doing some work in the gardens (front & rear) however my good lady has asked that I do not post these up in case someone locally sees them and decides to take all our worldly possessions. I know it is a bit daft but there have been a load of break-ins before|during|since Christmas so she is a bit paranoid and we all need to maintain household harmony

Here are the pics I have - not setting the world on fire with progress but progress nonetheless.

EDIT: Forgot to mention - The last picture is the cornice above the door and that is the last bit of wall cornice I need to do and hope to get this covered on Sunday so i can strip it te following Friday/Saturday.
And the 2nd picture shows a tiny sample I have done of cornice on ceiling. I needed to test how to hold poultice up and used sellotape which is going to take longer with the prep work but as it is slightly less detailed and smaller in surface area I should hopefully get this done fairly quickly...

More updates at weekend hopefully.

 

Tell your missus, that while she may be paranoid, she is probably very wise

 

Told my wife & she gave me "hmmmph" laugh. Which is female speak for "see am right... Your wrong! Get it up ye!"... Well she is a weegie after all.

 

Hi All,

As you can see from pictures I am stripping the cornice back to the bare plaster. Not all of it will be getting stripped just the really detailed bits (once all complete pictures will follow).

Once complete and some other stripping is done and maybe even a re-plastering of the walls I will need to start on the painting of the cornice.

Now when it comes to painting I am a dab hand at it as painting a wall is fairly straight-forward. However I am just a slap the paint on person (at the same time taking care not to get it everywhere).

I have a few painting related questions for the more experienced among you:
1) Cornice - what is the best course of action to paint this - just paint the emulsion on or use sealants/primers/under-coats? If so what do you recommend?
2) Cornice - on the cornice that will not have paint removed - I assume putting emulsion straight on this is okay?
3) Cornice - Is a brush the best thing to use or something else? Some people have said to spray it but not sure my skills are good enough and they are not exactly cheap?

4) Newly plastered Walls/Ceiling - Again, what is the best course of action to paint this - just paint the emulsion on or use sealants / primers / under-coats? If so what do you recommend?
5) Walls/Ceiling - I am fan of edging out with a brush then using my industrial sized roller with extension poles but others suggest pads.

Discuss please?

 

All,

I would also like your thoughts on the difference between a primer paint and a latex and if you would use one or the other?

If you would choose one over the other would you mind letting me know why?

Thanks - When the living room is done I do not want to have to decorate it for a very long time to come

 

Hey All,

Right for all those of an original features disposition I recommend you read on with extreme caution and be prepared to lose some from my livingroom. Now normally I am like any man and obey almost all directives received from SWMBO’d. I however went against my wife’s better judgement and although I think it will look better in the long run I do wish I had not undertaken the work as it turned out to be a lot more messy than I had intended.

Okay we have two alcoves in the livingroom one was a small cupboard like one with a hideous shelving unit in it. It had an arched (painted orange) with lights in top which was not original and was to match the archway alcove at the other end of the lingroom. As you can see from the pictures this has now been removed and pulled out – SWMBO’d had no issue with this as it was not original and was pretty crap looking.

However the main work was on the main archway, which IS AN ORIGINAL FEATURE that I wanted to remove for a couple of reasons. One I simply do not like it and think it is hideous and secondly I do have plans (if budgets allow) of installing a project screen in this area.

When I started this work I thought it was just wood, (in a family fortunes styly) ehhh-errrrr! It as all plaster with lathe behind it and then held within the lathe was all the crap of about 120years that has built up in this time between the ceiling and the floor.

If anyone was monitoring general chat yesterday you will have noticed by slightly worried post about a load bearing wall problem that was founded to be unfounded. In some of the pictures you will notice the peel away work continues on the cornice and I am at about 75% complete on this. Just the cornice on the door side to go and then we can get moving with other stuff.

In the final pictures of main archway removed you may see that the picture rail and plaster on the underside of picture rail are every so slightly sagging. I am not 100% certain how to fix this as I plan to build a frame below this and put plastered on and finish with a skim. I had a couple of thoughts:
1) If possible use something like no-more-nails to secure it to underside of RSJ which is holding alcove wall up?
2) Put some screws through the plaster and RSJ to hold in place and then may drill the wooden baton for plasterboard frame also into RSJ?

Option 1 seems to me to be the easier one as I think drilling a hole in an RSJ would not be that easy but some advice on this would really be appreciated. Obviously if there is another option I have not thought of then please suggest it.

Finally for a wooden from for the plaster what type of wood is best for this? 2x4 would that be good enough?

Right with all this information/questions/updates I think you have earned the right to look at some photo updates. Please bear in mind I have no remorse for removing the feature that I have but if you still feel in enough shock that comments are warranted then feel free to through them out. I know my wife will take great pleasure in say “I told you so” and gaining brownie points with my wife is always a great way to make friends and influence people.

Enjoy!

 

hi, did you rent the scaffolding in the last few pics? if so whats the cost, need something and that looks perfect.

cheers

 

No renting... I went in for my DIY fetish in a big way. So I am the sole proprietor of these bad boys.

I got them of eBay & cost in the sale about £200 & are normally about £250 & p&p is free... Nice!

The company sell loads - bpsaccesssolutions.

Check them out might be better value than renting.