My House DIY Thread (Woohoo Photo's!)

A sharp wall paper scraper the type with a replaceable 4" blade should make easy work of the silicone. Sometimes it will just peel of if you pull at one end.

Thanks man, that is what I was thinking but was not sure if using some kind of solvent was a better option. I have tried the "just pull it off" approach with my hand, unfortunately it is just coming off in tiny bits with very little being removed and loads being left behind.
 
In photo 13, does either side of your doorway curve outward as you reach the top, or is it just the angle the photo is taken at?

Good progress, getting there slowly. :)

Also for silicone you will find that there will always be a few bits left after you use the scraper - a good approach is to use a scraper followed by a silicone eater like this to get rid of the last few bits. Also when using a scraper be very careful on surfaces such as enamelled baths as you could scrape/chip the enamel - use a plastic scraper in delicate areas.
 
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Hey All,

On Saturday my wife and I went to a shop called Gibson and Gould Fireplace shop to look at log burning stoves and were all set for getting a Boseley Serrano 5 or 7 stove and wanted to get prices on them as well as costs for install and other bits and bobs.

We have a Victorian house and have always wanted to have a Victorian gas fire but with the cost of the fires plus the gas costs we decided on the stove option.

However when we spoke to the helpful wummin in the shop she showed us this option:
Majestic Integra Solid Fuel Fire

It is the best of both worlds for us. A log burning stove in the style of a Victorian fire.

We have a guy coming out on Friday to check out our setup and give us an install quote. Then on Tuesday next week we have the plasterer coming out to replacster the ceiling and our 2 alcoves. We are also getting the roof done over the next 3 weeks. Once those jobs are done the windows come out, get repaired and re-installed. However before they reinstall the windows the wood guys will be in to strip the last few bits of paint round the windows.

Feel like I am onto the home straight for livingroom but still going to be touch and go with whether it will all be done before Christmas.

Fingers Crossed.
 
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What size room will the fire be in, is it well insulated? Will you be using it as your main source of heat in that room?
 
What size room will the fire be in, is it well insulated? Will you be using it as your main source of heat in that room?

The Livingroom is 23' x 16' with about 13' ceilings so a fair size.
Well insulated, I would have to say "No!" and it has the heat retention policies of teabag.

Main heat source, we hope it will be but we are also getting Victorian radiators installed so there will be additional heat sources in the room if we need it.
 
The Livingroom is 23' x 16' with about 13' ceilings so a fair size.
Well insulated, I would have to say "No!" and it has the heat retention policies of teabag.

Main heat source, we hope it will be but we are also getting Victorian radiators installed so there will be additional heat sources in the room if we need it.

Sorry mate, forgot about this thread :D Have you sorted out what your doing about the stove yet? Thats a hefty size room so I wouldnt have thought an inset stove would heat it comfortably, especially as your insulation is poor.
 
Sorry mate, forgot about this thread :D Have you sorted out what your doing about the stove yet? Thats a hefty size room so I wouldnt have thought an inset stove would heat it comfortably, especially as your insulation is poor.

No worries dude…

The fireplace situation has taken a slight turn for the worst. The guys came round this week to fit the flue down the chimney as we are getting a new roof as well so they used the same scaffold. However when trying to run the pipe they could not get it down the chimney and it is now looking like we have a collapse in it or at the very least a blockage which may mean we are not going to get the fire we want.

I am really gutted as I would really love the fire we have so we are waiting for the company to decide what to do next but think it is going to need a camera run and maybe some bricks knocked out further up the wall… Genuinely gutted.

However a 5KW stove that we are getting should be more than enough to heat the room but we are also installing Victorian styled cast iron radiators, which are feckin shockingly expensive but will hopefully keep us toasty during the winter.
 
Okay most recent update…

Really busy few weeks with everything that has been going… My work has went turbo mental and any NetApp experts in here make yourself known. :lease:

However on top of that work on our roof started last week and we have 3 windows being installed into the rear of the property. Conservation laws deemed we could not have them on the front which is south facing. However the two main reasons for doing the roof is it was leaking like a teabag so needed to get done and in the ceiling above the stairs and the bathroom have stainglass windows which have no light on them as the windows in the roof have been removed over the years and we are reinstating them. I have no pictures of this but hoping to remedy that at the weekend. :thumbsup:

Other place as you can see from last post is lots more work in the livingroom but not all good news. Maybe a problem getting the log burner installed due to problems with the chimney.:(

In the livingroom though I have used a product called BIN paint which is a stain blocking paint bit also good for white painting strong colours like RED on the cornice. I managed to get 2 coats of that on last week. I then spent all day on Saturday running cables in the wall for my rear speakers. Unfortunately what I thought would be a fairly easy job tuned into an 8 hr epic. :boring:

The cavity wall I have which was created by the lath wall was not deep enough and the wall had lots of rubble in it so dropping the cable down turned down into a real pain. I ended up having to wraggle the wall to get the cables to under the floor. Once under the floor it was pretty hard going because of all the dirt, bricks, rubble, cables and pipes running everywhere. However managed to do a fairly neat job under the floor and get the cables into my AV cupboard.

Then this week the plasters turned up to re-plaster the ceiling, alcoves and area where cables have been run. When plaster came round to quote we were hoping he could just skim the ceiling but because it has wallpaper on it he said that would be best coming off first but would be a nightmare to remove because of the lath ceiling would potentially soak up the water from the steamer or a sponge. So he suggested sheeting the roof and giving that a skim. I have to say anyone in the Glasgow area looking for a good plasterer who is fairly priced then I will happily recommend our plasterer. It took him one day to sheet and rough skim the worse areas and then another day to complete all the finishing skim work and really think he has done a great job.

I plan to paint the ceilings & walls over the next few weeks as well as get the wood guys back to complete the stripping and finishing of the wood. Then finally wallpaper.

Think the stove is going to be a bit of an on-going saga but our neighbours next door who maybe affected by the smoke tests are being good and working with us allowing the chimney guys into their property to stop and block any vents that may cause smoke in their house (which happened last week :blush:)

Best news by far though is since we moved in to the house (1yr and 1 week) we have had no tv and relied on tvcatchup on laptop hooked up to TV. However today (Sat) an aerial guy is coming out to fit the new aerial and by this evening we will have a working aerial connection... Its a first-world-problem solved :devil:

Anyway a few more pictures….
 

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Looking good :smashin:
 
No worries dude…

The fireplace situation has taken a slight turn for the worst. The guys came round this week to fit the flue down the chimney as we are getting a new roof as well so they used the same scaffold. However when trying to run the pipe they could not get it down the chimney and it is now looking like we have a collapse in it or at the very least a blockage which may mean we are not going to get the fire we want.

Did they cause the blockage? That would be a shame not to have what you wanted.
 
Did they cause the blockage? That would be a shame not to have what you wanted.

We currently have no idea what is the cause. We need to get a camera put up as well as another smoke test done before any conclusions can be made.
 
Sorry for the lack of updates recently things have been busy at work as well as with DIY in the house and trying to catch up with some friends (I vaguely remembered them before we started all this work) ;)


So I hear the cry "what have you been up to!" well sit back, relax and enjoy the story, once the story has been read, only then, can you enjoy the pictures... :devil:

I have not fninshed though... Lets get that clear... :D :eek:

So the fireplace situation was a bit streesful. Next door finally agreed to let us block up their side and were in fact really good with us. In the end no smoke test was needed or a camera being put up. The company we were using sub-contracted the problem solving work out to another company. This company was a company we had considered using but decided on the one-stop-shop company we are using. The guys came round and were really nice guys and all they did was shove a chimmney sweep up, cleared the chimmney and then dropped thr flex-pipe. They were done in about 30mins. Bit annoyed with the company we used making it sound like the chimmney was collapsed without even trying to sweep the chimmney. However the fire is being installed on tomorrow and we are really excited about it.

:arty:

The fire-surround we bought my wife spent a month stripping (white paint) then sanding before waxing. She then decided she had ruined it and we needed a new one, my obvious response, being a scotsman was "Aw sweetheart, don't worry about it, if you don't like then just go and find a new one that you do like, hell its only money!" :) We found a new surround that was unfinished and it arrived last Wednesday. My wife then sanded it and as I type is putting the last of six coats of wax on the bad boy now in preperation for them coming tomorrow.

I have some pictures of the fire-surround we are going to use.... NOT YET!!!

As for the room... I have had some low points recently in the room as I get towards the end, my energy levels are constantly running on almost empty. But we are getting there, my old man has been helping out loads so a big thanks has to go to him but my mum and wee bro have all pitched in as well to help us out when and where they can.

My wife with some help from my mum has put another 6 coats of wax on the skirtings and the picture rail round the room, although, again my dad and I helped with the picture rail, but the waxing has been my wifes baby and she has made a tremendous job of it with the wood looking fantastic (pictures don't do it justice.... NOT YET!).

On the painting front 2 weekends ago we put the alkaline sealing paint on all the exposed cornice and ceiling rose. I then bought 20l of Leylands latex paint and put two coats of that on the ceiling and walls with new plaster and I was really pleased with the cover it gave the plaster. During the last week and the weekend my dad and I put 3 coats of pink (dries white) emulsion on the ceiling as well as normal white emulsion on the cornice and ceiling rose. Again really pleased with the finish it has given us. Late on Saturday night a strip of lining paper was put up between the corince and picture rail and it just made the wood look fantastic.

Yesterday I was proper tired and slightly grumpy so decided just to keep quiet at which point by the end of the day because I was giving one word answers and not talking much my dad thought he had done something wrong and text me today to say he was sorry if he had done or said something... Bless, what a shame. Mind you he should feel lucky he left at 6pm my wife had to put up with me all day and night. Just one of those things and very out of character for me, I am usually the one keeping everyone else going (I think). Anyway my dad left after getting more paint on some more dry plaster and old painted walls, as well as 1 coat of laytex on the lining paper. After he left I put the laura ashley colour paint that will match the wallpaper we are putting up. this paint is going between the cornice and picture rail as well as the two alcoves. It looks great and I have just finished the 2nd coat tonight (NOT YET!!!)

So in the next few weeks we are hoping to have new radiators installed, we have decided to go for old school fashioned cast iron radiators, which are not cheap but I think they are going to look fantastic in the room once it is finished. Problem I have is getting them in the house one of them weighs over 100kg and I have 4 steps to carry them up. I am an ex front-row rugby player so not a wee lady but even that is going to be a strain for me on my own and my wife weighs 8 stone after being caught in the rain. My old man is nearly 60 with a bad back so I am going to get my wee bro to help me. Problem I have is if he is at Uni... Anyone got any suggestions on a solution for this?

Before these are installed the pipe work needs moved, wood work finished off round fireplace, floors sanded. This all before Christmas... Lets wait and see shall we....

You have earned it after me droning on... I am fairly impressed at how much I can talk sometimes (actually that is a lie I have always been able to waffle with the best!)...

NOW....
 

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100kg is not actually that heavy if you can reduce friction and pull it. Even some mdf for a ramp and some cardboard will make it a doodle.
 
For the Rads another option is skate boards and Ramps.

As an ex-rugby forward borrowing a couple from some kids at the local skate park shouldn't be a problem :)
 
For the Rads another option is skate boards and Ramps.

As an ex-rugby forward borrowing a couple from some kids at the local skate park shouldn't be a problem :)

Okay then....

Looks like I am taking up bullying, theft & generally being a wee F:censored:Y" :rotfl:
 
Like all good things wait ages a 2 come along at once (not 3 definitely... Always 2) :laugh:

Anyway the fireplace was installed yesterday and it looks awesome and is gonna be great once the room is complete.

Well without a further ado here is the latest pictures of the new fire: :thumbsup:
 

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Right People another update...

I will keep this short. We had the official lighting ceremony of the fire with all the family. Sadly my brother could not be there as he was studying for a Uni Essay but everyone else was there so it was great. Took a bit of effort getting it lit but we got there.

Then my dad and I have spent the last two weeks putting up lining paper and the finishing wallpaper. A few bits of lining paper bits need to be finished off round the fireplace and the whole fireplace wall needs the finishing paper. So I only have one picture of the main alcove but more will follow soon.

I have some photos of our cast iron radiators and the valve fittings. I have to say proper happy with them and really looking forward to getting them fitted.

The last other picture is off the stain glass window above the stairs which now has light coming in from outside since the roof has been stripped and re-slated. Looks cracking.

Anyway here you all go...
 

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Can I ask how much the fire was? We have an open coal fire with a basket. It's messy! I like ths one though. How does the heat get into the room if there s a glass partition? Maybe a stupid question lol
 

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