DIY Diary
Welcome to my DIY diaries!
This is a short Blog entries to give you an insight into my main house project and then some of my ideas for future projects!
Welcome to DIY Diaries
So in 2018 I was looking for houses and was really struggling to find anything that I really fell in Love with. There was quite a bit of choice but rarely could I find something with even enough potential for my to see it being practical to buy. I should also mention I hate moving so limited the amount of times moving house was a big factor! I dont remember how many properties I looked at. Then I drove past this house up for Auction! I was like ooooo that isnt going to be in my price range!! But yet it possibly was! It was a rush to view it before the auction date! I was also away in Thailand when the auction was so I would have to bid online for it! No pressure !! So this blog will follow my DIY Diaries though living in a renovation project and trying to just keep moving forward with limited time and budget! I hope you enjoy!
AUCTION DAY 2018
I was in Thailand for a special treat after my mum finally lost her battle with cancer. I used to live in Bangkok and I wanted to go and visit some of my old friends out there! Obviously this took a lot of planning and excitement! Not imaging the week before I go away I would find my dream house which was a bigger project than I had anticipated taking on. The house had been empty for 3 years before the Auction! I had looked around and read the legal pack there was no major structural problems to put me off. So I decided to complete all the paperwork and set up online bidding for the property. This particular property had been rushed back into the Auction as the previous buyer had not got the money to pay after he had bid! I had tried to decide on my budget!
So to the day! I had set a few alarms and was really crossing fingers that my friends laptop and internet (thai connection) 🙄 would hold up for the live video auction. The auction number came up Im sure it was 12A as it was an add in! In order to comply with the broadcasting rules! I had to watch the show and then listen to the audio a few minutes behind. Which means you bid and then you wait and wait and wait until they finally say 'we have an online bidder'! Can not describe how much my heart was in my throat. It was only about 3 bids and I won it 😲😲! I got my house!
OMG then you have to try and process a house sale in 4 weeks! While i'm in Thailand for 2 of those! Luckily the internet is useful for quite a lot of processing. Not helped by my bank decided it didn't want to approve my deposit cheque because it was a big amount! Don't you love banks when you abroad and trying to get things processed!
So time for a celebratory drink and dinner! Then the realisation ! I have a lot of work to do!
Action Plan
For anyone wanting to embark in this kind of project! I always recommend making yourself an action plan of the most important jobs first! For me this was a full rewire and new pipes and boiler. As my house had wiring that was older than me! And a boiler feature that was horrific in the dinning room (check out the pic)! Joined with the fact during its vacant time the weather had sheered the pipe from the boiler so was not functioning! I do always think a good start to a older property which has not had much previous work done is rewiring and new boiler! Messy jobs done so once you have moved in less trauma of the moving stuff and making more dust that you ever expected could exist! I did unfortunately have to speed up the plan of things I was aiming for at the beginning as my landlord had decided to sell the property I was in and he wanted it vacant so it was all battle stations moving forward I then had 4 weeks to get this house to a state where I could live and function in it! Always be willing to amend your plans and timescales! It can also be hard to get skilled builders in when you need them too!
Covid Delays
Just when you think things couldn't get slower! - Covid hit! I work in healthcare and this just ment even less time off while it seemed like most the world was sat at home bored and doing every DIY project they can. It became increasing hard just to do basic things to get supplies when I eventually got annual leave! But I will not be put off!! Progress still got made!
Things have blurred and to when I have had chance to install new things and the order they came in but I will do my best to recall the funny and real life of living in a house renovation!