Owning your own home

They packed but didn't unpack as we wanted to unpack slowly and strategically (some boxes have only recently been unpacked as we've decorated/renovated our way through the house).

I think it was only a bed and wardrobe they disassembled and reassembled but they did a very good job with it.

And if you go with them and the guy in the far left on the photo is on the job, ask him about his story about what the dog did while he was quoting for a job once.

Interior decor is a bit meh and weird shaped rooms but quite cool @Dammit

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/54623049?utm_source=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utm_medium=api

Loving this

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/51584442?utm_source=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utm_medium=api

i want them to stay if they're happy to continue renting, or if they're looking to buy, i'd let them know we could work out a favourable deal.

Just say this to them. Does not sound scary.

Wow someone’s really done a terrific job of terrible interior decorating

That part of Kent seems to have a nice stock of similar houses - maybe we should all move there and hipsterfy the fuck out of it

My mini review of Dan James a while ago:

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/14757225/

Basically quality of work great, project management shocking. They wouldn’t give us dates in advance (even as guidelines), then we’d get rushed to sort stuff eg they gave us less than a week to get the bathroom suite, brass work and tiles selected, ordered and delivered, then did f-all for weeks while the bath sat in our living room. I think the job was meant to take about 6 weeks and ended up at least 4 months.

Gut feel, a good loft company that’s had trouble trying to scale.

+1 for this. @fizzy.bleach I think you're overthinking it a bit.

I've come across situations like this before and it's never resulted in the tenants being scared off.

I had my L shaped loft conversion in E11 done a few years back by AGL lofts and they took pretty much 5 weeks from start to finish. They were good value too in my opinion.

thanks ( and @hoefla) just needed a sanity check

Replacing all the windows in a house...

Currently not a ton of places fully up and running, or giving clear quotes. I have zero experience but am trying to budget out various bits of work so any anecdotal guidance would be amazing -

• Very roughly, what would a fair range be for ~10x 'new windows please' (4x Large, 2x Medium, 4x small) be?
  
• What work do I need to factor in? i.e do window sills need to be in place and in good nick before or would a good company doing installation factor this in?
  
• What surprised you / most people / often goes wrong that I'm unaware of?
  

Looks like estate agents are back on it. Have a couple of viewings lined up for my flat on Saturday.

#secondwave

question for the Forum:

Kitchens- I am getting a new one. I don't have 40k to spend on it, probably around half that.

What firms and manufacturers should be on my list to look at? I'm after a clean modern design

We took out sash windows and put in 'normal' hinged UPVC (In southeast for reference). From memory it was ~£800 per window (lounge bay windows) and ~£600 for a rear door. Smaller windows about 60 * 100cm were ~£400.

Our sills & casings were in good shape so it would have been more if they had needed to replace those as well, but they checked when they came to give the quote.

Might vary from different installers, but they were a bit rough and left a few dings in the casings so we had to sand it down, make good with polyfiller and paint. All doable but would have been much easier to sand flat an empty casing instead of around the window so I'd happily have paid a bit more for a company who would also make good the painting/after work.

What are you replacing and with what do you want to replace them?

Are they wooden sash windows or uPVC double glazed?

I got the rear of our house and a door done a few years ago for about 3k installed (Crystal Windows) - that was five windows of various sizes and openings.

I was happy with the work - they did it in two days - and had no issue with the windows since, it also included plain wooden internal sills where required at no cost, but the windows are not especially pretty and am currently having the ground floor totally redone anyway so got rid of a couple of windows and the door.

We got them to come back and quote for uPVC sash windows for the front of the house years later. It was the same salesman, even though it seemed like he'd forgotten us, and he took his chances big time. Wild quote for ten grand or something. Told him to do one, and I do think they dropped it to eight, but I eventually decided to keep the original Victorian sash windows in the front of the house and have them renovated and am happy to have plain but reliable and secure double glazing at the back of the house.

Ikea have been good so far.

I'm not overly keen on any of their styles in all honesty, they do however look pretty solid for the money

I had my place done a couple of years ago:

10 x Replacement casement windows, 2 x single doors with side panels & 1 x French doors – 28mm Double
Glazed, white inside & out, PVCU “A+” rated energy saving frames and glass.
White handles to all windows.
1 x Replacement Porch front door, side panels and return window with top above.
Solidor – Ludlow composite door, Anthracite Grey door, white inside & white frames. Brushed furniture,
lever/lever handle, letter box. Ultion cylinder Thumbturn lock.
Building works
Dining room - remove lower brick work, turn half bricks for a clean edge and install new French door.
Client to make good internal plaster work, exterior will be completed by us.
Waste removed from site.
All materials required will be supplied and fitted – 4-day installation.
Net Total £8,570 + VAT Total £10,284

We ended up getting guttering, fascias, soffits and cladding done too, and needed scaffolding, so we ended up getting a deal on the lot as it was all one company.
Assuming you don't want walls removed and multiple doors changing, less than £10k

Issues we had were the roof joists were fucked under the dormer, no way of knowing until they too the old soffits off and sent me a pic of rot holding our roof up!
Added a day on to the job and they fixed it for absolute peanuts (£300 iirc)

This was Double Glazing Essex, based in Benfleet, I live in Laindon, Essex.
http://www.doubleglazingessex.com

Not sure how far into London they go, but i recommend them heartily.
I smashed a window on the patio door when doing to gardening, stone got flicked up by the strimmer.
Ended up fixing it for the call out fee only (£70)
(possible because we had a blown pane in the front room from instillation, that they forgot to come fix, we didn't chase because it was a low priority for us and was waiting for the summer)

Nah, they've got that sorted:
Please make sure you bring with you a mask and surgical gloves/anti-bacterial gel to prevent the risk of corona virus.

Thank you all for the window thoughts, some good bits of information.

Replacing knackered aluminium, preference for tilt and turn coz Euro-style but will like change once I get quotes. Knowing to include sills is good.

We took out sash windows and put in 'normal' hinged UPVC (In southeast for reference)

Whyyyyyyyyyy
Pictures please! I would like to be proved wrong in my assumption that this is not a good thing to do

Do you have examples of the look you do like? And thats for everything white goods, install etc?

A few reasons. The previous owners had already replaced some windows with UPVC and it helps that none of our neighbours have sash windows so it doesn't look out of place.

It looks alright actually. Lots of different styles to chose from, sash are been nicer but the old windows were in bad shape and we didn't have the budget.

chrismanc

question for the Forum:

Kitchens- I am getting a new one. I don't have 40k to spend on it, probably around half that.

What firms and manufacturers should be on my list to look at? I'm after a clean modern design

I went with Ikea and it cost me about £3k for the kitchen and about the same for the install. That involves ripping the whole thing out, retiling, plastering, installing new lights / sockets, and installation of a false ceiling. Only thing we didn't change was the flooring.