Owning your own home

We got one of these: https://www.roselandfurniture.com/products/urban-chic-monks-bench
and it instantly filled up with sports related stuff.

Only problem is that I seem to live with two people who think it is acceptable to use every flat surface that is designed for sitting on for storing random things (bags, coats, post, etc).

I didn't even know those things had a name. Not sure one would fit in our hallway.

I order something from them, we didn’t quite like it and tried to send it back; they made a massive deal of it despite being egible for a cooling off period.

Bloody houses! We have just had our floors sanded and multiple boards with woodworm damage replaced. The woodworm was treated and a chemical damp proof course was done in 2013 by the previous owners when the bought it. We have had the warranty transferred over so I have already emailed the company about the following, but wanted to be better informed.

After sanding, there was movement in the floor at one spot than wasn't there before. Looking in the basement, it looks like it had previously been wedged and this had been disturbed by the sanding.
But the wall plate (is that what it's called) is rotten/damaged in the spot that was wedged, and the newer bits of wood that were doing the wedging have serious signs of rot/woodworm.

Red arrows where the wall plate and joist are rotten/damaged. It used to be the back wall of the house but the previous owners built a side return extension so it's an internal wall now.

Is my house going to fall down?

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Bodge awards contender that

Going to be another vent post I'm afraid, don't feel obliged to reply, just need to let it out somewhere.

My buyers have pulled out a few weeks from getting a completion date. They cited problems with our conveyancers who've been down for the last month or so but hadn't really been doing a great job prior to that, and with the management pack we got from our previous managing agents which stated (erroneously) that there were arrears against the premise.

I'm just so furious and sad. Six months of work getting this through, gone.

Fucking hell dude that sound horrific, here’s to a better 2022.

Class, glad to see worse bodges in other people's houses.

I've no direct experience with this company other than buying some rot prevention measures, and site is pretty old school but they have been around for a long time.
https://www.timber-repair.co.uk/contact.htm

Sorry to hear this. Selling leasehold is a pita.

If you are selling again, we worked with a very good conveyancer who I would happily recommend. Proactive, experienced, rapidly solved problems.

Has anyone ever happened across a composite front door without the fake woodgrain? Always confuses me that real wood doors don't have any, but composite does.

Appreciate it, and yes I'd be hugely interested - this is my second time with PPP and I've been even less impressed this time than last. thanks @edscoble - I'm sure it'll happen next year but what a kick in the balls just before Xmas. Bah. Humbug.

Why Leasehold specifically? They’re pretty much the most common choices left.

Terrible leases stacked against the owner, particularly on modern builds.

There is nothing wrong with my lease, but the process of selling is more complicated because you need to produce a leasehold pack from the managing agent, as well as routing any Q&A through them, and they can be slow or even totally unresponsive. Things get even more time consuming and complicated if your buyers request any changes to the lease.

Is my house going to fall down?

Unlikely. We have uncovered similar bodges all over the place. Most of them with timber that's looks as old as the house.

Just slosh a bunch of woodworm treatment on it, get a couple of new bits of timber/cut some wedges/find some old bits of slate, treat (if timber), then bang them in until it all looks level and feels solid.

... and all the usual old house advice: make sure things are ventilated down there, check for water getting in and so on

First couple of weeks!
-Snagged loads of mkt place furniture, ordered a sofa, worn coat inside a lot, thought about paint, sketched floorplans, got stressed how much work it'll be, booking a boiler service

Starting with fixing the stained glass window (managed to find 2 people to come out, who will visit this week) and someone to fix up the sash windows. It is so drafty.

Want to get bathroom and kitchen plan sorted and booked in.

Then can get into stripping wallpaper.

Carpets, doors etc last/ in the future depending on how much bathroom and kitchen costs

1st photo - kind of share of freehold lease (absent freeholder, management co of which I am 1/5 owns the head lease and in the process of going to absolute title, then I have a sub lease with the man co). Is it worth broaching the idea of opening up a structural wall? Seems like a no go straight off the bat

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Sorry to hear that. Sure you will line someone else up soon to buy it! I can also recommend a solicitor who dealt with my leasehold flat, though she's not in London

The view is awesome. Nice one!

We had our single glazed wooden sash windows fixed up. Meant our front room was a workshop for a week, but the difference is like night and day.

Cheers:)
Did you look at retro fitting double glazing?
Got 1 quote so far and have no benchmark. 5 windows all similar size and all similar condition at the moment.

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We did look at having them replaced - the entire thing, frames and all - with modern wooden framed double glazed sashes, but the cost was a lot more than having the exiting units fixed up, and the renovator was impressed with ours as they were, after the thirty years of use they have had.

A good news story if you care for it: called my regular plumber because my boiler was leaking and we had to switch it off. Sadly he said he had tested + for COVID so couldn’t help, but he went through some over the phone diagnosis to work out what the problem was. After trying lots of different plumbers, I get a ‘well established, local company’ quoting me £390 to fix, which seems a bit spendy. I check back with my regular plumber, and he orders a new part for me, talks me through the process, and I have fixed the problem for less than £7. Dunno why I’m sharing this except to say: find a good plumber, respect his skills and stick with him

What was the issue as there isn't much thats £7 anymore.

Filter thing was leaking; new O-ring was £7. Obvs would have cost much more to fit

I get a ‘well established, local company’ quoting me £390 to fix, which seems a bit spendy.

TBF, they do have to give you a worse case scenario cost if it turn out to be a serious problem plus the labour/times, had they gave you a small quote and it turn out to be 3x the amount, you’d be pretty annoyed.

Super nice of your regular not charging you for his times tho.

When I had my windows done some I had double glazed (the knackered units) and some were just refurbed. Even on the refurbed ones, getting them fitting properly with draught-proofing made a big difference. I probably wouldn't bother with double glazing unless it needs a lot of work.