Keys...

.... we've got KEYS!

We've exchanged contracts!

Enough said really

Time off

Well, it wasn't really time off. But we did have an enjoyable morning wandering around a rather wet Blackbushe Market. Cheap rugs, and tools were the order of the day. Nothing bought - but some ideas were formed

Of carpets and worktops

Mitchells in Southampton (see links on the right hand side) - very helpful, knowledgeable people. Easy to work with, clearly know their business. And for £125 per 3.6m length well priced - and they'll put the mitre cuts into the work surface too - which I have to say I was more than a little worried about. Remains to be seen if they are as easy to fit as it seems. And to add to that, I'm going to have to cut the hole for the sink.

Carpets - OMG they're expensive! I think we may have to buy a rug for the bedroom for now - and sand and varnish the floorboards. At least until the proverbial dust has settled and we can see what we're doing with our finances. At least you can use 'end of roll' carpets to do the stairs and landings!

Frustration

So we've done everything we can
So our solicitor has done everything they can

And yet - we are waiting for the seller's solicitors to pull their finger out. On a Friday before a weekend where I'm not working at all (a rarity in of itself) and I can't go over to the property and start work.

*sigh*

My brain is full......

Well our solicitors have been talking to their solicitors, who are going to talk to the sellers. We *might* be getting the keys today. WOOHOO! It would be great if we can - it'll give us a weekend to work on the house, measure things up, order carpets etc etc etc. Things are really starting to get exciting. My brain is full however of tile sizes, cost of taps, colour swatches and stable doors.

More on kitchens :)

Some more scary steps today. The solicitors have confirmed they've got the money - which is good cos I was rather worried about that. And we've paid just over £2700 on a new kitchen, for a house we don't own yet! We met with the design consultant who went through all the options with us. And there were a lot of options too! They did produce some very nice pictures for us:

These are rather cool. There are some complicated points about the kitchen.

In other news: The solicitors have said they will probably be able to exchange this week, and complete next week. So I might be able to pick up the keys for the new house tomorrow!

We are going to end up spending even more money at Wickes.

• The back door desperately needs replacing.
• We're getting the bathroom there - the suite, tiles, adhesive etc.
  
• We'll probably get the paint there
• Some of the windows need replacing - the one in the kitchen is cracked
• etc etc etc
  

We don't have some work tops - yet. Still Wickes are delivering in about four weeks time. My cheeky wife managed to blag the bathroom suite out of the sales guy.

Kitchens....

So we had a very nice consultant over from Wickes yesterday to measure up the kitchen. My boss has given me a half day tomorrow so we can go to the store and look over the designs and order it. We really need to order tomorrow as their sale ends then!


We also had a chap over to look at moving the cooker. He's a gas man, and isn't qualified to do the electrics on the cooker. *sigh* The cooker will need to be moved before we can install the kitchen, but we've got a three to four week lead time on the kitchen units, which gives us more than enough time to rip out the old kitchen and move the cooker. Can't believe I'm going to say this - but yay for lead times.


We've also had a bit of a think about the kitchen. Currently the bathroom is off the kitchen, and we want to move it upstairs. There is a toilet in the bathroom at the moment. So here's a thought:

We can create a much bigger kitchen by knocking through to the bathroom as it stands. But what do we do with the toilet?
We don't want to get rid of the toilet - we're about to start a family and we're not too keen on having to take a toddler upstairs just to go to the loo.

So we have a choice - do we leave the toilet where it is? This might have building regulation implications if we get rid of the wall round what is currently the bathroom.

Or - can we move the toilet into the cupboard under the stairs. I'm not sure about this one - there are shall we say - privacy implications!

This demonstrates one of the problems we're facing at the moment. Can we find a copy of the current building regs online? Can we 'eck! So if anyone knows where we can find building regs online - particularly ones relating to this kind of problem - please leave a comment.

Update: sent the money and all the paperwork to the solicitor. Wow that's a scary amount of money. Lets hope the solicitor gave me the right details for their account!

"And so it begins...." -- Ambassador Kosh Naranek

A month ago we saw a house we liked a LOT. A three bedroom house. Its what we've been looking for. Desperately in need of modernisation. Cheap. Big garden. With room to expand. And this one has it all! Got the mortgage sorted, got the insurance sorted etc.

I posted the contracts off to the solicitors this morning. We're getting so close now!

We visited the house today, to measure the kitchen up and discuss moving the cooker. There is such a long list of things to do.

• Rip out the kitchen and replace it. This is going to be expensive
  
• Rip out the bathroom, which is off the kitchen at the moment - and move it upstairs. So we lose a bedroom in the process. This is going to be extra expensive as I can't do the work myself
• Redecorate throughout.
• Later on, put a conservatory on the back of the house
• MUCH later on, put an extension on the side of the house
  

There is so much to do, and it feels like so little time. And it's all going to cost money - which of course we don't have, having spent so much on buying the house in the first place!

This blog will chart the trials and tribulations of making the house our own.

Why a 60 Month Make Over?
The title is inspired by the TV program 60 Minute Make Over in an 'hour' the TV producers and their team come in and make over most (or all) of a house. Of course with the magic of TV they manage to cheat slightly on the time - and none of the paint is dry when they finish. We don't have the magic of TV, or an unlimited budget (or even a budget anywhere close to a TV production). We do have time, lots of mates, ideas and drive - how much only time will tell.