Renovation - two offices to a bathroom!

So, I thought I'd return to writing a little bit about some of the work we have done on the house. The bathroom, was a big job and brought with it many problems!!

A room in this house had been made into two small offices, and as it was partition walls we thought it perfect for knocking back into one room and having it as a bathroom. It was a good location - upstairs in the middle of the house....here is the floor plan showing how it was before...





So, as you can see we needed to take out the walls in the middle of the room. Which also happened to have a radiator on each side - so first we had to get those off the walls!

Below are the two offices - and the doors between them that we also had to remove...

We removed these walls with a week of moving in! Adam and Paul came and helped, and it was a lot more difficult than we had anticipated! The wood holding up the walls, which the plasterboard was attached to - did not want to come out!! and the mess from the plasterboard was awful! The waste we had to get rid of too - seemed to triple in size as we took it out! Plus we couldn't put plasterboard in the tip - we needed special bags which we had to pay for - they were huge and I thought 2 would be enough. It wasn't!

You can see below how awful and dusty it was! This is my crazy husband Andy and my son Adam.

This was the first real look we got of it as one big room rather than two offices!

Tidied up it looked good!

I still had all the woodchip to get off the walls - and it needed plastering - it still had office lights and plug sockets...

So, the plumbers were already about - they saw it as two offices on the Friday when they went home and they came back to it looking like the pic above on the Monday!

I had designed how I wanted the bathroom - it looked something like this: (pic to go in)

So...the plumbers started lifting floorboards etc. and then they hit me with it - we can't do the bathroom in here! They said that there was a massive steel running right across the middle of the floor meaning that they could not run pipes across. Furthermore - because the house is extended further out on the floor below - all the waste pipes had to leave the room in the far corner and they would not be able to get the pipes at an angle so that the water/waste would run down it. Panic, disappointment, worry about the planning permission we'd need to change room...and what other room would it go in?? We scoped the house for other options - pulling up floor boards etc. Eventually they said - if we raised the floor, we could get over the steel thing, and get the angles they needed. So I searched for somebody who could do this for us - and £1,000 and a week later - we had a raised floor!

During this time I also stripped off a ton of woodchip wallpaper (the plasterer had provided me with a young lad - cheap labour to help, as at the time I was also stripping wallpaper off our bedroom wall), and I had all the walls plastered. When I tried to get the wallpaper off the ceiling - it started to come apart, so we had to put in a new ceiling and get that plastered too!! All of which was more expense we didn't expect. Before the bathroom could go in - I needed to tile too. I had done a tiling course whilst we were waiting to buy the house and I was very nervous about tiling it myself - my first attempt!!

I tiled an area where the sinks were going - and I really struggled because the wall was not flat - despite having been plastered.

Then I realised that there was no way I could tile around where the shower would be, because it was going up higher and the wall was so bendy!! I ended up getting the plasterer back to straighten the wall. They did not do a perfect job. I was stressing so much that Paul agreed to come and help me - and between us - I think we did a good job!!

Then...I had to paint, and get the flooring in - before we could finish getting the bathroom fitted. I think it was already October and we'd started this in June! I was desperate for this bathroom! I was so excited because I knew it would be awesome when finished!!

Here it is painted...you can also see the raised floor and the taps ready for the bath...

I cannot seem to find any pics of the floor going in - but I must have some - so will add them if I ever find them!! But it is Amtico, and is a pale grey wood type....thing...very nice!

The next thing that happened is that the whole bathroom went in - apart from the shower because we had so many problems with missing parts. Victoria Plum - have a lot to answer for - that and they sent me two sink pedestals that were all bendy and they looked nothing alike when stood together. The replacements they sent were all smashed - and eventually they checked everything and sent them specially packed etc. Took a LOT of time and stress to get this sorted and even more so with the shower!

So - the end result (I cant show the whole thing in one pic unfortunately - too many weird angles), and you get to see the new floor here too.....drum roll......



































If you go back and compare these to the two offices, or the wall coming down, it makes you (me) realise just what we achieved. These pics don't actually do it justice. It definitely has the wow factor!

FriYAY - nicked that off my daughter!

Hi!

Well....yesterday, the guy came to fit the smart meter and took one look at out 3 phase electricity feed, and declared himself not qualified...

I tried to steam the wallpaper off the walls and it would last about 8 minutes before cutting out, then took an hour before I could turn it back on again!  I cut the grass (the mower worked!) but had to stop before I finished because of rain.  Grass looks like its had half a hair cut!

I ran 5km on the running machine and tried out my new trainers.  They were fine.  I am now 24.5km head on my YVSTY challenge (1018 km in a year).  I think my total is 346km so far...

Weight loss is back at 9.5lb loss.  I can live with that.  Just need to keep it going in that direction - I have another 22lb to lose! I think I'll start feeling better after another 10lb or so...I should start fitting in my clothes again by then!

So today - I can pick up my asbestos safety equipment from about midday...overalls, goggles and mask.  So - I'll do some more wallpaper stripping until then.  I was dreaming last night that our plasterer (Ray) had fitted amazing bathrooms in a our house (not this house, but an amazing big house!) and I was really pleased, but was very worried as we had not agreed a price and he'd just gone ahead and done it.  In my dream I was complaining to Lissa that it may have blown all the money we had left and he should have agreed it first - he heard me and so I was telling him to his face...its AMAZING but.....

This obviously shows that I am worried about the work we have left to do and the lack of money!  We are a few grand short to finish the annex....and I really want to finish it! Paul has offered to help us fit the bathroom ourselves to save some money - and I think we could do it.  That will save some money - but until I get rid of this asbestos and strip the walls we can't move on.

Did I mention yesterday that we got the permission we need to fit the new external door? Well, we have and that's another expense - getting a door made and the doorway put in....having to arrange that would have frightened the life out of me before we moved here, but I've arranged and completed so many projects in this house, i know that everything can get done - you just need money!!

Thursday 26 April 2018

I'm starving! Don't know why I woke up feeling so hungry! Probably because I didn't eat a massive unhealthy take-out last night!

Weight loss is back up to 9.2lb this morning - was 7.5lb yesterday - so feel a bit better that it was a blip.  I knew running 10km would have a good effect.  If anybody reads this and thinks that I am obsessed (about diet and running).  Then you'd be correct.  I don't think I do anything that I don't get obsessed about! I feel sorry for the people around me - I bore them to death, and as much as I try - I can't help myself.  I think to myself - I am not going to tell Andy all about my run today because he won't find it interesting - but then....I tell him all about it!

So - asbestos bags turned up this morning and they are huge - which is what I was hoping for, as it is in big pieces on the wall and I don't want to have to break it up anymore than I have to.  So - I need to go out and buy a protective mask and get on with getting rid of it.  It is going to cost me £12.20 per bag - and that is for a normal rubble bag - and these are twice the size - so I'll probably have to pay x2 for each bag.  :-(

Somebody should be turning up today to fit a smart meter.  No idea if there will be a problem when they see that we have a 3 par thingy rather than 1 par.  I have no idea about the terminology - we just have a bigger feed of electricity coming into the house because we have such a big house. #mansionproblems.

The grass needs cutting again - and I have no idea if the mower is going to start, as it cut out last time and I couldn't get it going again.  If I do get it going, I'm going to have to make sure I do it all in one go and don't turn it off, mid-way around like last time.  That was interesting wasn't it.  Okay, I don't claim to be interesting!!

I found this route on walkjogrun.com - here is the link:

https://www.walkjogrun.net/functions/shareRouteBlog.cfm?rid=F9F53171-E355-1BCB-A758E4949B2E2B32&layout=false



It would be about 12.7km from our house.  I want to try it....although the advice is - only add 1km to your longest run every two weeks.  Actually it is about two weeks since I went up to 10km - but this is an extra 2.7km, so I might have to wait a while....it ends on a big hill too.....and I'd probably get quite a few rests whilst I check my map to see if I am going the right way.  something to aim for....

Wednesday 25th April 2018

Morning.

I woke up really early this morning - and Andy must have too because he left for work at 5.15am and I know he set his alarm for 6am.

Adam and Erika have left now - and I'm sat here feeling rather depressed after weighing myself.  At one point last week I had lost 11.5lb - and after a weekend with Helen and Paul and a few days with Adam and Erika - all involving eating and drinking - I am have now only lost 7.5lb.  How I can put that much on in less than a week is beyond me - especially as that takes weeks to lose!

Another reason that I am not feeling very happy is because of this:  We booked a holiday to Jamaica for next year.  So when we booked it we had over a year to wait.  It was expensive and involved an upgraded amazing room with a butler and premium flights.  However, I had to wait to April this year to attempt to use my air-miles to upgrade to first class.  I called them yesterday and could only upgrade the flight there as the return flight had sold out.  Okay - not bad - first class there would still be awesome!!  As we were coming to the end of the process of upgrading (after 43 minutes on the phone) the woman said - oh....you need to have paid the holiday off in full and have had your tickets issued, otherwise you cant use your points to upgrade.  Now the problem here is that we were going to cash in shares to pay for it - and when I spoke to Andy - we don't quite have enough.  The whole thing made us realise that this is a lot of money that we don't really have.  So instead of having a first class flight to an amazing holiday in Jamaica - it looks like we might just cancel the holiday.

Cancelling is probably the most sensible thing to do - especially if we want to finish the work on the house.  We could use that share money towards the work.

Anyway....was planning on a 10km run - try out my new trainers and burn off some of my fatty fatty blob blob self.  But it has started to throw it down outside - and I can't do 10km on the running machine it is too boring and it's too easy to quit.

Oh well.....decisions decisions.  I'm going to look on line for a part time job.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Well the search for a part time job was over quickly....so as Lissa and Andy both said to me - just go for the run in the rain -  I did! I ran 10.1km in 1hr 10m...in the rain for the first half - and wishing it was raining in the second half! Kept my old trainers on because I didn't want to risk them rubbing on a longer run - and I didn't want to get them muddy lol.

I felt much better after having been for a run - and I tidied up and did some washing etc. and went and had a bath.  Kitten May kept me company - making me nervous that she was going to fall in!!

May sticking her leg into the bubbles...

May for some reason seemed to want to bite the bath tub!

So - now I am waiting for Andy to come home - I'm cooking chicken with chorizo baked potatoes.  Looking forward to eating quite well tonight and chilling out, and not drinking alcohol (even though some red wine would go down nicely!)

Tuesday 24th April 2018

Hi,

So Adam and Erika were here today...we started off with bacon butties...and eventually got ourselves into Taunton. I took my trainers back and exchanged them for other Nike trainers.  Then Erika bought Adam a Barbour coat...he gets spoilt off Erika - and Luckily for him she has good taste...expensive good taste!

We came back home and decided that we would not go out - we'd get take-out.  We played pool and waited for Andy to emerge from the basement where he was working.  That didn't happen until gone 7pm - which us usual lately with his new role.  He works so hard and such long hours...

So then me and Andy beat them at pool 6-0 or did they win one? Cant remember now!  We ordered really unhealthy kebab and chips...which I didn't enjoy very much...and then Adam and Erika beat us both at cards! lol

Andy had to get up about 6am....and we were all quite tired so I think we went off to bed at 11pm!!  I never go to bed that early! 

Monday 23 April 2018

Good Mawnin!

I'm a bit tired today, although I got 8 hours sleep last night which is unusual!  Think it is just taking me some time to wake up properly!

Yesterday at Helen and Pauls we watched the London marathon...me and Helen seemed to enjoy it the most - I really enjoyed watching it.  I do not dream of doing it one day - seems way too hard to me! One day I'd like to do a half marathon (20 km)...I joked to Helen that we could do the Taunton half marathon next year...you never know though - depends how our training goes, and if we stick to it and not get injured.  I was debating putting myself in for a 10km run next Sunday in Bridgwater, but then realised that it is full!  Helen is still not admitting that she will do the Taunton 10km with me in September this year...but I think she will.

After the weekend and all the food and drink - I am back down to an 8lb loss (since jan) and it had got up to 11.5lb so that is a bit crap.  On the up-side according to my fitbit I am now in the "very good" range for cardio fitness!

I have a fairly busy day ahead as Adam and his gf Erika are coming to stay for a couple of days and it is Erika's 30th Birthday today - so I need to go out and buy a cake and some balloons and that kinda stuff.  I also need to get the house clean and tidy, change the bed, empty cat litter, get bins out...etc. I also wanted to go out and do a 10km run - but I'll have to play that by ear!

We are going out for a meal with Adam and Erika later - so more food and drink tonight!  This is why my diet fails - and I would not dream of eating a salad and being alcohol free!  So....really need to do that run today....

Right, better finish my coffee and get going then or I won't have enough time in the day....

----------------------

So - I went into taunton - and bought myself a new pair of trainers, 2 new running tops, a pair of ankle boots....then I get the stuff for Erika! Got a card, banners, helium 30th balloon, normal balloons, a birthday cake hat a birthday cake and 30th candles!  Got home and me and Andy put these things up at the windows so she would see it as she came in.  I then changed the bed and got tidy etc. and just about got 4km run in before they got here. 

Let me just mention though  - my new Nike Zoom Pegasus trainers - were very disappointing - not enough cushioning so I could feel the tread through the bottom of the trainer.  Gutted.  They were £80 too....so might try taking them back.

So Adam and Erika got here - hope she enjoyed all the things that we did.  We hung around for a but and they then played pool while I got a shower and got ready - then we all had a few drinks and got a taxi into Taunton.  Had a few more drinks and then headed to bare grills restaurant.  Had amazing food...went for another drink and then got a taxi back.  We played pool for a while but all basically crashed before midnight!!

Andy being silly taking a group pic...

~

Then the proper one...

Saturday - park run day!

Morning all,

I woke up this morning at 7.30...before my alarm went off. I wanted to do the park run today and beat my time.  I've only done it twice before and my times were 35:51 the first time and 36:22 the 2nd time.  On both occasions there was a long section of really awful mud and on the second occasion the puddles were more like long long rivers!  Today was dry and so much better!  I was determined to beat my time and I've done a lot of running lately.  My time today was 33:22!! So beat it by quite a bit!

I am aiming for less than 30 minutes but that's quite a lot to knock off, so don't expect to do than any time soon!

I was really pleased with my time, although it was a little disheartening to see I was so far down on the list of the results - I came 294th out of 357.   This is an incentive to do better!

Hehe...I was obviously happy to finish! Think this is me saying YAY!

I came home and had a lovely soak in the bath...then we eventually got ready and went to Helen and Pauls.  Saw their amazing new kitchen, had a few drinkies and went out into Paignton, and to our usual haunt - The Spinning Wheel - AKA The Spinney.  They always have a band on and Andy and Paul said tonight's was rubbish - to be honest me and Helen were chatting so much I didn't hear them.  We chatted loads - lots about running as we have now both got into it.  It is brilliant having somebody to talk to about running - who is about the same standard as me.  We spoke about running shoes, running bra's, routes that we do, hill runs...etc.  SO boring for anybody not into running - I was worried I would bore Helen, but I really think she is just as enthusiastic as me!

Anyway - we also had a really good laugh too - it wasn't ALL about running!!

So, a good time was had by all!  We went home via the kebab shop and I had chips and curry sauce - god it was good!!!  Think I went to bed about 2am,,,,thinking...not too sure about running tomorrow....