House renovations (1 Viewer)

Astute · Jan 25, 2024

Got a full house renovation to do. Already started so happy to show how it goes if anyone is interested. It may look difficult but if you know how to use a hammer, screwdriver and spirit level you're halfway there.

Won't be showing the electrics too much as I am under different regulations but hopefully others can join in and help. In times of austerity saving a few grand a job will help.

This is my start point. I'm doing a loft conversion. Please remember rules and regulations depend on what you're actually doing but if you're going into an attic you could need a fire door and proper stairs. Mine is on the 1st floor where there are already bedrooms but the front of the house is untouched and has been for over 100 years.

wingy · Jan 25, 2024

What's that partition made from?

Astute · Jan 25, 2024

Plasterboard on the outside of the conversion i am doing (along the corridor to the present bedrooms) but they tried to stop the heat coming in by just insulating the wall on the side of the attic not converted. That's the green you can see) The back of the house is done but with a lack of insulation so the ceilings to the roof need to come down on the bedrooms already in place to get the insulating done. Exactly the same as to keep the cold out.

Astute · Jan 25, 2024

Steels are up. Flat insulation put up at end of house and against the wall at the front. Rolls of 200mm insulation used on the apex to the roof and also where the ceiling will be. Ywo different types of steels used. First one screwed around the edges and the others fit inside those. Using 600mm plasterboard so each vertical one has a gap of 300mm. Plasterboard to be spaced to be connected at edges and straight down the middle. Use self tapping screws to connect the steels together but don't connect them together with screws until you get to them.

jimmyhillsfanclub · Jan 25, 2024

I done one full house bash back in the 90s....was my ever first house & it was a bargain......a tinned-up Victorian terrace in an "up and coming area" beneath the blue suburban skies of south Liverpool. I did pretty much the whole house myself.....never ever again.

So, respect for taking it on.....

....and, as I believe you're of a similar age to me, I fully expect the updates to become far less frequent as the enthusiasm fades and the job starts to bite.....good luck.

Astute · Jan 25, 2024

jimmyhillsfanclub said:
I done one full house bash back in the 90s....was my ever first house & it was a bargain......a tinned-up Victorian terrace in an "up and coming area" beneath the blue suburban skies of south Liverpool. I did pretty much the whole house myself.....never ever again.

So, respect for taking it on.....

....and, as I believe you're of a similar age to me, I fully expect the updates to become far less frequent as the enthusiasm fades and

the job starts to bite.....good luck.

I have stopped working so have time for it

House built in 1913. One half of it was for keeping animals on ground floor and 1st floor for their feed. That's my project fir years to come.

The part we live in was made into bedrooms upstairs about 40 years ago but they didn't even paint most of the plasterboard they used. All ceilings upstairs are chipboard covered with flamable polystyrene tiles. Yet to find anything done properly I know I'm in for some surprises

Just to let you all know I'm not an expert at anything. Have renovated a few houses in the past though. The attic conversion will be a bedroom at one end, office space in the middle and a shower room with toilet at the far end. Plain plasterboard on all but the bathroom. That's a different type which is a green colour. That's what you can see on the floor.

Just finished the floor but sorry never took pics. Two raised roof beams going straight across the floor. Done a floating floor. 3x2 wood all the way down and chipboard on top. This gives a flat floor. Sorry but forgot to take pics. Kept tripping over where the floor is missing

Astute · Jan 25, 2024

The right hand side is where we live. The part to the left was for animals. The animal feed went into the top window.....which hasn't got a window behind the shutter Straight above the veranda is where the loft conversion is.

clint van damme · Jan 26, 2024

Is this for someone else or for you and your family to live in?

Astute · Jan 26, 2024

It's where we live. The loft conversion will be for my 22 year old daughter to start with. She is a writer in her spare time so will be perfect for her. But she is moving out sometime this year and moving in with her boyfriend sometime after she finishes her studies this summer. They are house hunting.

So although it will be my last ever house I do up of my own I will have another to do for my daughter. But won't be doing everything as she will be moving a couple of hours away.

Want all the hard work done before summer. Was 18 degrees yesterday. By the end of March it will be in the 20's frequently. May onwards and it will be too hot for me to work all day.

We'll_live_and_die · Jan 26, 2024

Where is this place, didn't you live Lake District previously?

Sky_Blue_Daz · Jan 26, 2024

Could I please ask for a bit of advice regarding a bathroom renovation?

So the property we are buying has a separate toilet and bathroom with a wall between them, the plan is to knock it through and brick up one of the doors but my wife just wants to make it into a wetroom but I'd quite like a bath with a shower enclosure in a different part of the room. Could I swap where the toilet is and put the bath there and move the toilet to a different part of the bathroom

Edited to say I wont be doing it

Astute · Jan 26, 2024

Rich said:
Where is this place, didn't you live Lake District previously?

Moved from Cumbria to France March last year. Had lived away from wife and kids for 4 years. Was difficult for them as Covid stopped me visiting for 14 months.

Astute · Jan 26, 2024

Sky_Blue_Daz said:
Could I please ask for a bit of advice regarding a bathroom renovation?

So the property we are buying has a separate toilet and bathroom with a wall between them, the plan is to knock it through and brick up one of the doors but my wife just wants to make it into a wetroom but I'd quite like a bath with a shower enclosure in a different part of the room. Could I swap where the toilet is and put the bath there and move the toilet to a different part of the bathroom

Edited to say I wont be doing it

Anything is possible.

The only difficulty could be the waste pipe for the toilet. It's easier to have a toilet against an outside wall. You need more of a drop for waste that isn't just water. Removing a wall is easy as long as it isn't a load bearing wall. If it is all is needed is a support to go across the top of where the wall used to be. Ordinary water pipes just need a constant drop.

I'll take a few pictures of how I am getting around the soil pipe problem. Toilet is to an outside wall but didn't want it at the front of the house. And my other problem is that we have a septic tank that's at the back of the house.

Astute · Jan 26, 2024

Bloody soil pipes

Had to go through the external wall to the other side of the house. The walls are over 2ft wide. I was happy that we had stronger stone than average. A lot of it is granite. And I just happened to hit it with my drill. Suddenly the drill bit went through after blood, sweat and tears. Went to the other side of the house but couldn't find the hole. So I decided to drill from the other side. It went easily until towards the end.....hit granite again

I gave it my all. Eventually it was through. But at the same time my wife screamed She was only on the other side of the wall so was with her in seconds. I forgot both sides are not on the same level. She was at the sink and the drill bit went straight at her face

Astute · Feb 3, 2024

Been a little busy. Am separating the space into 3 parts between the A frames. End is bedroom, middle office space and the green part is going to be the bathroom.

The last two pictures are of how the framework is put together. You crimp them together so they don't move then screw the plasterboard to it. 2 of them where the plasterboards join together and 1 in the middle for extra strength. These are from where the water boiler is.

This is where the tedious work starts. The finish you give it now is the finish you see after painting.

All joins are taped for extra strength and then filled. Then I give them a quick sanding to make sure they're smooth. The screws are not a problem where the plasterboards join but where they are in the middle of the boards you have to make sure the heads are under the surface but not too deep.

One more thing. Don't believe a word of what anyone says about putting something special on the plasterboard before painting. It's a waste of time and money. Use a decent paint and it should only need 2 coats.

clint van damme · Feb 3, 2024

Starting to take shape mate.

Astute · Feb 3, 2024

It sure is but this is my least favourite part. I always miss bits

At least this is where my height advantage comes into it. Only need the stepladders for the ceiling to save my back. Want it finished by the end of the month.

The bonus is whenever the wife comes in to see me I pick up the sander and make a bit of dust. She soon leaves

Astute · Feb 18, 2024

I hate soil pipes

As I said before both sides of the house are on different levels. Took the soil pipe from the loft conversion through the wall to the other side of the house. There used to be a toilet in a small room on the ground floor. The soil pipe was there and all ready for me to connect. Like an idiot didn't check from where I connected through to the fosse septique. Toilet and sink in place. Not connected shower yet although everything is in place.

Glad I hadn't got round to gluing the pipes together. Let's just call it smelly water was coming out of the joins to the pipe. I investigated to find out the pipe had bee capped off at both ends and so tight together I couldn't unscrew one of the ends. And I knew exactly what was in the pipe

Ended up hammering the pipes inside inwards a couple of inches to get an end pipe cap off to the fosse. Then took the cap off to the house

All sorted now. Might be able to eat again in a few days

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