Summer Terrace - well that took longer than expected....

So there has been a definite lack of updates - I'm sorry. Also at this point I'd like to add a disclaimer that this is probably a pretty grim read, it's just brutally honest.  I will do another post with the after photos and a summary of the progress to get it finished.

I have now finished the project and it is on the market, in total it took 7 months although for at least 3 months nothing at all happened and then it was very much part time.

It was tough, tougher than any other projects I've done and I'm not completely sure why but I'll try to gather my thoughts below.  

My previous solo renovation project was a pretty painful experience overall.  I was led by advice which turned out to be not that great.  I went through several sales that broke down for various reasons and it was really tough.  

It happens, it wasn't necessarily that I'd done anything wrong (maybe a couple of things I'd change in hindsight but nothing major) and the market wasn't great.  In summary, it was just a bit (lot) rubbish as an experience and left me questioning if I should carry on or just take the easier route and get a 'proper' job.

Anyway, jump forward a year or so and after some smaller design jobs I had some confidence back and started hunting for a new project.  Which was also much harder this time.  I do limit myself by location but I feel like all the renovation projects are priced so highly these days (and good luck to them - I get it - just from my point of view it isn't great).

I found this house and it was good on paper, I knew it wasn't great, but good is better than nothing.

With the knock to my confidence I found myself second guessing every decision and I think that is why it took so long to get started.  No matter what design decisions I make, they will be right for some people and wrong for others, I'll never forget one time when a viewer told me they didn't like gas fires and would have to rip out the brand new (not cheap) fire and replace it with electric.  I guarantee if I had put in an electric fire someone else would want to replace it with gas.  I can't always win, but then I can't leave it with nothing.

The market still isn't great and agents are estimating 3-6 months for a sale so it will be around a year from start to finish even if things go well.  And thats before I even get started on the viewings that didn't turn up or the cheeky downright rude offers that people think its ok to put forward.

I do wonder if buy to sell is over for me, I guess I'll wait and see what the future holds.

Sorry for the depressing nature of this, I'll get myself back to some happy Disney designs soon.

Tiling DIY - Tiling around a pipe

In a bid to save some money on my latest project, I am tackling the tiling myself, I have learnt a lot over the last few days and I thought I would share some of what I have learnt incase you are going to give tiling a go.

I have 3 rooms to tile, bathroom (onto existing walls), shower room (onto new plasterboard) and kitchen splash backs (onto fresh plaster).

You notice I included the surfaces that the tiles are going on to......I previously didn't really think this was important. After 2 days of trying to level tiles around lumps and bumps, I can say it is important.

Tip 1:  Preparation is key - trying to make tiles look level and straight while negotiating bumps that turn tiles into seesaws is not fun....and ultimately doesn't look good.  Sand or scrape away any imperfections or previous tile adhesive.  Check the walls are level - mine weren't.  You might have to compensate for walls that aren't square and this is easier to do if you can anticipate it.

Tip 2:  Mark out the tile positions before you start.  There are hundreds of tutorials about different ways to set out tiles around windows, showers, etc so I'm not going into that here.  What I found helpful (although a little time consuming) was a pencil in on the walls the first row or section of tiles to check that there weren't any odd shaped end tiles, it also gave me a good grasp on how many full tiles I could do in a run before stopping to cut a tile.  As a non-professional, I am not quick enough to cut a tile while there is adhesive on the wall without it drying out.  Also I was able to make some complicated cuts easier by where in the tile they landed - see below!

Tip 3:  Use fresh adhesive.  This one sounds a bit funny, but I chose to use ready mixed adhesive (because life is complicated enough already) and I had a tub left over from a previous job.  My money saving instinct kicked in and used that up first.  It wasn't until I finished that and opened a fresh tub that I realised how much easier to use the new one was.  Yes it's obvious now but I thought I could save some £££'s.

Tip 4:  Find a friend.  Unless you are a pro, I really don't think this is a one man/woman job,  we got into a rhythm of one putting on the adhesive while the other cuts and sticks on tiles.  It worked really well, although typically areas to be tiled are quite small, so make sure its a good friend!!

Tip 5:  Electric (wet) cutter AND manual cutter:  In the DIY store the assistant tried to talk me into just buying the electric cutter and saving money by not using a manual one.  I ignored the advice and I'm so glad I did.  I find the electric one terrifying (I value all of my fingers) and maybe its just me but I also find it quite slow.  The manual cutter is a cut and crack (probably not the technical terms) and ready to go.  The electric one also has it's place.  There are cuts you just can't make manually, unless you have some super skills I'm not aware of.

Which brings me to cutting tiles to fit round a pipe.

In the bathroom I was tackling today I had 2 pipes to contend with, toilet and sink.

The sink luckily fell into place on a join and as it will be forever hidden behind the sink, I just cut a square which I will seal with silicone.  The toilet, well the toilet tested every last ounce of patience I had - fortunately I had planned it to land in the centre of 2 tiles so it was 2 semi circles and not 1 circle. (see tip 2!)

Not only is it a super awkward place to get to (assuming the toilet pan is connected) but it's a circle, in tiles that like to break in straight lines. 

This is my step by step of how I did it - which may not be 'textbook' but it worked.

Step 1: Mark the circle.  This involved some close contact with the toilet pan so you might want to make sure its very clean.  I put tile tile up against the pipe and marked the top and bottom positions, then using a pipe of the same diameter (or you can use a compass - the one with a pencil for drawing circles - not the direction one) scribed the edge to weaken the tile.  I then used a pencil to draw in the line for my own benefit.

Step 2: Cutting it out:  Use the wet cutter to make lots of small straight cuts to the edge of the curve.  Not going to lie, this is quite difficult, as the water makes it difficult to see exactly where the curve is and where to stop.  Slow and steady is key.

Step 3: Break away the unwanted pieces.  Once you have all the little lines, use nippers or nibblers (depending where you are from) to literally snap out the sections.  As long as you are gentle they come away without breaking any further and leave you with a round curve which can be filed to a more precise shape. 

Once I had done one, I was able to use it as a template for the second, which made it much easier.

And ready to attach, 2 semi circles to fit around the pipe.  I can't get a photo of it in situ because of the angle, but I'm pleased with it anyway!!

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Summer Terrace - Days 13-21 - big change

In my last post I talked about the dark corridor and opening it up to let more light in.  I still wasn't completely happy with it.  I also wasn't happy with the bedroom next to the corridor, it was ok, but it was an odd shape and meant that furniture wouldn't really fit.
As you can see on the picture below, the top (as you look at the diagram) bedroom isn't furniture friendly.  The bed in the diagram is up against the window and radiator - not ideal - and it doesn't fit anywhere else.

To solve both problems, I decided to move the bedroom door - it's pretty drastic but it will make the house so much more user friendly.  In the picture below, you can see the other problem with moving the door, the stairs are in the way.  So in a major change, having taken the wall down to open up the stairs, I changed the layout of the bottom of the stairs and the moved the door to the bedroom.

So...the changes....

The new stair layout.

Look how much space it saves!  They are still really big steps, I was worried but I've run up and down them many times and not missed the turn at all.

The result - extra light and a better layout. I'm really pleased.

before plaster

I've lost track of days now, I'm not completely sure what day of the week it is, but here is that same view after plastering and a first coat of paint.  It will have spotlights when it's done to add even more light when required - previously there were only 2 wall lights for this whole corridor area.  It feels much wider now.

Look at all that light!

looking up to the top floor (the loft floor)

looking down from the top floor 

I can't find a 'before' for this angle, but believe me, it was very dark with the solid wall and very little natural light coming in.


The bedroom which had the door moved has completely changed too, but that room is currently full of bathroom furniture and tiles so I'll have to wait to add photos of that change.

Summer Terrace - Day 12 - Opening up the corridor

I think I have mentioned before that there is a dark corridor in the property created by the layout of the staircases.
This is a terrible photo but shows the corridor, without the wall light being on, it really is completely dark.

 I'd love to add a window at the end, but it would really ruin the look from the outside, so to open it up, I have started by taking out a lot of the wall and replacing it with a bannister.  This is how that changed the look.

I may also be adding a velux window or sun tunnel to add some more light to this area - tbc depending on budget.

Now i just can't wait for all the plastering to be done and get rid of the terrible artex.

Summer Terrace - Day 11 - Wood Burning Stove

Before you say anything - yes, a wood burning stove is expensive, an off the shelf electric wall mounted fire would be a tenth of the cost.  This is a decision I have battled with long and hard, but this falls into the category of adding saleability rather than adding value.  

I have asked lots of opinions, and wood burning stoves are a 'must have' for quite a lot of people now.  It is also important to take into account the area the property is in - where 90% of the surrounding houses have open fires or wood burning stoves.

So this is how it began...

First job was to get rid off the existing and make the new opening - I got a little frightened at this point that it was too big.

 And the finished (undecorated) result.  I'm really happy with it,

Disney Its a Small World ride inspired room

Having themed some rooms on Characters, I thought about the parks and all the amazing theming there that could be brought home.  I decided to start with a classic....It's a Small World.

I hope you have got the song in your head now :)

I took reference from the pastel colours and geometric designs and found a pastel geometric pattern which would be a great feature as a fabric or wallpaper (in moderation).  I also think pastel painted furniture would look amazing and accents of gold to complete the look referencing the gold face and other details.

These pastel shades would be best suited to a pale or white wooden floor, although they could look quite dramatic against a dark wooden floor too.  I'd definitely leave the walls very pale to let the details do the talking.

For a truly authentic look, you would need an industrial tiled ceiling........ok, tI'm being mean, but it really bugs me on Its a Small World in Disneyland Paris - it will probably bug you now I've pointed it out too!!  I guess you aren't meant to look up, but I can't help it, I'm a 'details' girl.

Donald Duck Inspired Bedroom

After the Daisy Duck inspired bedroom, I was asked for a Donald Duck scheme.  

This is designed with a boy aged 11+ in mind, requiring lots of storage space and a place to do homework.  This scheme has to be long lasting, which I think it is, to make it longer lasting, I would change the wardrobes to white ones.  Obviously art and bedding can be changed quite cheaply and easily for a quick update.

So here it is....

Again, like the Daisy room, I started with a white background and white fluffy rug, lots of people say white isn't practical for walls, but I think it is easier to touch up than other colours so I like it.

I added blue wardrobes, a yellow desk and since Donald is a sailor, a nautical themed blue white and yellow bedspread.  For the hint of red, I included a red desk land and floating shelves.

The hint of black comes from black photo frames, as you know, I love photo frames because you can so easily change the images to keep with a theme and change the room.

I also want to point out, these schemes I am posting are my own, using images of items available online.  I am not promoting any of the items, but if you really love something, contact me and I will  do my best to tell you where to find it.

Also, these schemes are first drafts or just schemes I have put together for myself, when I am putting a scheme together for a client it would be totally unfair to put the final work online because they have paid for it and it is no longer mine to share.