# A Year in the New House



## Mark R5 (May 21, 2013)

Hey guys and gals.

I've not been online that often this past year. The little one, a house move at 8 and a half months pregnant (nothing like leaving things to the last minute eh?), and some unexpected but necessary repairs to the house, have kept me occupied.

We bought the house thinking it was ready to move in, and we could bide our time until we found our feet. Apparently becoming first time parents is a big thing....

We are very fotunate that we have been able to afford a 5 bedroom detached house in a little village in the country. Exactly what we wanted; out of the way and a little corner of the world where the trials and tribulations of work won't reach us. Those of you who have experienced buying and selling houses will know, there's no such thing as moving in and away you go. There are always issues.

This turned out to be the case with ours. So when the little one was 5 months old, our boiler went pop - December / January - perfect timing. So I had to ship the missus and little one off to her parents to stay warm. I lived in the freezing cold for a week until British Gas came and fitted a new boiler.

We were on oil central heating which we weren't particularly a fan of. We couldn't go for a combi-boiler so instead opted for gas central heating. So, new boiler sorted..... right relax, enjoy a nice warm house. Recover from the open wallet surgery that British Gas served on me.

Don't be daft! I know what will cheer you up.....two of the 3 showers then developed wonderful leaks that resulted in the showers not actually being where they should be in the bathroom, but instead peeing water in to the kitchen via the ceiling.

Yay! Thanks for that. So a discussion or two later with SWMBO and the bathroom fitter, it was decided that for the difference in price we might as well have the two bathrooms completely ripped out and start again.

Turns out that this was the better decision rather than just mending the existing grout and showers. The leaks had caused some damage to the plasterboards and as a result they were very much on their last legs in patches.

It also gave us the opportunity to examine the floorboards to ensure they hadn't rotten etc. Thankfully they hadn't. So whilst it wasn't the most ideal time financially for us, the bathrooms are absolutely fantastic.

It's going to take a bit of time to recoup some finances, but we have 3 working bathrooms again and that is very necessary due to childcare and shift work.

I also wanted some outside lights for the house as it's flipping pitch black otherwise. I also had the garage lights replaced and what a difference they have made. It feels like it's gone from candle light to neon over night

So enough waffle from me, a few pictures of the work done so far.

En-suite before:










































After:


























































Main bathroom before:










































































After:

































































































Lights:

















































The garage is far less cluttered now, just haven't got around to taking some up to date pictures.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

So much for a relaxing year after the stress of moving house. :lol:

After pics are looking good though, at least you'll not have to sort them for a few years now.
We're coming into yr7 in this house and I'm just stripping main bathroom back to brick wall before a revamp. This is last room to do before we extend the rear. So much simpler buying a massive house:lol:

Love the baby photo next to car. :thumb:


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## budgetplan1 (Aug 10, 2016)

Mark R5 said:


> Those of you who have experienced buying and selling houses will know, there's no such thing as moving in and away you go. There are always issues.


Nice digs, looks like a winner and hopefully the 'issues' diminish as time goes by. I remember buying our first (and so far only) house 30 years ago and the first year or 2 was certainly an adventure...thankfully I was young and filled w/ energy and excitement otherwise it woulda got a bit overwhelming.

I don't think you're ever 'done' with a house (probably not even a fresh build considering the sometimes questionable quality/workmanship these days), always something major and minor that could use some attention.

That said, realtor came by yesterday and stuck the 'For Sale' sign in our lawn as I'm kinda done with the house thing for a while, leaving town and moving to a leased condo for a year. Somehow I thought moving out would be easier than moving in but even that is exhausting; getting house ready to sell, getting rid of accumulated 'stuff' of 30 years, fixing things that I could live with (and have been living with) that would not 'present well' to prospective buyer...ack!

Nice to have some space like you do...the best part of your day should be pulling into your driveway/sanctuary each night and it sounds like you're pretty nearly there!


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Lovely set-up, the wee one looks completely unphased by it all! 

Would your house insurance cover at least_ part _of the shower debacle?


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## rob267 (Nov 27, 2015)

Wow. Stunning looking pad you have there. Bathrooms look great. All fun and games moving to a new place. Always throw up problems bud. Fingers crossed there isn't any more.

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk


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## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

Lovely turnaround on the bathrooms Mark.

We had the same ceiling panels put into our en-suite in our previous house, looks stunning compared to a plastered ceiling.

Good luck with the rest of the changes and being a family.


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