The Alarm, The Windows and The Wardrobe!

OK so the sun has been shining and we have been getting on with some smaller DIY jobs whilst waiting for trades people to get back to us.  I have been weeding, Miles put up some new fence panels (which I sprayed, along with adding a few extra freckles to myself!) and I have started stripping and sanding the window sills so that I don't damage the sealant that is put around the new windows when they are installed.  These are our current Windows;


We asked for quotes from 3 companies, 2 came back to us and one didn't bother....erm thought it was a recession! Anyway we decided to use www.micronwindows.co.uk mainly because they specialise in Aluminium and we were impressed with their showroom. Also because my Dad was friends with the owner many years ago and had his windows fitted by them.  We are having a side door and 1 bay window, plus full height glazed porch wall.  The average cost for each of the standard windows is £750-£800.  We are also going to use Micron for our bi fold doors in the new extension.                                                                   



Our Dressing Room

We trotted off to Ikea the other day, thinking we could refurbish our wardrobes, but unfortunately they aren't standard sizes so back to square one.  I found a great website www.diyhomefit.co.uk which will supply bespoke sized doors, drawer fronts etc.  We did price it all out, but I decided to get a local company to quote as well.  The local company only came in at £200 more and they do all the fitting, so this time we have decided to go with them, www.thecwc.com .  They are basically replacing all the wardrobe doors, drawer fronts and unit tops plus adding an internal chest of drawers, shoe racks, tie rack and some new shelves.  The carcases of our existing furniture are good so we are just updating the look.  We are also taking delivery of our Super King Size Bed from www.johnlewis.com next week, which is very exciting! Just need to remember to buy some new bedding!!  I will add photos of the new windows and wardrobe when they are completed (Although the bedroom won't be re-decorated until next year).

Finally we chose www.wickhamsecurity.co.uk for our new alarm, which is being installed next week.  Although the initial installation is about £400 more than ADT, once installed you just pay an annual service charge of £80 plus VAT.  ADT wanted £26.99 per month, forever, and that could go up at any time, so we should break even in 2 years and be better off in 3 years.  Additionally we will own the alarm so could take it with us if we decided to move (highly unlikely!!!).

I have also been busy gathering quotes for front doors, bathrooms, glass panels, tiling and builders............the list is endless.  It's all in the preparation, so needs must! I am looking forward to choosing the bathroom suites and new kitchen next...far more exciting!

2 Weeks in...



BEFORE



AFTER



And so the work begins! We have been here for two weeks now and thanks to British Telecom delaying the installation of our new broadband for 10 days we were in an internet no go zone, the 3G here is not very reliable either!

The structural engineer has been and we are awaiting his drawing before asking for quotes from builders.  The planning costs for anyone thinking of extending; Architect - sorry don't know as I used my Dad!, Structural engineer £444 (inc VAT and a site visit), building regulations £624(inc VAT).

In the meantime not wanting to waste time we have forged ahead with some things we can do.  First job was to have the trees that were unsightly and blocking the view down the garden removed, we used our friend Pete who lives around the corner evergreentreeservices.com.

Next task was to tackle the 30 year old boiler, which whilst in perfect working order wasn't particularly environmentally friendly and would probably have made our heating and hot water bills astronomical.  For this we decided to only get British Gas to quote, we know they are the most expensive but we wanted to the peace of mind.  The final total came in at £3,200 and the boiler was fitted yesterday.  We had a team of three here from 7.30am to 6.15pm and they did a great job. As Miles is a gadget lover, we have opted for their new myhome.britishgas.co.uk
remote system, which allows you to control your heating from your iphone!!  We were the first people the engineer had installed it for, so we learnt how to use it together!!

We have also had quotes from 2 alarm companies and 3 double glazing companies and I will save this for a later date, once we have decided who to go with. In the meantime check out our retro cloak room below.....mmm wouldn't you love one just like it!