Original Skirts / Picture Rails - Is it worth it ?

[fernicarry]

Hopefully that won’t mean relocating rad and different pipe runs / placement.

Hmm, well it probably will. Cast iron rads are not going to have the same pipe centres as steel panels. You won't really know where the pipes need to go until you've got them stood in front of you *with* the valves fitted so you can't even plan ahead. So far I've relocated every radiator in every room I've worked on. Plumbers have a special knack of putting them in the most inconvenient places, mainly because they put them wherever the pipe runs will be easiest for them. They'll also want to nail horizontal battens onto the wall to carry the brackets which you won't need for your cast iron rads but they'll be a mare to get back off without wrecking the plaster (lever very carefully whilst spreading the load of the pry bar over a large area with a piece of scrap wood, or better still tell them to use screws). So all in all not ideal, but relatively straight forward to deal with, don't let it add to your worries.

 

[Drayton]

I'd suggest you stop avoiding it, go over and spend some time there just wandering around not looking at the detail but getting back to the feeling about it that made you buy it in the first place.
The things that seem impossible - and frightening - at 4am are never so bad in daylight , let alone in the sunshine.

 

[Rake722]

Hmm, well it probably will. Cast iron rads are not going to have the same pipe centres as steel panels. You won't really know where the pipes need to go until you've got them stood in front of you *with* the valves fitted so you can't even plan ahead. So far I've relocated every radiator in every room I've worked on. Plumbers have a special knack of putting them in the most inconvenient places, mainly because they put them wherever the pipe runs will be easiest for them. They'll also want to nail horizontal battens onto the wall to carry the brackets which you won't need for your cast iron rads but they'll be a mare to get back off without wrecking the plaster (lever very carefully whilst spreading the load of the pry bar over a large area with a piece of scrap wood, or better still tell them to use screws). So all in all not ideal, but relatively straight forward to deal with, don't let it add to your worries.

Well there is one solution to the Rad issues. I have 8 installed in my 3 bed at the moment. I could ask the plumber to take them and install white rads here instead however that may detract massively from the purchase appeal of where we live now. Which has been on the market for too long and needs to be sold

 

[Drayton]

Pick your 2 bedrooms and your living room and just get them decorated. A fast basic job.

You'll probably want to go back to them eventually when you have the feel of the house but for now you just need somewhere to live, somewhere that can feel like home very fast. Somewhere for some of your pictures, furniture or whatever matters most to your family.

Perfection later for the extra rooms.

And take time off.

I'd remind you of the eating an elephant thing but I might get into trouble with that on this forum...

 

[Rake722]

@Drayton thank you for taking the time to reply on both of your messages. I hear you loud and clear.. and the first video you can see the bay of the Bedroom that was meant for me and my wife I have to address that woodwork before spending money on Carpets wardrobes and the likes. It’s simply ghastly as was the plastic trim clad window frames, which I’ve had the trim removed and strip wood installed for a better finish. So I’m gonna focus my efforts on that Bedroom first once the woodwork has been improved to the best I can do it I’ll get it decorated. I also need to fix some damage to the mouldings on the ceiling. We don’t have wardrobes for that room yet as we have fitted wardrobes where we live now so nothing to move over. My son‘s bedroom has pretty much been done. I did this with him in the dark Knight using head torches and a calor gas fire which is probably gave me nightmares about this place in the first place or part of it. Not to mention the historic rat infestation and woodworm that has now been treated. I think I got off to a bad start with this place because we found significant evidence of a rodent infestation which kind of messed my feelings up.

 

[fernicarry]

I could ask the plumber to take them

Bit drastic. Maybe better not to have two broken houses if you want to keep the family on side...

Sometimes things just have to be done in a less than optimal order and sometimes you know you are going to have to revisit something. So long as you are making progress overall that's what matters.

 

[Rake722]

Bit drastic. Maybe better not to have two broken houses if you want to keep the family on side...

This is true but taking them with me means a £4000-£6000 saving however when the right person comes along, I’m sure my cast iron radiators would contribute strongly to the saleability of the house which is very important. Attached a picture of one of them to show you what I’ve done in the current house oak floor replacement skirting boards and original cast-iron radiators.

 

[Drayton]

Infestations are indeed the stuff of nighttime panics!

So, turning it around, count up the stuff you have already got done, and count every step forward as a gain, to feel good about.

You are going to beat this and enjoy living there. Great house and the setting sounds enviable.

 

[Rake722]

Infestations are indeed the stuff of nighttime panics!

So, turning it around, count up the stuff you have already got done, and count every step forward as a gain, to feel good about.

You are going to beat this and enjoy living there. Great house and the setting sounds enviable.

Thank you for your positivity. Believe me when I first learnt of the infestation I was seriously considering trying to have the contract rescinded the TA9 form from the solicitor did not ask about infestations I could not believe it then I learnt more about the extent of the infestation I went into the living room at the front and noticed a banana sized and shaped gouge in the bottom of the door and wondered what could’ve done that when I took a closer look I could see the teeth marks from the rodents Who had been trying to chew through the door to gain access to the rest of the house . Then I found a semi circular shaped hole behind the washing machine in the floorboard where they had chewed to gain access to the pantry and then I noticed a bit of aluminium and line at the bottom of the pantry door and immediately knew what it was for.. I ended up calling the council pest control out. They came round and found bait stations that the council had previously installed and found one or two that hadn’t been finished. He said that was a good sign because it meant that there was none left to come and finish it off. A few weeks later I had to go under the house into the crawlspace and I must’ve found 50 to 60 empty bait stations and one or two full ones. It was the stuff of nightmares to be honest and it’s contributed to some negative feelings about the house however I like your Way of thinking every step forward is positive.

The infestation is no longer present -
positive.
I have with the advice of a dampen timber specialist treated the localised infestation of woodworm which is another positive.
We’ve had the extension rebuilt with bifold doors leading onto the patio as well as all the plastering done and a wall knockdown separating the kitchen and living room via the extension another big positive.
We’ve had two of the three first floor bedrooms re-skimmed as well as the downstairs front living room another positive quite a lot of work has already gone into this place but still a lot more to be done.

When I first bought it, the garden was hugely overgrown so I’ve had the gardening company come with chainsaws and remove all the overgrowth another positive

The garden is 35 m long by 12 m wide. It does need landscaping which is gonna be a huge cost but doesn’t have to be done right now. I just need to keep on top of the overgrowth.

 

[Drayton]

Thank you for your positivity. Believe me when I first learnt of the infestation I was seriously considering trying to have the contract rescinded the TA9 form from the solicitor did not ask about infestations I could not believe it then I learnt more about the extent of the infestation I went into the living room at the front and noticed a banana sized and shaped gouge in the bottom of the door and wondered what could’ve done that when I took a closer look I could see the teeth marks from the rodents Who had been trying to chew through the door to gain access to the rest of the house . Then I found a semi circular shaped hole behind the washing machine in the floorboard where they had chewed to gain access to the pantry and then I noticed a bit of aluminium and line at the bottom of the pantry door and immediately knew what it was for.. I ended up calling the council pest control out. They came round and found bait stations that the council had previously installed and found one or two that hadn’t been finished. He said that was a good sign because it meant that there was none left to come and finish it off. A few weeks later I had to go under the house into the crawlspace and I must’ve found 50 to 60 empty bait stations and one or two full ones. It was the stuff of nightmares to be honest and it’s contributed to some negative feelings about the house however I like your Way of thinking every step forward is positive.

The infestation is no longer present -
positive.
I have with the advice of a dampen timber specialist treated the localised infestation of woodworm which is another positive.
We’ve had the extension rebuilt with bifold doors leading onto the patio as well as all the plastering done and a wall knockdown separating the kitchen and living room via the extension another big positive.
We’ve had two of the three first floor bedrooms re-skimmed as well as the downstairs front living room another positive quite a lot of work has already gone into this place but still a lot more to be done.

When I first bought it, the garden was hugely overgrown so I’ve had the gardening company come with chainsaws and remove all the overgrowth another positive

The garden is 35 m long by 12 m wide. It does need landscaping which is gonna be a huge cost but doesn’t have to be done right now. I just need to keep on top of the overgrowth.

That's better!