Break it down into work areas, prioritise, then actively DON’T do the ones lower down the list and concentrate on the priorities. You’re trying to do all of it together.

Agree with this too, one room at a time. You can then close the door and the rest of the house is relatively normal. I always try and get the messy jobs done in the first few days then have a really good clean so the dust is minimised throughout the rest of the house.

And try to enjoy what you’re doing, I love plumbing, wiring, joinery but put a paint brush in my hand and I feel like I’m looking at starting painting the Forth road bridge on my own.

Looking forward to my own version of this hell..

Builder starts on my loft conversion in 2 weeks, he’s doing the structural stuff and I’m finishing it off. Then got to decorate my boy’s room, before starting on the downstairs (opening up kitchen and extension out the back) in new year…..

Hoping to get the nasty jobs out the way before MrsSS goes back to work, so she can go to her mum’s with the wee fella and get him away from the building site….(leaving me to get on with it)

One day I might be able to afford a new house.

My friend bought a new house whilst at university, a builder let him down with 1 month before everyone was meant to move in.

In one month we managed to build 2 new Walls paint all 9 rooms furnish the entire place fit new carpets and sand the floorboards in the 3 rooms that had them. I was just helping, but my friend was going mental, so I can see what you must be feeling.

We just knuckled down and got on with it one job at a time, bit by bit and got professional help to finish it off. We did all the shonkey building work, there are still two ackrow (sp) jacks in the wall supporting a steel beam that needed supporting, but a bit of plaster over the top and know one knows. It looks smart because we had a good plasterer and a good painter.

The most satisfying bit was finishing it. We never thought we would. Good luck to you, break it down into small chunks, if you ever want a hand give us a shout I don’t mind sparing my time for a weekend.

there are still two ackrow (sp) jacks in the wall supporting a steel beam that needed supporting, but a bit of plaster over the top and know one knows.

Nice…wouldn’t want to be under that lot when it comes down. I’ve seen acrow props that have rusted right through, new ones alongside taking the load, the old ones actually hanging like stalagtites!

guess who emptied a carton of tomato juice down the sink 30mins later

Classic 🙂 You’d be surprised how many people will take the waste trap off a sink then reach up & empty it in the same sink.

Chin up.

Been there and some. Had no external wall to the bedroom and living room for the whole winter apart from some chip board (no heating either), rats coming in and out, pets coming in for a peek (not ours), a cupboard for a kitchen etc…….

Its a state of mind. I saw it as a time we had to go through to get what we wanted and something we would look back on with amazement we got through it. The SO hated every waking second in the house, restented the builder for all his faults, stressed over every little problem, and now has sworn never to do it again.

Relax, stand back, get some persperctive and hope the other half doesnt comit murder or freak out in the process.

there are still two ackrow (sp) jacks in the wall supporting a steel beam that needed supporting, but a bit of plaster over the top and know one knows.

Nice…wouldn’t want to be under that lot when it comes down. I’ve seen acrow props that have rusted right through, new ones alongside taking the load, the old ones actually hanging like stalagtites!

there is now a stud wall too so won’t be a problem (fingers crossed)

I remember this saying when the decorating gets me a bit down. Whoever invented decorating needs fu##### and whoever invented fu##### needs decorating. Makes me smile anyway.

Hora – you won’t want to hear this, but last night we finally finished our house after 3.5 years, Monksie will remember as he helped us move in.

We have lived in every room of the house as each one got done up.
Always start at the top and work down. As others have said this will not go on for ever and when its finished you won’t remember the dark days.

We didn’t have a baby to cope with, but we did run out of money and everything got put on hold. We also ended up doing a lot of the work ourselves which wasn’t ideal. I remember working from home in the freezing cold with no kitchen, running water or loo. There were many trips to the nearby doctor’s sugery to use their facilities.

Yes, builders are a pain in the back side. Many of them often don’t turn up and mess you around, its the nature of their job.

Our house is now how I want it and I love the location and neighbours, but wouldn’t want to go through it all again.

Luckily you’re young and can afford to get the builders in.

It’ll all turn out right in the end. Also with Lisa’s designer skills its going to look fantastic.

Forgot to mention, take photos. We have lots of ‘before and after’ shots whhich always make us smile. It also reminds you of which walls got knocked down and which got put up etc.

Some great advice you are getting hora…Good ol stw!

I know what you mean about the blackness – me and my then long term partner (ex) decided to buy a wreck of a place and we lived in it whilst I did the majority of the work in between my normal shifts. No shower or heating in the winter was tough! The toughest part was realising after the first year that my partner wanted different things out of life and was keen to focus upon her career rather than our life together…which resulted in me having to finish a house (took 2 years) that I knew that I would never actually be able to afford to live in.

I could have walked away there and then but my pride and my bank account wouldn’t allow me to leave an unfinished and devalued house.

The day the final room was painted…I walked down the driveway with a rucksack on my back not really knowing where I was going, where I was going to live.It took me 5 years to get back on to the property ladder a year of which was spent living out of the back of my VW panel van, yep what an irony…a homeless Paramedic…- but I got there ( only for the market to crash 2 months later :@)))cest la vie

What I’m trying to say is that you need to take it easy, try to rise above the turps and the unsalvageable paintbrushes, and enjoy the thought of your efforts one day becoming your home. A place where you and your family can grow and have fun.

Take it easy hora, and keep us posted.

You’d be surprised how many people will take the waste trap off a sink then reach up & empty it in the same sink

….I did this at the new house. I’ll tell her this one day….not yet though! 😆 8)