Post-clicky pipes

Now that we have our clicky pipes problem sorted - someone had to put all the carpets back ... so that was my job for today (that's me stapling down underlay before putting the carpet back down and stretching and tucking it under the skirting boards) while Sunshine installed a new (more efficient and powerful) radiator in the back bedroom. As it is shorter than the original radiator; some pipe cutting and moving was required ... Finally the upstairs is a MUCH warmer space than it has ever been ... just in time for the recent cold spell we have been having too.

Clicky pipes

The heating pipes in our house click - a lot! I think its to do with when they expand due to the change in temperature and hit nearby pipes and bits of floor joists etc. While i was away visiting Dadu, Sunshine decided that he was going to have a go at remedying the situation... As you can see, he has taken up bits of carpet in the upstairs bedrooms, and then lined joints with scraps of fabric ... and oh my has it made a difference!

Back Bedroom Part 10

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand its done! Last coat of satin on the skirting boards this morning, while Sunshine did up all the electrics ... moving back in there today - just in time for guest to arrive. Whopee! Another room DIY-ed - and now we can concentrate on getting some decent furniture and soft furnishings ;)

Back Bedroom Part 9

Home stretch, home stretch! Sanded back skirting board; got second coat of paint on the walls and ceilings, and first coat of satin on the skirting boards (and had a massive clear-up session).

Back Bedroom Part 8 & Hallway Part 11

Oh my goodness another marathon day - finished the last bit of papering; started and finished ALL the caulking (needed to do a bit more than usual as we had to buy a different brand of lining paper and the edges were not perfectly straight; so needed lots of filling in the gaps); AND got the whole first coat of paint on!

And not only that, since we had the wallpapering stuff out, we managed to get this bit of hallway papered too ...

Back Bedroom Part 7

Edit: we were so tired that this photo was actually taken the next day.

Marathon wall and ceiling papering session today - all done except just this little yellow patch!

Back Bedroom Part 6

FINALLY managed to get all the filling and sanding and prepping of the walls done ... then went out for a Boxing Day walk with Sunshine's sister, husband and niece, then back and on to lining paper! We've done about two thirds of the walls - feels SO good ... on the home stretch now ...

Back Bedroom Part 5 & A DIY Christmas ...

Merry Christmas one and all! This was the extent of our "Christmas decoration" this year as we were too busy ... Filling and Sanding!

We also made Christmas fish pie and apple crumble .... mmmmm :)

Back Bedroom Part 4 & Lit-up-cycling

Its Christmas eve, and what have we been doing? Filling!

Whilst Sunshine recessed some plug sockets ...

But we also downed tools at 6 pm so we could go and join a group of about 20 people cycle around the Bristol harbourside in their lit up bicycles ... you can see us fairly clearly at about 2:25 - we're the only tandem (and yes, the cargo bike does have a Christmas tree!)



Then we came home and Sunshine made the best mulled wine on the planet ever! Yes, I am a bit biased ... who wouldn't be about their best husband ;)

Back Bedroom Part 3

Peeled back all of the wallpaper today and started sanding and filling. You can see the blistered wall after sanding now - we've had to sand back to the grey sandy plaster.

The window too needed work. We took off the funny looking bits of wood that looked like they were holding the window in place to find that the reason they had been put in there was becasue the window had been installed with large gaps either side. Sunshine took it all off then filled the gaps with expanding foam filler and we'll go round with plaster/caulk to make it all nice and neat again.

Back Bedroom Part 2

Almost all the wallpaper off today - also to find this strange yellow and blue corner by the window with blistered paint - obviously had some damp issues at some point. It's dry now but the last people to decorate thought they'd just paper over it! We're going to have to strip, sand and fill all of that ...

Back Bedroom Part 1

So, we have till the 30th to get our own bedroom done as we need to move into the guestroom while we do it - and on the 30th we have guests so we need to be out by then ... We've been quite busy this last weekend with lots of little things - but tonight we got ichy fingers and spend an hour and a half starting to peel away the textured wallpaper on one wall ... so nice to have finally made a start ...