Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 25, 2010 4:38 pm Hi! Just purchased my first Australian home this Friday, after two years of searching. Now the real fun begins I'm interested in the collected wisdom of the forum members: what do you wish you had done prior to moving in? While my pre-loved house isn't a 'renovators delight', it has the usual Sydney problems: - rising damp due to failed dampcourse - painted-over wallpaper that needs to go I'll save my detailed questions about the above for another post, what I'm interested in here is: A) What gotchas have you experienced? Things that you wish you had thought of in advance (not moving logistics, but renovation-related, or furnishing/decorating issues). Things that if you had another chance you would have done prior to moving in, or things that you did do and would now have not bothered about in the initial phase of ownership. B) (related) Any advice on gearing up for an initial 1 or 2 week DIY renovation prior to moving in? Thanks! Dave. Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 2Jul 25, 2010 6:15 pm Hi Dave, Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum. I'd say if you are ripping up old carpet/sanding floorboards to get that done before you move in. Maybe check the electrical wiring if it is an old place. You don't want a surprise electric shock! If you intend on renovating the bathroom/kitchen, and have the funds to do so, I'd do that prior to moving in too! When we renovated our last place, we had an additional shower/toilet to the main bathroom, but it was still a long drawn out painful experience to go through. Hope it helps and good luck! Bel Still not in. Don't ask!? Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 3Jul 25, 2010 6:27 pm Bathrooms and kitchens!!! When we moved into one of our rental properties I was 8mths pregnant and we decided the day we were moving in to rip out both the kitchen and bathroom. Not the smartest move LOL!!! Thank goodness for inlaws and parents living close by..... Oh and any painting using enamel - do it at least 2wks before moving in. The stench is horrific. Good luck Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 4Jul 25, 2010 7:26 pm Yep I would say sas the others said, floors, painting, kitchen , bathroom and insulation. Guess that's nearly the whole reno isn't it? www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 5Jul 25, 2010 7:42 pm Definitely agree with the above - especially the electrical!!! I think all of the above sum it up - but remember there are probably going to be some "hidden" items that you probably won't discover until they annoy you! Sleven Moved into our Atlantique MkII 36 by Carlisle Homes Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 6Jul 25, 2010 10:30 pm Thanks all, yes, it quickly becomes a list of everything, including the kitchen sink Thankfully, bathroom and kitchen are in very reasonable shape, with a second shower/toilet out the back if we ever get crazy... Electrical and insulation, yes, those are two goods ones - there is storage running along both sides of the upper story, and the building inspection already identified a lack of insulation there. Best to get that done prior to filling the storage with boxes. Checking out the electrical will make me want to rip up the flooring... which will make me want to lay down hardwood on top of new particle board, after redoing the peers with ant caps/moisture barriers... arrggg Fun, fun, fun Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 7Jul 26, 2010 9:33 am Painting when the place is empty is much easier than having to constantly move stuff around to be able to paint. And if you've only got two weeks, and lots to do, I'd either look at getting someone else to paint for you (if you've got the money) or conning a large army of friends to at least help you get started. Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 8Jul 27, 2010 10:07 am Painting - yes, we're looking at that. We've got wallpaper that has been painted over in the front four rooms and hall (the original portion). I've got what is likely an insane list at the moment, for two weeks: - strip wallpaper - remove carpet - remove skirting boards - check floors, potentially look to replace the chipboard with new. - check peers, potentially look to actually mortar them (w/damp course) - drill and fill internal bricks at the skirting board level with a damp proof cream (worry about the outside layer after the two weeks) - prep walls/ceiling for painting - mask, mask, mask - paint (and I'm already at week 3 by now) Looking at this, I can't see painting the walls in the two weeks, as getting the skirting boards back on is going to kill days. But if I can get the ceilings done (if needed, I'm not sure), I'll be happy enough. Re: Things you wish you had renovated prior to moving in? 10Jul 27, 2010 3:42 pm Break it up into tasks per day that you would like to accomplish steeled3. Makes it a little more achievable. Also a list of the HAVE TO DO's and the WOULD BE NICE TO DO's. That way you won't be dissapointed if you don't get it all done. I hope you will show us the story along the way in piccies. We like piccies here www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com That is a really good attitude Akin to you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I do enjoy watching that tik tok inspector from Victoria but he does go a little… 12 81847 Depends what you're current inclusions are, but we're not including wardrobes and will just use second hand ones until we can save later on to get them built. Also have a… 3 11596 Hello everyone, I have a question regarding moving a chandelier after it has been mounted. The chandelier in question is quite large, measuring 4 meters… 0 72331 |