I'm new on here but I was so overwhelmed with the huge mass of advice and suggestions here I have been like a kid in a lolly shop and have only just gotten around to posting an introduction!
This is all very new to me but I am finding it a great combination of trepidation and excitement - not that I am tackling anything very grand, just some long overdue maintenance and general sprucing up.
Have been wanting to do this for a long time but until recently I have been a fulltime carer for my mother (who nearly cracked the century, howzat!) and also my teenage daughter who has a disability so I simply didn't have the time. However, mother has now gone very peacefully to a well earned rest, daughter has just started living independently and I am feeling just a tad at a loose end so what better time than to tackle some of these projects!
I am in Perth in a 70's house which is structurally very sound but has just become a bit run down and blah over the last few busy years. I am no spring chicken now so one of my major aims is to make the place a bit easier to care for - no more endless hours watering, a more user friendly bathroom and a kitchen that is just a bit more modern and efficient. I have a moderate budget but although I am not the handiest person around I am happy to try some of the simpler jobs myself and pay someone to do the bruteforce stuff or projects beyond my knowledge (which is basically, well, anything that can't be done with liquid nails or a hammer and nails!).
I came across the site by happenstance last week and have hardly been off since, just soaking up the ideas, advice and inspiration!