After 4 years of waiting we finally have an en-suite again - a small renovation

[smithlane]

A week after we got back from our first Florida holiday I got in from work to find my OH keenly ripping out our en-suite. Fantastic I thought, a brand new bathroom! I excitedly ordered nearly everything we needed apart from the tiles then it all came to an abrupt halt. This was 2015...

As a qualified electrician Jim thought he would be able to do the work himself with help from his Dad but with being very busy with a new job coupled with the fact he actually hates DIY it was doomed from the start...
We did get some bathroom fitters round to quote but they would either not turn up, turn up and not quote or turn up and quote an amount that was quite simply obscene for a room that is only 2 by 1m squared . One big downside of living in a London borough

Over time the room turned into a dumping ground. I got quite used to it, was quite handy really having an extra storage room

Anyway whilst on our holiday this year I did finally put my foot down and say enough is enough we need to get it done!
A friend of a friend came over shortly after we returned and gave us a quote that wasn’t too horrific, not what I would call reasonable though. He could also start the following week as they had no work, this alone should have sent alarm bells. But I’m getting ahead of myself...

As the start date was so soon we had to dash out and choose some tiles. Got quite a bargain as the ones I had originally chosen wouldn’t be delivered in time so the guy showed me some they had in stock that were practically the same and as they were end of line he could give them to us for £22.99 a square metre instead of £40. Bargain!

I have no photos of what the en-suite looked like before it was ripped out as Jim didn’t think of taking any before he got the sledgehammer out...

The storage room

Plasterboard on, shower tray down

Tiling started

On the morning of Day 3 I came downstairs to find a huge leak in the living room ceiling.
The fitters when getting the pipes to the radiator ready must have cracked a pipe under the floor with their fiddling. This was apparently my fault as we had no hot water that night so I re filled the boiler to get the pressure up even though they didn’t tell me not to! They said they would fix the leak but that I needed to paint the ceiling. Fuming does not even come close

They then left to go on another job so whilst gone we got the walls and ceiling plastered by someone else. I know this should have been done first but I thought I could live with the walls the way they were. Turns out my OCD got the better of me and I just couldn’t...

Painted

After waiting over 3 weeks the fitters eventually came back after the threat of them not getting the rest of their money. I was in Dublin for the weekend with a friend whilst they were finishing it off.
Only the sink to install, mirror up, skirting, door rehung, door threshold on and radiator put on. Easy!
Called my daughter in the afternoon to see how it was getting on, she said the sink and rad were in and door on but no mirror, no threshold and no skirting.
Turns out he had done the silicone around the sink and as it was wet didn’t want to drill into the walls to hang the mirror
He also wasn’t going to do us a skirting as he didn’t have time and apparently wasn’t in the job description. It was!
Jim stupidly gave him the rest of the money and that was that . DD sent me a photo and I nearly cried when I saw the sink.
He had installed it so far over to the left, not in the middle as it should be. So when the mirror is hung it would look completely out of place. Again this was my fault for not over seeing the work and telling him I wanted it central. Seriously!

He had also plumbed the shower in wrong so the controls for the over head spray and hand held shower were the opposite way round
I can’t believe he actually thought it was ok to leave the tiling looking like this, completely unfinished.

So after feeling like it was never going to end, Jim put up the mirror, did the door threshold and moved the sink over. Turns out the guy who did our plastering also does tiling so got him back to do a tiled skirting and re silicone the sink for us.

The final result!

Next job to be done is the main bathroom but I'm not sure I have the energy for it, one thing for sure is we won't be having them back again!

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Wow, what a journey! However now it's all done it looks very nice. Well done, you must be relieved it's all finished.

Edit. I do like your tiled skirting. Nice finish, far better than just gunning the join.

[Stitch & Smudge]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Wow, what a journey! However now it's all done it looks very nice. Well done, you must be relieved it's all finished.

Edit. I do like your tiled skirting. Nice finish, far better than just gunning the join.

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I really hope that the relieved pun was intended.

[Cherrypie]

It looks lovely - well worth the wait!

[shirley]

Cant believe your husband paid him, leaving your bathroom in that state! It now looks amazing xx

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Wow, what a journey! However now it's all done it looks very nice. Well done, you must be relieved it's all finished.

Edit. I do like your tiled skirting. Nice finish, far better than just gunning the join.

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Thanks Mr TM. I’m really pleased I got my own way in the end with the tiled skirting 😂

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Cherrypie

It looks lovely - well worth the wait!

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It really was, we got there in the end. Thank you

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by shirley

Cant believe your husband paid him, leaving your bathroom in that state! It now looks amazing xx

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I know I could have throttled him when I got off the plane!
Thank you

[JudyC]

Wow what a saga, it looks lovely now though. Our bathroom and two ensuite rooms are next on our list. Have been saying this for the last couple of years, but cost and the trauma of having the work done means it keeps going on the back burner.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by JudyC

Wow what a saga, it looks lovely now though. Our bathroom and two ensuite rooms are next on our list. Have been saying this for the last couple of years, but cost and the trauma of having the work done means it keeps going on the back burner.

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Thank you!
😂 I know exactly what you mean. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s another 4 years until the bathroom gets done. The kitchen is in desperate need to be totally ripped out but I think the trauma of that will send me over the edge!