Novice house renovators - two months down, how many more ?

[parisdisneyfan]

Ok, remember I said nothing major had gone wrong yet, well barely a week after I wrote that we woke up to it being cold and also by the alarm, unusual to start with as the boiler wakes us at around 5.45 with a big “woof” (the chimney flue goes through our bedroom, and the boiler is under our room) as it fires up. I came downstairs to be greeted with a lockout light. Due to its age and that of the previous owners we have no manual and have no experience of oil heating so we checked with Mr Google. We then checked the oil – sight glass said ok (after I had pushed the little button) Nothing we could do until the service company opened so dh went off to work. I switched the immersion heater on so the water would heat back up and pottered around until I could phone. The company were very nice, told me how to do the reset procedure and then call them back. I tried it to no avail, called them back and they said they would send someone round as soon as possible.

Didn’t take very long and a very nice young man came out. He knew the house and boiler as had fitted a new hot water tank earlier in the year. He tried the restart, checked the oil level, all ok, then when that didn’t work he started to take it apart. Lots of rusty water everywhere and he told me that the water jacket had split and it was irreparable! Absolutely nothing could be done apart from a new boiler! He phoned the office and arranged for their installation man to call round. Meanwhile I started looking for other companies to quote, however out of 5 I called (Checkatrade and Worcester recommended suppliers) only 2 could fit immediately so they came round to quote.

The offending boiler!

We had budgetted and planned for a new boiler and pencilled it in for the same time as the building work but now we had to decide whether to just stick it in the same place temporarily or choose a more permanent site for it. This dilemma was taken out of our hands with all 3 companies saying that the current flue was no longer legal and they couldn’t fit a new boiler to it. Apparently, it would need lined and resited as it goes through our bedroom and that is no longer allowed. If only one had said this we might have checked it but as all 3 did we have accepted it. We would also need a new oil line from the tank, as it is a soldered pipe again out of date for current regs. So far this is the only thing we are annoyed at our surveyor for not mentioning. He told us to have the oil tank inspected by a professional (tried but no one got back to me) and that the chimney needed repointing (done) and that the boiler was old but not that a new boiler couldn’t be fitted in its place. Annoyingly we had the chimney repointed and now it may come down when we do the extension/conversion!

Two of the companies recommended an external boiler and the third suggested fitting it temporarily in the garage and moving it later. When we got the quotes through, one was through the roof as had included changing it to a whole new unvented system, including replacing the 4 month old hot water tank, no idea why. He did break down the quote if we didn’t want the hot water system changed but was still very expensive! The original service company couldn’t do it after all as no slots until the new year, but he gave me the price he would have charged so I could compare. The third was very reasonable but we decided we didn’t want a temporary fix after all. After researching external boilers we decided this was the way to go, so asked him to requote if he would still be able to do the work. He did and there was very little change so we booked them. They also said they would do it in a day whereas the other company was saying a whole week!

This is what it looks like, but isn't ours as I keep forgetting to take a picture!

We had 10 days of portable electric heaters, immersion heater, electric towel rails (I dread to think what my electricity usage was!) and using the open fire. Typically this all coincided with a cold snap. I kept myself warm during the day by moving/dismantling furniture into the lounge, finding extra blankets for the evenings and an extra duvet for the bed at night.

The day before the boiler was fitted the office phoned to check that I was all prepared. This included making sure there was access to all the rads, boiler cupboard, and airing cupboard and that we had plenty of oil. Now remember I said that both I and the chap who tried to fix the boiler had checked the tank, so I said yes. I then went out to see if it had changed at all, pulled the little button and the measure plummetted to the bottom. Feeling a bit panicky I googled how to check and discovered that these sight gauges are notoriously inaccurate, best way is a stick stuck in! I couldn’t do this as it is up on pillars and has a locked cap! I then contacted the oil supply company the previous owners had used to be told that firstly, they have no record of ever supplying oil to the house and secondly, that they can’t deliver for 10 days. I tried another local company who had excellent reviews and discovered they used to work for first company but got sick of them seeming to rip off customers so they had set up on their own. They were fab – he explained everything, how it worked etc. They were cheaper and could deliver the next day, he would also waive the 500litre minimum if I didn’t need that much.

As promised the fitters turned up at 8am and got straight to work. Oil supply turned up shortly after and my tank was bone dry – 1225 litre tank needed 1250 to fill it! So we have wondered if the old boiler had just run out of oil and then broke or if it was just that it had run out of oil, we will never know. We haven’t been charged for the callout, that company didn’t get the business, a new boiler was on our list so the only annoying thing was being cold for 10 days. The fitters worked non stop and 2 others joined them later in the afternoon. A 10 hour day saw us with a lovely green boiler outside and warmth inside.

The following Monday saw our new front door fitted, and it seems to have stopped the howling gale that blew through it and is much more secure. Sorry some of the photos are in the wrong order!

We discovered woodblock floor under the doormat, as well as the rubber backing being rotten so we got rid of it. Later discovered that the woodblock continues under the carpet so will investigate restoring it when we do the hall I also finally got round to really scrubbing the hearth, surround and reblacking the grate which had been delayed due to needing to use the fire!

Due to the cold episode we moved into the living room, initially just with the 2 armchairs as our corner sofa didn’t fit. But we dismantled it and have got a decent result.

The other corner is now in the conservatory so I can look at our Christmas tree.

We found a place that you could actually go out into a field of trees and choose your own that was cut down for you. I really wish we could have done this while the children were young but I enjoyed it like I was a kid myself. I have also opted for a no tinsel tree this year, and am loving spotting the ornaments and memories associated with them, although would prefer more smaller white lights than the chunky coloured ones.

The garden is coming on, front beds all been cleared of leaves and lots of bulbs coming up. It will all be my own work from now on as the gardener called in yesterday and said he can't do our garden anymore!
It isn't creative enough for him and he doesn't like doing just maintenance. DH will have to help or I will look for someone else in the spring. I also enjoyed tidying the log store and cleared more leaves there as well. The summerhouse that we thought was rotten is actually ok, just some pesky ivy had got in. It will be lovely to sit in and look at my veg patch. There is also a small greenhouse there as well that only needs a good clean and one pane of glass replaced. I have also uncovered a really cute rockery, and several hellebores which I love. Only downside of the new boiler is that we can only access the backgarden from the drive now!

Anyway on Friday we head off to Devon for Christmas with my inlaws and kids, returning just before new year. This was planned back in January before we thought of moving. Part of me is sad we won't be in our new house for Christmas but another part is pleased as it is still a bit of s*** heap !

When we get back I will then be chasing quotes that haven’t appeared, booking a decorator and finalising our bathroom plans which we put on hold when the boiler broke. I imagine January will be quiet but hoping lots will be done in Feb and March. Have a good Christmas everyone and see you in 2020

All months are here https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1169030

[Wonder]

Wow looks like you have been incredibly busy!

What terrible timing for the boiler but seems like the company you got out to take a look were well behaved and weren't trying to take you over the coals which is always a bonus these days!

We moved not long before Christmas last year, and although we intended to Christmas in our own house it was a blessing in the end to go to my parents house as it was so much easier.

Good luck with the rest of the project!