Fishwalker

Hi there everyone! I've been looking for decent DIY forum to post my experiences on, as a first time homeowner of 5 years now in the UK. DIY is were it's at for me as my boyfriend, as we can't afford tradesmen, unless it's for a special job like carpet laying or a new kitchen and being a creative sort (Photography graduate) I am into doing anything I can myself. So I guess I should tell you a bit about my house and DIY experience so far... Well, it is still needing a little love, after being a student property previously, before the last couple who lived here, took it on and worked on it a little. My house was built in around 1904 so its an oldie! It is a first home size; smallish and a typical mid terrace, Edwardian, a 2 up, 2 down, with many original features e.g. sash windows at front of property, wood burning front fire and ornate fireplaces in bedrooms; stripped pine doors, original wonky front door with stained glass windows and some simple art deco coving. It also has the wonderful paper thin but still brick walls! E.g. I can hear my neighbours coughing and shouting as though they were in my room sometimes! I have planned before to try soundproofing the alcoves, but we have so far found it a little scary, as most ceilings have been drylined and it's difficult finding the joists in the ceiling, to fix a head plate to. Anyway I digress... We have a large upstairs bathroom (was probably a bedroom once) and the kitchen is below with a low ceiling respectively. I have a small patio garden with borders and a front room and back. We also have our front room going straight onto a small cul de sac street, so no bay window. So far, we have: Had the 2nd bedroom ceiling drylined and skimmed (to cover hideous wallpaper). We've laid new carpet in the front room downstairs ourselves and regret that, (looking at the fraying edges and rubbish cheapness 4 years on [sigh]). We've sanded and restored our front bedroom upstairs original floorboards and stained and varnished them ourselves! (Mammoth task that would do differently now but it is a learning curve like much of DIY!) We've repainted the 2nd bedroom over lining paper, same with the bathroom and painted mosaic tiles with tile paint (fairly successfully (but I would prefer to tear it up if I had the time and money to repair the plaster underneath). My latest project though, and on par with sanding the floor is restoring the ageing staircase to a new awesomeness, and it is finally coming together 6 months later!!!! We now just have to paint the skirting, stairwell walls, flakey door architrave's and then, then... we can buy my dream runner and finals and fit some new flooring through the hall and middle sitting room, dubbed 'the wooden room' go figure! The original knackered wood floor in there is beyond sanding and is sooo draughty, especially with our giant open fireplace, for all heat to disappear up! So yeah, that's were I am in my DIY career. Hi everyone on here! Also I am planning a blog for my stair project with pictures and video so if all goes well on here, I may post a link soon!