Help calm me. House buying and selling stress *Part 10*

There is an eating-out thread which reminded me of coming to this town while debating where to live. I ate out here a couple of times, although I am not an eating-out person. First was in a cafe attached to a shop, more like a coffee shop than a food cafe. It was very friendly and I got chatting to people at neighbouring tables. It was a very good impression. Second time was a main meal at a different cafe, lovely surroundings and lovely proprietor.

Vibes were good both times. It is not all about the actual property, environs is equally important. How readily people interact, even if just for directions. Icing on the cake was the very clean town centre and easily accessible spotless free public toilets and the smiles that I had back when I said good morning to random people

You have to put yourself out there to get the vibe, no point in being shy which stops information coming forward

I finally completely finished the loft work, fluffed up trampled insulation and everything is snug again. I will not be going up there again fingers crossed, only popping my head in there now and then to do a visual check

I have two small water marks to deal with next, they are dry so first try will be a gentle mist of 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water, then dab with kitchen roll. A few sessions should get rid of the marks and very much cheaper than stain cover paint which needs painting over

I still do some de-cluttering, not a lot now but sometime I come across an item that I will never use again.

Karmalady I'm going to print out your words and stick them on my fridge! I would maybe add - write everything down rather than juggling it in your head and be kind to yourself

Wise words karmalady.

I am making marmalade today and was wrapped in my thoughts, thinking back to the months when I was involved with de-cluttering, sorting, selling, looking and buying.

I completely stopped all the extraneous activities, I even resorted to buying ready meals at times, anything to help me get through that most stressful time. That time flew and I wondered if I would ever get through it, everything I had to do, the things I needed to get rid of, as well as coping with all that dreadful paperwork and the big delve into the past history of my house, even to the builders planning permission

I would say to anyone planning to go through the process, please do not try to be superhuman. Withdraw into yourself if needed, real friends will offer help, not expect tea and home made cake and lunch outings.

Moving is so stressful that it can make oneself ill and to survive, you do need a completely different mindset. In my case that stress followed the stress of becoming widowed. Stress effects can affect future health, best to be aware and best to concentrate on the immediate situation and if moving, then that is the immediate situation, let everything else slide

Back at my house, I had Amtico in the through Lounge. This was in the style of parquet flooring, and the border I had for it, was designed just for me on the computer at the shop. At the time, when I had this layed (back in 2004) I culd not beleive how much I was paying for one floor (three grand), it took a week to lay, and when the last tile was put in place, I knew I had made a good decision. The rear of this through lounge was the dining room, and then had doors leading onto garden. I had lots of young g.children visiting over the years I was there, and can say that whenI left in 2019. that flooring looked exactly as it had in the day they finished laying it. AND....was so easy to keep clean for me.

I will be cooking a roast dinner in my new kitchen this weekend. Several friends have been to see it and say that the dark colour weirdly makes the room look much lighter due to the white worktops and island! I was persuaded to put the tops flush on the cupboard to finish it off and am glad I did.
More new flooring is also on my list Franbern. I was so pleased with the Amtico, similar to Karndean, we had laid in the dining area. A new puppy, now grown big dog, hasn't made one mark on it despite his bringing in half the garden on it. I rather fancy a grey in our hall and study.

Karmalady, I started off assiming that my flooring company (whno has done all my flooring and carpet) would carry out this work, and emailed them. They phoned me to say they do NOT do skirting at all. It is not a problem, it is actually a carpentery work, so will propbably contact the young man who did myh doors some time back. Alternative is that a gentleman in the flats (now retired from building work), is happy to carry out this sort of work for residents (obviously being paid). I must remember to bring up one of the Karndean tiles from where the spares are stored in my garage, to use to ensure a good match for skirting.

My laptop has been on Windows 11 for sometime now. I still sigh for the days of Windows 97 - which (IMO) was actually easier to use (Well, it was for me).

I updated windows 10 to windows 11, on advice from ds. I have been dithering for months even years but honestly it was seamless. Everything is still on my laptop but it is very much faster

Neighbours 1 and 2 are still waiting for action to rectify their emergencies. I am glad I never waited for anyone.

I bought a grab stick and I have pollyfilla, I have to fill a gauge in the plasterboard up in the loft and I need to start to push insulation back into a far corner, without blocking the vents at the edge, no chance of me ever reaching that area by hand. Maybe at the weekend

Fran, maybe the karndean site has a list of local installers who can do the skirting for you or a local carpet/flooring shop would do it

Going via the web searching for local people who woldbe able to do my skirting I had one 'company'; contact me yesterday saying they could come over early evening to see exactly what I wanted. Appointment made for 5pm,and I sent all details as to where he can park etc. He never turned up!!!

This morning ijust sent a messafe saying I assuied they were no longer interested in this work and got an immdiate reply saying something had happened yesterday which had prevented them cming (or contacting me) Said he would coe at 3 pm (which I accepted). At five to three got a phone call saying he had a flat tyre so would not be able to visit - told him not to bother for the future.

Obviously, this is a one-man organisation. If he cannot even keep to appointments HE made for quotes, Idread to think what would happen if he actually was supposed to be doing the work.

I do not want this done until late Spring/early summer, do have plenty of time. Just made me wonder at these so-called companies.

This morning I spent at our local small shopping arcade, as part of an offical group of people checking Disability access. Interesting - good accessible toilets, but doors so very heavy that they can only be held open to allow access/exit by strong, healthy young people!!!!

Relaxing this afternoon, had to have a battle with my laptop for it to permit me to download and save some email attachments to a file. Have managed this now and it will save money for the Residents Association, as these are quite large documents (annual accounts for three years), which we have to send to Solicitors when flats are in the process of being sold. Up to now these have had to be photocopied and sent (with other documents) by land mail, costing toner, paper, stamps. Now I will be able to send by email!!!!

Thank you for the good luck wishes Karmalady.
I can't believe it has been a week since I managed to come back to GN and so much seems to have happened to everyone. I hope you all have a relaxing evening planned.
Our moving home journey has been very rollercoaster-like. We are trekking from one part of the UK to another so it's not the easiest move, but we're glad we're doing it now and not in a few years. Lots of sleepless nights with a notebook/pen at the ready for night-time list making!

I love that kettle Joseanne

I was not going to say anything more about my loft, honest. As it was -3 last night, it was a good time to check as condensation would have formed. Nope, nothing the whole pipe is bone dry. I fixed two joints and double sealed them with a miraculous tape called silweld, you need to watch youtube if using silicone repair tape, it amalgamates to itself and needs to be stretched. Top to bottom is also now lagged, really easy good lagging available from amazon, 100mm felted wool on a roll

I informed my neighbours, they both went to check and they have major problems. Neighbour one eventually found his soil ventilation pipe (svp) and it was a botch job, just cut off near the base and open with no valve, it should have been fitted to vent out of the roof, which has the vent in place. All this time warm moist air and sewer gases have been venting into his loft. Sewer gases are potentially dangerous and the moist air would create rot and mould

Neighbour 2 has seemingly an ok vent pipe. I have suggested that they lift insulation back at the lowest point as the top layer can appear dry while below is sodden. Their problem is with extract fans and they have a huge amount of water leakage and a cascade from accumulation in the looped ( thin) vent pipe. Loops are too big and they got heavy with accumulated water and burst. Both problems are emergencies

My advice is to have someone check the loft, hardly anyone goes into a loft. Check everything that can carry water vapour. Lofts are so cold that there is potential for condensation

My loft now has disturbed and flat insulation, in areas where I was walking but I cannot remedy that until all the soaked wood is bone dry, which could be weeks.

One of the best things I did was rig up a lamp socket with a flexible 4m cord and plug from amazon All it took was a hook and a piece of string and suddenly I could see everything properly

Joseanne , Yes looks brand new. Well Done. WHat decision did you and hubby make about the top of your kitchen cupboards? Eight months on, and I am still totally in love with my new kitchen, So pleased I made the decision to have this done. Last weekend, my SiL changed the filter to my hot water tap for me. I am in a hard water area, and it says in the instructions t o be changed in HW areas every six months - BUT as most of the time, it is just me here, and so it get less use than in afamily I thought 9 months is fine. IN future will probably do this once a year,

Do find this little gadget absolutley wonderful. Although I have kept a kettle (on the top shelf in one of the cupboards), really not need of it. This replaces evrrything, plus more, that a kettle can do. So, I have instant boiling water immediately, as little or as much as I require. And it so very safe. Definitely, kettles will be replaced by these.

Am getting a firm over this afternoon to discuss the replacement of my skirting boards in my Living room, to match my lovely Karndean golden oak flooring. At present have skimpy white painted ones. I have If I do get these replaced will have much deeper ones.

Here

Job done, nearly 10 years old, but like new.

You've been busy there karmalady and the results sound good. I thought I was strong yesterday and tried to shove a whole full bookcase back in place with my hip. All good on that side, but the other side of my hips has been painful all night. Hoping my dog walk now will sort it out.

My kitchen is pretty much finished and I am very pleased. I have been looking for new accessories and have a clock on its way from Germany. I was hoping to buy a new kettle as the colour was wrong, but I suddenly remembered they had supplied stainless steel inserts as an alternative base rim and lid. A bit of Antikal all over and it is gleaming and matches the decor!

No more moisture from the joint, nothing. Lagging finished apart from joint/bend area which I will double protect with self-amalgamating silicone tape tomorrow, if it arrives early enough. Second light bulb is up and was an excellent help

All I have to do after this is wait for the timber to dry completely and then I can re-arrange the floor insulation and maybe add some more. A really satisfying result and the lagging is very neat, dark brown wool wrap with long sturdy black zip ties.

Women can do house repair jobs and quite possibly better than a quick fix by a `professional` the only thing women cannot do is when too heavy or too high. I know I am 75 but I am strong and have energy and ability. If that repair can be reversed, then I would say have a go but do the appropriate research eg silicon self-amalgamating tape is a new product to me and needs a certain technique

Enough on this now. The job is done apart from the last tidying

This morning, still a little water drip so I dismantled that joint and cleaned it and used ptfe tape to get a snug fit. So far so good, no more leaks but later I will check again when I go up to finish pipe lagging, leaving the joint area for a couple more days to be sure. If bone dry then I will use belt and braces and wind special silicone tape around before lagging that

Yes I don`t like the stress of an unexpected issue but I do like problem solving and then seeing a good result. No danger to my safety at all in the loft, just achy thigh muscles for a bit when I woke up, lots of crouching

I have been out weeding to the sound of church bells this morning and am already being grounded

The job is almost finished, 3/4 now very neatly insulated with wrap-around felted wool and tied with zip ties. There are signs of success. More of this insulation is expected today

I have one loft light so I wear a head torch and today I am expecting a pendant plug-in light holder and extension lead and will put up a couple of hooks to hang the light, it will be very useful. There is a socket inside the loft hatch

Plasterboard is drying, it would likely have fallen through if I had not seen the water mark. I only spotted the problem after 10pm on friday and today is sunday.

no Fran, I am confident. It is actually a soil vent pipe and does not have a fan. It carries warm water vapour and odours out of the house and it makes sense that it needs to be insulated going through a very cold loft. I think the freezing weather caused the lowest seal to crack and condensate flowed down and out inside plus the exterior has condensate. If the joint continues to leak after I have sealed it, then I will get a really reliable plumber in to re-fix the joint

I do like problem solvingand fixing. Eagerly awaiting amazon by 3pm, so I can start the insulation process

My neighbour is checking hers later and I will tell my other neighbour. No-one thinks to look, unless there is a sign, like a water mark. A stitch in time, really is

Some eg persimmon homes were built with the soil vents cut off and exposed in the lofts, no connection to outside. The humidity and stench up there must have been shocking

If I ever bought a new build again, I would most definitely employ a snagging surveyor. He would have picked up the lack of insulation around that pipe

Karmlady I must congratulate you on doing this sort of repair yourself, but would it not be better both for mental AND physical well being and safety, to get a professional company in to carry out the work. Yes, it will cost a little more, but you will have guarantees and all you would need to do is to make cups of tea for them.

Must say, my time of doing ANYTHING like this myself is well past and I am so happy it is.

Another problem to deal with in my house. Water marks on en suite ceiling. I noticed at 10 last night, Next 3 hours up and down into the loft, to do with condensation and an uninsulated plastic 150mm vent pipe from kitchen extractor

All of this while balanced on narrow joists. I tore out soaking insulation and found water all over an area of plaster board with soaking wooden laths. I made it safe with a temporary large plant pot tray and kitchen rolls, which were sopping in the tray this morning

I thought about all this in bed, could feel the stress in my heart pumping and went down at 1.30 to order what I needed. Briefly, 100mm wool insulation on rolls, long cable ties, duct tape. I will insulate today up to either side of the low bend. When that joint is completely dry I will press butyl mastic tape all around the join and cover with duct tape after a day or so. The condensation will be inside the pipe too

Too hard with a head torch so I am going to set up a hanging light socket and an extension lead, there is a switched socket up there. Also ordered. Doh, everything is happening at once and my nice calm weekend is up the swanny

Had one of those strange nights on Wednesday to Thursday, when I just could get to sleep. Tried everything, getting up for an hour, reading, deep breathing etc (draw a line a pills). I was fine on Thursday, just an early night and great nights sleep, but then overslept and did not wake until after 9.00 am. Threw me out for my whole day. Also meant i did not do our monthly emergency light check, so will be doing that this morning (has to have a half an hour 'drain down
time' for this.

Second flat here now being advertised, one of just two in the block which does not have a garage. Think this has been overpriced also. Perhaps we need to set up our own estate agency for these flats!!! I know that it is pretty much the norm, in retirement properties for sales having to be made through that company.

I have been considering having the skirting boards in my Living Room replaced with ones that match my Karndean oak flooring. Contacted my flooring company and have had a phone call telling me they do not do skirting. So need to start again.

As Karmalady mentioned, ground rent is also something which need to be taken into consideration when buying into any multi-occupied building. We are fortunate here as the very first flat owners management cttee purchased this freehold and it is divided on equal basis between all the flats with each having 1/25th of that freehold. We have a nominal charge of £1 p.a for each flat, but that is absorbed into the service charge.

Hope that all purchasers and sales are progressing without too many problems.

The end of Kitchen week 2. The worktops went on yesterday. Today is connecting appliances and the taps day, and dealing with a tricky cabinet which will sit on top of the worktops at one end. Some creative concealing of pipes will be needed. I might get to cook in it on Monday or Tuesday.

I have been working since I was dressed, keeping on top of things ie a bit at a time. I oiled two butchers trolleys, one is big like an island and the other is smaller and I bought that in 1980s. Not a job I relish but a stitch in time. 4 drawers sorted in them and nothing to throw out

I would rather work like this, little and often, clear as I go. My bedroom beckons next, I saw dust. It is sunny and lovely out and thankfully too windy for cycling, so I don`t have to choose. Come lunchtime I will be well satisfied with my day, it is a positive one

Oh yes definitely a consideration re management charges and a thought about who owns the freehold. Some freeholders gather ever-increasing charges whilst letting the property go to rack and ruin. Twice I have been involved with management and we have kept charges as low as possible, while doing a good maintenance job. Not to forget that freeholders can sell the freehold on to money-making consortiums

Georgesgran - your daughter is well preparing in advance if the start of school is still three years away!!! Nothing wrong with that, but often such forward plans have a habit of going awry for all sorts of reasons.

Still, it gives you plenty of time, to prepare your own home ready for sale, which you are doing . It is amazing how a li ck of paint can improve both the price and selling ability of any property. Before I put my house up for sale I had a decorater paint the hallway, stairs and landing. It made an amazing difference (almost persuaded me not to want to move!), and was, obviously, the first thing that would-be purchasers saw as they entered the house.

Someone else may give you advice on getting a mortgage for short term. Do note that this will involve a lot of extra costs and mortgages are increasing their interest rates all of the time. Given the time scale you mention, think you should be able to sell well before you need to buy.

GM - I wish you luck with that 12-week sale. No reason that it cannot happen, but it rarely does these days. Means that you will be moving by end of April. Lovely time of year for a move.

I have now been told that two more flats in this block will be going on the market within the next couple of weeks. One has been awaiting a rather complicated probate, which is now completed. There is a fourth one, that I got told yesterday, is likely to be on the market by the Summer (owner - aged 104 years, has finally been persuaded to go into a nice home).

. We have one already of the market (but IMO very overpriced), will be interesting to see what the EA's price these others. Means that I am likely to have quite a lot of work to do over the Spring and Summer. Our AGM takes place in five weeks time, and we have had to prooose a comparively large increase in the Service charge due to very large amounts of money we have had to spend this year on the lift - but also with increased expenditure on everything else (water, electricity, insurance, etc). Not likely to have much (if any) opposition, as we can show why it is being done, and - even with this increase - we remain quite a lot lower than similar blocks of flats in the town (advantage of being self-managed). However, anyone considering moving into a nice apartment/flat must take this sort of on-going charge into account.