The House Projects Thread

[Carlos]

that looks pretty disgusting, but it makes life pretty straightforward- you’re keeping nothing.

that means you can happily lift up that flooring that looks a bit damp or rip out an old cabinet to see what’s behind without having to worry about damaging anything.

Pay someone else to get rid of all the old mess though!!!

That’s what I suspected, start from absolute zero, from the ground up. I’m definitely looking to find someone who is happy to tackle the entire job from start to finish, including clearing, it’s probably a health hazard.

My experience is that trades charge as much to strip out and skip stuff as they do for skilled work. It's minging but cathartic for someone as my dad says doesn't have a proper job.

A skip and a couple of weekends graft will save thousands even if your just getting rid of ceilings, rubbish, unwanted furniture etc

My wife has bought worse if it's any consolation

[jamcg]

You say that as if we should change our rates based on how much of our skills we utilise, it doesn’t quite work like that, plus when you’re stripping out a bathroom for example you’re always looking at what you’re stripping out and deciding how you’re approaching the next steps, it’s not just “man have hammer and man go hammer wall” like a caveman

[Carlos]

That's not what I meant and understand your time is worth the same regardless of the task. I'm not able to do the skilled bits but am capable of clearing rubbish, pulling ceilings down, removing tiles and bathroom furniture etc without flooding or blowing up the building.

We have also found it easier to get good quality skilled people to take on jobs when they are coming into a cleaner start point.

[mik]

However, as of 4pm today, legal posession of the property has reverted to the freeholder, I.e. me. They still occupy the property, so tomorrow we’re applying to courts for a warrant to send in bailiffs. It could be many months before they attend, but I also need to work out wtf to do in the meantime.

I’ve only just spotted this when reading back. This feels like a monumental step given where you’ve been. I hope you are currently half-pissed in celebration.

[Gavster]

Cheers @mik and while it does sound like a big moment, it's more like the beginning of the final chapter. Believe it or not, there's a slim chance we could end up back in court once more. The chances of that are thankfully getting slimmer by the day because we believe the neighbours don't have a leg to stand on anymore, however, I've also learned not to count chickens before they're hatched either

[Gavster]

that looks pretty disgusting, but it makes life pretty straightforward- you’re keeping nothing.

that means you can happily lift up that flooring that looks a bit damp or rip out an old cabinet to see what’s behind without having to worry about damaging anything.

Pay someone else to get rid of all the old mess though!!!

That’s what I suspected, start from absolute zero, from the ground up. I’m definitely looking to find someone who is happy to tackle the entire job from start to finish, including clearing, it’s probably a health hazard.

My experience is that trades charge as much to strip out and skip stuff as they do for skilled work. It's minging but cathartic for someone as my dad says doesn't have a proper job.

A skip and a couple of weekends graft will save thousands even if your just getting rid of ceilings, rubbish, unwanted furniture etc

My wife has bought worse if it's any consolation

It also occured to me that while I'd prefer others to do everything, the chances of getting a renovation team to start precisely when I want is pretty unlikely because of lots of variables. If the property is sitting empty while waiting for a team to start work, then it would make a lot of sense to get fully masked-up and ripping it apart myself.

[GG.]

Holy moly that's like something out of a horror film. Am I right in saying a man and wife lived in that? I can wrap my head around reclusive loner but not a couple

[GG.]

To be fair, an open plan toilet is a step beyond the normal!!

Oddly I've been to fancy hotels where they think this is a clever design feature

[unzippy]

@Gavster - I'm glad there's progress in the right direction.

I wouldn't be giving them their deposit back..

[Beany]

Blimey, I've been loosely sympathetic to them (only loosely - it sounds like they've been given many chances) due to understanding that mental health issues can be A Fucking Problem, but while my places tend to be a bit untidy (and have got worse intermittently when the headspace is bad) I've never misplaced a wall and a bath.

I'd be looking to hire a house clearance lot and get them to help with the proper heavy lifting of making the place safe to be in, with respect to dust/mould etc (they're just used to doing it day in day out), but I'm sure a couple of weekends of tip runs - once you have full access/they are out - in advance of that will help make things a bit clearer in terms of how you want to/can approach it, too.

[Gavster]

I was sympathetic to them at first, but the longer it went on, the more it became clear they have zero intention of doing what the courts have been telling them to do. They've definitely had more than enough opporutnity to sort things out.

Earlier in the year they had the support of a comprehensive pro bono legal team from a huge international law firm (Top 20 globally), plus the offer of a loan to cover any legal costs owed to me. E.g., they were provided with everything they needed to comply with the courts, pay any costs that have been awarded and sell their property. They could then leave with whatever money was left over and start again.

Instead, they sacked the legal team and ignored the court orders

[Beany]

Yeah that's the stage where I lost sympathy too. At that stage, you're either being a cunt for the sake of being a cunt, or you quite genuinely and literally need sectioning for your own safety.

I'm guessing they don't need sectioning.

[Gavster]

They're quite normal reasonable people when you meet them, it's just that the guy has an absolute obsession with being right, even when he's completely wrong. He'd fit in here

[Mito Man]

Does he tell you to do your own research?

[Gavster]

Does he tell you to do your own research?

More or less, yes, he does

[dinny_g]

Does he tell you to do your own research?