I'm back

[Annpan]

Did anyone miss me?

Did anyone even notice I was gone?

Oh pretend you did, please, just to humour me.

I moved from the stinky main road of the southside of Glasgow to a small village in Lanarkshire.

We now have a huge garden, with a rhubarb patch fit for bursting and lots of sweet peas. I hope to find out more about all the plants and trees in good time. There is tons of work to be getting on with, I am very excited about it all.

The cottage is in need of some major work, it has pretty much been falling into disrepair over the last 5 to 10 years I reckon and needs everything fixed.

Now that I am here I have about 15 million questions to ask about everything so be prepared.

[Cassiepod]

Congratulations! You must be so pleased to actually be there now.

I'm following suit and moving this weekend admittedly from one country dwelling to another but I'm still dead excited.

[Andy Hamilton]

We are ready and willing Welcome back good to see that you have a much better place to live, I still dream of having a garden.

[Wombat]

Well done Annpan!

Nice to have you back with us!

Nev

[TheLancsLass]

Welcome home Annpan!

Glad to see you are back!

[Millymollymandy]

Hiya Annpan, we missed you lots so WELCOME BACK Congrats on your new home and garden and fire away with the questions.

Talking of missing people, where is Bonniegirl? Another one like Sal who joined up, posted loads then disappeared off the face of the earth! Hopefully she'll turn up like that bad penny Sal! (sorry Sal!)

[Thomzo]

Hi Annpan
Good to see you back. Of course we missed you!

I've renovated loads of houses (well 4 but it seems like loads) and the feeling when it's all done is fantastic. Well worth all the hard times.

Zoe

[TheLancsLass]

Hiya Annpan, we missed you lots so WELCOME BACK Congrats on your new home and garden and fire away with the questions.

Talking of missing people, where is Bonniegirl? Another one like Sal who joined up, posted loads then disappeared off the face of the earth! Hopefully she'll turn up like that bad penny Sal! (sorry Sal!)

Oi oi oi - I saw that! Bad penny indeed!

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

as Sal said - Welcome home !

[Annpan]

Cheers everyone

I am glad to be back, I have missed you all and was starting to get pretty miserable about the move - from tidy, clean, draft free flat with a combi-boiler and within 30mins walk from the city centre... to a messy, dirty, cold drafty cottage with a few electric heaters and a back boiler on the coal-fire 30mins walk from the nearest cornershop.

But I came on here and I am excited again and just wish I had more time to get things straightened up. The key word is potential here so I have alot of hard work ahead of me now.

Good to see you back. Of course we missed you!

I've renovated loads of houses (well 4 but it seems like loads) and the feeling when it's all done is fantastic. Well worth all the hard times.

Zoe

We have renovated a few flats, doing ALL the work ourselves but never before with a baby in tow - it is alot more difficult, if we didn't have her we would have ripped the place apart by now and be camping in the garden over the summer until the work was done, but alas it has to go a bit slower than that. There is new legislation that has come in about electrical work too since we last wired a house so we need spend money to get an electrician this time

Anyway thanks everyone for cheering me up

[red]

congrats Ann - we too moved last Autumn to a house that is falling down (complete with death watch beetle!) and a lovely garden - but not a baby too - but you will get there.. and watching things arrive in the garden is great fun!

Re electrics - it si surprising how many things you are allowed to do yourself without getting a sparky in with his/her part P - you cn add spurs fix sockets - basically you can do maintenance - but rewiring.. yes you really need the certificate.
We got someone in to change the consumer unit (bit beyond us!) as we want switch fuses.. not bits of wire!
our friends and family are divided between those that can see what it will be, and those that just don't get it at all!

my cousin said, on hearing how its falling down etc, 'well it was cheap though?' er,, no.. nothing is cheap round here.. but we opted for falling down house with land rather than perfect house with nothing. he didn't understand ....

[Annpan]

friends and family being split... ditto
They have all seen what we did with our last place... It was pretty much a squat, it was disgusting and we turned it round and made it fantastic. All our friends and family said they would buy it if they could afford it, then my brother did buy it (yipee)

So we absolutly have the confidence to do it and the foresight to see what a good thing we've got. We also made the discision to buy a wreck with land above buying a perfect house with no land.

Consumer unit was the only electrical thing we got an electrician to do in our last place, learned how to put in spurs and extend loops. We rewired our kitchen and bathroom but now you need a 'lecy' to do all that work, and it might be more viable (timescale wise) to get someone in to do the lot... bummer

[red]

sometimes its better to work, earn the money and pay for someone with the experience/quals to do the work

if we can do it ourselves - we do - cos its cheaper - you get what you want, but mostly cos its not that easy to get someone reliable!

well good luck and enjoy Ann - and tell us whats happening!

[pskipper]

Welcome back Ann, keep us posted and pop some pictures up so we can see your progress!

[paddy]

congrats Ann - we too moved last Autumn to a house that is falling down (complete with death watch beetle!)

Poor old Death Watch Beetle is a very very very rare insect now and i bet you killed the little fella Seriously though he is a rare beast, surprised he isnt protected now, and i heard a great programme last year about this beetle and the reason why he got his name.....does anybody know?????

Hello Ann i am Paddy from Oiland on the windy wet side.

Your story is very similar to how we started out a long time ago i can imagine your excitment