We started preparing our house to move in February 2015. It's been a long and slightly rocky road... This is an ongoing list of achievements - a 'TaDa!' list if you like. I'm only keeping track of the things I do here, but Peter is working away in the background too!
July 2017
Tuesday 18th: paperwork checked, house officially sold (subject to contract). And now we wait...
Monday 17th: accepted an offer
Monday 10th to Saturday 15th: more viewings, several offers, a lot of phone calls
Saturday 8th: house viewings and first offer (!)
Friday 7th: frantic sticking-down-of-floor tiles and many other jobs until well into the early hours
Thursday 6th: removed everything shoved into built in wardrobes and other cupboards, new back door fitted, house went on market
Wednesday 5th: photographer took pictures
Sunday 2nd to Wednesday 5th: a million other things
Saturday 1st: car full of stuff to tip, another car full to friend's house, cleared space in cellar, wood and boxes out of attic into cellar, white on attic stairs skirting, round bathroom door, round back door
June 2017
Friday 30th: second coat of green in entrance, white on door frames and skirting in entrance
Sunday 25th: more sticking down of floor tiles, painted first coat of green in entrance
Saturday 24th: sister helped me clear kitchen and stick down floor tiles (thanks sis!), painted top coat of white on entrance ceiling and walls, fit skirting on attic stairs
Thursday 22nd: painted mist coat on walls and ceiling of entrance
Sunday 18th: took a load of musical equipment to practice room, and a load more to the tip
Saturday 17th: finished sticky backed plastic on kitchen units, final coat of red on outside windowsills, touched up green paint, painted garden wall and table, touched up cream on stairs
Wednesday 6th: plasterer did entrance
Sunday 4th: reorganised attic and cleaned, moved boxes from living room to attic, rehung bedroom curtains, cleared boxes from kitchen, gloss paint on outside window frames
Thursday 1st: put new mortar in offshot corner
May 2017
Tuesday 30th: removed fittings from last bottom kitchen cupboards, sticky backed plastic on cupboard under sink
Monday 29th: finished stripping wallpaper, moved stuff out of entrance, covered top kitchen cupboard doors with stick backed plastic
Sunday 28th: painted undercoat on outside window frames, weeded garden, more stripping wallpaper from by back door
Sunday 21st: put sticky backed plastic on kitchen drawers and cupboard door, sanded and painted primer on outside window frames
Sunday 6th: cleaned paint off bedroom steps
Tuesday 2nd: bathroom, bedroom and spare room doors fitted
April 2017
Thursday 27th: removed underlay from stairs, nice man came and fitted carpet on both sets of stairs
Oops, what happened to April? Painted top coat on arch in kitchen, then went to a conference, then on holiday, then on holiday again, and made lots of phone calls arranging for other people to do things...
March 2017
Wednesday 29th: painted undercoat on arch beading in kitchen
Sunday 26th: laid underlay and old carpet on landing
Saturday 25th: prepared landing for carpet
Thursday 23rd: painted over screw holes in spare room floor
Sunday 19th: filled in screw holes in spare room floor, painted primer on last of spare room skirting, 2nd coat of gloss on spare room windowframe, car full of stuff to the tip
Wednesday 15th: painted radiators in spare room and attic, put spare room bed together and bedding on
Monday 13th: primer on radiators in spare room and attic, second coat of brown on spare room floor
Sunday 12th: touched up white paint in spare room, painted first gloss coat on window frame and sill, touched up gloss on skirting board, first coat of brown on spare room floor
Tuesday 7th: finished filling in holes and painting spare room ceiling
Sunday 5th: started painting spare room ceiling
Saturday 4th: second coat of white paint on bedroom wall
February 2017
Monday 27th: second half of first white coat on bedroom wall
Saturday 25th: second coat of varnish on kitchen cladding, second coat of white in kitchen arch, final white coat in bathroom, half of first white coat on bedroom wall
Thursday 23rd: made up new table, started tidying attic
Monday 20th: first coat of varnish on kitchen cladding
Sunday 5th: painted kitchen ceiling
Thursday 2nd: sanded filler off kitchen ceiling
January 2017
Monday 29th: filled crack in kitchen ceiling
Sunday 28th: finished first coat on kitchen ceiling, started painting undercoat in kitchen archway
Saturday 27th: two mist coats on plaster round windows in spare room, re-sealed round bath, started painting kitchen ceiling
Sunday 22nd: plastered round tiny internal windows
Saturday 21st: fitted plasterboard round tiny internal windows in spare room, painted gloss on rest of kitchen skirting
Friday 20th: painted undercoat on rest of kitchen skirting board
Thursday 19th: plastered right side of windowframe in spare room
Tuesday 17th: plastered hole in wall and left side of windowframe in spare room
Sunday 15th: car full of stuff to tip, sorted out other stuff stored at friend's house
Saturday 14th: filled car with stuff from friend's house
Thursday 12th: replaced shelves above cooker
Tuesday 10th: final top coat on kitchen cladding
Monday 9th: first top coat on kitchen cladding
Saturday 7th: finished undercoat on kitchen cladding
Friday 6th: undercoat round most of kitchen (and accidental 2nd coat of primer on the rest)
Thursday 5th: first coat of plaster on hole in spare room, first coat of green behind bookshelves, sanded and primed all kitchen cladding
Tuesday 3rd: second coat of green on kitchen wood chip, PVA on hole in spare room
Monday 2nd: painted awkward bits of kitchen wood chip
December 2016
Friday 23rd: had new bedroom carpet fitted
Saturday 17th: sister painted top coat on spare room wall, undercoated spare room skirting, painted first green coat on two kitchen walls
Friday 16th: filled, sanded and undercoated spare room cladded wall, sister painted other spare room wall (thanks Lorraine!)
Thursday 15th: gloss painted kitchen skirting board on window wall
Monday 12th: gloss painted kitchen door frames, undercoated kitchen skirting board on window wall, removed bathroom door
Sunday 11th: gloss painted landing skirting board and door frames
Saturday 10th: finished priming and undercoating landing skirting boards, sanded and undercoated other sides of landing door frames, sanded and undercoated door frames in kitchen
Thursday 8th: primed and undercoated some of landing skirting boards
Tuesday 6th: ordered bedroom carpet and booked fitters
Sunday 4th: refitted stair carpet
Saturday 3rd: priced carpets, took ladders back to friend's house
Friday 2nd: painted gloss on skirting on stairs
Thursday 1st: sanded and painted undercoat on skirting on stairs
November 2016
Tuesday 29th: removed stair carpet
Later that week: two coats of gloss on landing door frames
Sunday 20th: gloss paint on bathroom window frame, finished undercoat on landing door frames
Saturday 19th: painted undercoat on sanded bits of bathroom window frame, sanded door frames on landing, painted undercoat on spare room door frame
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October 2016
Sunday 23rd: filled dodgy plaster round bottom of landing, filled holes round landing doors
Saturday 22nd: topped up grouting on bathroom windowsill, refitted bedroom dresser and sorted out all toiletries and bedroom
Sunday 16th: cleaned excess paint off shower tiles
Saturday 15th: grouted tiles on bathroom windowsill, repainted grout in shower
Sunday 9th: painted final top coat on big bedroom cladded wall, tiled bathroom windowsill, washed outside of downstairs windows
Friday 7th: painted first top coat on big bedroom cladded wall
Monday 3rd: made and hung net curtain in bedroom
Sunday 2nd: sanded and re-painted bits of bathroom cladding, refitted bathroom carpet, started tiling bathroom windowsill
Saturday 1st: painted two top coats of colour on bathroom cladding, finished top coat on bedroom walls, started top coat on bedroom cladding, fixed carpet back to attic stairs, cleaned plaster off attic landing
September 2016
Sunday 25th: painted first coat of gloss on bathroom windowframe, painted undercoat on cladding round bath, filled holes above platform in bedroom
Saturday 24th: finished scraping bathroom windowsill and painted with primer, painted undercoat on bathroom cladding
Saturday 17th: finished painting bedroom wall, moved futons from car into attic, filled holes in bedroom cladding, painted final gloss coat on attic stairs
Thursday 15th: nearly finished scraping gloss off bathroom windowframe
Sunday 11th: filled in holes in attic stairs, scraped flaking gloss off bathroom windowframe, filled holes round bedroom window
Saturday 10th: painted second gloss coat on attic stairs
Monday 5th: collected ladders
Sunday 4th: first top coat on bedroom window wall, final top coat on green bedroom wall, first gloss coat on bathroom window frame, first gloss coat on attic stairs
Saturday 3rd: finished undercoat on bedroom window wall, first top coat on green bedroom wall
August 2016
Tuesday 30th: lopped willow, tidied garden, woodchip in front garden, took garden stuff to tip, bought and planted container plants, undercoat on green bedroom wall
Monday 29th: weeding, lopping, pruning, tidying in garden, took car load to tip
Sunday 28th: tidied bedroom ready for painting
Saturday 27th: cleared more tubs, lopped more willow, started pruning acer, more clothes down from attic
Friday 26th: woodchip down in lavender bed, pruned willow, weeded tubs
Thursday 25th: Put bedroom carpet back down, started bringing clothes from attic to bedroom, sorted wardrobe floor and threw away 2 bags of clothes
Sunday 21st: put woodchip under kitchen window, painted top coat on landing and stairs walls, first red coat on bookshelf wall, first top coat on cladding under bedroom steps
Saturday 20th: painted top coat on attic landing, made giant list of all remaining jobs
Monday 15th: painted top coat on landing ceiling
Wednesday 10th: painted colour on rest of landing walls
Tuesday 9th: painted colour on two main stairs walls
Monday 8th: two top coats on green bathroom wall, filled holes in landing ceiling and painted, weeded 4 tubs
Sunday 7th: top coat on bathroom plaster, two colour coats on bathroom radiator wall, PVA on green bathroom wall, finished mist coat on landing, top coat behind bedroom shelves, started weeding under kitchen window
Saturday 6th: painted undercoat behind bedroom shelves, painted first top coat on bathroom plaster, mist coat on most of landing
Thursday 4th: painted mist coat on plaster in bathroom and some of main stairs
July 2016
Friday 29th: sanded bathroom plaster, finished final coat of plaster on main stairs, sanded plaster on stairs
Thursday 28th: final coat of plaster on two thirds of main stairs
Wednesday 27th: made net curtain for kitchen, undercoat on bathroom cladding, 1st coat of plaster on rest of main stairs, sanded landing ceiling
Tuesday 26th: first coat of plaster on two thirds of main stairs
Sunday 24th: plastered attic stairs, mist coat on attic plastering, first coat on landing wooden wall
Saturday 23rd: finished painting bedroom ceiling, cleared garden up to bird table, car load of garden stuff to tip (thanks mum!), primer on bathroom cladding, fitted skylight blind
Thursday 21st: top coat of plaster round bathroom window
Tuesday 19th: put filler and primer on bathroom cladding on radiator wall
Sunday 17th: finished covering and painting bedroom chimney, grouted shower, 1st plaster coat round bathroom window, put mattress back on bed platform
Satuday 16th: finished tiling shower, top coat on bedroom ceiling, emulsion by bed, covered bedroom chimney
Friday 15th: first top coat on chimney surround, started sanding bathroom plaster
Thursday 14th: final top coat on bedroom cladding, started tiling shower
Wednesday 13th: 1st top coat on bedroom cladding, undercoat on chimney breast wood
Sunday 10th: lopped willow hedge, took car full of rubbish to tip, put filler down side of cladding, stripped wallpaper from attic stairs wall, stripped wallpaper and sealant from behind shower
Saturday 9th: filled car for tip, bought paint for cladding in bedroom, weeded garden path, put wood filler in nail holes in cladding
Thursday 7th: painted undercoat on cladding in bedroom
Tuesday 5th: painted primer on cladding in bedroom
Monday 4th: final coat of plaster on big bathroom wall
Friday 1st: first watery paint coat on bedroom ceiling
Tuesday 18th: paperwork checked, house officially sold (subject to contract). And now we wait...
Monday 17th: accepted an offer
Monday 10th to Saturday 15th: more viewings, several offers, a lot of phone calls
Saturday 8th: house viewings and first offer (!)
Friday 7th: frantic sticking-down-of-floor tiles and many other jobs until well into the early hours
Thursday 6th: removed everything shoved into built in wardrobes and other cupboards, new back door fitted, house went on market
Wednesday 5th: photographer took pictures
Sunday 2nd to Wednesday 5th: a million other things
Saturday 1st: car full of stuff to tip, another car full to friend's house, cleared space in cellar, wood and boxes out of attic into cellar, white on attic stairs skirting, round bathroom door, round back door
June 2017
Friday 30th: second coat of green in entrance, white on door frames and skirting in entrance
Sunday 25th: more sticking down of floor tiles, painted first coat of green in entrance
Saturday 24th: sister helped me clear kitchen and stick down floor tiles (thanks sis!), painted top coat of white on entrance ceiling and walls, fit skirting on attic stairs
Thursday 22nd: painted mist coat on walls and ceiling of entrance
Sunday 18th: took a load of musical equipment to practice room, and a load more to the tip
Saturday 17th: finished sticky backed plastic on kitchen units, final coat of red on outside windowsills, touched up green paint, painted garden wall and table, touched up cream on stairs
Wednesday 6th: plasterer did entrance
Sunday 4th: reorganised attic and cleaned, moved boxes from living room to attic, rehung bedroom curtains, cleared boxes from kitchen, gloss paint on outside window frames
Thursday 1st: put new mortar in offshot corner
May 2017
Tuesday 30th: removed fittings from last bottom kitchen cupboards, sticky backed plastic on cupboard under sink
Monday 29th: finished stripping wallpaper, moved stuff out of entrance, covered top kitchen cupboard doors with stick backed plastic
Sunday 28th: painted undercoat on outside window frames, weeded garden, more stripping wallpaper from by back door
Sunday 21st: put sticky backed plastic on kitchen drawers and cupboard door, sanded and painted primer on outside window frames
Sunday 6th: cleaned paint off bedroom steps
Tuesday 2nd: bathroom, bedroom and spare room doors fitted
April 2017
Thursday 27th: removed underlay from stairs, nice man came and fitted carpet on both sets of stairs
Oops, what happened to April? Painted top coat on arch in kitchen, then went to a conference, then on holiday, then on holiday again, and made lots of phone calls arranging for other people to do things...
March 2017
Wednesday 29th: painted undercoat on arch beading in kitchen
Sunday 26th: laid underlay and old carpet on landing
Saturday 25th: prepared landing for carpet
Thursday 23rd: painted over screw holes in spare room floor
Sunday 19th: filled in screw holes in spare room floor, painted primer on last of spare room skirting, 2nd coat of gloss on spare room windowframe, car full of stuff to the tip
Wednesday 15th: painted radiators in spare room and attic, put spare room bed together and bedding on
Monday 13th: primer on radiators in spare room and attic, second coat of brown on spare room floor
Sunday 12th: touched up white paint in spare room, painted first gloss coat on window frame and sill, touched up gloss on skirting board, first coat of brown on spare room floor
Tuesday 7th: finished filling in holes and painting spare room ceiling
Sunday 5th: started painting spare room ceiling
Saturday 4th: second coat of white paint on bedroom wall
February 2017
Monday 27th: second half of first white coat on bedroom wall
Saturday 25th: second coat of varnish on kitchen cladding, second coat of white in kitchen arch, final white coat in bathroom, half of first white coat on bedroom wall
Thursday 23rd: made up new table, started tidying attic
Monday 20th: first coat of varnish on kitchen cladding
Sunday 5th: painted kitchen ceiling
Thursday 2nd: sanded filler off kitchen ceiling
January 2017
Monday 29th: filled crack in kitchen ceiling
Sunday 28th: finished first coat on kitchen ceiling, started painting undercoat in kitchen archway
Saturday 27th: two mist coats on plaster round windows in spare room, re-sealed round bath, started painting kitchen ceiling
Sunday 22nd: plastered round tiny internal windows
Saturday 21st: fitted plasterboard round tiny internal windows in spare room, painted gloss on rest of kitchen skirting
Friday 20th: painted undercoat on rest of kitchen skirting board
Thursday 19th: plastered right side of windowframe in spare room
Tuesday 17th: plastered hole in wall and left side of windowframe in spare room
Sunday 15th: car full of stuff to tip, sorted out other stuff stored at friend's house
Saturday 14th: filled car with stuff from friend's house
Thursday 12th: replaced shelves above cooker
Tuesday 10th: final top coat on kitchen cladding
Monday 9th: first top coat on kitchen cladding
Saturday 7th: finished undercoat on kitchen cladding
Friday 6th: undercoat round most of kitchen (and accidental 2nd coat of primer on the rest)
Thursday 5th: first coat of plaster on hole in spare room, first coat of green behind bookshelves, sanded and primed all kitchen cladding
Tuesday 3rd: second coat of green on kitchen wood chip, PVA on hole in spare room
Monday 2nd: painted awkward bits of kitchen wood chip
December 2016
Friday 23rd: had new bedroom carpet fitted
Saturday 17th: sister painted top coat on spare room wall, undercoated spare room skirting, painted first green coat on two kitchen walls
Friday 16th: filled, sanded and undercoated spare room cladded wall, sister painted other spare room wall (thanks Lorraine!)
Thursday 15th: gloss painted kitchen skirting board on window wall
Monday 12th: gloss painted kitchen door frames, undercoated kitchen skirting board on window wall, removed bathroom door
Sunday 11th: gloss painted landing skirting board and door frames
Saturday 10th: finished priming and undercoating landing skirting boards, sanded and undercoated other sides of landing door frames, sanded and undercoated door frames in kitchen
Thursday 8th: primed and undercoated some of landing skirting boards
Tuesday 6th: ordered bedroom carpet and booked fitters
Sunday 4th: refitted stair carpet
Saturday 3rd: priced carpets, took ladders back to friend's house
Friday 2nd: painted gloss on skirting on stairs
Thursday 1st: sanded and painted undercoat on skirting on stairs
November 2016
Tuesday 29th: removed stair carpet
Later that week: two coats of gloss on landing door frames
Sunday 20th: gloss paint on bathroom window frame, finished undercoat on landing door frames
Saturday 19th: painted undercoat on sanded bits of bathroom window frame, sanded door frames on landing, painted undercoat on spare room door frame
.
October 2016
Sunday 23rd: filled dodgy plaster round bottom of landing, filled holes round landing doors
Saturday 22nd: topped up grouting on bathroom windowsill, refitted bedroom dresser and sorted out all toiletries and bedroom
Sunday 16th: cleaned excess paint off shower tiles
Saturday 15th: grouted tiles on bathroom windowsill, repainted grout in shower
Sunday 9th: painted final top coat on big bedroom cladded wall, tiled bathroom windowsill, washed outside of downstairs windows
Friday 7th: painted first top coat on big bedroom cladded wall
Monday 3rd: made and hung net curtain in bedroom
Sunday 2nd: sanded and re-painted bits of bathroom cladding, refitted bathroom carpet, started tiling bathroom windowsill
Saturday 1st: painted two top coats of colour on bathroom cladding, finished top coat on bedroom walls, started top coat on bedroom cladding, fixed carpet back to attic stairs, cleaned plaster off attic landing
September 2016
Sunday 25th: painted first coat of gloss on bathroom windowframe, painted undercoat on cladding round bath, filled holes above platform in bedroom
Saturday 24th: finished scraping bathroom windowsill and painted with primer, painted undercoat on bathroom cladding
Saturday 17th: finished painting bedroom wall, moved futons from car into attic, filled holes in bedroom cladding, painted final gloss coat on attic stairs
Thursday 15th: nearly finished scraping gloss off bathroom windowframe
Sunday 11th: filled in holes in attic stairs, scraped flaking gloss off bathroom windowframe, filled holes round bedroom window
Saturday 10th: painted second gloss coat on attic stairs
Monday 5th: collected ladders
Sunday 4th: first top coat on bedroom window wall, final top coat on green bedroom wall, first gloss coat on bathroom window frame, first gloss coat on attic stairs
Saturday 3rd: finished undercoat on bedroom window wall, first top coat on green bedroom wall
August 2016
Tuesday 30th: lopped willow, tidied garden, woodchip in front garden, took garden stuff to tip, bought and planted container plants, undercoat on green bedroom wall
Monday 29th: weeding, lopping, pruning, tidying in garden, took car load to tip
Sunday 28th: tidied bedroom ready for painting
Saturday 27th: cleared more tubs, lopped more willow, started pruning acer, more clothes down from attic
Friday 26th: woodchip down in lavender bed, pruned willow, weeded tubs
Thursday 25th: Put bedroom carpet back down, started bringing clothes from attic to bedroom, sorted wardrobe floor and threw away 2 bags of clothes
Sunday 21st: put woodchip under kitchen window, painted top coat on landing and stairs walls, first red coat on bookshelf wall, first top coat on cladding under bedroom steps
Saturday 20th: painted top coat on attic landing, made giant list of all remaining jobs
Monday 15th: painted top coat on landing ceiling
Wednesday 10th: painted colour on rest of landing walls
Tuesday 9th: painted colour on two main stairs walls
Monday 8th: two top coats on green bathroom wall, filled holes in landing ceiling and painted, weeded 4 tubs
Sunday 7th: top coat on bathroom plaster, two colour coats on bathroom radiator wall, PVA on green bathroom wall, finished mist coat on landing, top coat behind bedroom shelves, started weeding under kitchen window
Saturday 6th: painted undercoat behind bedroom shelves, painted first top coat on bathroom plaster, mist coat on most of landing
Thursday 4th: painted mist coat on plaster in bathroom and some of main stairs
July 2016
Friday 29th: sanded bathroom plaster, finished final coat of plaster on main stairs, sanded plaster on stairs
Thursday 28th: final coat of plaster on two thirds of main stairs
Wednesday 27th: made net curtain for kitchen, undercoat on bathroom cladding, 1st coat of plaster on rest of main stairs, sanded landing ceiling
Tuesday 26th: first coat of plaster on two thirds of main stairs
Sunday 24th: plastered attic stairs, mist coat on attic plastering, first coat on landing wooden wall
Saturday 23rd: finished painting bedroom ceiling, cleared garden up to bird table, car load of garden stuff to tip (thanks mum!), primer on bathroom cladding, fitted skylight blind
Thursday 21st: top coat of plaster round bathroom window
Tuesday 19th: put filler and primer on bathroom cladding on radiator wall
Sunday 17th: finished covering and painting bedroom chimney, grouted shower, 1st plaster coat round bathroom window, put mattress back on bed platform
Satuday 16th: finished tiling shower, top coat on bedroom ceiling, emulsion by bed, covered bedroom chimney
Friday 15th: first top coat on chimney surround, started sanding bathroom plaster
Thursday 14th: final top coat on bedroom cladding, started tiling shower
Wednesday 13th: 1st top coat on bedroom cladding, undercoat on chimney breast wood
Sunday 10th: lopped willow hedge, took car full of rubbish to tip, put filler down side of cladding, stripped wallpaper from attic stairs wall, stripped wallpaper and sealant from behind shower
Saturday 9th: filled car for tip, bought paint for cladding in bedroom, weeded garden path, put wood filler in nail holes in cladding
Thursday 7th: painted undercoat on cladding in bedroom
Tuesday 5th: painted primer on cladding in bedroom
Monday 4th: final coat of plaster on big bathroom wall
Friday 1st: first watery paint coat on bedroom ceiling