DIY week. in Hot town, summery in the city - 2017

This half term has been one of DIY. This is where I’m in heaven and my dreams of renovating houses gets sparked (Homes Under the Hammer is a fave programme of mine).

Firstly I took apart the toilet waste pipe in order to give it a good descale. It was about half an inch thick! This photo is of descaler on the limescale in the pipe, taken through a mirror because i couldn’t get behind the toilet.

Then L and I sanded down, then varnished the side tables that Rich bought when he first got his own place in 1996. They have been mistreated but we gave them some TLC.

Following that was the interior door handles. I’ve wanted to change them for some time - I’ve never liked the ones that were on them when we moved in 14 years ago, then, on Sunday, T had a strop and slammed her door - the latch snapped and we had to unscrew the handle to get her out. This inspired new latches and handles to go with them.

The originals.

No handles.

The first handles I bought - they were flimsy and a bit crappy, not opening the latches very successfully.

The final, much nicer, cheaper, firmer handles.

And the final job was to change the kitchen sink. The original was stained when we bought the house 14 years ago. A few years back, my brother gave us his old one after a kitchen re-fit. Our plumber came to put it in but found that, although it was the same size, the corners were more rounded therefore left gaps in the worktop. So the old, stained one went back in along with extra damage from the removal.

I bought a stainless steel one (they’re cheaper) and a basic tap and plug hole. Monday morning I was up and ready.... but the water wouldn’t switch off in the house nor outside. I got our water board on it and by Thursday lunch time I was able to switch it off.

This is the new sink, weighted down with various things. It will need a finish sealant later today.

It did say to wear gloves while installing it. I didn’t. I learned why....

This is the worst of my 5 or 6 finger slices!!

Quite late last night we discovered there was no water pressure upstairs so, at 10:30 at night, I was in the street with my phone as a torch, turning the stop cock further. 🌑

Last updated October 27, 2017