OT God, DIY - does it NEVER end?

Oh what fun!! can i join in??? lololol. Why you doing it now? u should still be in your jammies and stuffing your face with chocs like wot im doing!......... whilst tracking down dresses, solicitors and legal paperwork and now i have to think about doing some driving theory, bah!

I've just stripped out my lounge this morning and am about to start doing the ceilings, 40ft long!!

When you take down the decorations you realise just how badly it needs doing!

Oh and no, it doesnt end. depends on how fussy you are but my mother has continually decorated her house over 25 yrs. Took about 10 yrs to finish the kitchen and its had a few new lightfittings over the last 5 yrs. I used to go to bed knowing there was one kind of wall paper in the hall and wake up to find a totally new one!

she cant leave the place alone, hence why I got her to do my place over 2 summers! at the age I am now theres no way I could have done the things my mum did at 34, build walls, upholster furniture, build furniture..... amazing. her next grand plan is to build a bathroom upstairs...where tho I am unsure. LOL.

If she wants to come and do my flat she's v. welcome

I've been diy-ing today too... decorating the dining room. Having read your "whinge" it had made me appreciate having a 'new' house, no preparation to be had at all! Just the joy of covering over that horrid magnolia that has been splashed EVERYWHERE!

Oh Laura, I envy you.

Why did we think that doing it ourselves would be cost effective and *put our stamp on the place*? Lunatic first-time buyers that's what we were.

I have removed ONE layer of paper on ONE wall - another 4 walls to go....

Then they have to be skimmed so we can paint them again.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I've just been to the gym for 2 hours to vent my fury in my dance class and on the weights

Does your DIY include boiler maintenance?!? why on earth would you actually want to do something to improve where you live, and put your stamp on it?!?

laura_lee i'm with you - new build all the way. except we have kept all the boring magnolia!!!

Oh dear... sounds like a nightmare... just think how much money you will be saving. Would cost you a fortune to get someone in to do it. Will be worth it in the end...

So did we for 2 years so thought it was about time we did something!

Totally sympathise and I'm all for a new build the next time. People should NEVER put wallpaper on walls it's soo wrong. I'm only saying that because we had 4 layers of wallpaper along with 4 layers of paint to strip in the master bedroom and the 3rd bedroom and it was torture. The master bedroom was ok at the beginning because I started it when h2b was away on holiday 4 days after moving into the house so I was all motivated and loved diy but I didn't realise at the time I would find HUGE holes in the walls so as I took the wallpaper off more plaster came off with it. It took us 2 years to attempt the 3rd bedroom and probably another 2 years to do the middle room which will need plastered as well. Our living room was going to cost over £1500 to get plastered if we took the wallpaper off so my dad covered the horrible wallpaper with nice wallpaper and if we ever have the money the wallpaper is going and I'm having lovely smooth painted walls and I never ever want to see wallpaper again in my life.

Can you tell I love wallpaper ?.

So in answer to you question no it never ends because when you reach the end the start needs done again! And do not ever mention gardening, decking, building a garage to me otherwise I will crack up! In fact can I go back and live with my parents ?

OMG you do DIY & go to the gym - girl you are my hero! - my day would be start diy, fake illness, get someone else to finish it through sympathy whilst i lay in bed watching dvds and eat rubbish, and as for the gym well i refuse to walk anywhere if its over 1/4 of a mile away lol - so take comfort in the fact that you are an inspiration to me ?

Cotteesgirl - thanks! But I have just eaten an ENTIRE Lindor chocolate santa. Which makes the gym pointless.

PG - oh god tell me about it. Am stripping the 4 layers of paint and paper so the wall can be skimmed and repainted. Luckily not all the walls have this but they all have to be sanded which gets EVERYWHERE. And it takes ages (as in we moved in over a year ago and the only rooms done are kitchen + bathroom)

Stupidboy is home now and he was impressed with my work so brownie points for me!

I never ever want to have plastering done again but I know I need to to ever get the house the way I want it. I spent days trying to get the plaster off the ceiling and skirting boards and the guy ruined my laminate flooring. Why don't people strip the first layer of paper before putting another up! Grrrrr. All our walls had paper apart from the hall which had artex!

ARTEX!!!!! God that stuff is hideous - my In Laws have it everywhere and I just think it is sooooooooooo naff. Okay, I'm hoping that you were indicating in your post that you dislike artex, otherwise I may have just massively offended you!!

But anyway, yes plastering what a bloody nightmare.

It's weird to think that approx 18 months ago my only worries were - do I have enough clubbing tops? Did I make a complete tit of myself last friday/saturday/birthday/work do (delete as applicable)? What shall we have for dinner? etc etc.

Now its, how soon can we get new carpet? how long will it take to strip all wallpaper and woodwork? How long can I go before reheeling all my shoes instead of buying new....

Am old and boring and no longer have any vices.... except one ? but only with Stupidboy of course!!!!! LOL

SG I am totally the same. I can't believe I used to buy a new car every year on my birthday, bought clothes every weekend without giving it a second thought blah blah blah but now I've had the same car for 2 1/2 years (it's killing me ?) and only go to the Next sale now!

I still think I could have kept my nice fast car and lived in there instead of getting a mortgage. Cars are sooo much better than houses (ok not really but buying a car was much more fun).

Don't worry I hate artex and didn't want to move in until it was gone but since we viewed the house, arranged a mortage etc and moved in within 12 days otherwise h2b was homeless I didn't have any choice ☹️.

Enjoy the rest of your diy, I'm off to bed now ?

Right well today not only have I overslept but I have to pop into work + then continue you with the DIY.

I just cannot be arsed to go out tonight now. Plus I ache from the gym zzzzzzzzzz!!!

Still stripping.................. happy new year to me..........