Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the DIY guys the podcast where home renovations, power tools and mild panic go hand in hand. I'm Nick Morris. And I'm Dan Dower. Each week we'll be chatting with some property pros, some DIY diehards, hopefully help you with some tips and tricks along the way.
Speaker: Welcome back to the DIY Guys podcast. As always, I'm joined by my very good friend, Mr. Nicholas Morris. How are you doing, mate? Very well, thank you. How are you? Yeah, not too bad, thanks, mate. Just trying to survive this infirmity of flight heat that's constantly going I'm just trying not to move much. Yeah, exactly. I'm sweating and making it casual when I just wipe, like, constantly. So too much. It's the light. yeah I like don't like people that moan, but it's just too much, isn't it? No, exactly. Yeah. I don't want to moan because it normally rains like it's here. But can't it just be like mid-20s? Oh, so mid-20s is the best. And since I've had Lydia, I actually prefer like 22, 23. I've gone even lower. yeah It used to be 25. And now I'm like, don't let's get sunburned. Yeah. And you've got a run around after. Yeah. it's all better than the rain. No, exactly that.
Speaker: Exciting times. We've got a couple of guests. Yes. We've got Ellie and Lawrence over at just another renovation. Yeah. And I know we both love these kind of properties. Super jealous. They've got six bed Victorian property and it looks amazing. Amazing. Love, love Victorian properties. They made them better then than they do now for some bizarre reason. We've got more tech than ever and everyone, those old properties just the best, aren't they? Bay windows. All the features. Yeah, all the features. Fireplaces. And they're so good at keeping those features and restoring them, which we both love. We spoke numerous other people and respecting the error of the property and stuff. Yeah, exactly. They obviously have massive negatives, don't they? be interesting to talk to them about that. But they definitely cost more. They're not insulated. You need to look into doing that. Probably lava plaster everywhere, ripping stuff out. But that's just part the fun for me. That is the best part, maybe ripping everything out. So maybe we could do some marriage or couple counselling well, see how they're getting on.
Speaker: Well, that's the other part. You've got the reputation, then you like want to dig into like them as a couple. yeah been And who does what. That's also exciting. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what stage that, because see on Instagram, they're doing a lot themselves and making a big progress. So um yeah yeah, can't wait to chat about it.
Speaker: I see it and they're both like property. are buy They both get stuck in, they both do their bits and pieces in their property and yeah, it's what everyone wants to see, right? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker: nice. Well, let's jump in speak Ellie and Lawrence. Hi everyone. We have Ellie and Lawrence here from the great name of Just Another Renovation. How are you guys?
Speaker: Yeah, good. Thank you. Yeah, we're good. how about yourselves? We're good. Not too bad. Thank you Thank you. Well, thank you for joining us. Could you please tell the guys at home a little bit about the huge task you're undertaking?
Speaker: Yes, so we bought this six bedroom Victorian home about six, seven months ago now. And we actually just fell in love with this house the minute we saw which we were really surprised that no one else on the market wanted the house. The sellers have been to sell it for about 18 months. And I think everyone else had been put off by the sheer scale of the work that needed to be done. So there's like damp throughout the heating system is like barely working. There's a roof that needed to be replaced. There's yeah, so, so much that needs to be done. But we kind of, We were keen for the idea of a renovation we thought as we'd already done small renovation, this was kind of like the next step for us. The house was also in our dream location. We're a seaside city and the house also has beautiful south facing garden and a parking space. So this house really felt like we'd hit the jackpot. So yeah, that's bit about our house.
Speaker: Yeah, it's really got that sort of curb appeal, you know, where you just look at the house and you're like, wow, it's stunning. And then obviously that entranceway just incredible, isn't it? With all the panelling and bits and pieces.
Speaker: so important Yeah, so Victorian features, high ceilings, it is it does lend it it does feel quite grand. um I think that's... as Ellie talked through some of the issues, we'll probably get into more of them as as we go. But um you obviously have to look past the the issues, don't you have to look at what the potential of the property is. And I think we could see a hell of a lot here.
Speaker: um So yeah, bit the bullet and and and bit off. Let's see if it's more than we can chew. Hopefully not. um But yeah, big, big task ahead. And what made you kind of decide to do such a big renovation? Obviously, you said you'd done a little bit before, but what made you think, yeah, screw it, let's tackle a six bedroom house? Well, we do love a challenge. And as you say, we we had done um a renovation before. And by the time we sort of got to the end of it, we were really itching for the next project.
Speaker: I mean, we love home improvements. We you know love walking around the local area and looking at the beautiful architecture and looking at this house when we saw it I mean it really is beautiful or albeit needing a lot of work um so yeah we we just fell in love with the charm and ah the paneling really is very striking when we came across it and discovered that to take this on we we we were able to take this on because it did fit within our budget we thought oh you know what a story to tell us to be able to take on an old six-bedroom Victorian home We were looking at some other houses, um about you know four beds and that were in our sort of same budget range.
Speaker: and But we decided, no let's just go for something that's going to really stretch us. It's going to take a while. It's going to take up a lot of our time. But it's something we really enjoy doing. And we love the process. um So yeah, it's going to keep us busy for a long time. It's very satisfying.
Speaker: yeah anyone who's done a renovation or is doing a renovation knows that it's a lot of hard work but it's super satisfying watching it all come together and being able to put your kind of id on the house and your design choices and and bringing it to life so i think yeah we fell in love with that um i don't ellie kind of says maybe the next house we'll do another big renovation i'm not sure as much on with that i mean um let's see but um this one's definitely gonna gonna stretch us but um In terms of size, you're right, it's ah it's a big property. um The next step up would be like a small hotel or something. So I don't think we're going to do that anytime soon.
Speaker: a guarantee you definitely do another renovation. I swear people, we all we're all just crazy or something. We're just never happy with like the finished one. There's always something bigger and better, right? yeah Yeah. So what do do you sort of discuss about it's such a large property. It's got like the basement and then is it three floors above that? Did you have a little plan or think about where to begin? Because it's so difficult to actually know.
Speaker: Yes. Yeah. So basically the worst room in the house when we came to visit it was the bathroom. Like the tiles were literally falling off. Like as we had off our first shower, the wall was literally crumbling into the bath as we were trying to have a shower. Wow, geez.
Speaker: I mean, all the lights are sort of like hanging from like broken beams. They're just sort of wrapped around a beam sort of in the bathroom. It it was just a really, really hot. Pipes coming out of every wall in every direction. Yeah, it's going to have a horror show. you You just didn't feel clean having a shower in that bathroom. So we knew that we really wanted to... do the bathroom and have a nice bathroom, particularly as we were obviously working really hard and wanted to just wash the day off um at the end of it. um But despite the house being so large, it's only got one bathroom. So it was quite easy for us to start piecing the journey working backwards because we knew we really wanted to get a new bathroom, but we would have to put in a new bathroom before we completely stripped out the first one and then it sort of you start winding back we're basically moving our current kitchen into another room and turning the current kitchen into a downstairs bathroom and utility room so in order to do our upstairs bathroom we've had to sort of work backwards from from that stage so we're now in the in the middle of doing our kitchen I say in the middle we're very close to being at the end of our kitchen renovation.
Speaker: um But so sort of just to put a bit of a plaster on the upstairs bathroom, we've kind of so scraped the wall back a bit and stuck a few new tiles on, but it's it's very much like a, it will do for now job. Yeah, it's still very crummy.
Speaker: But yeah, I think once we've got the downstairs WC, well, obviously then the shackles are off, we can renovate the bathroom. And um i think we want to kind of make it quite... didn't I don't know, we want to make it quite special, don't we? So kind of a walk-in shower, you know, curbless shower with lovely niches in the wall, LEDs, and, you know, just make it really, really vibey and nice.
Speaker: um But yeah, logically, we kind of, we looked at what we needed to do, bathroom, kitchen, everything, basically. um But starting with those two, and that kind of gave us a logical plan, and then we built from there out. And obviously, the kitchen being such a large room or at the heart of the house, that there's so much to do there, and it was a complete...
Speaker: I mean, not only just a rip out, as you say, but a rip out and a moving as well, right? So rerunning pipes, electrics, all that stuff. um There was only one, think there was only one socket in the whole room that we moved into. So obviously needed to redo all that.
Speaker: Ceiling lights. um so yeah the whole the whole shebang really but um it's actually quite good because it's made us address one of the hardest rooms first right with the kitchen definitely um so i think having got and also one of the most expensive rooms as well um so having kind of nearly got over that hurdle i think i'm not going to say we've broken the back of the renovation we definitely haven't but we've one of the harder jobs right Yeah, I think every room is going to feel really easy after the kitchen. It's just going be sort of decorating and the exciting, like finishing stuff. front with There's just been so much prep to get to this point with the kitchen. We're stripping everything back and, you know, we're putting our underfloor heating in, wet underfloor heating. It's the first time we're trying to... do wet underfloor heating. We've already learned like where we've gone slightly wrong and all could have made our lives slightly easier for ourselves. But yeah, we're giving everything a go and it'll be really rewarding to to have our kitchen that we've, you know, built ourselves, you know, from the ground up. So that'll be good. Yeah, and I think... Like you may have these grand plans and then you actually move into somewhere and you're like, actually, I've got a fix like 10 things before I can even think about my starting something. And I suppose I've got to bring up your, ah where you had to dig up your driveway to sort out the damp. Like that's stuff you don't think about.
Speaker: Did you know that going into the property or is that something you found out later? So we obviously when we viewed the property, we saw the damp um and you know large chunks of the room that we're actually in here might look quite nice behind, but um the rest of the room does doesn't have quite as nice. There's chunks of the wall that are completely missing um and you can see evidence of of damp. So we knew that this room suffered from damp. But I think having big bay windows damp is it can be quite common right for a number of reasons. um So when we'd done the first viewing, we did the second viewing.
Speaker: um We were trying to piece together what some of the reasons for the damp may be. um As you mentioned, we have a basement. It's a full height basement. um So not so much worried about damp coming up as it were. um But there are gutters outside that kind of are leaking. So you can see ah marks on the wall where they've been leaking. So that could be a cause.
Speaker: um Our neighbours had mentioned that they had um removed a few bricks from under the bay and actually excavated the cavity and the cavity was completely full of stuff, which was leading to coal bridging and you know that was increasing the damp.
Speaker: um Also, there are single glazed windows here with wooden frames, so that doesn't help as well. um And then ultimately, yeah we we did see that the ground level outside was going very high to the damp proof course, which in this case, on such an old property in 1890, it's just a bit slaked.
Speaker: um But we could see that it was very high up against It wasn't over, but it was very close. So um the good news is that we have a lot of avenues to explore to try and remediate the damp. The bad news is that we have a lot of avenues to explore to try and remediate the damp.
Speaker: Yeah, we we did dig it all out and let let's see if that makes a substantial difference. I mean, the things you talk about are just sort of inherent with 1890s property, but it's kind of the payoff as well. you sort of have to go through that grim world to get to like that sort of amazing property with the bay windows and all the details that come of Victorian property. I know you said you've got, is it like three meter high ceilings and things like that?
Speaker: Yeah, in every room. so Yeah, three meters, which is again, it's lovely. But then when it comes to heating the property, it's not so great. So these are all the things that i think when we first saw it, we thought, wow, this is amazing. And and it is amazing. But um The lack of insulation in this property, single glazed windows, so our loft doesn't have any insulation it whatsoever. Not scrap. Yeah, nothing at all. So we're feeling the effect of these high ceilings now. So very much looking to get the house warmer is is kind of the current focus, right? Yeah, we've we've been struggling. It's like I'm so sick of hearing myself say I'm cold so many times. um So again, like just going back to the plan, we we've got so much stuff that we want to do to make the house look pretty. But I think we are going to have to like do a little sort of side project of getting some insulation in the loft and making sure we get these windows um swapped out swapped out as soon as possible. We're actually waiting for planning permission to be able to change these windows.
Speaker: um which is again something that we had never come across we are in a conservation area meaning that we can't change anything from the front of the house um so again even though the windows are rotten single glazed we still need to request for planning permission to change those um and again we can't even they ah change our front door it's quite strict where we are so um yeah Yeah, it's crazy, those old properties. used to live in a flat in Brixton. It was exactly the same. And it was so cold in the winter. And you can literally feel the wind coming through and the cold coming through. and we even had like cold on the inside, like frost on the inside as well.
Speaker: But the council still don't really give you permission that quickly. It's mad, isn't it? It is mad because i think the whole point, you know, understand the logic of it. They want to preserve the character. But in some cases, like if you look at our windows, we're They look awful. They look absolutely awful. They're not adding any character. you Even if we've replaced them for UPVC, any kind of UPVC would be an upgrade. um So I think theyre they they' yeah there could be some more flexibility on it. But I think on this road particularly, um before it was designated to be a conservation area and you had to get planning permission, people were just changing stuff kind of left, right and centre.
Speaker: there have been, there is some kind of discrepancy between the properties now. So obviously as time goes on, people get more and more vocal around not letting more of it change. And that's why it's kind of got to this um point now where it's almost a bit of a fever pitch and, you know, even the slightest thing, you know, you've got, ah you need to register for it and go through the process.
Speaker: it's It's fine. ah I'm confident we'll get permission. um If not, we'll just have to get single glazed wooden windows, which not great for you know, economic reasons or, you know, financially or heat wise. But if that's what we have to do, that's what we have to do. Luckily at the rear of the property, we don't have the same stipulations. So we can just change them for double glazing as and when. So, um but yeah, that's very much the next project, I think.
Speaker: Amazing. and so so how's How's that process then? Do you try and find a window that's similar to what's currently in there and then you have to submit it to the council and they have to approve it?
Speaker: Exactly that. yeah so you have to It should be as close to like-to-like as possible. so In our case, sash windows, um sliding sash. so it should be, if it's going to be UPVC, it should be UPVC with wood grain effect.
Speaker: um Even the kind of details, you know, on the edges, et cetera, they will need to kind of match with the style, um but which isn't too unique or bespoke. So and I don't think that should be a problem, but yeah, you do need to keep it in keeping with the previous design. Cool.
Speaker: And in terms of your DIY background, you said you renovated a property previously. Was that sort of your first like bold move into DIY and you've just been learning as you go? And because you really take on some big things like your chimney breast removal and, you know, tackling all those horrible jobs like ripping down ceilings and lava and plaster walls. Has that sort of grown naturally as you've gone on?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, we bought our first house together during lockdown. um i was just 21 at the time, so I really was thrown in at the deep end. um But yeah, we we took on some quite big ah jobs at the last place. We sort of made our kitchen, dining room a bit more open plan. So we sort of changed some walls and I do think my friends thought, you know i don't think they quite trusted our vision when they walked in and it was just like this ancient grimy kitchen that was falling apart. um But yeah, we just like to look at the bones of the house and think, you know, if we so strip all this back, what could we do with it? um And I think that's kind of like what's put us in it in a good position is being able to have a vision with a house. And we've always, yeah, as we've already mentioned, we love sort of nice houses and we haven't been able to afford to go out and get ah the house that we would want. um So we've, yeah, look for the potential in houses and and try to work out how we can make it our own and make it the house that we want. Yeah, I think on the last property particularly, it was more of, yes, we made an open plan and we changed the carpets, we redid the bathroom, we fully redid the kitchen and turned it from kind of a ghastly 70s. Every surface was super sticky and horrible. to kind of modern and just all the nice things underfloor heating the electric underfloor heating which now not such a great choice right in terms of kind of the cost of it in running costs etc hence why in this house we're taking that learning and and trying to do a wet system um but we learned a lot from that and it it was more of a a modernization rather than a full full renovation um whereas here it's not just a modernization it is doing some of the things you've mentioned around addressing damp
Speaker: um A lot of structural work as well. So removal of the chimney breast, getting steels in to support the chimney breast, um ah supporting low bearing walls, both getting builders to do it, but also, you know, us having a crack at making a doorway for one of them as well. um So, yeah, we've we've definitely upped the ante.
Speaker: um But, yeah, I think that gave us the confidence that with the right tools and the right support, we're very lucky that my dad is... um very, very skilled and he can do, he's not tradie by any, you know, by his career, but he actually can do plumbing and electrics and all sorts. So he's super, super handy. We've relied on him a lot.
Speaker: and we've We've tried to apply him with as much, you know, cups of tea um and, you know, dinners, et cetera, as we can. And and your family's supported a lot. Yeah, tip runs. Tip runs, even just giving us food food parcels and cooking meals for us when the kitchen was out of commission. So, you know, it's been ah it's been a real team effort. Yeah, thanks to Village. Yeah. So we've got a really good support system and and we are ambitious and obviously, you know, with the right tools, support and YouTube, right? Let's talk. Yeah, exactly. If you can kind of do anything or you feel like you can do anything until you're then looking for other YouTube videos, what you've messed up. But I think that gave us the confidence.
Speaker: If there's people listening that were considering taking on a renovation, maybe not at the scale that you are, but their first renovation, what sort of tips would you give them?
Speaker: Do you want to...? Yeah, I think you have to be realistic with how much time you want to put into it um and think about how much time you actually want to... yeah dedicate to it, ah which will inform how quick you actually get the house to be done. um We, with this house and our last house, we wanted to tackle the house quite aggressively. that did mean, you know, giving up a lot of evenings, a lot of weekends. and But that meant that we were able to get the renovation done a lot faster. um So I think you kind of need to be realistic with how much time you are willing to give to in um And, you know, again, depending on the size of the renovation, um just be prepared that it it can be a really all encompassing project.
Speaker: yeah agree I agree. think I would just add to that, that decide what you're trying to achieve here. So is this property you're doing up because you want to flip it? um Is it a property you want to live in for five years, 10 years and then sell? Or do you want to be there forever? Right. And that will really inform.
Speaker: kind of inform the materials you use, the the finish you aim for, because ideally you say, yeah, well, we want a perfect finish. You know, we're we're always inspired when we go to nice hotels and you walk in and the design flows and the lobby's amazing. These tiles are gorgeous. And, you know, the mirrors, everything flows together. That's what we want to achieve. But if you're just doing a house up and flipping it, you might not want to do a really dark, moody bathroom. That's got, you know, patina mirrors and these kind of dark,
Speaker: black Japanese style tiles or anything, because that's not necessarily going to be to the taste of the market, right? Someone might come in and say, well, we love the house, but actually we don't like that bathroom. We're going to have to redo it, even though we thought it was gorgeous, right? We love gold taps, but they don't. So you kind of need to think about what the reason is you're doing for the renovation and and strategize, I think, as well in that way.
Speaker: Yeah. And we love like people like you who just really throw yourself sort of headfirst into these things. And I loved your post when you took down three chimney breasts and you threw it all in the back garden and then you just had the mound, the mound of doom. But then you you just had like a million people all a sudden, like friends and family.
Speaker: And you said he was done in three hours, which blew my mind. Yeah, don't know. Like, I was so daunted about that pile being in back garden. I thought it would take so long to move. And my mum, I probably get bit my work ethic from my mum. She's like a real doer. She says, you know, we'll rally the family around. We'll have it done in three hours. And we're actually on a family road. So when my family came over, they were like, you've got three hours. um and lo and behold we managed to get down and we even managed to have a bacon sandwich at the end so i was super impressed with the end what was the reward it's usually beers or pizza or something grandparents even came and got involved bless them um and it was just after christmas so my nan had made some turkey soup and my mum had bought some sausage rolls and we did some bacon sandwiches so we were well fed at the end so that was good i take it it just made sense when you were a taking it down because I did the same. I took down the chimney breast all the way from the roof down and it made sense for me to throw out the back as well because obviously no one was out the back so I knew it wouldn't land on someone. And obviously if you're just going up and down what three flights of stairs just kill you.
Speaker: yeah exactly our house is split level so it's three flights but there's there's five levels as it were so split landings as well so even more you have to turn turn to quite a few times so yeah we chucked it out um the window and then we had the the help you know the work party to move all to the front and then just a few days ago we had a grab lorry come and take it and that was so satisfying just you know take massive bucket loads and then just drive away with all our rubbish. It was really good stuff. Was that all just one grabber lorry as well?
Speaker: was Yeah. It's awesome. Well actually because I think but that wouldn't have fit into a skip anyway. We were worried about what to do because again we couldn't fit a skip on our driveway and it was difficult on the permitted road to get a skip on the road so yeah we were looking into it and the grab lorry um was just a great solution so I'd recommend that to anyone who's you know would feel more than a skip or um basically just want someone to come and pick up all the rubbish for you so um yeah that was great we we would have needed two maybe three skips I think because
Speaker: The mountain was consisted of rubble, um you know bricks, etc. but also a lot of soil where we'd kind of done some works at the front of the house. And think with most skips, you're only allowed to partially fill them with soil because it's so heavy. um So yeah, we would have used a number of skips. So yeah, the gravel is definitely ah a bit of a hack there.
Speaker: Nice, yeah. And it's it's just amazing what you've managed to accomplish really with with the amount of work that you've had to do. ah What made you like start recording it all on socials then?
Speaker: Well, I had actually he made a renovation page for our last house, um but that was just literally for friends and family. So I think I had about 20 followers. um And I know that, you know, renovation pages are taking off on Instagram and I do love to watch them. um And I do think our house is quite unique, you know, with the striking panelling and it is a bit of a crazy story. i feel, you know, the two of us taking on a six bedroom house. So I wondered if it would appeal to others to sort of watch our journey. um And yeah, it turns out that quite a few people do.
Speaker: yeah it's amazing. and You've obviously got such a huge following now. How are you finding, like you're getting a lot of feedback from people in like the community? Yeah, it's mostly positive, but it's also crazy the amount of like strong opinions that we have had. um We weren't sure originally what we wanted to do with the wooden paddling. Our neighbors very kindly showed us their house and both of their their houses They have ah painted the panelling. So upstairs, we sort of stripped a bit of the varnish back and we want to see what it looks like stripped back or we did a little ah paint sample. And the amount of of abuse we got from that, honestly, there's been like, you should be locked up for this. You deserve to go to hell. Absolutely. it should be protecting these houses against people like you um but yeah so it's been it's been a bit of a mixed bag but ah it's been overwhelmingly positive and really nice to hear so many people invested in our journey um so yeah it's been really lovely actually mean, a lot, just to add a lot of the feedback that we get. So that wood painting video, I think the thumbnail was of you painting the wood and that's what's kind of made that video blow up.
Speaker: I think that that video has got how many views? 2 million views or something like that. So a massive amount of good and bad comes with that. um But even if people leaving bad comments, it just it just kind of boosts it. And, you know, we don't mind. it's It's quite funny actually reading the comments, slagging us off. um With and the the gravel channel outside the the window to assist with the drain, so to or sorry, to assist with the damp, we had so many comments saying, you know, you're using the wrong tools, you should be using a a big concrete you know disc cutter and use a breaker. And I was just using ah an angle grinder.
Speaker: and an SDS drill, which, and I knew, i knew that I could have used bigger tools, right? But the tools weren't available for the weekend to hire. And it was like 150 quid all in. I thought, you know what? I'll just do that myself. But that really triggered so many people. And it's amazing. You've got so many people saying theyre literally the same thing, you know, reams and reams of comments one after another saying, this is wrong tool, using the wrong tool. um So yeah, it's kind of funny what, you know, reading those comments, but it's all good for engagement. And it's just a bit of a laugh.
Speaker: I mean, we're we aren't professionals. We are, you know, we're giving it a go. So I want to make clear that this is by no means is like the gold standard, but we're we're giving our best shot. And I'm sure so many people can relate to sort of just giving it a go and yeah hoping for the best. Making mistakes along the way. And we're not advising people. You know, this isn't an advice channel really or an Instagram. It's just to show people, you know, the the mistakes, the ups and downs, right? and just trying to be quite honest and transparent with it so it's also been great actually getting advice from other people um on our social so that's actually been another you know real benefit um mean we've had so many suggestions of how to you know restore the wood or after the woods some things that we haven't uh heard of so we'll definitely be giving a few of those a try
Speaker: Amazing. um And that's the point, right? DIY, do it yourself. Like, you know, they're not professionals. None of us are professionals. So, you know, you just give it a go with the tools which you've got. Like, I don't get why people are so negative about it when at the end of the day, it came out perfectly, right?
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. It's worked well. It's worked well. I mean, There are some jobs that obviously we're not going to try and do ourselves right. They're either not worth it um because they're too risky. So because we have to retain the chimney stack on the top of our property, we couldn't pull the chimney and entirely down as I think you did. yeah but So we had to get massive steels put in. i mean, the structure engineer recommended...
Speaker: like weapons grade steel. So he gigantic, they're huge big things. you You can see the video on on the page of the builders carrying them up the stairs. um And they supported the chimney. They had to be, they had to be drilled and they had to be welded. So obviously that's way out of our remit and things like plastering, you know, to be fair, do see videos of people attempting to plastering or using the, I think it's called like roll Nova, you know, the stuff you can roll on it, easy to do it yourself. and And we kind of thought, well,
Speaker: Maybe we'll just let a plasterer do that, right? And get ah just get a nice finish and not do the back-breaking work. It's amazing how many people we say about plastering to us. Everyone seems to be like plastering is where they draw the line. I'm the same. I think I would start off in a bit and be like, that's good. And then I'd get sloppy and it would just look like some awful like finish. So yeah, I think everyone's the same on that one.
Speaker: Yeah, especially ceilings. I mean, the ceilings are so hard work as well. And it's just all heavy, like 25 kilogram bags and heavy buckets of water. It's like not fun.
Speaker: How have you guys found renovating as a couple? Not that this is like a couple therapy or anything yeah but do you ever like ah disagree on like where to begin or what you do i actually think it's helpful because i've been renovating a property for by myself for three weeks and it's sometimes you're like oh i've got to do this and all the tidying up and sort this and it's quite outdoor like it must be quite nice to have a partner it is good yeah yeah it's very nice i think You know, we work well as a team um and definitely the progress from the last renovation to this one, I think we're resolving disagreements better in terms of decisions. We're very, very aligned with our vision for how we want each of the rooms to look right. We wanted a light and airy kitchen. and we want kind of a bit more of a dark and kind of moody dining room. And you know so we we've got these kind of strong ideas and we've seen pictures on Instagram or
Speaker: and we watch um We like watching grand designs and and programs like that. And i think we always agree that that looks really nice. And that makes things a lot easier. We're not having to battle. yeah In terms of actual support during doing the work, yeah, it's great to have a second pair of hands, of course. um So, yeah, I feel for you having to to do weeks and weeks of work on your own there.
Speaker: It's brutal. mean, luckily, that where I am, I'm not living in it. So it's a lot easier because and sometimes I'm just so tired. I'm like, I'll just lock up, take some tools away and just go home and just leave it an absolute like doggle. But how you found actually living in your property? That must be a whole different like game.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, think we sort of, we've become very accustomed to living in chaos. I know not everyone can do it and sort chatting to some of my friends and I are, you know, I'm showing them pictures of just, you can only walk sort two feet before you're stumbling over the next of of tools or boxes or plasterboards yeah our hallways like are so narrow at the moment we're sort of like darting through the house it's so full um but you know we do just work well with with what we've got and we've got the bedroom the bedroom yeah and we just we are locked into the payoff at the end and I think that's what we keep holding on to
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, we're we're quite lucky that one of the bedrooms was fine, you know, not by a completed house standards. um It's it a bit grimy. um It's kind of got paper on the walls that are, it's wallpaper, but it's kind of a bit dirty, you can tell. and um But, you know, the floor is fine. It's just kind of a cheap laminate, but it's it's fine, right? So we were able to put a bed in there and um that was, we we've kind of been using that as our bedroom and we could do that from day one just having given it a clean um if there was nothing not even a single room then that would have obviously been harder but we're able to move in day one and and set up some kind of kind of sanctuary there and then um start yeah making a plan of attack for the rest of the house
Speaker: I think it's nice to sort of live in a house before you start making these sort of bigger decisions because then you might change your mind or you might feel like, oh, actually, this will be my bedroom, even though i kind of thought that this other room would be my bedroom, right?
Speaker: yeah Yeah, yeah. Definitely, definitely. I think one example of that would be that the It was a breakfast room called the breakfast room and now the kitchen.
Speaker: um it was pretty dark. There was only one window um letting light in and we love natural light, um as many windows as possible and try let the light kind of flow through the house.
Speaker: So that really informed our decision to cut a hole in the wall and make a doorway and then we will build steps down into that room. um Just because then that means that another bay window in the next room along, the light will kind of filter through from there. So that was only really something that we considered once we'd actually lived here for a little bit, right? And then boosted by the fact that we saw the neighbours and they'd done something similar. So kind of inspired us there. But yeah, agree. Living in a property does have its its benefits while doing a renovation as well.
Speaker: Also, the commute home is less right once you finish work. Yeah, hopefully your bathroom works now. It does, it does. So you've um just put the kitchen in, I believe. That must be like a really nice big tick box stage you're getting to now.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, we had the kitchen delivered in December and we finished building that ourselves. We are still waiting for the worktops to be delivered, so it's not quite finished. and But we're so excited for that because we've, Yeah, we've been working on this project for so long. we've been in so many hours, um you know, sort of working, doing final things over Christmas. The workshop will be kind of like the finishing touch. So we don't we don't have a hob in action at the moment. um So it will just be able to be the final piece that will be able to allow us to have a fully functioning kitchen.
Speaker: Nice. And then what's the next big project you're going to undertake for 2026? Have you got anything you're like, oh, can't wait to get stuck in? So number one would be um to replace the windows.
Speaker: We should be getting a decision soon on whether we're allowed to do that at the front or not. um So replace the windows, we are definitely going to fast track insulating the loft because of the cold, horrific weather that we're having. yeah Seeing our breath you know in in the rooms of the house is is something that I think we're ready to say goodbye to. So we need to get the loft insulated. That's a no brainer.
Speaker: um And then I think it will be the downstairs toilet and then that will unlock the ability to do the bathroom and then kitchen, bathroom. then we're set for those functional rooms and we can move on to dining room, lounge, and some of the other bedrooms, hallways.
Speaker: We both work from home as well. So I'm really keen to get my study decorated. Again, that will be sort of an easier job because it will just be sort of wallpapering and putting you some new floor down. But again, we're just focusing on getting the main functioning rooms or the main you know priority rooms done and then do those sort of finishing touches but yeah it's it's been a lot with us both working from home in the very cold house there's a lot of a mess but um yeah it's just with i want to do all of it it's just we can only take one thing at a time so
Speaker: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for giving us your time today. We always sort of end on the same question and it's basically the best and worst thing about, you know, DIYing your own property and how you've sort of, the best thing you've experienced so far, the most rewarding, and but also what's the biggest negative to sort of doing it? What would you say the best would be? maybe Maybe making an open plan? Yeah. I mean, obviously just more generally just being able to make the house our own. I mean, it's been a real privilege to be able to choose every sort of finishing detail. I know you can sort of go into a house and, and, you know, really like the general style, but we've managed to choose every sort of finishing detail. And I sort of can't imagine not doing that in a house now. um And also just the sense of pride you get from sort of having a challenge You know, working really hard on it, overcoming it and seeing the result and then, you know, being able to welcome sort friends and family into your home to sort of, it will be so nice to be able to have them over for dinner. Dinner, yeah, we're big, we like cooking. So I think the kitchen, in terms of a specific project, I'd probably say the kitchen makes sense so far. And also making an open plan as well, right? Because that's the kind of thing where...
Speaker: watching the beams, watching the wall get knocked down, you know, you've got the acro props in, et cetera, the wall gets knocked down, the beams go in just instantly. It feels totally different, right? It's super exciting watching that happen.
Speaker: um She wrote people a dinner for helping you with all that pile of stuff. So it's good the kitchen's going in. yeah Yeah, yeah, definitely. We're in debt at the moment for a few minutes.
Speaker: in terms of the worst, what would you say, maybe cutting the pipe in the bathroom. So the there was a pipe that sticking out and I thought, this pipe's just really annoying.
Speaker: um And I kind of tapped on it and i it's it sounded what I thought hollow, not that that's the way of testing. And I just, yeah, got the pipe crushed on there, started twisting. And then next thing you know, I've got my thumb over the pipe and I'm screaming to Ellie to go and, you know, shut the water mains off. See, that's where you need two people. That's what I'm saying. if i If I did that, I'm screwed. Yeah, that would have been a nightmare, actually, see if you weren't there. Because it's a long way down to the basement. I would have loved to pay to see you darting down five flights of stairs or whatever reason it was.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, we definitely would have created more damp issues had that been the case, I think. Oh, amazing. Thank you so much for your time. Could you just let everyone listening know where we can follow the renovation as it moves forward, please?
Speaker: Yeah, so if you follow us on Instagram at justanother.renovation. Amazing. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time and good luck with everything you're doing this year and we'll be following along.
Speaker: No problem. Pleasure talking to you. can see Thanks. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much, Ellie and Lawrence. Oh, you're doing your your thing's doing it again. Oh, is it? God damn it.
Speaker: Surely you can just do it now, can't you? Yeah. That's it. oh I'm glad I picked up on it that time. Yeah, well done. It's so weird. It resets it for you. It's bizarre. I think also because I've got my stuff in it.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. Actually, this is working quite well because I can still just flick it on quickly and look at my notes. I might continue doing that.
Speaker: not Thank you so much, Ellie and Lawrence. Another great episode, mate. Such great guests to have on and so interesting about their house, isn't it? Yeah, know I know. love speaking with couples, first of of all. always try and get some dirt. i never do, unfortunately. But yeah. You're staying strong, right? Yeah. Well, sure. Hopefully, like, the cameras go off and they just, like, scream each other again. That's what I hope is happening. That's punch-up. But they did did seem to work well as a team, and you sort of need to on a house like that, right?
Speaker: Yeah, definitely. And they've both got such like nice bubbly personalities and you can tell how much this house means to them. Yeah. really love it, don't they? Yeah, exactly. And you you could see because they they keep posting saying, oh, the house nobody wanted. And I'm like kind of like,
Speaker: Surely that's not true because it's amazing. it's got But actually, when you think six bedrooms, like Victorian has got the basement and everything, it's just and room after room, you are just like, oh, yeah, that is a lot for anyone to undertake. And all the, I suppose, the issues that come with like an older property, especially if it's been on the market a while. Yeah. Like it just gets worse and worse and worse, doesn't it? Yeah, so fair play for them taking on. looks like they're doing cracking job. Yeah, they're doing an amazing job, even though they did get a bit of stick. They're panning for something. It's so, it's so harsh. Why, why people feel like they have to be negative about them doing what they want to do with their property? It's so funny. well And they haven't, like, you think, oh, if you've ripped it out or something, you might be like, oh, you've ripped out, like, decades of history, but you've just painted it. If you're that bothered about it, the next owner could just varnish it down a bit and sand it down and varnish it or whatever. And it looks fantastic as well. Yeah, it does look so good. That's the thing, like, understand if they had, like, say, ripped it out and, like,
Speaker: burnt it or whatever yeah i understand people getting annoyed by that but yeah they've just painted it and it looks amazing weirdly i think when you get criticism on social media you're kind of doing something right because it's like it goes viral or whatever loads of people mostly because people love it but that does trigger obviously the odd complete nutter yeah and i think sometimes it's like cheap mentality someone will say something and then someone's like oh i want to get involved in that and like yeah rather than like them like Have you really got such a strong opinion of someone doing what they want in their own house? Yeah, exactly. And I've actually seen it both ways. So we converted a house once that had that panelling in the hallway and we left it because the hallway was still quite light still. But then um a client of mine has painted theirs in like a cream.
Speaker: and it looks awesome and it makes the hallway really bright and light and nice. So I totally get both methods but it's so weird he'd just be like, oh, you go to hell. How dare you paint some panelling. It's just like, calm down. Yeah, it's just embarrassing. Yeah. But awesome. Love the house. Love those guys. And um to see why I think they're following, even since we've spoken to has gone up quite a lot. So it's really cool. Yeah, it's it's been really fun.
Speaker: Got to genuinely follow them along. And it's fun to see their journey and what they're up to and stuff. So it's definitely worth we' following them along. It's definitely one that will take longer to get to that finishing line, I think, than some.
Speaker: I think, like, most houses are, like, two, three-bedroom or whatever. Yeah. Six-bedroom. But then it's more, like, real, right? like Yeah. trademen and They are doing a lot of stuff themselves. Like, it's going to take a while, but, like, half the fun's a jam.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly. And I love that they're just doing all the dirty work, like, the work out front, digging everything up, ripping down ceilings, like, the gritty, dirty stuff. Yeah. Piles of stuff everywhere, but I love it. Love it, man. Yeah.
Speaker: did Good old Renner. So yeah, i ideal guests. Thanks for coming on, guys. Definitely, yeah. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, and thanks a lot to everyone else listening along. thought Yeah, if any guys have anyone who wants to come on or know of anyone we can ask, please let us know. um Yeah, spoken to so many people now, but we're trying to get as much variety as possible. But anyone can recommend anyone, get in touch. And also, if is there anything specific?
Speaker: that you want us to talk to or any specific people that do a specific job? Garden people? Oh yeah, we said that before, didn't we? We'll definitely get some garden people on. I was thinking i was thinking of garden people the other day because how hot it's been. yeah And like my brother didn't stop his garden room business still going. I was like, oh, that's a bit harsh. And then I saw some landscapers starting a new job, like the shirveling around like type one stuff. And I was like, that is brutal. I thought I'd be a crap boss. Cause I'll just be like, I'll have a couple of days. and you can't But then actually you you just can't. If you want to make money, you've got to crack on.
Speaker: yeah, but any garden people want to come on, AKA landscapers getting tough. Yeah. If you want to hit us up on email, Ping us an email to hello at DIYGuysPodcast.com.
Speaker: Hit us up on Instagram. they know why unsta guys and And as always, thanks so much for listening along. Please like and subscribe. Recommend us for you to your friends.
Speaker: That's a good suggestion. See you next week. See you next week.
