I’ve been in my lovely Snug Cottage three years now. I have done lots of renovating in the past three years…most of that is in the walls literally!

It came to remortgage time and I got the house valued and I was over the moon with the valuation, so decided to release some equity to be able to start the next project on the house.

The Bathroom!

Now before I can start the bathroom I need to replace the boiler…not just one though…two!

My house is so old and has amazing original features, but one that isn’t welcome is the water boiler, that is currently above the bath! Super dangerous, but this wasn’t something I had the funds to do straight away. Due to the placement of the boiler too means that brickwork is required both internally and externally.

I am replacing two boilers (one that supplies water and one central heating) for a combi boiler. I cannot tell you the amount of variation in cost I have had on this job. The difference in pricing has been not just in the hundreds but thousands. I aren’t lucky enough to know people in this trade so need someone to do the full job.

List of to do’s;

• X2 boilers removed
• Combi boiler installed
• Brickwork on external wall replaced
• Extractor fan fitted within the brickwork
• Bathroom completely stripped bare
• Removal of tiles, floor, radiator
• Full replaster
• Pipe work for bath, shower and radiator chased into floor
• New floor laid
• Re tile on back wall
• Radiator installed
• Sink installed
• Re paint
• Strip door of paint and install towel rails on back of door

There is a fair amount of work to do here, and along with that comes the pressure of a budget!

Here is the bathroom I moved into…

Since moving in I ripped up one of the floors (lino laid on top of laminate) and repainted it all white.

This didn’t remove however the problem of the placement of the boiler and ultimately the safety of it.

To be truly honest I’m fed up of getting more quotes…I’ve had 6. I recently posted the boiler job on MyBuilder.com and my god did it make my life easier. You can check credentials, see previous work done, read reviews from previous customers, see the companies insurance details and qualifications. You then get an email from the site if a person is interested in the job, if you confirm this activates the exchange of contact details. The tradesmen will then contact you.

Me been me I decided I would also look on Pinterest and YouTube and see if I thought I could give any of this a go myself.

Obviously the gas and boiler work has to be done by a professional and that will be the case…but tiling…surely I can give that a whirl, and maybe replacing the cladding and a few other bits?

Bugger it I’m giving it a go!

Step 1- old boilers out and one new combi boiler installed. I decided to splash out on one luxury here too, so I got a 10 year boiler with guarantee along with a Hive heating thermostat. The guy who installed the boiler asked why I needed it as they think they’re great but expensive. I work long hours and am away quite a lot, so to be able to click the heating on and off from my phone is a little luxury I was very willing to splash out on. You can change the times for each individual day and as many times as you wish.

A luxury well worth the money!

Step 2- gas pipes from old boiler capped off and chased into the walls

Step 3- old radiator removed, old floor stopped up, and sink taken out

Step 4- builder in to replaster the walls

Step 5- re screed (concrete) the floor

Step 6- new floor laid 3 days after screed to ensure properly dried out

Step 7- myself and my dad fitted some new cladding from where the old pipes sat, ready for the sink to be fitted flat to the wall

Step 8-new radiator fitted, freestanding sink and unit installed (new pipework too, so that the pipes sat behind the unit out of sight

Step 9- I’m going to attempt the tiling myself, so I purchased a tile cutter, subway tiles, grout, grouting applying tool and finishing tool, along with end strips to finish off the work properly.

I got my mums partner to show me a couple of rows, and then I went on to finish the three walls myself! It was time consuming, especially whilst trying to juggle a job and a social life, but it was totally worth the early mornings and late evenings.

Step 10- glass shower screen fitted, along with new taps and shower

Step 11- fit new solid oak windowsill that me and my dad made

Step 12- finish any snags, dress the room with towels, bath mat, candles, plants etc

I can’t tell you how challenging this was, having literally a stone cold floor, dust everyday, no functioning sink for three weeks, only been able to get a shallow bath so the full room could dry properly.

What I will say is if you have the time and patience and are on a budget, it is so worth doing it yourself!

I saved around £3000 doing what I could myself and only getting tradesmen in when absolutely needed.

Here is the tranquil cottage bathroom finished, I hope you like it as much as I do.

A couple of before and after shots.

There are a few more renovations I still would like to do, but they do require tradesmen, so I will be saving for those jobs.

Thankyou for reading Sarah xXx