Top 10 things not to say when someone you know is self-building!

We've haven't ranted that much on this blog, so now we're about to make up for it!

If you know someone who's building their own house, and when we say building it, we mean them and not a builder (big difference) here are a few tips on what NOT TO SAY!!!!

Our 'Top 10' of the most annoying and testing things you can say to two people who have devoted the last three years of their lives to building a house are:-

1. I remember having the extension built on our house, such hard work (key difference there....having it "built" for you).
2. What are you doing this weekend? (The same as we have been doing for the last 150 odd weekends).
3. It's taking a long time to do isn't it. (We're building a house in our spare time).
4. Still doing DIY? (Don't even get us started on the difference between self-building and DIY).
5. Why don't you just do it this way...? (You honestly think we haven't thought of that?)
6. When do you think you'll be in? (Soon. And it's been soon since the 16th July 2009).
7. I couldn't do it (well don't then).
8. You need a team of people to help you (and you'd get another list of 10 reasons why that is a disaster waiting to happen).
9. You must be tired. (Tired happened Christmas 2009, try again.)
10. Can't you just move in anyway? (Occupancy certificate? Structural warranty sign off? Building Control approval? Insurances? Shall we go on....?)

We've heard them all, several times. We know people are just trying to empathise and be supportive (most of the time). But please. Enough now.

One of the best things that you can say, which was said to me last week, is quite simply....

"Wow. You are amazing. Well done".

And then prepare for that person to burst in to tears!

Extraction!

We fitted the extractor fan and splash back in the kitchen a few weeks back. It looks lovely (even with protective covers still on!) and makes a hell of a noise even on the lowest speed, but that's want you want so there's not curry smells the next morning and so on.

The gloss black kitchen tiles have arrived so before the tile cutter gets put away, we've the kitchen to do too. The cooker has also been delivered and the gas man will hook that up when he comes to install the boiler which will hopefully be in the next couple of weeks.

Tiling (again)

Just when you thought it was safe to put away the tile cutter, it's back out with a vengeance. Darran's back on his favourite job (not!) of tiling the ensuite and bathroom. Here are a couple of pictures at the half way stage.

Bath in, and waiting for gloss black border tiles to arrive.

Ensuite, with borders fitted. Looks very nice!

So, a couple more weekends and that will see that tick. Not much more left now.....

The Bathrooms

You've seen the kitchen done, now on to the bathrooms. We certainly weren't idle on our two week break over Christmas and New Year!

As we've got more of a wet room set up rather than a shower tray set up in the bathroom and ensuite, we needed to do 'tanking' (technical term!) around the corners and floors of the wet room areas.

Then it was on to tiling the floors. We've gone for black in the bathroom as we have gloss white tiles for the walls, and a dark brown for the ensuite in keeping with the rest of the colour scheme in that room, and we have gloss cream for the walls.

(Both room still need another couple of washes to get the grout dust off so look a bit dull).

And now it's on to tiling the walls. Just the mosaic and feature tiles to decide on. More decisions. Anyone want to make this decision for for us....please.....anyone.....?

The Kitchen

We now have a kitchen! Well all bar the cooker, fridge and dishwasher.

We spent AGES faffing about on the Ikea website, visiting Ikea, thinking we had made decision then changing our minds. We went from gloss black, to gloss red, to gloss white, to gloss black, to limed oak, and finally settled on gloss white. And we're so pleased we did. Anything else would have made the kitchen really dark.

The worktops also came last week so we've fitted those, with just the raised bar bit to go as we don't have the stilts for that yet.

Even though it's still got all the blue protection on the doors, we're really pleased with it.

Now to choose tiles - here we go again!