projects for 2010

[brett53]

dunno about you lot - but i have always got projects ( read ideas in progress ) on the go - this year the main one will be to sort out the heating in this place after the winter cold periods have shown the deficiencies of my current heating system - and at the moment i am thinking ( only thinking mind ) about investing in a pot belly stove , this will be located in its own little shed - with some sort of heat exchanger idea and maybe a couple of rads in the kitchen , its not coming in the house as i ain't got room AND i don't want the cat getting a singed tail amongst other reasons + it will only be used for "extreme " weather as no doubt the neighbors will be moaning about any slight wisps of smoke generated and complaining to the council about atmospheric pollution ( in the middle of a city ?? ) - as i don't like the place too hot any ways - but if my gut feeling is correct - then we in for some rough winters - despite the protestations of the global warming fraternity - who seem to be getting some flack of late - as only today more scientists are apparently casting doubts on the whole scenario and some even going back to the "mini ice age " one ( remember it was popular before GW came to the fore ) - wish these "experts " would make their flipping minds up

any hooooo , other than that its just maintenance and finishing off the solar /rain water stuff - but my plans tend to change frequently as situation /finances ( or lack of them usually ) dictate

so , what you all got planned as your "project " for this year - may be its an ongoing one - or a new one ??, may be simple - maybe complex - and maybe it will never get started - but interesting any how

[floydster]

Solar tracker for me. I'm not installing any more solar panels until they track the sun.

Floydster

[sarahkeast]

Hmm, where to start.....

Just brought my first home after living in Texas for the last 10 years and getting a divorce The house is a total fixer, old lady who smoked lived here before and didnt do anything to it in years and what was done was bodged.

Builders are in, re-rendering and conservatory, already done DPC, cavity and loft insulation and new efficient boiler.

Massive bonfire last weekend to clear old shed and some ugly conifers, some hard landscaping to do leveling and building and then time to start weeding/digging.

Plan is to get kitchen and bathroom in next [friend visiting to help], finish sorting out kids rooms, clear my room so I can get a bed in there, decorate, floor and put a stove in downstairs, the list goes on...

In the garden, build storage shed [half term project next week] and set up chicken house, build, weed and dig raised beds in time to plant lots of lovely veggies.

May find time for a glass of wine in there at some point All very exciting and lots of work.

Good luck to everyone, cant wait to hear about your schemes.

Sarah

[KathyLauren]

I need to replace the deck, as the old one is now unsafe to walk on. I also have to put in a back gate for the garden to give us access to the compost bins. Speaking of which, we need new compost bins. Yep, no shortage of projects.

[crowsashes]

first of all there's the compost bin/heap, need to get that sorted, then there's the raised beds to finish some ugly 'decorative' grasses to take out ( its spreading like wildfire !) a hedge to get under control

complete redesign of the front garden, cutting the grass on that slope is hard work!

i gotta get someone out to remove my drain pipes, asbestos so cant/wont do it myself, before i can install the water butts under the drain pipe.

theres ivy to take off the side of the house. ivy spreading over the garden ( darn neighbours planted it!)

theres a shed to take down carefully before it collapses. a couple more cold frames to make from the dismantled shed ( glass is in good condition and i have to old 1950's style kitchen cupboards that have a slope to them perfect to do a cold frame )

then there's the floor insulation to do downstairs, if were in for another cold winter i want something thats a lot better on these concrete floors.

also going to do a bit of redecorating to. need new flooring in the lounge, the little ones room needs to be redone. the bathroom to do ( pipe insulation while im at it)

oh and there's the mass de clutter im planning next week, going to raise a few pounds ( i hope) so i can replace my bed as that now only consists of a matress on the floor after it collapse

[theabsinthefairy]

2010 is a year of projects for me, but house-wise we have a major project to come on the revamp of the pantry, which is still currently a dirt floor, open stone walls and some dexion shelving, as well as a filled in well in the corner which I would like to open up to give me well water directly into the kitchen.

Got to love renovating! Just when you think the dust and rubble is over - you manage to find an excuse to make some more!

[theabsinthefairy]

lol susiegee

[indy]

Demolish a large leylandii hedge and rebuild a greenhouse, if I get those two done in 2010 I will be a happy flower

[Harasimow]

Double dig as much of the new allotment as possible
Single dig the rest.
Plant everything !
Harest everything and store/preserve whatever 'i can


thats about it!

[Jessiebean]

Where do I start!

Finish building extension - incorporating new bigger kitchen and sitting room
Install underfloor heating to new bit and kitchen/bathroom to run from solar/woodburners
Refit bathrooms
Refit kitchen
Insulate front wall and render/board
Take down front porch, reposition, rebuild
replace internal ceilings
remove and replace roof
Take down chimney and rebuild
Renovate woodburning stoves
Install wooden floors to whole house excluding kitchen and bathrooms
Tile kitchen and bathroom floors
Rewire entire house
Re-plumb entire house
Keep the garden going as best I can!!

Don't suppose now is a good time to ask hubby if he's going to finally put the polythene on my polytunnel then

I wonder how much of this list is going to get carried over to next year! It all seemed like such a good idea when we planned it five years ago

Good oh!
makes my few tasks seem very acheivable if you are going to do all that!
redo front fence
manure and mulch and mushroom compost everything that doesn't move fast enough out of my way.
lift some old concrete so I can manure, mulch etc even more.
Build chook house and get chooks (hens for those who aren't ElizabethBinary or Nev.. apologies to other Aussies)
roof repairs
roof painting.
reline wall in office and paint all rooms in cottoage next door
complete door through to cottage next door so it is not just a hole with a sheet.
lemon tree.
sort out my potting/seed raising area.

[Millymollymandy]

Double dig as much of the new allotment as possible
Single dig the rest.
Plant everything !
Harest everything and store/preserve whatever 'i can


thats about it!

Be grateful! That's about all I 'have' to do, plus a load of pruning and clearing of brambles and saplings/suckers, and that's quite enough each year.

to Susie G.

[Thomzo]

Get another contract when this one ends and employ a gardener

Redo the raised beds as they are too big and I can't reach the middle.

Redo the kitchen floor as the tiles have all cracked. Oh and fix the damp at the same time. Then redecorate the kitchen.

Redecorate my bedroom.

I was going to get my patio redone as it slopes towards the house and I get a swimming pool outside my back door every time it rains but I haven't got my ar5e in gear to do the designs so that will have to wait.

I may get one project done.

Zoe

[RuthG]

Well we have 101 things to do here. The plan is over the next 4 years to completely renovate the house so we can move - sooner if we can manage it.

So that means:
Outside -
change window in dining room for french doors
rebuild falling down conservatory (need to do the dining room window before we can tackle the conservatory)
remove old falling down shed
use 'waste' from shed to make raised bed edges (idea cribbed from someone above who had the great idea of using their shed for coldframes - would probably just have burnt the old shed otherwise)
build new shed
replace a couple of the perimeter gates
reroof outhouse/toolstore (burnt down during arson attack early last year)
refurbish old greenhouse (sandwiched between the falling down shed and the burnt out outhouse!)

veggie garden -
clear brambles, thistles, docks, nettles,couch grass etc
dig over for sowing veggies
edge for deep beds as and when
build breeze block compost bin

rest of garden -
patio to build
path through newly planted trees
meadow to sow
pond to finish (dug but not lined or filled yet)
bridge over 'stream'
water feature between patio and pond (probably a waterfall/cascade)
keep on top of lawnmowing!!
and weeding!!

inside -
alterations in dining room (have a door to move to where hatch to kitchen is currenly)
refurbish bathroom completely
decorate three of the bedrooms that need it
replace windows in those bedrooms
build built-in wardrobes in main bedroom

other -
things I cant do myself but need to have professionally done:
house roof
gutters

There are some other windows we need to replace and some decorating we still need to do, but first things first!

Well, I did say it was a 4 year plan - it was 5 years, but over the last year we have done the kitchen and pantry (almost finished anyway) and redecorated some of the rooms already

Ruth

[RuthG]

PS

Perhaps we could update this thread as we knock things off the list - might help to keep us on track and focused (well, it would me anyway)

So, my first job is to replace one of the perimeter gates, which means
measuring the gap
planning the wood needed
buying the wood
building the gate
installing it

Meanwhile I intend to get on with the veggie garden as soon as the ground stops being either covered in snow or too soggy.

Ruth

[brett53]

humm from some of the lists ( which make my lil aims look quite tame ) - it may be a case of who has the most still to do or how many "new" ones - as work always seems to generate MORE work ( well it does here - especially if it involves small plastering jobs which tun into large plastering jobs which turn into ..................... )

but yes - great idea lets keep this one running and report progress