So I’ve been a homeowner (hahahaha) for just over a week and so far it has been lots of cleaning, clearing out and calling people.

As the flat came with all the furniture and lots of knick-knacks I’ve got lots to sort through and get rid of. Some has gone to friends, some bits into the bin/recycling and the rest is hopefully going to charity this week.

All the bits I don’t want to keep are now in the sunroom which now looks like a very messy charity shop. Anyone who comes to visit is invited/required to take something with them from the collection!

I’ve been cleaning up and hoovering as we move stuff around. The penthouse isn’t dirty but moving furniture around in somewhere that has been empty for two years gets grimey!

Today I sorted through the kitchen cupboards and emptied them which involved a game of matching saucepans to lids. In the bedroom I started wiping down the walls so they’re ready to paint and cleaned the windows.

I reckon I’ve spent more time on the phone in the last few weeks sorting out house things than in the past year. I’m a millennial, I’m not used to this! Most recently I’ve been getting quotes for movers, rewiring the flat plus kitchen and flooring appointments. It’s a lot to organise (and getting quite potentially expensive!) but after the busy week of appointments coming up I should have a lot more clarity in my budget and schedule.

My fully booked day

I took the day off work today to power through some appointments. First was the Sky TV installation which was super quick (and totally made me think I should’ve done it myself as it was just plugging the box into the existing communal aerial plugs).

Next was a Carpetright estimator to quote for new vinyl flooring for the (currently carpeted) kitchen, toilet and bathroom. He was very excited at how cleverly the three pieces could be slotted together and cut to save money – only about £140 for the vinyl plus fitting.

My favourite appointment of the day was the IKEA kitchen planner. I came on a big strong by gushing about my love for their online kitchen planner #awkward.

Finally I had a second (and more thorough) electrician round to quote for rewiring the flat. His initial rough guess was around £4,000 [OUCH] but he’s going to get back to me with a more accurate quote plus he had some ideas for how to save money.

In between flinching at quotes and dazzling even more people with my carpets I started dismantling some furniture, filled holes in the bedroom walls, pulled the border off the wall in the bedroom (very satisfying) and took down the last bits from the lounge walls.

We rounded off the day with a trip to B & Q who are just down the road and where I can tell I’ll be spending a lot of time and money…

Jo

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