What Do Normal People Do?

[Tally]

I need my hall, stairs and landing decorated. I can't do it myself so I need to arrange a decorator. I also need an electrician and I might need a plasterer too.

 

So I can ring up and ask for a quote, and then choose one and book it in. I hate it, but I can do it.

 

The thing is that I get 2 days off work a week, but it is going to take a lot longer than 2 days. I wouldn't mind going out to work and leaving him with a key, but I work nights, so I need to sleep during the day. I know he's going to make noise, but I have ear plugs. When I had some builders I had to sleep on the sofa because they kept knocking on the door to ask questions, and it was awful. I can't stay awake for a week. Do I need to book some time off work? And how do I know that the week I book off work will be the same week the decorator will be available, or that a week will be enough?

 

The other option is to put the cats in the cattery and go and stay with a friend while it's being done. If they will have me. If I can afford the cattery. Or I can take the cats and go and stay with my parents and leave the decorator with a key.

 

Hopefully the electrician can come on my day off and get it done in a day.

 

The plasterer could come the following week, but he might need 2 days, but then what if he says it's not finished and he'll finish it tomorrow. Can you tell them they have to wait until the next week? Will they have other jobs booked in?

 

I keep trying to sort it out. It's a disgusting mess and I hate living like this. But I look at it and I don't know where to start. Normal people, with full time jobs, get rooms decorated, and I can't understand how.

[ASue67]

Think you need to ring all the relevant people up, work out who needs to be doing the work first and explain your working hours etc and see what they come up with.

You seem to have too many 'what ifs' at the moment!!!!!

 

Take a step back first and then try to think about it again.

You might even find that the decorator can also do the plastering and he may have someone he knows who can do the electrics as well!!!!!!!

 

Good luck!

[Guest Lya of the Nox]

could u try calling one company that does all of that??

our builder does all of that, so it is just him or someone he brings here

he can be a bit useless at coming the day he say ect, which drives meggzie up the wall

but she is comfy with him in the house

[badonkadonk]

Hiya Tally,

 

I don't envy you the task of having to organise your life around other people, I understand how stressful these kind of situations can be. Can you chat to your dad about it or someone who will have had experience of having these kind of people around before? They might be able to advise how long these things might take and the best order in which to do them. Thinking off the top of my head I would suggest the electrician first because then if he has to start making holes in walls and what not he won't be ruining any of the newly decorated room/s.

 

Could you have an ask about at work, with someone whose opinion you trust like your boss or something? Again they might have hired people like this before and have advice about how long you might need to have off (if needs be) and then would also be aware that you would be asking for this time off in the near future.

 

Again I don't know how it works so this is just my brain whirring (dangerous I know) but I would suggest that you pick a week that is good for you to have a bunch of strangers come and wreak havoc in your house (what do you mean there is no good week?? ). Then I would do some research into local firms that might be able to do what you are after, give them a ring, ask them how long these things might take and compare the answers (so you can see who is ripping you off). Once you've shortlisted a few companies I would ring around and ask them if they are available during the week that you had in mind. If no one is available then obviously the week will have to change, but if you have your top choice electrician available and your second choice plasterer/decorater then you can go ahead and book them for that week. Like Sue said it might be that you can get a decorater that can suggest an electrician and then they might be able to decide who does what in which order

 

Because you work nights and because this kind of work tends to get noisy and messy and disruptive I would go for taking some holiday time to get this done. It doesn't mean you have to stay in all day and supervise still if you trust them to work in your house without you there but it does mean you don't have to cope with all change while still working. I think you can prepare yourself in advance for a week of chaos and feeling out of kilter and make sure that you do things in that week to address the balance and make you feel chilled out and relaxed, whatever this might be. Trying to combine the change in routine while still working could be difficult and even if manageable might end up being a week of un-necessary stress and upset.

 

As for the cats/parents/friends situation...what about waving the cats off to your parents for the week so it's one less thing to worry about, then you don't have to worry about paying for a cattery. Because you would have booked time off work you don't have to worry so much about sleeping but you could still stay at your friends in the evening if you found living in the house while it's all turned upside stressful, because the cats would be at your mum and dads you wouldn't have to worry about them. If you didn't want to stay at your friends another option is to ask your friend if you could take yourself off to their house each day for an hour or so, so as to escape the noise and mess and leave the workmen a key if needs be or just leave the house when you know they won't be wanting to leave their job (i.e. during the morning/early afternoon).

 

Try not to worry about getting it wrong, we usually get things wrong the first time we do things which is why I think that having someone like your dad or a friend with experience onboard might help. It would be someone to talk to if things were stressing you out and someone to bounce ideas off. I'm not saying you shouldn't use us on the forum but you might find it easier to discuss things in more detail with someone you can get together face-to-face with to sort things out/at the very least on the phone. You can still come on here and ask us lot what we all think if dad/friend prooves useless

 

I very rarely do big things (like re-decorating, buying things like wahsing machines, getting my car serviced etc etc) without asking my parents for their ideas first and I can't see this ever changing

 

Emily

xxx

[Tally]

When all this is finished, I need to get my car serviced as well. The mirrors are falling off and the air conditioning doesn't work. I have been meaning to get it fixed for 3 years.

 

It's all just so confusing and I don't know how to break it down into things I can actually do.

 

Tomorrow I am going to try to phone a decorator to ask for a quote. Maybe things will make more sense after that.

[sash]

Hi Tally,

I think if you explained to the people doing the work that you needed to sleep during the day they would not interrupt . Apart from the electrical work, the plastering and decorating wouldn't be too noisy and they should be able to just get on with it without needing to ask you during the day. I find it hard trying to work out what needs doing first when things like this need doing but if you work that out (maybe by asking one of the workers) perhaps you could break the work into smaller steps and have it done over a few weeks a bit at a time? Also to help you sleep through, are you able to wear earplugs? They can perform miracles

 

Hope it all works out

Sash

[pearl]

Ooh Tally youve just been describing my life for past 2 weeks! Living room not decorated for 15 years so yes we did indeed take 2 weeks off work. Did most of it ourselves & have waited in for quotes from venetian blind peeps & carpet peeps. Will be soooo glad when order is restored.

 

Good luck hun

[Nic m]

Tally,

i have just done all of this in my daughters room.

You need the electrician first, then the plasterer then the decorator! Everyone usually struggles with this kind of thing. I usually ask my brother what needs doing first.

Good luck

Nicola

[bid]

This is how I tackle these kinds of things (sorry if this is what you're already doing ).

 

First of all I get a wallet folder or a ring binder for the particular project.

 

Then I write down everything that needs doing.

 

Then I would group that list under the relevant headings of 'electrician', 'plasterer', 'decorating' and allocate a month for each of these.

 

I wouldn't try and get the whole lot done in one go. I know it will take longer, but if you did one element a month you would have plenty of time to organise the workmen/your shifts, etc, and ultimately it will be much less stressful.

 

Then phone for quotes, maybe getting someone like your dad to go through them and advise which is the best.

 

Another thought: if you get the decorator to prepare everything, perhaps you could paint yourself. This would save some money, less intrusion from the workmen, and you never know, you might find it quite enjoyable and creative!

 

Good luck <'>

 

Boho

[Bagpuss]

Our bathroom arrived today.........it's sat in the toyroom, and I can't get out the back door to get the washing in Dreading having the work done, good luck Tally.

[Tally]

I'm getting organised with this a bit now, but I haven't actually managed to do anything.

 

I'd love to paint it myself, but it's the hall, stairs and landing of a 3-storey house, so there's just no way.

 

I've booked a week off work in November and I need to email 3 decorators to ask if they can come that week, and if so, can we arrange a day/time for a quote.

 

I'm going to arrange the electrician ASAP, hopefully for next week, but maybe I will have to wait a bit longer.

 

I need the ceilings replastered. I'm not sure about one wall, but I'm going to ask the decorator when they do the quote, because the plasterer will just say it needs doing because they want more money. I hope the wall doesn't have to be redone, because the old plaster is this awful red stuff with horse hair in it, and it gets everywhere! Once I know, I will arrange the plasterer for before November.

 

I also need to get my car MOTed and serviced before then

[Tally]

I sent the emails, because I saw I said I would contact a decorator "tomorrow" on 23rd August!

 

I have done it now

 

Tomorrow I have to book a taxi