ANOTHER PROJECT ON THE GO....

As if I don't have enough on the go already!!!!
But I can't help myself!! I love starting projects!!

Before I forget - Update on the bathroom cabinet - we now have the mirrors on the doors!!! All I need now is to buy the lights. I'll post a pic when it's 100% finished!!

Okay so the new project is for the boys' room! Even though they have a whole wall of cupboards they still need more storage! Well Alex does. He sleeps in the top bunk bed and has one long shelf above his bed. It's always got lots of toys and bits and pieces on it and it looks a mess!!! Also books seem to slide off it! The bunk beds are in an alcove which is about 20cms wider than the beds.
I'll take a pic of it soon but here's an idea of what it's like at the moment....



And this is what I have in mind....



Cupboards for storing mess and shelves for books!!

Seeing as I have the living room project to start soon I wanted this new project to be quick and easy. Two days ago I went to Ikea and bought the doors (pack of 2 for €14 - Effektiv) then yesterday I bought the wood and today I put it all together!!!
How's that for quick and easy!! It still needs sanding and painting and then I need to add the handles and the little thingies that stop the doors from going in too much.

Here's 2 pics from today....





Tomorrow I'm getting out my trusty little sander!!!

:-)

PROGRESS....

I finally got around to painting the bathroom cabinet, hanging it on the wall, attaching the doors (still to be painted) and buying the mirrors that will be stuck onto the doors.

Even though it's not finished we're already using it!! It's so good to have a place to put everything instead of having it cluttering the area around the sink.

This weekend I hope to find time to finish the doors. Here it is after one coat of paint....


And here it is on the wall....


On the other hand, work in the living room has not progressed at all!!
:-(

BACK TO THE BATHROOM....

Well, I'm still perfecting the plans for the living room TV unit. In the meantime I decided to go ahead and make a cabinet for the bathroom. I've been looking around to buy one but the ones that fit my requirements exactly are way too expensive and I didn't want to get one from Ikea either. So yesterday I whipped up a cabinet. Well it's not finished yet but it won't be long. Finally after all this time I think we're near to finishing the bathroom!!

Here is the structure, still missing one panel on the back and the doors. It's 100cm wide, 90cm high and 10cm deep (without the doors which will be mirrored).

My cat is modelling it for you!
;-)

SLOWLY. VERY SLOWLY....

Work on the apartment this year has been going very slowly. We've been away for almost 2 months so all projects have come to a standstill.

I've been planning to build a TV unit for the living room for a long time but my ideas about how it's going to look keep on changing. Last week end we dismantled the old units and hung the new TV on the wall. So now we are in desperate need of the unit. Hopefully this will make me get around to making it quickly as we need the storage!! We have boxes of stuff all around the living room!!!!

The pic below is a PSed pic of my first ideas....



My newest ideas are to have it less bulky and a bit more streamlined. I think it looks better but obviously gives me less space for storage. Here it is in two different finishes. Excuse the quick Photoshopping!







I'm also working on some shelves for an alcove we have in the bedroom. Too messy to take a pic at the moment.

So, what do you think of my ideas for the TV unit?
The kids are back at school next week so work will (hopefully) start then!!!

:-)

IDEAS....

Just some ideas....


Saw this pic at Inspiration bubble.
Unfortunaltely I can't remember where I found the two pics below.

LIVING ROOM PLANS....

Haven't had time to draw up the proper plans so just did a real quick pic to give you an idea of what I have in mind.

Originally a smaller TV was in an Ikea unit on the wall to the right. That has already been dismantled. There used to be shelves on the wall where the huuuuge new TV is now. BTW, I had imagined the new TV to be smaller than this so had to rethink my original plans for the the new unit.



Anyway, this is a very rough idea of what I hope to make!! I have to get the plasterer in first to straighten the edges of the alcove as they are very wonky!
The units above and around the TV will be quite shallow - about 23cms including the door thickness and will be flush with the wall, and the lower ones will be 40cms deep. In the middle under the TV the unit will be divided in two (not shown in my doodle) so there'll be a draw down the bottom and on top a pull down door that will hide away all the gadgets - sky, ps2, wii etc....




I only hope I'll be able to make all this!!!

P.S - I just realised I started this blog a year ago today when I was planning to renovate kitchen and bathroom!! :-)

HELLO BLOG. REMEMBER ME....

It's been a very long time since I posted here!!
I've had nothing to post about as absolutely nothing has been done to the flat in the last few months. Well that's going to change soon as this weekend I'm pulling out the tool box!!! This time I'm attacking the living room!! I also have a very long list of unfinsihed DIY jobs to tackle also.

I'll be back later or tomorrow with details of what I plan to do!!

:-)

LET THERE BE LIGHT....

We've had wires hanging down from the ceiling since the July waiting for me to make up my mind what lights to buy. I wanted something similar to these....





...but ended up getting these cheapies from Ikea (€8.99 each)....



Here they are up in my kitchen (will get a better pic in the daylight!)....





You can see the unfinished door frame in the last pic. I'm still waiting to have the new sliding door installed.

Still have soooo tooo many unfinished projects on the go... :(

THE CUPBOARD....

On the summer holidays my dad (who was here on holiday) helped me put up the frame and the doors on my mega-cupboard! Too heavy to do all by myself!
Since then it's been a very slow process. A few weeks ago I put in 3 of the shelves and we've been using the cupboard. Today I finally got around to putting in the remaining shelves (with the help of two curious cats!!!)
Still not completely finished as it needs painting! At the moment it looks like a huge cardboard box!!






I hope to have it all painted before Xmas! Then I still have the mirrored bathroom cabinet to make!! But that will have to wait until 2009!

RECENT PICS....

This is what my gorgeous bathroom looks like now! Okay, on a normal day, you'd see toothbushes etc on show, a make shift mirror resting on the sink, various kids' toys near the bath and the toilet roll sitting on the edge of the bath!! I still haven't bought the loo roll holder and towel hooks!!! I need to sand and paint the door and arhitraves, finish the built in cupboard, make the cabinet and also decide on the lighting! At the moment we have a bulb hanging from the ceiling!! I really shoud hurry up and finish it all as I still have the living room to renovate! But I promised myself not to start a new project until I completely finish the bathroom AND the kitchen! Plans for the living room include lots of built in storage and a big flat screen TV! ;)

BITCHINGETC FAME....

Yeah, my bathroom made it onto the cover of Livingetc!! Well, not quite, but I'm just as happy!! Thank you sooo much Griffo!!


Unfortunately the bathroom still isn't finished!! I still have to make the bathroom cabinet and finish the cupboard for the washing machine. Will post more pics tomorrow!

Thanks again Griffo!!

BEFORE AND AFTER....

Well after a weekend of cleaning and organising, the kitchen and bathroom are presentable....

I think the before and afters are self explanatory....

Still lots of things need finishing....

What do you think???

DAY 30....

37 days ago Alessandro and Stefano, my 2 trusty workmen, began work in our little flat. We had a really horrible bathroom and an out dated kitchen to renovate! Today was the 30th working day and also the day that they packed up ALL their tools and left!!

Here's what went on today in the mad rush to finish....

Stefano had to sort out the problem with the shower enclosure being too tall....


But after nearly all day in the bathroom he managed to install it and honestly now that the extra tiles are grouted and the other piece of glass is up it is hardly noticeable.

Salvatore went and picked up all the wood for the washing machine cupboard. Not sure when I'll be able to make it but I'd really like to do it asap as that will be the only storage in the bathroom at the moment.

In the kitchen it was go go go all day!!! The worktop arrived!! Poor guys that had to carry it up a lot of stairs, it was sooooo heavy! And it was soooo hot! It was great watching them install it. But OMG the "glue" that they used took my breath away!! As well as the 2 main pieces for the units, they had to make the breakfast bar thingy and the peninsula that divides the kitchen from the dining room. I am so happy with the end result!

Whilst the worktop guys were busy making my kitchen lovely, the 2 delivery guys turned up with the dishwasher and my new fridge (the right one this time!! - I checked it before they installed it!!). So at this point my little flat was rather crowded - me and 6 guys!! Luckily by lunchtime they had finished, leaving only Alessandro and Stefano!! So then it was a matter of attaching sink and tap (love it), the oven, cooker and touching up the plaster around the peninsula.

So here are a few pics of my nearly finished kitchen....




There are still lots of things that need doing or finishing. I'll try to do as much as I can before we go away on our summer holiday down south. But first the kitchen and bathroom need a really good clean (as does the rest of the flat) then I can start putting things away! I can't wait!

p.s. will take some pics of finished bathroom after cleaning it tomorrow!

DAY 29....

What a day!!!

Well lots got done today. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! Almost!

First thing this morning the guy called to give me the price of the worktop which was actually less than I expected, although still alot of money! He also told me that it wouldn't be ready until Wednesday!!! Poop!

Then Salvatore realised that the fridge wasn't the one that we ordered!! Yesterday when it all arrived I was so busy looking at everything else that I didn't even notice! So after a small arguement on the phone, Raimondo (kitchen guy) agreed to change it. There is a cost involved and he's not sure when the new fridge will arrive. Double poop!!

After I went to pick up the wood and mdf that I ordered last week to make the washing machine cupboard frame and doors, guess what?! Not ready! Not even started! It was on their to-do-list for NEXT week! I really had to restrain myself from exploding in anger and frustration. Triple poop!!!

So even though I'm having a really poopy day things did progress here in my little flat. Alessandro finished all the electrical stuff - my blinds go up and down at the push of a button - the downlights are in and look great - and all the light switches and plugs are working. Stefano touched up the paint work in kitchen and bathroom, fixed the skirting boards, attached the shelf/ledge under the window in the bathroom, sealed the sink, loo and bidet with silicone and finished off a few other odd jobs.

Then just after lunch I got a call from the worktop guy - Worktops arriving tomorrow morning!! I have no idea what made him change his mind, I'm just really glad he did! Yeah!

Next a call from Raimondo - fridge and dishwasher arriving tomorrow morning too! Double yeah!!

To make things even better the man I nearly assaulted in the wood shop calls to tell me he personally has cut all my wood and mdf ! Triple yeah!!!

At this point I felt like dancing, all seemed to be working out well, then Alessandro called me into bathroom to show me that my gorgeous super shower enclosure didn't fit properly on the shower tray and that it is taller than the height of the tiles! Quick call to Sandro (bathroom shop guy) who assured me that it should definately fit. And yes, it DOES fit, they were putting it on wrong!! I wish they hadn't scared me like that! But the problem of the height remains! The only solution is add another row of tiles above the shower. I don't particulary like this solution but I think it's my only option! Compromises!

Sorry about this long boring post. I'll make up for it tomorrow with a whole lot of pics of my hopefully (almost) finished kitchen and bathroom!!!

DAY 28....

Kitchen day!

This morning it was a mad rush to get everything finished before the kitchen delivery. When they arrived Stefano was still on the ladder painting the ceiling!! This is what it looked like this morning....

And this is what it looked like 3 hours later....

Almost finished!! The dishwasher still hadn't arrived this morning so will be delivered on Friday. The 3 guys that delivered and installed the kitchen were great! Really fast, acurate, polite and funny, all qualities not normally associated with delivery guys! They do expect a tip! Not wanting to offend them I asked around before to see what is the "expected" tip for a kitchen delivery - around €50. Oh well, they deserved it!

After they left the "worktop guy" came and measured up and made a plywood pattern of the worktop! I was told this would be ready in about 3 days but he said it's more likely going to be Tuesday!!! I pleaded and begged that they do it sooner.... Friday would be perfect. That way on Saturday Alessandro could put in the oven, the sink etc... I've also asked him to give me a quote to make a breakfast bar or what ever they're called! Who knows how much a 130cm x 35cms piece of composite worktop could cost?!? Oh, plus 2 side panels each 35cms x 90something cms!?! Well, I'll know tomorrow when he calls!

On the other side of the flat in the bathroom Stefano "fought " all day with the bidet. Being a back to wall bidet he had trouble getting it right as all the pipes are hidden! It kept leaking but he couldn't tell from where. At one point I think he was ready to throw the bidet out the window! In the end he sorted it out!

There's still a long list of things to do in the next few days but at least all the major work is over and done with!!! I just have to do a major tidy up and clean! It's so disgustingly dirty!!!

p.s. before leaving Stefano rested the cooker on the kitchen cupboards and attached the gas as they've done every evening. I lit the gas so I could boil the water for some pasta but after awhile could smell gas!! Aaaah, so many problems with the gas!!! We ended out eating take away pizza!

DAY 27....

Tiling in the kitchen has finished!!

Apart from the grouting on the left side....

I really like the overall effect but.... once all the tiles were up we realised that 1 tile is a different colour!! See bottom right tile in the pic below.

It's not a big deal as it will behind the cupboards but that one tile is the sample tile that i brought home from the tile showroom. It's the colour that I chose. It's a more creamier white where as the ones that I have are a colder starker white. I don't know if this is good or bad yet. I guess we'll see tomorrow when the kitchen is installed!!

Stefano is in the bathroom as I type putting up the remaining tiles that I picked up this morning.

There are so many "little" things that need doing before tomorrow morning when the kitchen arrives. Alessandro has to finish doing the wiring, fix some of the plaster, put in the down lights, touch up some of the paint on the wall etc etc...

p.s. ONE MORE SLEEP....!!!

DAY 26 CONT....

Well I didn't get my fully tiled kitchen but we're nearly there....

Missing still 12 tiles on the right side and also 12 tiles on the left. Alessandro is still confident all will get done in time.

I've been attacking the bathroom door as we're leaving the original frame but changing the architraves. So I've been out buying all the necessary wood and nails, scraping away at the old paint and generally covering myself in dust and pieces of old paint! How glamourous!!

p.s. 2 more sleeps....

DAY 26....

Yesterday was Matteo's birthday!

It was a really hot and sunny day so we and what seemed like nearly all of Rome headed out to Lago di Vico (about an hour drive away). We had lunch at a lovely restaurant that overlooked the lake. Just as we finished there was a sudden summer thunderstorm which drove nearly everyone back home!! We resisted and after the storm the boys had a swim in the deserted lake!! A lovely day away from our dust infested flat!! (grazie a Paola, Valerio e piccolo Dario!)

Okay, back to the renovations....

Finally the kitchen tiles are going up today!! Yeah! Well, they have to as on Wednesday the kitchen is being installed!! Hopefully by the end of today I'll post a pic of a fully tiled kitchen....