Can you help a clueless female with her DIY?

Question

Well, just bought an end terrace house. Got lots of general upgrade to do but have no idea how to do it! I don't wanna cut corners and do bodge jobs but I can't afford to get contractors in either. I've had quote after quote after quote and each contractor has give me the c**k and bull about this and that needing doing, costing thousands. I feel like they are taking advantage.

My porch roof is leaking into kitchen and I wanna sort it today before the 'MONTH LONG DOWN POUR!'

My guttering is leaking at back of house onto wall and window -worried about damp penetration (just had dpc done)

My guttering is leaking at the front splashing against cellar air brick.

I need to find some good lime wash to for my dampish cellar - can't find any in any hardware shops - online is too expensive

I've just levelled my garden out but can't seed it or landscape it as its water logged - what do you suggest?

I've had dpc done on internal wall with lime plaster, do I have to wait 6 mths to paint???!

Answer 1

Stop the panic first of all.  You cant fix these things by tomorrow.  Each thing needs to be addressed with care and knowledge or you will end up not doing a proper job and eventually you will have the same problems.  Take the estimates that you got and use them to your advantage.  If two estimates say you need the same thing done then  they most likely arent lying to you.  Start there, go to home improvement stores with your first project and take the estimates with you.  It will help the sales people explain what you need to do and how to do it.  It never hurts to enlist the help of a knowledgable friend either, you shouldnt be doing any of this alone with the exception of your garden.  You may just need to amend the soil, if you take a sample tto your local extension office to be tested they can tell you exactly what you need to do for your area. I wish you good luck, just remember, what mother nature has taken years to renovate can't as a rule be fixed in a day.

Answer 2

I hope you didn,t pay a lot for this house. Sounds like a big headache. Contractors will defimitely take advantage of you. Not all, but most will. The porch roof sounds like it needs a new roof and possibly some plywood replacement. If it is leaking into your kitchen, you may have to tear out a wall where it,s leaking to see if there is any mold damage. The gutters may just need a good unplugging and cleaning. Too bad, thats what I do for a living. As far as a good limewash, I would go with a watersealer for the cellar walls. It is something you can do and won,t really be too expensive. The garden? If it is waterlogged, it probably means it is in a low spot in your lawn. If it is, I would make planter boxes by laying up some logs or rr ties in a square and filling it with mulch and some topsoil. It will keep it up from getting saturated and makes for a very neat and organized garden that is easy to weed and by making different planter boxes you can put tomatoes in one and string beans or whatever in another etc. The gutter that is splashing on the brick might just need a new downspout. Put a flat rock underneath it at an angle to keep water runnung away from the house. I think your main concern is the leaky roof. That could be expensive if it rots the plywood underneath. The you would have to do a tearoff and replace with new plywood before shingling it. That could cost some $. Find an older roofer. Those older guys will give a young lady as yourself a break anyways because most are old school  gentlemen. Good luck.

Answer 3

If your porch has a flat roof its probably just that the felt needs replacing cause its old or more likely that its the flashing (the leadwork where the roof and the wall meet) thats your problem (when the rain hits your wall it runs down and the lead is supposed to transfer this onto the roof) You might wanna get some sealant of some kind and go to town plugging any holes or if there are holes in the brick joints you could mix up a little sand and cement instead (might sound like a bit of a bodge but its the cheapest way and if you did get a builder in they'd probably just do this anyway and charge the earth!) if you use a sealant make sure the surfaces are completely dry or it won't stick.

The guttering sounds pretty straight forward, just be careful up ladders.

Also if you've had a lot of quotes from people all giving you the same story and similar prices then they might be true, don't get me wrong all contractors will exaggerate from time to time but this doesn't make them cowboys, you've got to put your trust in builders at some point. Try asking friends and family member who did their work and if they were any good.

P.S if you do get contractors in ALWAYS ALWAYS make them tea, I can't stress this enough you'd be surprised of the amount of people who still don't get this.

PPS a good builder will never say no to a bacon sandwich!

Answer 4

There are good DIY manuals out there. If you want to do good work, this is the way to start.

Answer 5

a mans place is in the tool shed and if not hire a trades man

Answer 6

Get a man in and he will sort it out for you

Answer 7

prioritise

1) gutters depends if they just need cleaning out or joint needs repairing , or need renewing ( unlikely) get ladders out and check .

2) porch roof , get up there and look for damaged tiles or is it flat

3) wire brush & hard work for cellar , then point where needed with sand and cement , then bitumen if needed but wait until garden is drained . when gutters cleaned water may not enter into air brick then into cellar . water may be entering from bad drainage , sort that first .

4) check any gully that is near or drains the garden that it is running , and no idiot has thrown lime mortar down the drain hence blocking it , or concrete down there ,  which idiots do .

5) you have enough work to go at now for months , let the mortar dry out .

Come on  , don't let it get you down , and I am a working class male , I'll call you what I like . Get some ducks , ducks sounds like you need 'em . nothing that can't be sorted .

Just a thought but get local authority to check drainage in your locale and also footpath falls , IF backfall to your property then request channel at back of footpath IF IF don't charge off until sure . sounds like it .

EDIT- WATER BURST GET IT CHECKED what's your water pressure like and ask are there any old services underground . just remembered !

Answer 8

Hey Igonre the bigoted idiots whoi have decided to be insulting (there was really no need guys). Just cus you are female and DONT know about DIY doesnt make you an idiot alot of males are totally cluless too.

Ouch sounds like a problem and a half! Contractors will take advantage unfortunately if you are a female alone they really will take the p**s I've had it myself - funny how scared they look when you know what your talking about!

You need to get the guttering repaired first and foremost. Then you can asses the dameage to the wall - getting some damp proofing paint is the best thing (once its dried out a bit if its not too bad - if it is sorry contractors will neeed to get involved unless you have a builder frind as they will need to sort the wall out. You can get advice in the larger hardware stores about fixing it.

Lime wash should be at the larger store again or they should be able to suggest somewhere for it. Failing that look on line for local places that supply you may be able to go to them and get what you need cheaper!

You garden Im afraid you will just have to wait for it to dry off before you can do anything! d**n this weather! When its drier seed it (or do what you need)

About the damp proofing do what they advised when it was done. ITs always best to be safe but Im sure its not 6 months you have to wait!

Best of luck with everything!

Answer 9

Well, big red riding hood kind of says it all.

There are some jobs there that are going to take no more than a ladder and a bit of common sense - the guttering might just be full and need clearing of leaves and moss and what have you, it might have just become slightly disconnected at the join.  

If the limewash is too expensive look for the next best thing.

As for the garden - how about waiting until its no longer waterlogged?

I think you need to get real here you know.

Do what you can and get small one man bands in to do the bits you cant like the porch roof.

Sisters are doing it for themselves....remember?

Answer 10

Can't help with all these problems but here goes.

1/ Leaking guttering check that it flows towards the down pipe. Borrow a ladder, get someone to foot it & then remove all the debris from the gutter. Unscrew the lowest bracket from the down pipe & shove a stick up the pipe to clear this.

2/ Lime wash a good paint shop rather than a DIY warehouse will be able to supply this. Farrow & Ball make a good range of washes.

3/ Garden level, don't do anything to it until we have some dryer weather. Then dig some narrow trenches in it & fill them with 10mm shingle.

4/ DPC yes wait 6 months to paint to allow it to cure properly.

Hope this helps

Cheer up there are some of us who try to help.

Answer 11

Sounds like you`ve got a good project on there.Could I suggest you buy a good DIY manual (Collins complete DIY is great,but not cheap) make a list of all the work that needs to be done,read through the manual to see what work you think you can do yourself and and do the jobs that will make your house dry first.Leaking roofs and guttering needn`t mean huge amount of work,and yes,some people will try to rip you off,so it`s always worthwhile trying to build up your skills to do as much as you can.Because you have so much work to do it`s very difficult to apply 2or 3 different answers you might get for,say,fixing the guttering.Having a manual gives you one refference point.You`ll have to buy tools and equipment as you go,but at the end of the job you can sell it or keep what you think you might need in the future to maintain the property.Don`t be tempted to try anything with gas or electrics,they`re not cheap jobs but they must be done by qualified people and you`ll have the paperwork if and when you sell the property.Lastly,don`t take risks.If you don`t feel safe don`t do it,get safety gear,boots,hardhat,gloves,

goggles etc. and enjoy the work.Good luck.

Answer 12

Hi

Sounds like you have your work ahead of you.There will be some projects you will need help with,your roof being one.Your gutters in all likelihood are plugged,a ladder will help you get high enough to inspect and clean.As for the yard your just gonna have to let it dry out to proceed.The craigslist link has been a good tool in the past.

A good search tool is Google.Say for example your gutters search "DIY Gutters" and you can find a wealth of information.

Good Luck

Answer 13

I work for a lettings agent & survey all our properties for problems, decide whats required & get quotes from contractors. Alot of thinks can seem worse than they are so dont worry. What kind fo suvrye did you have done when you bought the house? A bank/ mortgage survey only is not advisable on a teraced proeprty as they are generally over 100 years old. You could pay for a chartered surveyor to come out about £300 & they would tell you what needs doing & give rough estimates - could be money well spent.

1) You porch roof must be a boev kitchen at the back, if this is leaking it may be guttering, leadwork or tiles or combination fo all things. You need a roofer to advise.

2) Gutters leaks onto brick walls need sorting ASAP as otherwise you will get decoration deterioration inside. Get a ladder up & check they are cleaned out, check the joints arent leaking, check they fall int eh right direction etc. Get a plumber or maintenance man to quote for gutter rpelacement - bet you downpipes are ok.

3) Cellar, get a specialist to quote. Dampco are national & will give you a free quote & survey - it might need tanking. Get damp cellar sorted as it can cause problems with floorboards above.

4) garden, fit some french drains, get a landscaper to quote.

5) you dont have to wait 6-months to decorate, leave it a month & then decorate. Goto a decorator centre & ask their advice on this - explain the situation.

I have had terrace houses & they involve TLC but are good quality so dont worry.

karlbillo

Answer 14

Well good for you in wanting to DIY. But remember some things are beyond the level of the average person that does not even know what tools they need or how to use them. You just leveled your back yard an it is waterlogged, You need to have a slope away from the house so it does not flow into your home,and the water runs off. not a completely flat back yard. As for the roof , you can just reshingle , or place a tarp over it for a temporary repair. Like I said , sometimes you need a pro , or at least the proper know how That being said , You can get most of the info by typing in what you are looking for on line. Here is just a few sites.

Answer 15

The important thing for houses like yours is a good hat and a good pair of boots - sounds like you have got the latter with your dpc, but the guttering is definitely a priority. It may be a case of refixing the brackets and ensuring the joints are firm clearing leaves and silt and making sure outlets are clear. The difficulty is arranging access - working at even moderate height like this can be dangerous. Ideally you need a platform to work up there, or make sure if you are using a ladder it is good quality and properly secured (no kidding - if you are not confident get someone in, it really isn't worth the risk).  

Check with SPAB (Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings) for recipe for lime wash - you should use a putty lime though not powder for best results and be aware it can rub off.  I keep meaning to do this to my cellar walls - they need to breathe to stay dry and the lime kills any mould.

Your lime may be a renovating plaster (Limelite) which goes off quicker than traditional mix - but if you can wait until you are sure it is dry I would do so - seen too many failures to know what a wast of time and cash it can be decorating too early.

Sound like you need to dig the garden over to encourage free drainage (presume you are on clay), and make sure any paving close to the house is draining away from it.

When dealing with contractors, don't let on about your lack of experience in this area - this will only encourage them to rip you off. Find someone who comes recommended by a friend, or look for a firm of women builders in you area who may be a better altenative.