year zero

[Tabby]

I tend to start with what I call multiplier jobs, ie those that if not done will add further ongoing costs. Doing them early reduces total cost.

The other first job is surely planning. If you can take the time to work the plan out not just quickly, but after a fair bit of thought, you can end up with a rather better result. Especially is this true in the area of space, often some patch of space can be repurposed for a significant improvement.

Insulation is well worth it with cavity walls, and if you're going to chop lots of holes/grooves in walls, you can inject the stuff via the inner leaf so it doesnt disfigure the outside. Ensure you keep the relevant piece of paper, as there will be no physical evidence left behind that its been CW insulated.

It will seem a bit trivial at this point, but if not done it'll annoy you for decades: network wiring. Get it in there before plastering.

if you bury conduit, put your cabling _outside_ the conduit. See the above article for why.

There's a good thread on kitchen fitting:

good tips: a bit of soundproofing of stud walls can make life better, and isnt too hard to do. 'm sure there are many other things to think of.

NT

[Gill Smith]

got lots of time since I'm now unemployed!

that's why I 'traded down'

my old house needed a *lot* doing but I'd no money

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[Gill Smith]

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[The Natural Philosopher]

+1

[Theo Markettos]

The other thing is to use this time for is budgeting. No point spending lots of money on insulation if you run out of cash for the heating and have to use electric fires until you can save up enough to have it done properly. Worth including a certain percentage for contingency: things will go wrong and cost more than you expected (see countless Grand Designs etc programmes passim)..

Theo